A Property Built on the Right Connections
Not every glamping business starts with a true believer. In fact, the husband-and-wife team of Rigo and Jessica Melendez were split. He was an avid outdoorsman who had been watching the glamping market take shape and saw an opportunity. She was a veteran of the pitch-a-tent version of camping and had no desire to revisit it.
But they looped in longtime friend and business partner J.D. Aboud, and three agreed to explore options.
What finally won Jessica over was the 20 private acres in the Lincoln National Forest near High Rolls, New Mexico and especially those incredible views that stretch out in every direction.
El Campo Glamping hung out its shingle in 2023 which Jessica spearheading design and creative direction and attended Glamping Show Americas that same year. It’s no coincidence that they go back every year. This show is where growth happens.
“Every time we go to the glamping show, we end up buying tents,” Jessica said.
Finding Impi Canvas on the Expo Floor
El Campo started with bell tents, and Jessica loved decorating them. But each time she walked the expo floor, she found herself drawn to something different: safari tents with real walls and a more dramatic presence on the landscape.
When she spotted Impi Canvas’s distinctive bull nose design, she made a beeline.
The structure caught her eye, but it was the team behind it that closed the deal. Impi Canvas is based in South Africa, and the logistics of an international purchase took coordination, but Jessica left the show with not one, but two safari tents.
“Willie and his crew were just amazing people,” she said. “Salt of the earth.”
White-Glove Service From Day One for the First American Client
El Campo turned out to be Impi Canvas’s first American client, a distinction the South African company took seriously. Rather than shipping the tents and leaving the installation to the operator, Impi flew team members to the property, where they built the structures themselves. Owner Willie and sales lead Bernard stayed in close contact throughout the process, and the relationship has continued well beyond the sale.
“We still text each other all the time,” Jessica said. “We built a really good relationship with those guys.”
Interiors That Guests Can’t Stop Talking About
Jessica designed the interior of the first safari tent with the same care she brings to every accommodation on the property. She installed Acacia hardwood floors, sourced vintage furniture and mixed in modern pieces to create an interior that guests consistently describe as the nicest place they’ve ever stayed. Add panoramic views from every angle and the tent became El Campo’s most talked-about offering almost immediately.
The first tent opened for booking in April. By summer, August weekends were fully booked and September was halfway there. A single influencer video of the safari tent drew 12,700 views, and the last available weekend filled up shortly after it posted.
Three Wins from One Show
The Impi partnership is the headliner, but it isn’t the only connection that El Campo built at the show. They also purchased a Trend Tent and liked it enough to map out three more on another section of the property. And after connecting with Campspot on the expo floor last year, they’re now in the process of onboarding with the booking platform.
Three supplier relationships. One incredible show. That’s the compounding value Glamping Show Americas delivers for operators who show up to walk the floor and have conversations. So much of El Campo’s recent growth started with a handshake at Glamping Show Americas.
You can read about the operators leveling up their properties. Or you can be one of them.
