Luxury accommodations head outdoors in creative ways

Five-star luxury is no longer the exclusive domain of hotels and villas. The definition of luxury accommodations has expanded in scope in recent years, and now includes everything from converted shipping containers to geodesic domes to tricked-out tents, all complete with indoor plumbing. These fall under the banner of outdoor experiential hospitality, one of the fastest-growing phenomena in luxury travel.

There are plenty of advantages to having luxury accommodations without a permanent hotel. Luca Franco, founder and CEO of Luxury Frontiers, a design consultancy specializing in ultra-high-end tented camps, said that investors in tented projects, for example, can expect to generate 20 to 40 percent more in revenues than their high-end brick-and-mortar counterparts, and construction costs can be up to 50 percent less.

Highway West Vacations, a subsidiary of Fowler Property Acquisitions, has created the Flying Flags brand to capitalize on the profit potential and flexibility of outdoor experiential hospitality. The model is to provide a variety of alternative accommodations — from trailers to tents to tiny homes — in a single location. Meanwhile, Collective Retreats, a company that has been known for glamping tented accommodations in scenic locations around the United States, is about to introduce modular luxury suites as well.