Hotels and resorts have long sought to bring the outdoors in, creating a seamless transition from nature to creature comforts. Now major chains are teaming up with luxury outdoor resorts and upscale glamping sites, widening their appeal and tapping into the trend for experiential travel with premium hospitality amenities.
Hyatt Hotels’ new alliance with Under Canvas, a collection of 13 luxury outdoor resorts near US national parks, highlights a wider strategic trend by major hospitality chains to offer 5-star stays in natural surrounds as part of loyalty programs, stretching their accommodation options into nature-based travel experiences.
Other such partnerships include the strategic tie-in between Hilton and US-based AutoCamp, which offers luxury Airstream trailers and glamping sites in 10 desirable natural locations (think Joshua Tree, Catskills and Cape Cod) across six states.
There is Ennismore’s recent acquisition of Our Habitas, which has some luxury outdoor resorts and tented properties in remote locales, and Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) also collaborating with Under Canvas in a yet-to-be-named new category.
Hilton has also entered an exclusive partnership with SLH, extending the global hospitality group’s reach to include independent properties and luxury outdoor resorts.
More for members and travel advisors
This play for the outdoors signals a growing trend among global hotel groups to diversify and stay ahead in a competitive hospitality landscape.
It’s a win-win relationship where major hotel chains can offer a more diverse selection of stays for their loyalty program members, while the boutique players gain an amplified reach to an already qualified and engaged audience.
It unlocks new and distinctive experiences for members and travel advisors benefit from easily accessible and commissionable bookings for luxury outdoor resorts and upscale campsites.
World of Hyatt members can now earn and redeem points at Under Canvas locations, while Hilton Honors members can now book AutoCamp properties directly through Hilton as well as earn and redeem points.
With Under Canvas properties also bookable via the SLH site, Small Luxury Hotels’ Senior Vice President Mark Wong said the brand was assembling a new collection that will be announced soon and that Under Canvas represented a “very interesting space, the alternative tented space – one to watch”.
“Over the past few years, we’ve seen an increased interest and desire for intimacy and escapism and connection to nature – largely due to the mental and physical benefits this type of travel offers,” he told Karryon.
“The hotel industry has done a lot to respond to this shift and has adapted and developed to provide new and better ways in which it can help guests to bond deeper with the power of nature.”
What do luxury travellers want?
“We know travellers are looking for unique experiences to reconnect with nature in off-the-beaten-path locations,” a Hyatt spokesperson told Karryon.
“Under Canvas’ 13 outdoor resorts, including the new luxury outdoor resort, ULUM Moab, give World of Hyatt members some of the most sought-after and curated luxury outdoor experiences in iconic US destinations.”
Hilton Vice President of Global Distribution Channels Oral Muir said that while it doesn’t currently have a similar offering in the Asia-Pacific region, the brand continues to explore strategic partnerships to provide new ways to stay, such as AutoCamp in the US and via SLH.
“According to Hilton’s 2024 Trends Report, nearly half of travellers have been prioritising exploration and adventure as they budget for this year,” he said.
“Answering this need, our exclusive partnership with AutoCamp offers guests more ways to stay with an experience that blends the spirit of an iconic outdoor adventure with the hospitality and design-forward thinking of a boutique hotel.”
At the recent ILTM Asia Pacific 2024 in Singapore, Hilton President APAC Alan Watts said “pop-up luxury” made sense in certain areas where the brand would not have big hotels.
“Our customer might want to stay at a Waldorf Astoria but then want to experience an off-the-beaten-track destination and pop-up, boutique luxury experience,” he said, referencing Hilton’s portfolio of brands from 5-star hotels to luxury outdoor resorts.
SLH’s Wong said the brand’s Asia-Pacific portfolio provided several off-grid or “unplugged” experiences along with luxurious amenities and outstanding service.
These include glamping at Marasca Khao Yai in Thailand, Wa Ale Resort’s luxury tented and treetop villas on an off-grid private island in Myanmar and Keemala’s tented pool villas nestled in the Phuket rainforest.
Off-the-beaten-path luxury in Australia
So, what opportunities exist for off-grid luxury stays in Australia?
Unyoked, a Sydney-based startup with more than 100 pint-sized, off-grid eco-cabins in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, raised $28 million to expand in Europe.
Luxury Escapes Co-Founder Adam Schwab was an early investor and the startup also attracted the attention of actor Matthew McConaughey, who co-designed The Reserve premium cabin in the NSW Central Coast hinterland in partnership with Unyoked and Wild Turkey.
In 2022, Intrepid Travel invested $7.85 million in CABN, which provides immersive, off-grid eco-cabins in South Australia, intending to expand the minimalist accommodation to 70 sustainable cabins by 2023.
There’s currently 32 CABN stays available, ranging from the elevated CABN X to the original tiny house CABN and CANVS by CABN pavilion tented-style accommodation, including the new Hahndorf site opening in August 2024.
There must be something about South Australia and sustainable luxury with Australian-owned Wander also establishing its first eco pods on Kangaroo Island followed by Queensland’s Scenic Rim.
With nine WanderPods now available across the two sites, the company crowdfunded almost $1 million via the Birchal platform to accelerate its sustainable growth plans.
