Whether you own a cabin or rent it to vacationers, it’s an opportunity to treat yourself to daily luxuries. Transform it into a place of comfort by adding a few glamping upgrades. Anyone can take their cabin from camping to glamping with inspiring ideas like these.
What Is Glamping?
Glamping is like camping but with high-tech additions. People spend time in traditional cabins to cuddle by the fireplace and disconnect from the world. Glampers enjoy that popular experience in glamping cabins with extra features inspired by five-star getaways.
With creature comforts, glamping makes camping more exciting for those who have never camped before or need to ease into it. Here are a few amenities to take your cabin from camping to glamping.
1. Use Plenty of Mood Lighting
Large windows and overhead lights create a homey feel within your cabin, but they may not set the right mood. Glamping is about creating an experience where you feel like you’re on an extravagant getaway. Mood lighting is the best way to start doing that.
Hang string lights along your living room walls or exposed Edison bulb lights around your porch. Place battery-powered candles on side tables and rechargeable lanterns amid outdoor seating. The warm glow of the softer lighting creates a relaxing ambiance that sets the mood for reclining in comfort.
2. Upgrade the Coffee Maker
When camping outside, campers make coffee by boiling water over an open fire and steeping their coffee grounds. The rewarding process might result in delicious coffee, but glampers would replace their morning campfire with a coffee machine.
Upgrade the coffee maker in your cabin to make every first sip of java nearly effortless. Whether your machine uses pods or smart technology to brew the perfect mug, you’ll always be moments away from your next cup of coffee.
Finding a modern coffee maker is also a relief for renters. There’s nothing more discouraging than waking up and realizing you don’t know how to use your hotel room’s machine. A popular model that’s easy to operate makes waking up on vacation much more enjoyable.
3. Go Big With Your Style
Traditional cabins have similar wood floors, cabinets and other rustic features. While they can have gorgeous interior layouts, glamping cabins combine those features with unique touches that showcase the owner’s personality.
Explore different interior design styles if you’re unsure what you like. You might fall in love with Hollywood regency and its use of velvet furniture and jewel tones. Maybe your cabin could feature ocean-inspired paintings and color palettes. It depends on which styles feel most authentic to you.
4. Install High-Tech Features
Glampers rely on the latest technology and modern conveniences to make themselves comfortable. Your cabin could feature a smart thermostat, the newest Wi-Fi-enabled TVs or a high-tech telescope for late-night stargazing.
Even something as simple as a reusable water filter stick for hiking will improve anyone’s experience in your cabin. Nothing will keep you or your guests from getting the most enjoyment from your daily activities.
5. Modify the Bathrooms
Lean into the luxury of glamping by upgrading your bathrooms. You could go big with an idea like installing heated flooring. Electric floors cost an average of $8–15 per square foot, which is much less costly than many property owners realize.
You could also make your bathrooms stand out from traditional cabins with color-changing lights, surround-sound speakers or toilets with the nicest bidets. The interior features and style should feel like a five-star glamping resort to match the vibe you’re aiming for.
6. Invest in a Hot Tub
Rental cabins often come with hot tubs, so it may be worth your investment if yours is on the rental market, too. People love relaxing in the bubbling water after a long day of outdoor exploration. Surround yours with privacy fencing and mood lighting for an extra touch of care. Even if you’re the only one using it, you’ll treat yourself to an authentic glamping experience.
7. Find a Modern Firepit
Firepits create essential camping memories. They’re where families roast marshmallows, make beef stews and hang out while listening to the evening crickets. Your glamping cabin wouldn’t be complete without one, but you don’t have to worry about making a charcoal pit on your property if you don’t know how.
Find an electric or propane-fueled firepit instead. Many companies sell them as coffee or side tables for porch use. The firepits could match your current outdoor decor and make your property as fancy as any glamping getaway.
8. Provide Fun Amenities
Glamping properties have everything guests could want to have a good time. Even if you’re redecorating your cabin for yourself and your loved ones, investing in amenities will make it feel like an even more welcoming home.
Stock your garage or shed with things like fishing rods, kayaks, rafting tubes and an insulated picnic basket. Roasting skewers for the campfire and board games are other popular options. You or your guests will want for nothing, which is what glamping’s all about.
9. Improve the Toiletries
What’s a vacation without toiletries? Treating yourself or your renters to a five-star getaway means having a few standard toiletries provided in your room. You could fold extra towels into animals before guests arrive or consider providing mini shower bottles and locally-made bar soaps.
Your toiletries could also branch outside the bathroom. Set up a coffee kit next to your coffee machine and kitchen set that includes a sponge, towel and dish soap. When guests arrive and find everything they need, they know they’re in for a good time.
10. Get the Fastest Wi-Fi
Mountainside cabins are next to places with plenty of opportunities for adventure, but their lovely remote locations can also result in slow Wi-Fi. There may only be one wireless internet provider in your cabin’s town, but compare their plans if you can’t shop around.
Patchy Wi-Fi is a frustrating experience no matter where you’re vacationing or living. Purchase the package with the fastest possible download speed so no one struggles to enjoy movies or video games in your cabin. You’ll quickly become the most-wanted rental spot in your area or your friends’ favorite place to hang out because no one has to wait for things to load.
Create a Glamping Cabin
Now that you know how to take your cabin from camping to glamping, think about which upgrades you want to try first. Whether you want to provide a five-star experience with toiletries or renovate a room with luxury features, your cabin will become permanently fabulous. You’ll always walk into a lavish home that takes your breath away, which is precisely how glampers want to feel.
