Editor’s word: Every month, we prefer to introduce one in every of our fantastic Glamping Hub hosts and ask what impressed them to create a glamping web site. This month, we’re showcasing Glamping Hub’s Host of the Month for January 2023, Ken from Jonson Metropolis, Texas. What began as a love of glamping and fascinating lodging, quickly developed into a novel lodging area within the Texas Hill Nation. Ken and his staff share a ardour for nature and ecological property administration, which glampers can get pleasure from once they keep in one of many luxurious bell tents or the transformed gypsy wagon.
Inform us a bit about your self…
I spent the vast majority of my profession in IT consulting and staffing. By a profession coach, I found a ardour and curiosity in creating a lodging vacation spot within the Texas Hill Nation. I’m a giant fan of glamping, classic RVs, and distinctive lodging varieties. The pure atmosphere, the outside, and the ecological points of property and land administration are actually essential to me. I like to journey and discover completely different elements of the world. To expertise the atmosphere by a neighborhood lens as a substitute of staying in massive chains or motels and doing the most well-liked vacationer actions.
What attracted you to proudly owning a glamping property?
The inventive points of glamping and an curiosity within the out of doors atmosphere actually drew me in. Incorporating nontraditional lodging varieties with a small footprint additionally appealed to me.
Each glamping web site has a particular story, may you inform us about yours?
Whereas renting the property out, on a extra long-term foundation previous to leaping into offering shorter-term visitor lodging, we unintentionally harbored a fugitive who owned a journey trailer restoration enterprise. Fortunately the legislation caught up with him! It was a bumpy studying curve and required a big cleanup effort.
What are among the challenges you face and what have you ever realized since opening?
There are a whole lot of them. We’ve confronted septic points, and properly pump issues inflicting us to not have water. Some infrastructure and contractor points resulted in encroaching on our neighbor’s land. In addition to inserting electrical energy and water in very inconvenient areas on the property. Additionally, managing bookings and the backend capabilities of the enterprise was a wrestle till we included reserving engines and monitoring software program that made it simpler to handle.
The most important studying expertise has been in getting the suitable staff on board as it could actually make or break each the standard of visitor experiences and actually each side of operating the enterprise.
How was your first time internet hosting?
Just a little difficult! It took me longer than I assumed to scrub the unit and a few friends needed to wait 30-45 minutes whereas I mopped the ground and made beds. Fortunately, I’ve gotten significantly better at this!
Are you able to inform us about your most memorable visitor expertise so far?
Being woken up in the midst of the night time by a visitor that wanted first assist! After getting dressed, fetching the equipment, and operating to the glamping tent it turned out to be a small minimize and one thing we may simply deal with on-site.
When you may have anyone keep at your lodging, who wouldn’t it be and why?
Willie Nelson and his band. It could be entertaining and fascinating to hang around with one in every of our native musical icons.
The place is your best vacation vacation spot? Apart from your glamping property in fact!
That may be a lengthy listing since I like to journey! Eco lodging on Saint John, one of many Virgin Islands. Visiting the small cities and villages of Belize, Italy, Greece, and France. I’d additionally like to go to Perth in Australia.
What do you’re keen on probably the most about operating a glamping web site?
The friends and our staff. It’s nice having optimistic interactions whereas offering a pleasant visitor expertise. The staff collaboration and dealing relationships have been enriching, each to myself and the enterprise.
What recommendation would you give to anybody seeking to begin or enhance their very own glamping enterprise?
Get the suitable staff in place as you scale up. Protecting in thoughts that dealing with bodily and structural issues, though a given, might be pricey. Get good electrical and plumbing contractors. Get an excellent reserving engine and back-end help software program upon getting a number of items.
Our group of hosts means all the pieces to us right here at Glamping Hub, which is why we like to share their tales in our Host of the Month characteristic. When you love touring with pets then this transformed gypsy wagon, simply 1.5 miles from the doorway to Pedernales Falls State Park is for you! Searching for an adventure-filled glamping getaway close to Austin? Do that distinctive bell tent. Plan your subsequent romantic retreat to this tent surrounded by the superbly wild Texas countryside for an best glamping getaway!
Have you ever stayed with one in every of our unbelievable hosts lately and want to nominate them for Glamping Hub’s Host of the Month? Ship us a message through Fb or Instagram explaining who you’ve chosen and why!
If you’re curious about making a glamping resort, discover out extra details about how we may help you develop or begin a glamping enterprise by Develop with Glamping Hub.
