Nathan Mayfield

Marketing is where many early-stage operators either over-spend on the wrong areas or under-invest in the areas that actually drive bookings. This session puts you inside a working scenario and asks the hard questions about how to allocate time, money and attention across the tools and channels that actually move the needle for a glamping property.

Your group will work through:

• Your tech stack—understanding what your business needs: From booking engines and PMS platforms to channel managers, CRMs and review tools, the glamping tech landscape offers strong solutions for every kind of operator. Your group will focus on how to identify the right tech needs for your stage of business, what questions to ask before bringing on any new platform and how to think strategically about your stack as a whole — so the tools you choose are built around your operation, not the other way around.
• Telling your story—why you, not them: With new glamping properties opening every month, the brands that win are the ones who can clearly articulate what makes their guest experience different. Your group will work through how to position your property, how to translate your story consistently across your website, OTAs and social channels, and how to make your “why” obvious to a guest in the eight seconds before they bounce.
• Marketing the experience—on-site vs. local area: Are you selling the property, the destination, or both? Most operators don’t think hard enough about this — and miss the chance to bundle on-site experiences (firepit dinners, guided activities, wellness add-ons) with the reasons guests came to the area in the first place. Your group will work through how to position each without diluting your brand or under-pricing your offering.
• AI—best bang for your buck: AI is the topic everyone is asking about and the one most people are confused by. Your group will cut through the noise and identify where AI actually pays off for a glamping operator today—customer service and inquiry response, content and social, dynamic pricing, guest journey automation and the shift from SEO to GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) as more guests search through AI assistants. Where should you start if you only have bandwidth for one?
• Analytics that matter when you’re starting out: Most early-stage operators either drown in dashboards or track nothing at all. Your group will work through the handful of numbers that genuinely matter in year one—ADR, occupancy, channel mix, conversion rate, repeat rate, review sentiment—and how to use them to make sharper decisions instead of just describing what already happened.
• Repeat guests & on-site marketing — making the stay unforgettable: Repeat business in glamping is notoriously elusive, but it doesn’t have to be. Your group will work through how to design the on-site experience so guests leave with stories worth telling, what to do at check-out and after the stay to bring them back and how to turn first stays into referrals, reviews and second bookings.

Experts will be present to share what’s actually working for them — tool by tool, dollar by dollar.

You’ll leave with: a sharper marketing prioritization framework, a clearer picture of where your first (or next) dollar should go, a strategy that fits your stage and practical tools you can apply to your property the week you get home.

Phone calls and texts remain critical revenue and service channels for glamping operators—especially after hours, during peak periods, and when small teams are stretched thin. This panel will explore how operators are using AI voice, text, and concierge tools to answer questions, check availability, complete reservations, capture payments, communicate at scale, and escalate situations that require a human touch.

Grounded in real-world case studies, the discussion will show how one owner-operated property generated 60% of its revenue through AI-assisted conversations and achieved 34% year-over-year growth, while another handled more than 5,000 guest interactions with 94% resolved without staff involvement. Panelists will also discuss multilingual service, upselling, emergency communication, and how to balance automation with genuine hospitality.

I've heard it, you've heard it, we've all heard it: AI is taking over. But what actually works for glamping businesses? Discover some practical ways glamping operators of all sizes use AI and automation to streamline their daily tasks, enhance guest experience, improve communication and most importantly, drive more direct bookings. All the while keeping the human touch that your guests have grown to know and love.