Hi! We are Vicki, Bryan, Annabelle and William and we run a glamping site in Somerset, UK! We make a weekly video helping other glamping site owners and giving info to our customers about our journey running a glamping site. We have 6 geodesic domes for glamping and a 10 metre event dome. We've learnt so much in the last 8 years of running our glamping site that we want to share our knowledge so you don't make the same mistakes we did! We love helping aspiring glamping site owners across the world with their dream to set up a glamping site - if we can do it - so can you! Vicki and Bryan
When the dome is complete and on a flat deck, how do you keep the water from coming underneath the tarp? Or the dome is supposed to be on a separate platform to raise it?
@@claytonlamyuen116 That's why we always build ours on a round base so that the cover hangs over and the water runs off. If you are building it on a big square deck, some people put an internal membrane which tucks up the sides or else you put another round floor on top of the deck. Hope that helps!
@@alexandermitchell3845 would love to know what you don't like about it? We didn't stay, we just visited but it's useful for other glamping sites to know
@@TractorsandCream Sorry. My girlfriend said that my comment was mean. It is a very satisfactory room that would suit some people but not others. Best of luck. Live long and prosper 🖖
@@TheMahoJos oh that great that it was useful! I just saw you were at the glamping show on the Saturday! Sorry we didn't get to see you, we were in the marquee the whole time. Give me a shout if you need a booking system!
Hi, thanks for sharing. What about the initial investment? Land, tents etc.. Also, do you not have to pay any business rates, VAT? Surely there is more to your overhead? Cheers
@@Rosstino1 Hi, great points. So yes we had an initial investment to buy our house which has the land attached. I think we are all in for about £150,000 for the structures and all the infrastructure but we've done this really gradually, investing each year as we had the funds. At the moment we qualify for 100% small business rate relief and our turnover is under the VAT threshold so luckily we don't have to worry about that for now!
That "tiny home" at 8:00 can hardly even be called that. It's nicer and bigger than many of the actual homes people are living in. Crazy that it qualifies as "glamping". Not that I wouldn't love to stay in one :)
@@TractorsandCream yes! I can't wait. This will be my first time attending. I'm in the early stages of getting an operation up and running - have a concept and a likely location, so now I'm looking to make connections and get some real life advice from experienced hosts on the financing and operations side. I'd love to chat if you will be around!
@@NewStateHospitality sadly we can't make it this year as we've just been to the UK glamping show but am more than happy to chat over a video call sometime if that helps?!
@@TractorsandCream I would love that. I know there are some significant differences between the US and UK markets, but the conversations I have had with actual hosts have been so much more informative than a lot of the content on the internet, which tends to gloss over the difficult parts and real operational details. What is the easiest way to get in touch?
Be interesting to know when you do reviews if the places are on mains water and electric, sewage etc. Or are they on other systems, such as pumps, tanks, composting, solar etc.
@@df9177 hi, good point! This site has mains electric and water but had a water treatment plant as far as I remember but I will double check. I'm always jealous when sites have mains electric! I will also ask Steve to clarify if they have 3 phase electric too and get back to you 👍🏻
Hi. A bit late to the party. We're looking at setting up a glamping site over in France in a few years time so I'm absorbing information at an alarming rate! One question that you may have touched on in another clip - how do you manage when guests arrive early? We watch all the programs on TV about couples running businesses and an ongoing theme seems to be people turning up hours earlier than they should and there doesn't seem to be a moment when they say 'You're too early, please come back at the time agreed!' Does this happen to you often? Loving your videos so far, thanks for the very useful hints and tips.
@@davidjsherry hi, thanks so much for your comment and it's great to meet you! That's really exciting. I think glamping in France has so much potential, it's definitely not as saturated as the UK! So to your question, we very rarely have people turn up early, I think it's happened once in 8 years where it hasn't been pre-arranged. I do message the guests 2 days before with check in time and arrival instructions so that helps. If they did happen to arrive early then I've got somewhere to store their luggage and would allow them to enjoy the site while I go their dome ready. I think on TV they always need the jeopardy to make it more interesting but in reality it's not that common. Hope that helps! Vicki
Hi there! I wonder how the domes and the insulation materials stand up to families w kids? I have kids and not sure if the domes and the materials will stay pretty and in tact after one season..:) any feedback? thank you!
@@Ar-jm3os hi! Thanks for your message. We are a really family friendly site and every single stay there are children of all ages using the domes. The insulation is very easy to clean with a damp sponge so I've spot cleaned a few. I've found the darker insulations are much better for not showing up any marks but in general the insulation all looks good still. The only one I've got issues with is the one that has a pale grey insulation. I had people use the fire incorrectly and managed to get soot stains all over it which was difficult to clean! I'm planning on taking some of the panels down this winter and giving them a proper clean but they have been up for 3 years now. Hope that helps! Thanks, Vicki
@@TractorsandCream Thank you !:) I am considering pacific domes and all I see is this pretty white and great looking insulation and vinyl windows which I am just thinking to myself wait till kids show up w crayons and poke a few holes in those...:)) all I want to do is kids and families but also def have a few sites for couples. Thank you again!
@@Littlefoxgetaways hi, thanks for your message. I don't cover it in between uses, I just clean it at the last minute so that it looks as clean as possible when the guest arrives. We close during the winter so we drain the whole system and suck out the excess water with a wet vac and then the pipes don't burst! Thanks! Vicki
@@ScaryLarryHorror we get them from TruDomes who are a UK manufacturer but ship all over the world. Are you thinking about starting a dome glamping site?
The aesthetics of the A-Frame has always appealed to me. I'm curious to know the advantages of the A-Frame over a cube living structure of equal size. This has been an enjoyable video to watch in September 2024.
I agree with you because this is an amazing opportunity For fulfilling an amazing memory to those people. And it is a revenue generator for you guys or anyone else for that matter. You’re creating happy memories and you’re making your business grow. Win win.
@@alphahoff hi! They are holding up really well. I've replaced all the hammocks a few times as kids swing on them and they weather in the sun but the posts are still absolutely fine and we haven't had to do anything to them. The guests love them!
@@reneephilander5592 thanks! We actually did a long form video of the whole site if you are interested and it shows more detail of the train carriage ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GxjoLw5iZQA.htmlsi=q8KNB-OU28IUteGK
Hello. I like your family attitude. I wish you success. I also want to do something like this in my country, near my house for tourists, but is it possible to make a bathroom?
Thanks that's so kind! Yes we have build a bathroom inside the dome. Here is the link to the video we made about it ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vbPbgrGs0Ko.htmlsi=bzG061759uCbnms- Thanks! Vicki
