Hilton Adds AutoCamp in Loyalty Licensing Deal for U.S. Glamping –…

Skift Take

‘Glamping’ is gaining respectability.

Sean O’Neill

Hilton said Tuesday it plans to let travelers book upscale outdoor lodging, or “glamping,” through its website and app later this year thanks to a licensing deal with operator AutoCamp. The hotel group will let members of its loyalty program earn and redeem points at the campsites run by AutoCamp, featuring amenity-filled tents, cabins, and Airstream trailers.

Autocamp has locations at nine major U.S. outdoor attractions, such as outside of Yosemite National Park.

The exclusive licensing partnership will introduce Hilton guests to AutoCamp, a startup backed by private equity firm Whitman Peterson. The brand emphasizes providing creature comforts such as Wi-Fi and access to hot breakfasts.

The financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

The deal highlights the growing willingness of hotel groups to expand beyond offering flagship full-service hotel concepts into other categories. Since the pandemic, Ritz-Carlton has gotten into small ship cruises, IHG has gotten into all-inclusive resorts, and Accor has gotten into rail journeys — to name a few examples.

Accommodations Sector Stock Index Performance Year-to-Date

What am I looking at? The performance of hotels and short-term rental sector stocks within the ST200. The index includes companies publicly traded across global markets, including international and regional hotel brands, hotel REITs, hotel management companies, alternative accommodations, and timeshares.

The Skift Travel 200 (ST200) combines the financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies worth more than a trillion dollars into a single number. See more hotels and short-term rental financial sector performance.

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