The hottest hotel rooms right now are tents and RVs. Here's why big chains are all in on 'glamping'

Brittany Chang
Updated ·5 min read

  • Hotel giants Hilton and Hyatt are growing their luxury camping portfolios.

  • Both are adding glamping resorts to their booking channels, where their members can earn and redeem points.

  • Interest in high-end camping has remained strong since its boom during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Forget high-rise hotels and all-inclusive beachfront resorts — the world's most popular hotel companies see a future in luxury tents.

If it seems like a third of your friends are going "glamping" these days — a portmanteau of glamorous and camping — you'd be correct. Luxury and traditional camping comprised 32% of all vacations in 2022, with more than 10 million households going on a glamping trip that year, according to campground giant Kampgrounds of America, or KOA.

Over the last few years, scores of boutique luxury camping properties have popped up around the US to meet growing demand, from Getaway's Instagram-famous matte black tiny cabins to RV-rental platform Outdoorsy's growing portfolio of luxury canvas tent resorts.

Now, hotel giants want a slice of the high-end camping pie.

Hilton and Hyatt are getting into glamping

A row of Airstream trailers at Autocamp's Joshua Tree location.
AutoCamp worked with Airstream, one of its investors, to manufacture a custom stationary trailer outfitted with heavy necessities like a large water heater and tiled shower. The trailers will soon be bookable on Hilton's website.Brittany Chang/Business Insider

Hilton and Hyatt have both recently announced partnerships and properties to expand their glamping portfolios.

Earlier this year, the former said its members could soon earn and use Hilton Honors points to book AutoCamp's chain of luxury campgrounds.

The brand's resorts are best known for their stationary Airstream trailers turned hotel rooms, although they also offer "traditional" glamping accommodations like tiny homes and high-end canvas tents with beds.

a bed surrounded by white walls and blinds
Jason Brannan, the then-general manager of AutoCamp, told Business Insider in 2021 that AutoCamp's Yosemite location struggled to meet demand amid an influx of bookings during the COVID-19 pandemic.Brittany Chang/Business Insider

It's Hilton's first move into the glamping industry. And it's starting with a pretty successful partner.

Like other glamping and camping properties, AutoCamp saw a boom in bookings during the COVID-19 pandemic as travelers shunned cruises, planes, and traditional hotels for road trips and the great outdoors (remember that?).

The glamping company has grown quickly: Four of its seven resorts launched after 2021, and two more locations are now underway.

Hilton hasn't disclosed how many points travelers need for an AutoCamp reservation or when they'll become available. Still, the glamping company isn't known to be as affordable as camping. In the summer, a weekend stay can range from about $300 to $670 a night.

empty tent in nature, Mr and Mrs Smith Jamtara Wilderness Camp
Mr and Mrs Smith's Jamtara Wilderness Camp has tents and beds under the sky.Jamtara Wilderness Camp

For its part, Hyatt has taken the same approach as its opponent.

On Wednesday, the competing hotel giant announced World of Hyatt members can now earn and spend points at more than 700 of high-end hotel brand Mr and Mrs Smith's properties. This includes five of its 17 glamping resorts, like a bed under the stars in India's Pench National Park, and a thatched-roofed hut in Sri Lanka's Yala National Park.

Hyatt plans to add more Mr and Mrs Smith properties to its World of Hyatt collection every quarter. No word yet on whether it will include the high-end hotel brand's 12 other luxury camping resorts.

empty hut among grass
Mr and Mrs Smith's least expensive accommodations are the tents and huts at its property in the UK's Elmley Nature Reserve, which start at almost $165 a night.Elmley Nature Reserve

But if you think AutoCamp's Airstreams can get expensive, wait until you see Mr and Mrs Smith's glamping accommodations. The most expensive of the five — all-inclusive cabins in Dunton, Colorado — starts at $2,855 per night. The huts in Sri Lanka are, at their cheapest, $724 a night.

But the addition of these glamping resorts to its booking channels isn't Hyatt's first venture into glamping. The company's Alila Ventana Big Sur hotel in California also offers high-end canvas tents alongside conventional hotel rooms.

Hyatt is now using the same model to launch an adult-only expansion of its all-inclusive Dreams Curaçao resort, set to open in June. Alongside the Caribbean property's existing traditional hotel, Hyatt plans to deploy modular tiny-home-sized hotel room units directly on the beach.

Glamping could be a great investment for these hospitality giants.

Four Seasons' Naviva glamping resort.
Four Seasons opened its first $4,000-a-night adult-only luxury tent resort in Punta Mita, Mexico in 2022.Four Seasons

Glamping was one of the biggest travel trends from the COVID-19 pandemic, and interest has yet to fade. In 2023, KOA called the industry an "aggressive growth segment," with four in 10 campers expressing interest in glamping that year.

According to the campground giant, compared to traditional campers and hotel guests, "glampers" spend more money daily at glamping properties and their surrounding areas — music to Hilton and Hyatt's ears.

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