25 May 2020

Outstanding in The Lost Executive

Donnie Rust of The Lost Executive wrote a nice article about us. How do we deal with this crazy Corona time? How do we try to relieve our customers now that almost all campsites, glampings and recreation parks are or have been closed?

THEIR OWN OUTSTANDING TEMPLATE.

By Donnie Rust
13th May 2020

Every business in the world would call itself solution orientated, but the Lockdown has given us the chance to see who the real problem solvers are. Outstanding Tent is a pro-active business known for their innovation and putting their clients first. In times of unprecedented industry stagnation, they have gotten busy making themselves a stronger and more efficient brand. In the process, they’ve inspired their clients and kept their corner of the market alive and vibrant.

THE OUTSTANDING SANITARY TENT

A principle of glamping is sustainability. Tents especially offer the opportunity for site owners to have one of the lightest carbon footprints. Tents can be erected and even if they stay in the same spot for decades, they are still semi-permanent and can be moved, leaving little more than an impression in the grass.

Outstanding’s new Sanitary Tent has taken this a step further. Typically, many glamping sites evolved from camping sites and most of these will have had permanent ablutions requiring heavy foundations to be laid down. The tent however provides a toilet, shower cubical and wash hand basin in a stylish manner without the need for extensive building work. Extending the tent experience beyond just where you sleep.

Particularly useful for sites that offer a variety of accommodation such as a mixture of glamping tents and camping spaces, or for festivals, conferences and exhibitions. The Sanitary tent takes 4 weeks for delivery and does require plumbing arrangements.

Robin, co-founder of Outstanding Tent says, “This is a good example of our positive mind frame during the crisis and our solution-orientated character. This time has given us the chance to reflect on our brand and what we are offering and see what gaps we can fill and how we can add to our product line.”

INSPIRING

Beyond the creation of a new product, Outstanding Tent has also done a great deal to encourage and inspire their partners and clients during this period. The hospitality industry may be on pause while it waits to once again welcome travellers and tourists, but this doesn’t mean the gears stop turning.

“We are proud of the many campsites and customers who have handled this unsecure situation with such courage and positivity,” he says, “It has inspired us to do better and to aim to accomplish more.”

“It has inspired us to do better and to aim to accomplish more.”

The feedback loop of inspiration is a wonderful thing to see during periods like this and Robin reflects on a couple of key examples. Such as Marina Nieuwboer, a port in the Netherlands with camping grounds and two Outstanding safari tents. During Lockdown they were unable to rent out accommodation in the first months and so they turned their safari tents into offices.

Or Buitenoverleg, also in Netherlands, who did the exact opposite. Robin explains that they usually rent out their lovely waterfront glamping lodge for meetings. At the moment meetings aren’t allowed so they have added beds, created a living room and turned it into a holiday home.

Meanwhile, Outstanding’s UK glamping advisors James and Suzie have spent the Lockdown building and finishing off the company’s brand-new UK showroom. Counting down the days till they can finally open the doors to the long-awaited premises. It is a similar situation in Italy, where a safari tent display has been waiting to be seen in the showroom in Cortona.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Robin is quite candid about the Lockdown and what it means to the industry. He believes that as there is no template available to how a business should conduct itself during a period like this, it means that you have to write your own.

“Luckily for us,” he says, “We have been writing our own template for our business since we started.”