Wigwam Holidays is the UK’s number 1 Glamping Brand and one of the leading vendors in the European Glamping market. As a manufacturer we not only build high quality and innovative products, we also work with our sister company Wigwam Holidays to provide you with a franchise partnership, offering a world class brand, community and “turn-key” business. We don’t just sell cabins, we help you fill them with paying guests from the day you open your doors and provide the necessary training and brand presence to make your business aspirations a reality. From that initial spark of envisioning your own glamping site through to welcoming guests on your grand opening day, Wigwam Holidays will be there to support you every step of the way!
Our core purpose is to provide great holidays in the great outdoors. It's this simple promise that keeps our visitors coming back to us time and time again. Since our launch in 2000, Wigwam Holidays has become one of the fastest growing alternative holiday brands in the UK, rapidly gaining our reputation as the market leader in the provision of high-quality, affordable holiday experiences.
The staycation sector is booming right now and Glamping has become a buzzword, with almost everyone you speak to having stayed in some type of Glamping accommodation. Lesser known is the history of how the Glamping phenomena started, a history that we’re very proud of here at Wigwam Holidays.
Wigwam Holidays launched in 2000 but our business of building eco-friendly
timber cabins dates back even further. Our story begins in 1989, at Dorset's
Hooke Park College. It was there that our CEO and founder, Charles Gulland,
created the first of many designs for a sustainable cabin built from forest thinnings.
Soon after, Charles was tasked by the countryside commission to develop
low cost accommodation on the West Highland Way and it was then that he
developed the very first Wigwam - almost 30 years ago! It would be another 15 years
before any other manufacturer built something similar. The original camping ‘pod’,
our Wigwam Cabin, is the product of continued innovation and an ongoing dedication to quality craftsmanship.
In 1992, Charles founded All Round Buildings, constructing a range of different cabins out of
rounded lengths of locally sourced timber. Wigwam Holidays was founded 8 years later and in
2011, the ‘Running Water Wigwam' was launched - the 1st ensuite camping cabin and a product
that would revolutionise the industry. Later, the UK’s 1st wheelchair-accessible ‘pod’ was
realised in the development of the Wigwam Lodge Accessible, the UK’s only Category 3
disability-friendly glamping cabin. In a highly competitive market, it is this striving for
excellence and innovation that recently led one of our Franchise owners to state that, ‘Wigwam
Holidays are a beacon of light in a sea of choice’.
Wigwam Holidays was launched to create a business network and community for like-minded land
owners that want to develop their own Wigwam Holidays glamping location. Since then, Wigwam
Holidays has gone from strength to strength. Today we have over 80 stunning rural locations
around the UK - all dedicated to delivering ‘Great Holidays in the Great Outdoors’. We offer
a financially proven franchise model - another 1st for the glamping industry - that offers
exceptional support and return on investment for our chosen partners. Today, Wigwam
Holidays isn’t just the ‘Original Glamping Brand’, it’s the ‘Number 1 Glamping Brand’!
Back in the seventies, growing up in rural Caithness, life made sense! No mobile phones, no internet, no computers. TV had only just begun. Life was rich, full of adventure and every day another story.
Moonlit nights, vast starry skies, endless summer days, frozen hands from tireless
winter sledging and, of course, the early morning call of the first cuckoo of spring.
One simple emotion that I will always remember, was the thrill of the first day of
the school holidays and the eagerly anticipated seven weeks of freedom stretching ahead.
Fishing for trout in the 'Tannach' burn, cycling the few short miles to the sand dunes
of 'Reiss' beach, building dens in the whin field, swimming at the falls on a sunny day.
These were simple freedoms, absolutely enjoyed and completely taken for granted. We
camped when we wanted, cooked sausages over fires lit from scavenged twigs,
played tennis on the country road outside the house or cycled to the village shop
to stock up on childhood essentials. Yes, life was good for a country child in the seventies.
That is the story behind Wigwam Holidays: a rural childhood in Caithness. A story
that our core purpose and core values intend to honour and bring to the Wigwam Brand and
Network. We exist because of nature and are nourished by nature. To understand and respect
our environment is to enjoy, cherish and experience the great outdoors.
This essential truth is embodied in the Wigwam Brand. It’s what it is all about. We exist not
for the money, although we all need to make a profit, but to allow everyone to experience the
fun and value of Great Holidays in the Great Outdoors. It’s that simple, it’s what we are
and what defines us as an organisation.
Charles Gulland
Director
Starting a Glamping site is a lot of hard work. And whilst we can't do everything for you we can absolutely help guide you through every step of the way. By becoming a Wigwam Holidays Franchise partner you not only gain this help but you also have access to the vast wealth of knowledge that comes with being the leading force in the UK Glamping industry for the past 30 years. Alongside this you join a community of over 80 like minded Franchise Partners ready to help and share their best practices.
We commit to working with you from the planning and design stages, all the way through to the day you open your exciting new glamping site and everything in between. Once open our experienced and dedicated Franchise Team will set about ensuring your new business’ continued growth, development and success.
These are just a selection of the many assets we provide if you choose us as the success proven solution to your glamping venture;
Don't just take our word for it, listen to what some of our current Franchise Partners have to say about their decision to join Wigwam Holidays…
The Franchise Package answered all our questions. We are farmers and surveyors – with no experience in the Glamping sector, so the fact that it was a business in a box really appealed to us. It answered questions like, ‘how to market the product’ and ‘what online booking system to use’. As we had no clue! The Franchise Package was perfect for our needs.
Wigwam Holidays offered the perfect fit with their proven, turn-key solution for diversifying our farm.
Having looked at all the options from pod and tent manufacturers to marketing networks, we knew at once that Franchise was the right fit for us. We have several businesses and the Wigwam Holidays Franchise offers us a brand, team support and a world class product – which meant we hit the ground running. We are very satisfied with the return on investment and love being part of the team.
The return on investment and the fun we have had since opening in 2015, have made my decision to join the Wigwam Family the best commercial decision I have ever made.
We needed to diversify and Wigwam Holidays were the perfect solution. We have been part of Wigwam Holidays for 10 years. They offer a great team including marketing, training, IT support and seminars. The annual conference is also great.
The Wigwam Holidays Franchise offers a powerful brand, joint marketing, shared vision and a fantastic team. We love the whole product – the cabins, the support, the website, online bookings and the digital marketing.
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