How did you get into the luxury tent business?

“When I started Luxury Frontiers 8 years ago, experiential travel didn’t really exist outside of Africa. We had designed tented camps at Eagle Island Lodge and Abu Camp in Botswana and knew the African market well. We also knew that up to 70% of our guests in Africa were coming to the U.S. I thought, why not export the Africa safari tent experience to the U.S.”

Do you think the glamping trend is here to stay?

“Glamping is booming worldwide and on track to be a $1billion industry by 2023. People are craving off-the-grid, eco-sensitive travel. I hate to call what we do glamping because it’s much more than pitching a fancy tent. The tent is only one layer. Many operators in the U.S. forget the importance of attaching meaningful, authentic experiences to the tent. We actually think about the activities before we start designing the tent. We ask, what will the guests do here? What will they learn? How can we connect them to the local culture, flora and fauna?”

Amangiri’s new camp, Sarika, opens in April. This was your first project in the U.S. What were some of the challenges and what makes this camp unique?

“The location, a half-mile away from Amangiri, is subject to harsh elements—sandstorms, wind, heavy rain, brutal heat. Aman’s clients want to feel the wilderness but also wanted to feel safe and protected. It wasn’t possible to have a pure tent so we spent 5 years engineering an Aman suite wrapped in fully insulated canvas. The fabric we used can withstand winds of up to 95 miles per hour. When we open April 1, 2020, we’ll be the only luxury camp, to my knowledge, that will be able to stay open year-round.”

How does Camp Sarika compliment the hotel?

“This is the first resort in the Aman portfolio that offers its guests two different products. If it’s successful, I could see this being replicated at other Aman properties. Sarika has 10-canvas topped pavilions, each with a private plunge pool, overlooking dramatic, flat-topped mesa rocks. We flipped the positioning of the tents so that guests get a different view than they would from the hotel, which looks out over endless desert. Amangiri does not have two-bedroom rooms or even connecting rooms. Half of Sarika’s tents will have two-bedrooms, which will be a big draw for families. And multi-gen families can buy out the entire camp. And I think we’ll see a lot of guests who split their stay between the two properties. Sarika will certainly attract Aman loyalists, but I think the camp will also widen the brand’s target market to more adventurous, back-to-nature luxury travelers.”

Are there any unique experiences only available to Camp Sarika guests?

“Every tent gets its own guide, so you have a very personalized, high-touch experience. I believe people want to push their boundaries when they travel these days and feel a sense of accomplishment so adventure and activities will be a big focus. Sarika will have its own exclusive Via Ferrata route, which will be really special. The camp will have a restaurant, pool area and a mini spa with two treatment rooms.”

What future projects are on the horizon?

“We debut our first Latin American property, Nayara Tented Camp, in Costa Rica in December. After that I have my eye on Mexico and some other areas around the U.S. national parks and we’re in talks with other luxury hotel brands like the Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton Reserve.”

For further inspiration: Campfires and Canvas – The best luxury camping in the United States

[Photo Credits: Luca Franco, Aman, Luxury Frontiers]

The post The Glamping King – Luca Franco Talks to All Roads North appeared first on All Roads North.

Camp Sarika by Amangiri

For many Amangiri needs no introduction, this modernist marvel in Southern Utah consistently ranks among the top luxury hotels in the world. The picture has been completed by the recently announced launch of Camp Sarika, opening in April 2020. The singular design aesthetic and attention to detail of the main Amangiri resort has been maintained in a series of ten canvas-topped pavilions but with an even greater connection to the dramatic landscapes that surround. Private plunge pools and firepits provide intimate focal points to unplug and soak in the rocky mesas and slot canyons that envelope the camp. Unlike the main Amangiri property, Camp Sarika has several two bedrooms tents, which will be perfect for families. 

Dunton River Camp

Like the fantastic Dunton Hot Springs just up the valley, Dunton has accomplished true understated luxury with their safari-style glamping tents. The eight tents sit in the West Fork of the Dolores River Valley, an idyllic corner of the San Juan Mountains in Southwest Colorado. Tastefully designed interiors, luxurious beds, and clawfoot tubs will have you momentarily forgetting you’re in a tent, but step outside and mountain trails, alpine meadows, and trout-filled streams await. Chef-prepared meals are served in the central farmhouse, a sauna sits down by the river, and the firepit, underneath the dark night sky, is the perfect place to end each day of your Colorado glamping adventure.

The Resort at Paws Up

If you’re looking for some of the best glamping in the American West, look no further than Paws Up. Part dude ranch, part luxury hideaway, the Resort at Paws Up sits on 37,000 acres in Western Montana, classic ‘Big Sky’ country. To the north lies Glacier National Park and the town of Missoula is a short drive to the west. The resort has multiple private log homes dotted across the ranch but it’s their luxury tented camps that warrant a mention here. With six or so tents per camp, it’s an intimate set up and perfect for a larger group or extended family. The pretty Blackfoot River, of a ‘A River Runs Through It’ fame, runs through the heart of the ranch and our favorite camp locations are those perched above this tumbling waterway. Each has their own chef and dining pavilion, as well as a butler at the ready, so while part of a larger resort, they feel secluded, private and immersed in nature. 

Ranchlands Camps

With their new tented camps, Ranchlands delivers a glamping experience in Colorado that will let you harness your inner cowboy or girl and get an authentic taste for life on the range. Ranchlands operate four working ranches, including Zapata, where conservation and preserving the ranching heritage are the primary goal. Their low-touch tented camps are located on the Chico Basin property, where a large herd of Beefmaster cattle roam Colorado’s eastern prairie. Camps can either be taken privately by a group or you can join a scheduled week, typically hosted by experts in their field; a master horsemen, National Geographic photographers, or an acclaimed Western artist. Your days revolve around the circadian rhythms of ranch life; up early and fitting in with the tasks at hand, whether that’s moving cattle, branding, or leatherwork. End your day with dinner on the open prairie, watching the sun drop behind distant Pikes Peak, before taking the conversation to the campfire.

The Ranch at Rock Creek

Montana’s Ranch at Rock Creek, takes rustic luxury to its extreme and their luxury glamping tents are no exception. Dotted along Rock Creek, which winds through a remote valley near Philipsburg, each unit stretches the limits of a ‘tent’ or indeed ‘camping’, being more of a cabin-tent hybrid; think sumptuous king beds, tasteful western furnishings, full ensuite bathrooms, separate living areas, and a front porch to watch the world go by from. Trapper Cabin, tucked away in its own secluded corner of the ranch, is the perfect romantic bolthole, with heated floors to keep you warm on those long winter nights and a private outdoor soaking tub. 

Custom Wilderness Camps

Perhaps the ultimate glamping experience in the U.S., a custom safari-style camp, constructed just for your group, can provide access to true wilderness and solitude without scrimping on the creature comforts. From remote private land on the California coast to the wilds of Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante, the camp can be located according to your specific priorities and trip goals, and is delivered in accordance with ‘leave no trace’ principles. Levels of luxury can be tailored; from the truly elaborate to something more nimble but expect hot running water, real beds, and gourmet meals prepared by your camp chef. By day you’ll explore your surroundings with your guide team and evenings are spent sitting round the campfire recalling the day’s adventures. This will be a truly memorable wilderness glamping experience!

IMAGE CREDITS: Luxury Frontiers, Aman, Jack Richmond (Dunton), Maddie Jordan (Ranchlands), Ranch at Rock Creek, ASC

The post Campfires and Canvas – The best luxury camping in the United States appeared first on All Roads North.