Expand your existing business with glamping!
On the island of Rhodes, Logos Beach Village offers a place to unwind after a day of surfing and kiting at the owner’s water sports centre. Tobi Gottfried started in 2011 as the owner of this kite and windsurfing centre and opened the resort in 2018 to provide the ultimate holiday experience. A great move because the resort is usually fully booked and they are looking to expand their glamping business on the Greek island.
Tobi talked us through his journey of how the resort with luxury glamping tents from YALA was created. Read on to find about his motivations and get inspired by his story.
Adding accommodation to an existing business
If you already have a successful water sports business, then why would you start a hotel or resort? Tobi has a simple answer: ‘It’s just a better business case. When people think of going on holiday, they first look at the accommodation options, then the flights and finally they will consider water sports or other activities.’ Logos Beach Village positions itself at the start of a holidaymaker’s journey and subsequently draws attention to their water sports centre as well. Adding luxury glamping tents to your business enhances the experience and makes it more attractive to holidaymakers. Tobi agrees: ‘Almost all of our guests also come for the water sports, either because they already know it or love it, or because they would like to start with it. We used to book hotels for our customers before we had our own accommodation facility, but now they can stay with us and it’s even better.’
Glamping is part of the golden combination
The combination of water sports and a family-oriented approach is a golden one for Logos Beach Village. ‘We accumulated quite a few returners just because of our water sports. The glamping tents only added to our unique experience and family atmosphere.’ Glamping expands their businesses since it contributes to existing tourism. People who visit the island for water sports also need a place to stay. The same applies to other types of businesses in other destinations.
We opted for glamping tents because we wanted to do something unique and it’s paying off.
— Tobi Gottfried, Owner of Logos Beach Village, Greece
Challenges
However, Logos Beach Village had some challenges, as well. Mostly, permits, transport and finishing. ‘But that’s only natural,’ says Tobi, ‘it was our first project and it doesn’t stop after you get the permit and buy the tents. The interior and the final details also have to be taken care of before the opening’. He is positive: ‘We learned from our first project. We now know how to organise and calculate shipping and have experience in designing, constructing and styling our glamping tents.’
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Glamping is unique
Uniqueness is the core of the business at Logos Beach Resort. Tobi was confident in his plan to start glamping, despite the challenges. ‘It was difficult to get a glamping permit, but we wanted to do something unique. We are actually the first and only glamping site on the island.’
‘Glamping is becoming increasingly popular because people want a different lifestyle, different food and also a different kind of holiday. Everything is shifting from mainstream experiences to something more unique.’ Glamping is the way to go because it offers a unique experience by combining luxury with nature. ‘We are preparing for the future by responding to the wishes of our guests and also following our intuition. We see that privacy and space are becoming more important, which suits the layout of our resort with individual glamping tents that are positioned quite far apart from each other. This is very different from a hotel where each room is connected to another. We choose space and privacy because we believe this will be the future.’
Why choose YALA luxury canvas lodges?
After Tobi decided to buy glamping tents and start a glamping site, he had to source the luxury tents. ‘I visited two companies, but eventually chose YALA because of the beautiful showroom and the pleasant communication with sales manager Dirk-Jan. I stayed because of him, because of the person. It was our first project working together and he is still a very good contact.’
YALA
- Large showroom with an extensive variety of glamping tents
- Glamping tents are adjustable, from layout to design
- A sustainable business relationship with a personal touch
Tailor-made designs
The adaptability of the designs is another advantage of working with YALA. ‘At the time, we wanted to adapt the designs to make our 13 Dreamer glamping tents even more luxurious.’ Logos Beach Village explored the versatile possibilities of YALA glamping tents at an early stage. All of our glamping tents have different layout options and the Eclipse, Aurora and Supernova offer a modular system that allows you to choose different materials and design styles to create the look you want.
The connection makes the difference, which is why we work with YALA.
— Tobi Gottfried, Owner of Logos Beach Village, Greece
Glamping pays off
‘In the end, it was a big investment, but because we chose space and privacy, our guests are also willing to pay more. Just like building a hotel, you need a good business plan to recover the investment.’ Adding accommodation to the water sports business proved to be a great move. ‘It works, because people who like water sports also like this style. All in all, it’s a good package.’ To provide guests with the best possible experience, Logos Beach Village always includes breakfast for their guests and they have additional services available. Glamping is proving good business for Logos Beach Village and they are already experimenting with new canvas lodges. ‘We are on a good path, in the future I would like to build another site, or two, or three.’
Do you want to know how you can expand your business with glamping? Get in touch with our experienced sales team to explore the possibilities for your business!
