If you run a glampsite, or dream of building one, you’ve probably experienced this.
You’re driving down the road, scrolling listings, or talking with another host, and your brain starts doing comparison math.
They have five cabins.
They have private bathrooms.
They’ve got hot tubs, playgrounds, a pool.
Their photos look incredible.
And then you ask:
Am I behind?
Am I kidding myself?
Is my place good enough?
It’s a very natural reaction, but it can also be one of the biggest pitfalls in the glamping business.
Recently I was reminded of this during a conversation at the gym.
A guy I just met runs a cabin rental property. His cabins are beautiful. Each one has its own bathroom and shower. The place is professionally finished and clearly well built. Like a little development away from home.
He also happens to own a construction company.
Which means when he decides to build something, he already has equipment, tools, and a full crew ready to go.
Meanwhile, I’m over here sketching ideas on scrap paper, hauling materials one pickup load at a time, and sometimes learning as I go.
For a minute it was easy to think: How do I compete with this guy?
But then I realized that we’re not playing the same game.
Different Starting Lines
One of the easiest mistakes glampsite hosts make is assuming everyone else started where they did.
Not true.
Some hosts start with:
• Construction companies
• Crews and equipment
• Existing buildings
• Large investment capital
• Property that already has utilities installed
Others start with:
• A chainsaw
• A shovel
• A pickup truck
• A dream
It’s all relative, and you have to remember to be kind to yourself. And not every guest is looking for the same thing.
Apples and Oranges
Not long after the gym conversation, I passed another cabin rental property that I knew of while heading to the land.
From the road you can see several cabins close together, lined up in rows and surrounded by lawn.
There was a pool. A playground. Lots of visible amenities.
It looks like an extremely fun place for families.
And then the comparison voice said:.
They’ve got so many more features. They can host so many more people. They’ve got
a pool. And is that a tennis court, for crying out loud!
But then I took a breath and thought:
Some people want to be secluded, with not a ton of people around. They want a private firepit and want to walk along a creek and splash in the water. They want to feel like they’re at their own place.
Grand is amazing, but sometimes you just want to get off the grid.
Staying True to Your Vision
The real danger of comparison isn’t just the feeling it creates.
It can make you take your eyes off your own paper and start thinking:
Maybe I need hot tubs.
Maybe I should build faster.
Maybe I need more cabins.
All of that is great, but before long, the original vision that excited you can begin to shift.
You’re no longer building the place you dreamed about.
You’re building a reaction to someone else’s property.
And that can lead you far away from what made your land special in the first place.
The Truth About What Guests Actually Want
When we first started hosting guests, I assumed people wanted as many amenities as possible.
But something interesting kept happening.
Guests rarely talked about the things I thought they would.
Instead, they talked about:
The quiet.
The sound of the creek.
The stars at night.
The smell of the pines.
Sitting by the fire.
The things that mattered most were often the things that couldn’t be installed with a hammer or with cash.
Nature was doing most of the work.
Our job was simply to create a place where people could slow down enough to experience it.
Every Property Has Its Own Personality
Every piece of land has a personality.
Some are open and sunny.
Some feel like luxury hotels.
Some feel like forests.
Some feel like farms.
Some feel like a hidden retreat.
The mistake is trying to make your property act like someone else’s.
If you try to turn a quiet woodland retreat into a loud resort experience, you might accidentally destroy the very thing that made the land special.
A better question to ask is:
What does this land want to be?
For us, the answer feels pretty clear.
Tall hemlocks.
A winding creek.
Fireflies in summer.
Owls and frogs at night.
A sky full of stars.
We let the land decide, and leaning into that has made all the difference.
Remember Why You Started
Whenever comparison creeps in, it helps to remember why you started this journey.
For many hosts, the goal wasn’t to compete with the biggest properties.
It was to build something meaningful.
A place where people can slow down.
A place where families reconnect.
A place where someone can sit by a fire and remember what quiet feels like.
Those experiences don’t require the biggest cabins or the longest list of amenities.
They require thoughtfulness, care, and patience.
Excitement for Fellow Hosts Beats Envy Every Time
If you’re building a glampsite right now, take it easy on yourself.
It’s easy to look around and see what others have already built.
But we all have our own starting point and our own road.
It’s important to remember why you started this journey.
Our wish for you is that you and to enjoy it every step of the way.
Happy hosting!
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Photo by Soyoung HAN on Unsplash
Photo by Brett Wharton on Unsplash
