This hotel is called Inn the Forest. It will be built on Kangaroo Island, South Australia. Inn the Forest is best characterized by three categories: 1) the main wooden building; 2) glamping; 3) an RV campground.
- Concept Plan Framework
If a more detailed analysis is required, Ingram’s 2004 model would be recommended because it is streamlined and straightforward.
Inn the Forest is an eco-friendly hotel which will be built in a forest on Kangaroo Island. Because of its highly creative philosophy, this hotel would generate stable revenue. Moreover, customers can walk in nature at any time. They are also able to observe countless star in the sky at night. Besides, the chef would prepare delicious food by using local produce, including edible wild herbs and vegetables. Customers may join the cooking process if they like. Building Inn the Forest should cost less than AU$9,000,000 in total. This is significantly cheaper than building a standard hotel in the city. Hence, implementing this business idea is very realistic.
Since most hotels are in cities where the modern busy lifestyle is inevitable, a gap in the market has been identified: those who are looking to experience a relaxing lifestyle that is close to the nature would prefer a hotel in the forest. Therefore, Inn the Forest is a viable business. Additionally, according to Energy Partners (2019), South Australia will have the best solar energy technology in the Southern Hemisphere – Solar River Project will be completed in South Australia in 2021 – this will provide Inn the Forest with relevant technical support and make the daily operation in the hotel more efficient. Finally, the South Australian government offers eco-friendly hotels beneficial policies, which is another advantage.
- The Function of Inn the Forest (for tourism in Australia):
Inn the Forest offers people a unique experience on Kangaroo Island. Customers will live in a wooden building & luxurious tents and can enjoy local food as well as a distinct lifestyle in nature. They can also use the RV campground for other activities. Similar hotels have been built in Japan and Thailand already; thus, this will work technically. Support service requirements include training staff members, maintaining the safety and cleanliness of the venue, ensuring the quality of the food offered by the hotel, and so on.
The target customer segments include three categories of people. The first category is family gatherings; the second category is spiritual or health/wellbeing retreats organized by personal development educators; the third category is students.
Family gatherings are an existing market – the wooden hotel building, glamping and the RV campground are all suitable for these customers. Spiritual and health/wellbeing retreats are becoming more and more commonplace these days, as evidenced by the increasing popularity of self-help and personal development trends in this day and age – these individuals would prefer either the main wooden building or glamping. There are many students looking to experience something exciting and share great experiences with their friends – they may also use the wooden hotel building or glamping for their summer holiday trips. As a result, there are enough customers to make this venture financially viable.
These customers can be reached through the following channels. Firstly, when families and students are looking for a resort for their holidays, they normally go to Google. Therefore, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) of Inn the Forest’s website is paramount. Secondly, almost every personal development educator has some social media followers. Hence, these customers can be reached through social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
As an increasing number of people are aware of the importance of their health and wellbeing, this is certainly a growth market – its unique selling points are very clear: having a relaxing holiday experience in nature.
- Customer Benefits
This business concept solves a major problem, i.e., many people are stressed out by the modern busy way of life in cities and they need a place where they can relax and experience something completely different from their busyness in cities.
Inn the Forest delivers good value: customers get unforgettable experiences from their holidays; staying in this hotel is actually good for customers’ health and wellbeing.
Customers need this experience because wellness is most people’s No. 1 priority nowadays (Burns 2000). When wellness, relaxation, entertainment and holiday are combined, Inn the Forest is a high-value hotel.
Because this hotel will be built with the help of modern technology, this offering will be very easy for the customer to use. Customers do not need to learn anything new in order to use this service.
Glamping is mostly for VIP customers who are willing to pay higher fees, whereas the main wooden building and the RV campground are for those who are happy to pay lower fees.
Potential competitors for this business concept are BubbleTent Australia and Mile End Glamping.
BubbleTent Australia is an eco-friendly hotel in New South Wales. It has three tents. This hotel does not encourage group bookings and it mostly attracts customers from Sydney.
“Mile End Glamping is a similar hotel in Western Australia. This hotel has a very strict maximum occupancy policy of two people only.”
