Glamping, Sustainable Tequila, And World’s Best Hotels - November 2022
An extra special thank you for reading this issue of Turk’s Thoughts. November marks a year since I founded Turk Hospitality Ventures, and building this business and community has given me the opportunity to connect with hospitality professionals from around the world and readers like you.
Over the past year, I’ve been able to collaborate with my clients on innovative hospitality solutions, grow Tangy Management into a leading luxury vacation rental management company, launch Biscayne Coffee to help save Biscayne Bay, share the stories of incredible hospitality leaders on The Hospitality Mentor Podcast, and now I’m bringing all of these worlds together in this monthly newsletter.
☕️ As a thank you for your support, this issue is brought to you by Biscayne Coffee and we’re sharing a special discount code for my subscribers. Use promo code THOUGHTS for 10% off your order at checkout. ☕️
🛎 What's Hot in Hospitality
The market for glamping – or glamorous camping – is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 10.5% from 2022 to 2031. With accommodations ranging from treehouses and teepees to domes and airstreams, glamping gives guests a way to vacation amidst the outdoors without giving up the indoor comforts they’re used to, like beds, electricity and plumbing. It’s a more luxurious entry point into camping for travelers who want to connect with nature without committing to a barebones experience.
Glamping can also be a profitable hospitality investment with lower startup costs than, say, purchasing an entire house for a rental property. Outdoor hospitality has been amplified since the pandemic, says Connecting Roads CEO Dylan Barahona, who has curated glamping yurts for Coachella and in parks across the country. “By adding layers of comfort, you’re breaking the barrier for people to try something new they otherwise would never experience. As an operator, you can cut huge infrastructure costs. A no-frills glamping site could begin hosting guests for under $2,000 with huge return opportunities,” Barahona told me.
Glamping accommodations have grown 311% on Airbnb, and as someone in the hotel and vacation rental industry, it’s something I’m interested in exploring myself. Here’s an idea that merges glamping with luxury resorts, which I recently chatted about on my LinkedIn Live Office Hours: If you have a luxury property like a beach or golf resort, you can host a glamping pop-up with an upscale tent set up on the sand or the green. Imagine if your guests could wake up outdoors with a view of the water or emerge from their glamping tent and dive right into a round of golf on the green. More and more, travelers are seeking out unique vacation experiences like these.
Watch here as I share more about how I’d activate a glamping pop-up at a luxury resort.
🍷 What I'm Sipping
On my hunt for sustainable vendors (which I wrote about last month), I recently discovered Mijenta Tequila, the first tequila to receive B-Corp Certification. The small-batch tequila from the Highlands of Jalisco is a super premium spirit crafted by Mexico-based maestra tequilera Ana Maria Romero.
Mijenta employs environmentally responsible practices throughout the entire process, from growing to packaging. Mijenta never uses pesticides or herbicides in growing their agave plants, and they allow 10% of their agave plants to flower, which ensures greater genetic variation. The packaging is also eco-friendly, with the bottle labels created locally in Guadalajara from agave waste, the seal on the cap made from biodegradable material, and their boxes made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper or other materials certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Finally, Mijenta Tequila strives to have a carbon-neutral impact by offsetting 720,000 kg of CO2 through supporting reforestation efforts in Mexico, forest protection in Colombia, and clean wind energy in Brazil.
📝 What I'm Working On
I’m excited to share that I’m currently filming the first season of Best Places & Stays, a new vertical video series shot for TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts. We’re focused on finding the best restaurants, resorts and beyond, while sharing the stories of the passionate people powering the hospitality industry. In producing the series, I’ve partnered with my brother David Turk to bring our viewers a truly high-quality, hi-def video production using Netflix-caliber cinematic cameras.
Check out our first episode featuring one of my recent guests on The Hospitality Mentor Podcast, Memphis Garrett of Garrett Group Hospitality. We’ll show you what you need to try at his new Fort Lauderdale restaurant and lounge, Ya Mas Taverna. Stay tuned for more episodes coming soon!
Know someone or somewhere we should feature on Best Places & Stays? Shoot me a message!
📚 What I'm Inspired By
One of the world’s best hotels is located right in my backyard. Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club in Surfside, FL was recently ranked among the top 25 hotels in the world (not Florida, not the U.S. –– the world) in Condé Nast Traveler’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards, and I’m inspired by how the hotel achieved such a distinctive honor. As those of us who work in the hospitality industry know, it’s the people that make a difference in the guest experience.
“This is a true expression of The Surf Club’s unique spirit flourishing, greatly executed with love and diligence by our talented team day to day throughout our storied property,” says General Manager Daniela Trovato. “...We’re constantly designing new experiences and creating loyalty. The way to do that is through our people.”
To wow their guests with an inviting atmosphere, spotless rooms, mouthwatering Michelin-rated cuisine, and flawless service, team members need to feel equally taken care of. I’m friends and former colleagues with several team members at the Four Seasons Surfside (another reason why I feel so inspired), and have seen how they truly take employee appreciation efforts up a notch.
From pampering their team with spa robes and gifts to live music for Hispanic Heritage Month in the Team Member Restaurant (notice they don’t call it a cafeteria) to all of the benefits and support in between, all of these efforts add up to what makes Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club one of the best in the world.
🎙 On the Podcast
We have another great lineup of episodes on The Hospitality Mentor podcast this month. This November, tune into my conversation with Cessie Cerrato, luxury travel and hospitality publicist of Cessie C. Communications (out now); Adam Harris, co-founder and CEO of cloud-based hospitality management software Cloudbeds; Armando Campos, Vice President of Food & Beverage at the world-famous Fontainebleau Miami Beach; and Raul Leal, CEO of SH Hotels & Resorts, whose collection of brands includes 1 Hotels, Baccarat Hotels and Treehouse Hotels.
Hospitality Mentor Office Hours: Join me for weekly chats about what's trending in hospitality on my NEW LinkedIn Live Office Hours on Fridays at 10 a.m.
💼 Who's Hiring
Check out these job opportunities from our Guest Mentors on the Podcast for a chance to work with these hospitality leaders:
Join Team Bleau and play a leading role on the Fontainebleau’s legendary hospitality stage. Learn more
Help Cloudbeds reinvent the world of hospitality tech and travel. Apply here
Grow your career with SH Hotels & Resorts’ portfolio of hospitality brands. See open positions
🎥 #TurksTours with @steveturk
Follow me on TikTok for video tours of luxury hotels and restaurants through the eyes of a hotelier. If you like any of my latest videos, give it a ❤️️ or leave a comment.
Throwback to the filming of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel at Fontainebleau Hotel
Live music on Novotel Miami Brickell hotel’s beautiful rooftop
☕️ This issue is brought to you by Biscayne Coffee. Use promo code THOUGHTS for 10% off your order at checkout. ☕️
If you’ve read this far, send me a short reply and let me know what you enjoyed most from this newsletter. See you again in December as we close out the year!
If you found this edition helpful, feel free to forward it on or leave a comment on my LinkedIn Newsletter to help spread the word about Turk’s Thoughts. It only takes a few seconds and makes a huge difference.
Cheers,
Steve Turk
