US / South Africa: Boutique, full-service design firm Luxury Frontiers, which enables luxury resorts to add alternative lodging facilities such as tents and treehouses, is preparing to debut in Amanguiri, southern Utah.
The San Francisco / Johannesbury-based company’s founder and CEO, Luca Franco, is placing a focus on incorporating services with resorts that cater to global trends such as glamping and experiential travel and believes that Luxury Frontiers is leading the way in the alternative lodging industry.
In an interview with Travel Pulse, Franco refrains from using the trending term, “glamping” as he wants to create a more “meaningful, environmentally friendly experience” for travellers which is “customised to the climate and to the local culture”.
Franco adds that the phenomenon of alternative lodging is about generating unforgettable memories while not limiting services to the traditional confines of hotels.
At Utah’s luxury resort, Camp Sarika by Amangiri, guests will have access to an arrival area, as well as food and beverage services, a spa, pool and various activities. The 78-acre complex will reportedly become the first year-round camp in North America and will house ten luxury tents, with each having its own guide to lead guests on experiential tours.
The campsites will also target families with two-bedroom tents and multi-generational families have the option of hiring out the whole camp for their stay if they wish.
Speaking to Travel Pulse, Franco says that he wanted to create an association between alternative lodging and luxury, whereby travellers can have a heightened guest experience away from the constraints of a tight budget.
He says: “This is not about lodging – it’s about an experiential journey.”
Guest numbers suggest the lure of safari luxury camps in destinations such as Africa is working as Franco reports that between 50 and 75 per cent of its guests in camps on the continent originate from the United States. Furthermore, the founder predicts that the trend, whether you can call it glamping or not, will ne a $1 billion industry by 2023 as tourists seek out more eco-friendly accommodation alternatives.
Looking ahead, Luxury Frontiers is eyeing Mexico and national parks in the United States as places to partner with established luxury hotel brands such as Four Seasons, One & Only and Ritz-Carlton Reserve. It is also collaborating with Belmond on a number of development projects in Africa to expand the brand across the world.
For more information, visit the Luxury Frontiers website here.
