Don’t Call it ‘Kamping’: K.O.A. Goes After the Luxury Market

The opposite take is our property Terramor in Bar Harbor, Maine. We noticed folks in search of distinctive methods of experiencing the outside, and never everyone seems to be serious about conventional tenting. We at all times felt the place the place Terramor sits, which was a former Okay.O.A. campground, had one thing actually particular about it. We don’t name it glamping. We name it an outside resort. We’ve a lodge with meals service. We’ve tents with beds, comfy linens and private hearth rings. Every tent has its personal lavatory, which is a giant distinction.

Like at a resort, we’ve got plenty of actions. We’ve these lovely telescopes and we convey folks in to guide stargazing. We’ve yoga and Pilates. Our flagship is in Maine, so we do lobster bakes as soon as every week.

Okay.O.A. has been a budget-travel firm. Had been there considerations about increasing into the posh market?

Whereas we hadn’t operated within the luxurious house, we felt very assured about our information of outside hospitality and knew we may create one thing in Terramor that will resonate. We thought of a model extension of Okay.O.A., however in the end felt a brand new model made extra sense. The model is so well-known and we’re constructing one thing actually totally different.

Eighty-five % of Okay.O.A. enterprise is in R.V.s. When folks see Okay.O.A. campgrounds, they assume R.V. campground. There aren’t any R.V.s at Terramor. We wished to offer readability for our Okay.O.A. campers. And we wished to achieve an entire new set of people that say, “Okay.O.A. isn’t for me.”

The choice to create a brand new model was additionally tied to cost level. Our common price for a Okay.O.A. tent web site is $42 an evening, an R.V. web site is $55 and a deluxe cabin is $137. The common price at Terramor is $400 an evening. In a tenting expertise, you’re bringing your personal tools. It’s rustic. You’re not in a mattress. Terramor is similar to what you’d see at resort, and we provide resort facilities.

Do you’ve got plans to develop the Terramor model?

We’ll be able to announce three to 5 new Terramor properties this summer season. After that, I believe we’ll get to the purpose the place we announce one to 2 new resorts a 12 months.

The entire Terramor properties can have a number of core options together with a central lodge with meals service, a nature-inspired pool, a group-fire expertise, a pavilion and a fenced-in canine space. Our lodging all have personal hearth rings on the tent, and we provide free firewood. We additionally at the moment are implementing an area for massages at our present property, and that can probably prolong to future properties.