'It elevates the entire park to a higher level'
How glamping elevates Landal De Katjeskelder's park to a higher level
Landal De Katjeskelder in Oosterhout has recently welcomed a number of Big Oak glamping tents from De Waard, arranged in an atmospheric circle. We visited to hear how this came about, and spoke with General Manager Annouk Smeets and Concept & Innovation Manager Saskia van der Zee.
Subtitles (English, Dutch, French and German) available in the menu!
In conversation with Annouk Smeets, General Manager
Who are you, and what kind of park is De Katjeskelder?
I’m Annouk Smeets, 47 years old, and for the past three years I’ve had the pleasure of being General Manager at holiday park De Katjeskelder in Oosterhout. It’s a family park, mainly aimed at families with children and extended family, although at weekends we also regularly welcome larger groups. Families remain our core target group, though.
How did you first come into contact with glamping, and why does it fit the park so well?
The plan originated within our Projects department, together with my colleague Saskia, even before I became General Manager. I embraced it wholeheartedly from the start: it’s like a whole new world within our holiday park. We deliberately chose to use these tents to focus on families, appealing to a slightly different type of guest: people who love camping but also want a touch of luxury.
You chose the six-person Big Oak, and you also have lodges offering similar luxury. What makes the tent so special?
We often see families with, for example, a third child, or grandparents joining along, and then it’s ideal to be together as a whole family in such a beautiful tent. In terms of luxury, guests particularly value privacy: here, you essentially don’t have to go outside to cook, eat or use the bathroom, everything is right there in your own little world. The air conditioning is also hugely appreciated, we sometimes joke that it’s a warm welcome, but we turn the air conditioning on. And the fact that it’s canvas rather than brick also makes it a completely different experience, not competing with our lodges.
What are guests’ first reactions, and do you have a nice anecdote to share?
It’s genuinely a pleasure to walk the grounds here as a manager, there’s such a lovely atmosphere, a real sense of community. Guests are very positive about the comfort and say they’ll be coming back, and those are of course our ambassadors. A nice example: one of the first families to stay here spontaneously invited curious fellow guests to come and take a look inside, giving them their own little tour. We thought that was a really good sign.
What value does this add to the park, and what would you tell other campsite owners?
Looking at distinctiveness and the guest experience, this has been incredibly valuable for De Katjeskelder, on every front: the new target group we can now welcome, but also the quality level. It elevates the whole park. So I would definitely recommend it, and the bookings are looking positive too.
In conversation with Saskia van der Zee, Concept & Innovation Manager
Who are you, and what do you focus on as Concept & Innovation Manager?
I’m Saskia van der Zee. I focus on trends and developments in the market, but also on what guests say about the product, and I work on accommodations in the broadest sense. I look at everything from the guest’s perspective: what does the region lend itself to, what do today’s guests want, and what more could we add? We already have years of experience with the safari tent, but guests are becoming more demanding when it comes to comfort, so we really want to take a step towards elevating the glamping product.
How did you first get in touch with De Waard?
That goes back six or seven years, when our department first developed the plan to build more glamping accommodations. We soon came into contact with De Waard’s tents, and it was pretty much love at first sight: the unique design, the spacious, sturdy build. The De Waard name is also well known, which offers a certain assurance of quality, and that certainly helps when making a choice.
Why was the six-person Big Oak specifically chosen, and what about the loft space inside?
We want to offer a diverse range, starting from two people for couples up to families. To start with, it made sense to focus on families, making the six-person version the ideal option. The loft did spark some internal discussion, around cleaning and safety for young children, but we decided: this is such a lovely addition, we’re going to do it, and communicate it clearly on the website so guests can judge for themselves whether it works for their group.
What are the most notable first reactions from guests, and how did the collaboration with De Waard go?
The mini dishwasher is the big surprise for many guests, and the air conditioning has been hugely appreciated, especially given the heat of recent weeks. The fact that you can open everything up, so that inside and outside flow into one another, is also very well received. The collaboration with De Waard felt like we’d known each other for years: lots of contact, working things out together, really pleasant.
Why choose canvas over brick, and what would you tell other campsite owners?
A canvas accommodation is a completely different product: you hear the wind, you hear the rain, it’s exciting when there’s a thunderstorm. It also has something nostalgic about it, the way people remember camping as children. To other campsite owners, I would say: don’t just replace a pitch by putting up a tent, redevelop the whole plot as one overall concept, as we did by keeping the existing trees and deliberately arranging the tents in a circle. And above all, focus on a good product mix, that’s the most important thing.
