Hot Tubs, Firewood and Hampers: How to Price Glamping Extras
On a glamping site the extras are not an afterthought. A hot tub, a basket of logs and a breakfast hamper can add a third again to the value of a stay, and they cost far less to deliver than another unit costs to build. The difference between a site that sells them well and one that does not is usually nothing to do with the products — it is when and how they are offered.
Sell them at the point of booking
The moment a guest has chosen their pod and is already committing to spend a few hundred pounds is the moment they are most willing to add forty pounds of hot tub heating. Three weeks later, in reply to an email, that same guest thinks harder. On arrival, with the car to unload, they say they will sort it later and never do.
Put every extra on the booking page, with a photograph and a plain description, and let the guest tick what they want before they pay.
Pick the right pricing unit
Extras go wrong when the pricing unit does not match the thing being sold. Three patterns cover almost everything:
Per stay — hot tub heating, a welcome hamper, a late checkout. The guest pays once regardless of how long they are there. Per night — dogs, an extra vehicle, electric hook-up. The cost genuinely scales with the length of stay. Per person — breakfast hampers, activity passes, bedding for extra guests. It scales with the size of the party, not the nights.
Getting this wrong is expensive in both directions. Charging hot tub heating per night on a seven-night stay produces a number that stops the booking dead. Charging a dog per stay on a two-week booking gives away a fortnight of cleaning for the price of a weekend.
Hot tubs deserve their own thinking
A hot tub is the single biggest driver of glamping bookings and the single biggest running cost. Most sites charge a heating fee per stay that covers the energy and the chemicals, and build the rest into the nightly rate. Whatever you decide, be explicit about what the fee includes and when the tub will be ready, because that is the question guests ask most often.
The turnaround also matters. A tub has to be emptied, cleaned and refilled between guests, and that takes hours. Make sure your booking rules protect that window.
Keep the list short
A page with twenty extras converts worse than a page with five. Lead with the two or three that most guests want — hot tub, firewood, breakfast — and keep the rest as a short list underneath. Review what actually sells at the end of the season and drop anything that never moves.
Our glamping booking system handles extras priced per stay, per night or per person, collected at the point of booking.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to sell glamping extras?
At the point of booking. The guest is already committing to the stay and is far more willing to add to it then than in a follow-up email or on arrival with the car to unload.
How should hot tub heating be priced?
Almost always per stay rather than per night. A per-night hot tub charge on a week-long booking produces a total that puts guests off, while a single heating fee covering energy and chemicals is easy to understand and accept.
What should be charged per night rather than per stay?
Anything whose cost genuinely scales with length of stay: dogs, extra vehicles and electric hook-up. Hampers and activity passes usually work better per person, and one-off services per stay.
How many extras should I offer?
Fewer than you think. Two or three headline extras convert better than a long list. Review what sold at the end of each season and drop anything that never moves.
