Why Glamping’s Corporate Makeover Might Be a Good Thing for Travelers

Big hotel brands are going all-in on outdoorsy yurts, Airstreams, and cabins, but points-hungry travelers (and fans of a high thread count) are more than fine with it

A decade or two ago, the average traveler who wanted to experience the great outdoors had to forgo most modern day creature comforts—things like electricity, plumbing, most certainly thread count. “The idea of ‘glamping’ became something people became obsessed with,” says Jack Ezon, founder and managing partner of the travel advisory Embark Beyond. “Being in nature without pitching a tent, eating grub, or roughing it.” But this wasn’t exactly the most accessible to most travelers, at least to start. “We first saw glamping imported to the U.S. from Africa onto ranches in Montana with price tags of $2,000 a night and up,” says Ezon.

Then, in 2009, Sarah and Jacob Dusek founded Under Canvas, providing a more modest tented camp experience to the masses for a few hundred dollars per night. (Don’t want to use an outhouse? There’s a toilet! Hate the idea of a sleeping bag? You can sleep in a bed!) The premise was outdoor immersion without having to rough it. These days, the market for tricked-out wilderness stays is expanding into big business, with more and more outdoorsy accommodations that have amenities that we’ve come to expect from, well, a hotel: a comfy mattress, a hot shower, and perhaps even a full-service restaurant.

Now, we’ve entered a new era of commodifying the camping trip. Major hotel companies, including the likes of Hilton, Hyatt, Best Western, and Marriott, have now joined the world of more rustic, outdoor-focused stays. With these big chains, travelers can earn and redeem their points, they’re bookable through the hotels’ websites and online travel agencies. The brands, then, get to tap into a growing trend among travelers to unplug—well, mostly.

During the pandemic, droves of people looked to escape the crowds. Travel to the outdoors boomed. National parks became the nation’s hottest attraction. An estimated 7.1 million more Americans enjoyed some type of outdoor activity (hiking, camping, etc.) in 2020—the first year of the pandemic—than in 2019, according to a report from the Outdoor Industry Association. A Penn State study in 2022 indicated that approximately 20 percent of adults from across the United States were new to outdoor recreation.

Today’s continued demand for nature-focused experiences isn’t just a spillover from COVID, though, says Sarah Dusek, the founder of Under Canvas, who’s now building a sustainable safari and outdoor hospitality company called Few & Far. “The world most of us live in needs an escape valve and the natural world provides that,” she says. Clearly, outdoor overnight hospitality is also a major business opportunity for hotels. Data from the 2024 Virtuoso Brand and Travel Tracker indicated that 57 percent of all travelers report they’re “looking for awe and wonder in nature.” And there are plenty of dollars to go around.

“The adventure-based tourism market is $800 billion globally and is expected to grow to over $1 trillion in the next six years,” says Peggy Roe, chief commercial officer at Marriott. In late 2024, Marriott acquired Postcard Cabins, a collection of 29 U.S. properties with more than 1,200 individual cabins in places like the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Grand Canyon. Marriott also partnered with Trailborn Hotels, a company offering luxury amenities in outdoorsy areas like the Rocky Mountains and the Northern California coast. “These new offerings give our guests the chance to disconnect,” Roe said. More importantly, though, it’s about capturing a segment of guests that wouldn’t go to remote places without a level of certainty. That includes must-have features, like knowing there will be a hot shower and a good bed to rest one’s head. Or in some cases, it’s not having to contend with nature’s most anxiety-inducing “inconvenience” of all—going completely off-grid.

There’s a difference between making nature more approachable and turning it into a theme park.

“The hotel’s reputation makes these destinations feel accessible to people who might never have considered them otherwise,” says Adam Lovick, a travel industry expert and founder of media company First Class Jerk. Knowing you’re booking an outdoor stay with Hyatt or Hilton, for instance, comes with a set of baseline expectations.

Travelers now have more options—including the ability to earn and redeem points for outdoor accommodations at multiple major hotel chains. These chains have vast networks of loyal guests, and unlike smaller operators, have large marketing budgets.“I only heard of AutoCamp and their trailers because of Hilton’s loyalty partnership, and it was really nice to know I’d have a standard set of amenities waiting for me,” said Stella Shon, a Salt Lake City-based traveler who experienced the brand’s Airstreams outside of Zion National Park.

Hyatt, too, can market its recent partnership with Under Canvas to its member base through its website, email, and other owned assets. Even WorldHotels—part of the BWH Hotels portfolio, perhaps best known for operating Best Western and its budget-friendly lodging—recently acquired the Zion Wildflower Resort, a collection of well-appointed tents, covered wagons, and cabins in Utah’s red rock country.

However, there comes a limit to how much these companies can and should do, says Lovick. “There’s a difference between making nature more approachable and turning it into a theme park,” he notes. Like other brands they own, hotel chains are homogenizing the experience, to some extent, in the name of maintaining a reliable standard of comfort and hospitality. “We love that travelers are finding inspiration to go places that they typically wouldn’t, but this kind of travel needs to maintain its uniqueness,” says Lovick. “Nature doesn’t need to be repackaged.”

While large hospitality companies have the benefit of scale, they tend to react to trends rather than start them. “Corporates are finally realizing what many of us in the outdoor hospitality industry have known for a long time,” says Dusek: the desire for travelers to immerse themselves in the outdoors. The chains tend to be followers, not first movers, and Dusek believes that the pioneers of the industry will continue to be the small-scale entrepreneurs and innovators.

If you do wanna go the big chain route, here are a few ways to book the outdoors. And while these hotels are helping make nature more convenient than ever before, don’t forget to put that phone down once in a while.

Hilton

Hilton customers and Hilton Honors members can earn and redeem points at all AutoCamp locations across the United States, including Sonoma, Yosemite National Park, Cape Cod, Joshua Tree, Catskills, Zion National Park, and Sequoia. AutoCamp offers custom-designed Airstreams, luxury tents, and cabins at these locations.

Hyatt

World of Hyatt offers guests and members access to outdoor experiences and stays at Under Canvas’ 14 outdoor resorts. That includes Under Canvas’ luxury outdoor resort, ULUM Moab, and new Yosemite and Columbia River Gorge camps, opening in May.

Marriott

Marriott Bonvoy members will soon be able to directly book more than 1,200 Postcard Cabins across 29 properties. At each Postcard Cabins outpost, the glamping experience comes with a bed, a tiny kitchen, a hot shower, and a private bathroom. In addition, Marriott is planning the Ritz-Carlton Masai Mara in Kenya, an example of hospitality companies leaning into outdoor luxury. It’s the first-ever luxury safari camp for the Ritz-Carlton brand and will be the second in the Marriott portfolio after the 2023 opening of the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge. The Bonvoy program will get yet another safari property in 2026, the JW Marriott Mount Kenya Rhino Reserve Safari Camp.

BWH Hotels

The Zion Wildflower Resort is BWH Hotels’ first-ever foray into the glamping market, but it’s likely not the last. (BWH operates a portfolio that includes Best Western Hotels & Resorts, WorldHotels, and SureStay.) Lodging options include spiffy tents of various levels—some with their own bathroom—old-timey covered wagons, and more established cabins. For now, Best Western Rewards members can get exclusive discounts and perks, but all travelers can soak in the massive hot tub, heated pool, or gather around the fire pits for s’mores.

Source: Thrillist