Glamping Resort Competition for AutoCamp

Glamping Resort Competition for AutoCamp

AutoCamp has creative a terrific presence in the glamping space, garnering huge investments, partnerships, and press, but there is significant glamping competition for AutoCamp. Let’s see who are the big players in the glamping game and how it may be impacting AutoCamp.

What is a Glamping Resort?

There are many one-off glamping resort locations in the US such as Treetopia in the Catskills that present competition to AutoCamp Catskills. There are also many places where you can rent a camper or RV to drive – or have delivered and set up for you – like Outdoorsy. Those are very different models compared to AutoCamp – a glamping resort.

What is a glamping?

First, what is glamping?

• The accommodations can include but are not limited to: tents, campers, treehouses, yurts, cubes, pods, cabins, tiny houses, teepees, wagons, and more.
• The accommodations may or may not have private baths.
• Each accommodation will be private; you aren’t sharing sleeping quarters.
• They are in an outdoorsy/natural setting.
• They will have some amenities similar to hotels, such as providing linens/towels/housekeeping, TVs, Internet, breakfast, or other amenities.

What is a resort?

A resort will offer far more amenities such as:

• A restaurant or food services.
• A lobby or central, open location for socializing.
• A pool, spa, or other “vacation” type offerings.
• Other amenities to make it so that you don’t have to leave their grounds if you choose not to.

AutoCamp is clearly a glamping resort. Each of their locations offers some or all of the above. Also, AutoCamp is a “chain” – they currently have 6 open locations and 3 more coming soon.

So, who else is in the glamping resort chain space? Who is AutoCamp’s competition.

The Glamping Market

In 2022, an estimated 10.5 million households went glamping, up from an estimated 7.7 million households in 2020. That’s according to the 2023 North American Camping & Outdoor Hospitality Report from Kampgrounds of America (KOA), which runs more than 500 campgrounds across the United States. and Canada.

In 2020, 4.8 million North American camping households said they’d choose cabins or glamping as their primary accommodation style. That figure grew to 5.1 million by 2021 before more than doubling to 12.3 million in 2022. That’s all despite the high costs of glamping, which can often exceed traditional hotel prices.

About 63% of respondents said they like glamping to get an experience that blends the benefits of staying at a resort and the outdoors.

Despite glamping’s higher price tag, the amenities seem to seduce noncampers — 33% of KOA survey respondents say they glamp because they want an outdoor experience without actually having to go camping.

AutoCamp’s Glamping Resort Competition

Huttopia

Huttopia resembles AutoCamp very much. Park in a parking lot. Use wagons to get to your tents, tiny houses, and chalets. Like AutoCamp, they offer fire pits and furniture at your campsite.

They offer live outdoor music, magic shows and storytellers for children of all ages, yoga and fitness classes, canoes and kayaks, and much more – just like the entertainment and activities that AutoCamp offers.

Huttopia has locations in Canada, the US, Europe. and China. The US locations are:

• Adirondack Mountains, NY State (near AutoCamp Catskills)
• Southern Maine
• White Mountains of New Hampshire
• Wine Country of California (like AutoCamp Russian River)
• Newest: San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California (like AutoCamp Joshua Tree, but not in the desert).

Lots of similarities. Huttopia has been around since 1999. AutoCamp since 2013.

Getaway House

Getaway House has some similarities to AutoCamp and some differences, as well. They have only tiny cabins in many locations in the US:

Getaway House focuses on disconnecting from electronics and really being present in nature.

Check out their “cabin” – it looks exactly like the X Suites! Remember, we’re HUGE fans of the X Suite!

Under Canvas

Under Canvas began in 2012 with a camp in West Yellowstone, dedicated to connecting guests with the outdoors and each other through experiences in nature. It has since grown to include 11 safari-inspired Under Canvas locations

Under Canvas only has tents. Unlike AutoCamp tents, they have private bathrooms! They are located in some A list locations, similar to not only where AutoCamp is currently located and where they are trying to be located (Grand Canyon!).

However, unlike AutoCamp, Under Canvas does not provide wifi or electricity in the tents. They do provide battery operated lights where you can charge your phones, but they focus on “disconnecting” while at Under Canvas.

Collective Retreats

Collective Retreats is a Public Benefit Corporation, a corporate structure which legally obligates us to consider the impact of our decisions on the environment, not just shareholders. By breaking away from the traditional mold of a luxury hotel, Collective Retreats is opening up a whole new world of exploration where a transformative five-star luxury experience coexists with authentic ruggedness.

Locations are: Governor’s Island, NY; Vail, CO; Hill Country, TX (where AutoCamp is opening a campground in 2024); Big Sky, MT; Fredericksburg, TX; Green Mountains, VT; Sonoma, CA (like AutoCamp Russian River.

By design, they offer significant open space between our individual luxury accommodations, al fresco gourmet day-to-night dining spaces, soaring peaked lodges, welcoming campfires, and gathering commons.

Collective Retreats is the most different than AutoCamp. It seems to be higher end and also more eco- and enviro-conscious. Their accommodations are all tents, it seems.

Autocamp’s Glamping Resort Competition

The glamping resort space is becoming more and more crowded. While each of the above has multiple locations, the bigger competition for AutoCamp will be the individual glamping options throughout the US. Would it be possible for AutoCamp to earn brand loyalty to make a visitor choose one glamping option over another? Possible. Likely? That will be a small pool of people. There aren’t many who will be traveling to each of the AutoCamp locations in which to earn their brand loyalty. So, travelers are likely to “shop” each location individually, not relying on brand loyalty.

Airstream – No Glamping Resort Competition

A note about the Airstreams: the only glamping resort chain to offer Airstreams is AutoCamp. In fact, Airstream is now a financial partner of AutoCamp. Therefore, it’s fairly unlikely Airstream would partner with yet another glamping resort chain. This gives AutoCamp a unique angle on the market. However, there are many single glamping locations that offer Airstreams throughout the country.

Problems with AutoCamp’s Expansion

One way for AutoCamp to extend their brand loyalty would be to have many locations throughout the US. Then they would be able to rely on name recognition from location to location. However, even though AutoCamp is planning on 100 new locations in the US in the next 10 years, they have extensive problems with their booking system. More seriously, they announced in July 2023 that they were planning on opening 4 new locations in the US in 2023. However, they are missing the mark on 3 of the 4 locations. This does not bode well for expansion or increasing their reach or brand loyalty.

We are AutoCamp fans and supporters, but we’re independent and can and will take a hard look at AutoCamp as a business. We hope they can turn things around and get those 100 AutoCamp locations opened up and increase brand loyalty among travelers.

We will continue to follow AutoCamp as a business in addition to each camp site location.