Alternative lodging is a concept that has exploded in the hospitality industry and it refers to everything from vacation rental companies to home sharing to tented camps. And one company that was ahead of its time in the alternative lodging category is Luxury Frontiers, which is about to debut its first U.S. outpost this spring at Amangiri, the luxury resort in southern Utah.
Luca Franco, founder and CEO of San Francisco/Johannesburg-based Luxury Frontiers, said he finds himself at the nexus of two major trends: glamorous camping (glamping) and experiential travel. Franco said his innovation was to enable existing resorts to add alternative lodging like tents and treehouses—or whatever fits in the sitting, rather than try to establish standalone properties—just something more doable in less costly destinations like Africa and India.
While he recognizes “glamping” as a growing phenomenon, Franco stays away from using that word because he thinks what he brings is a far more holistic and comprehensive product. “It’s not just a fancy tent,” he said, “it’s about a meaningful, environmentally friendly experience.”
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“Everything we do,” he said, “is customized to the climate and to the local culture.” In fact, Franco will do treehouses or even “floating units” when appropriate. “If a guest is having a different kind of experience,” said Franco, “they will stay longer.” Luxury, he said, “is about disconnecting from our wild, hectic lives. It’s about living with no walls.”
For travel advisors, said Franco, luxury tents or other alternative lodging fits in with the trend of travelers finding life-defining memories, not about consumer goods or the confines of a hotel. Hotels using experiential concepts (tents, cabins, alternative building methods, historic structures), he said, consistently appear at the top of the rankings of the best hotels in the world, capturing daily rates between $500-$3,000.
In Utah, Camp Sarika by Amangiri, at the existing Amangiri resort, said Franco, will have its own arrival area, food & beverage, a small spa and pool as well as activities specific to those guests. Guests have full access to the resort, which is a half-mile away and reachable on trails. While the resort is close, it can’t be seen from the camp and guests enjoy entirely different views. The 78-acre campsite will be North America’s first year-round camp and will be home to 10 luxury tents, each of which gets its own guide to lead guests on experiences.
The Utah location, said Franco, is subject to harsh elements—sandstorms, wind, heavy rain and brutal heat. Aman’s clients, he said, want to feel the wilderness but also want to feel safe and protected. It wasn’t possible to have a pure tent, so Luxury Frontiers spent five years engineering a special suite wrapped in fully insulated canvas. The fabric can withstand winds of up to 95 miles per hour.
Tents will have two-bedrooms, which will be a big draw for families. And multi-generational families can buy out the entire camp. Franco said he expects a lot of guests will split their stay between the two properties. Sarika will certainly attract Aman loyalists, he said, “but I think the camp will also widen the brand’s target market to more adventurous, back-to-nature luxury travelers.”
While Luxury Frontiers’ focus has been on tropical destinations because of the weather, said Franco, he said the company can do projects in colder climates because each is customized, site-specific and adapted to local climate conditions.
While alternative lodging sounds like a budget category, Franco has always set his sights on the luxury market. He said in terms of comfort there is no difference between his units and the “main lodging.” There might be the same air conditioning, indoor and outdoor showers and public spaces as a traditional resort. “This is not about lodging,” he asserts; “it’s about an experiential journey.”
Half to three-quarters of all guests at safari luxury camps in Africa, said Franco, are from the U.S., indicating the huge potential for this kind of lodging. He believes that glamping or whatever it’s called will be a $1 billion industry by 2023 as more people seek off-the-grid, eco-sensitive travel.
Franco has his eye on Mexico and some other areas around the U.S., including national parks, and is in talks with other luxury hotel brands like the Four Seasons, One & Only and Ritz-Carlton Reserve. The company is already working with Belmond on several projects in Africa, where it already has several developments.
