Glamping makes your campsite stand out
For 25 years, La Vallée Verte, in the south of France, has created unforgettable experiences. It is a 5-star terraced campsite with 80 campground pitches and 60 accommodation units, located on a hillside near the river Cèze. The gorgeous location and unique facilities underlie their slogan, ‘the luxury of nature’.
Owner, Liesbeth Sinnema, spoke with us about the challenges and benefits of offering unique glamping accommodation and the ways it strengthens her business. “When guests arrive, they get immersed immediately in endless green valleys. We have 89 acres that offer accommodation on multiple terraces. The small forests between accommodation areas make us a truly natural campsite. That is why we advertise our campsite with the slogan, ‘le luxe de la nature’ (the luxury of nature). The comfort offered by our luxurious accommodation and facilities, combined with our location, rightfully makes us a five-star campsite.”
Past and present
We asked Liesbeth what has changed since she started La Vallée Verte 25 years ago. “Back in the day, we started a small campsite with 96 pitches on this land. The first 15 years revolved around building our campsite; working reception during the day, cleaning in between guests and doing an evening shift in the restaurant. Today, we have a team of 25 people to take care of our guests at 140 places on our campsite. During the last 10 years, we’ve been able to focus on improving our site, for example, with glamping.”
The increased popularity of glamping
More and more holidaymakers choose glamping. “Before [glamping], many guests were booking mobile homes. However, we now see that our cabanes and glamping tents get booked first and most regularly. Right now, we still have one row of mobile homes, but we are looking to replace them with luxurious accommodation. The materials of the glamping tents blend in with the environment and fit our vision. What’s more, they give our campsite its unique and distinctive character,” Liesbeth says.
Our glamping accommodation increases
our occupancy rates and
extend the holiday season.
Liesbeth Sinnema, Owner of La Vallée Verte – France
Fighting the hill
La Vallée Verte’s beautiful location also forms one of their biggest challenges due to the difficult infrastructure. The mile-long driveway and terraced hillside make it challenging to carry out new plans. “All amenities, such as plumbing, water and electricity, have to be brought up the hill. Our location works against us sometimes,” recalls Liesbeth.
Luckily, Liesbeth and her team always manage to find a solution. “I like thinking outside of the box. I travel to get inspired by colleagues or to meet with suppliers and neighbouring campsites. By speaking with different people, we find a way to realise our ambitions despite the challenges.”
Various groups have visited La Vallée Verte, from architects to stylists, hospitality entrepreneurs, other campsite owners and suppliers. Liesbeth explains, “I don’t want to get trapped into tunnel vision. Inviting other people allows me to gain insights that I might’ve otherwise have missed.”
Future
“People want to get closer to nature and we want to be ecologically responsible. Investing in glamping tents fits both these objectives. The wooden frames and neutral-coloured canvas of the tents blend in with the surroundings but also give a luxurious appearance,” states Liesbeth. Both interior and exterior matter when buying glamping tents. “Styling and luxury are important when it comes to glamping. YALA lodges have the right look and feel down to the finest detail.”
YALA glamping tents integrate
into the environment but
have a luxurious appearance.
Liesbeth Sinnema, Owner of La Vallée Verte – France
Glamping tents extend the holiday season
A massive advantage of glamping is that it extends the holiday season. “Glamping accommodation has a huge attraction factor, even in the off-peak season. We also offer complementary services, such as a brasserie, lounge and bakery. We serve little bites and lovely wines to give our guests that little bit extra. These services used to belong exclusively to hotels, but now we offer this too and combine it with luxurious glamping tents in the most beautiful location. That is how we attract more and more guests, even in June and September,” proclaims Liesbeth.
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Glamping tents from YALA luxury canvas lodges
“YALA glamping tents have the look and feel we wanted. They offer luxurious facilities and have solid construction. We were kept in the loop during the entire sales process, and we came up with solutions for problems together. In the end, we both want the product to be perfect. That’s what makes this a great partnership,” she says.
Return on investment
The popularity of canvas lodges translates into turnover and return on investment. Liesbeth recalls, “Our turnover increased massively due to glamping. It gets attention and sparks the imagination. The accommodation yields better returns because guests happily pay more for a glamping tent than a mobile home. Together, with the extension of the season, this results in a payback period of four years for our glamping tents and cabanes compared to six years for our mobile homes.”
In the end, we both want the product
to be perfect, which is what makes
our partnership with YALA so good.
Liesbeth Sinnema, Owner of La Vallée Verte – France
A better turnover and faster return on investment are great, but that is not what matters most at La Vallée Verte. “Our goal remains to become the most beautiful nature campsite in the south of France. Investing in luxurious tents and accommodation positively contributes to this,” she claims.
Are you curious to know what glamping can do for your business? Contact our experienced sales team to discover the possibilities.