Previously, I mentioned that Inn the Forest is a hotel that will be built in a big forest on Kangaroo Island, South Australia. As this is the only eco-friendly hotel which is built in the forest in South Australia, it offers customers a unique and luxurious experience in nature. It’s time to embrace ecotourism. Customers include families, health and wellbeing or spiritual retreats and students. Since these customers are spending money elsewhere already and many of them are keen to find a more relaxing and suitable hotel which specifically meets their needs and satisfies their expectations (reducing their daily stress and living in nature), Inn the Forest is a practical business that can work.
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The brand-new concept:
Because the majority of hotels are in cities where the modern-day way of life is unavoidable, there is a gap in the market – people who are eager to enjoy a relaxing and laid-back way of life which is closer to nature may like a hotel that is built in the forest. Indeed, the modern lifestyle is characterized by busyness; consequently, many individuals are highly stressed (Northrup 2019). Therefore, Inn the Forest is an ideal solution to the problem – it is all about a luxurious and enjoyable experience in nature (Kangaroo Island, South Australia) where people can find peace and joy. That means Inn the Forest is obviously a viable project. Furthermore, based on a study conducted by Energy Partners (2019), it can be seen that soon South Australia will have the most advanced solar energy technology in Australia and in the Southern Hemisphere, as Solar River Project is expected to be fully completed in 2021 in South Australia. That will surely give sufficient technical support to Inn the Forest, thereby making this unique hotel highly efficient. Besides, the government in South Australia gives eco-friendly hotels very beneficial policies – that is clearly a big advantage. Since other hotels in South Australia do not offer a unique and luxurious experience in nature, Inn the Forest will be much better than solutions offered by others.
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The Product / Service of Ecotourism:
Inn the Forest provides people with a truly unique experience in nature. Customers will be living in a well-built wooden building as well as luxurious tents. Meanwhile, they can savor local food & a very distinct way of life on Kangaroo Island. Also, customers can utilize the recreational vehicle campground for interesting activities such as observing stars in the sky at night.
Main features of this eco-friendly hotel include a wooden main building with a solar panel on its roof as well as a rain water collection system in the wooden building & glamping with luxurious tents in which customers are able to see outdoor movies at night while tasting local wine. The outdoor movie theatre is also supported by solar energy; therefore, Inn the Forest is 100% eco-friendly. Individual tents are built along the river; hence, these tents actually become a part of the beautiful scenery in the local area. Additionally, this hotel has a recreational vehicle campground with a car park, toilets, barbecue stoves and dinner tables. This recreational vehicle campground is mainly for people who simply would like to enjoy the activities in the hotel – they do not need to stay at Inn the Forest for the night. What’s more, each customer has a Fun Pass to join different activities such as tasting edible herbs and wild vegetables, observing countless stars in the sky at night and hiking.
There are three stages of development. The first stage is to hire Canopy Tree, a company which designs and builds the wooden house as well as luxurious tents professionally (Ingram 2012). The second stage is to build a team that run the daily operation of Inn the Forest. The third stage is to build its official website and improve the business’s Internet presence and online marketing.
“The only product limitation is it may not work in the short term due to COVID-19, for the pandemic may last for several years and the tourism industry would be severely affected. However, in the long run, Inn the Forest should be a profitable business. In order to protect this business properly, a lawyer must be hired so that relevant licenses, patents and government approvals can be obtained in time. The main product liability is its upfront cost and its ongoing maintenance cost. Also, future renovation might be required as the hotel must stay relevant and attractive.”
