What is Boutique Camping ?

Boutique Camping Welcome to BoutiqueCamping.net Ltd.  Definition may be challenging, but let's explore the concept of 'boutique camping' and have a go.  The term perhaps has some roots drawn from the international world of hotels.  Wikipedia says this... "Boutique hotel is a term originating in North America to describe intimate, usually luxurious or quirky hotel environments. Boutique hotels differentiate themselves from larger chain/branded hotels and motels by providing personalized level accommodation and services / facilities. Sometimes known as "design hotels" or "lifestyle hotels," boutique hotels began in the 1980s in major cities like New York, London, and San Francisco. Very often it is the Morgans Hotel in Murray Hill of New York, that is awarded with the title of first boutique hotel in the world. It was opened by Ian Schrager in 1984 according to a design by Andrée Putman. Typically boutique hotels are furnished in a themed, stylish and/or aspirational manner. Although usually considerably smaller than a mainstream hotel (often ranging from 3 to 100 guest rooms), boutique hotels can often have hundreds of rooms in major cities. Guest rooms and suites are fitted with telephony and Wi-Fi Internet, air-conditioning, honesty bars and often cable/pay TV. Guest services are attended to by 24 hour hotel staff. Many boutique hotels have on-site dining facilities, and the majority offer bars and lounges which may also be open to the general public."  They also suggest that alongside "luxury", "quirky", "lifestyle", "themed", "stylish" and "aspirational", "online booking" is a defining feature.  Writers particularly within the UK media have explored the recent notions of "Cool Camping" (Rhiannon Batten, The Observer April 16th 2006) and observed the rise in popularity of camping with a twist, "Happy Campers" (Emily Wilson, The Guardian August 9th 2005). Our insight to the concept of 'Boutiqe Camping' has evolved through the summer festival scene here in the UK.  For us, it started when we made our first canvas tipi (on a very old hand sewing machine, in our living room) several years ago and established www.ashertipis.com .  The notion of hiring out tipis for people to stay in at festivals wasn't new, friends had been doing so though the tipi field at Glastonbury Festival since 1998 (ish).  But we wanted to expand that, take a larger stock of tents, to more events and take this provision 'on the road' for the summer months as a travelling production.  Within 2 years we had added a new "product" to our activities and launched www.festivalbeachhuts.com .  Around the same time, www.podpads.com were starting to develop thier quirky little units, and www.LostVagueness.com had been producing the "Paradise Lost Trailer Park" offering the chance to spend the Glastonbury Festival weekend as a VIP resident of a 'themed' caravan park. The actual phrase 'boutique camping' was probably first used by Josie da Bank when she invited us to contribute to producing a 'boutique camping field' at the festival on the Isle of Wight she was developing with Radio One DJ husband, Rob da Bank - the phone call went something like this. "Hi Mark, we loved the tipis - they're beautiful.  Next year I'd like to create a lovely 'boutique camping field' with interesting and quirky places for people to stay ...".  Well, since then that's precisely what we've been doing, taking the flavour of 'show' and 'VIP exclusivity' developed by Lost Vagueness, the aspirational desire to see aesthetic creativity from Josie, and developing our vision to produce these 'shows' and 'services' professionally and functionally. Over the last year we've developed these ideas and have now established BoutiqueCamping.net Ltd as an agent and production company to take this evolving exploration forward.  We can now present tipi villages, yurt villages, a beach hut village, a 'podpad' village, American style trailer parks with Winnebagos and Caravans, and our latest stunning provision 4 converted double decker buses, www.busbeds.com . For 2007, BoutiqueCamping.net Ltd will be presenting this boutique camping accommodation at major UK and Eire festivals (adding toilets, showers, hot tubs, reception facilities, hospitality spaces and room service on a bespoke basis) , and by the end of the year we hope to be offering links to similarly interesting places to stay from around the world. Mark and Emma Sutton, February 2007