Page 5 of the welcome booklet: “How to protect yourself from bears”. In particular of the black bear, most common in the White Mountains, and more generally in North America. Plantigrades avoid human interaction as much as possible “but it is important to respect certain safety rules”, continues the booklet. The main one to prevent an impromptu visit: do not leave any food under the tents. If it’s not in the fridge, head there. bear box green equipped with a padlock and installed outside each accommodation. Because it happens that the mammal comes to browse. After all, he is at home in this mountainous and still wild Appalachian environment.
“Last year, a bear cub passed through the campsite every morning around 7 a.m.”, attests Laura Bousquet, the head of the Huttopia White Mountains camp, in New Hampshire, in the United States. It also evokes the regular crossings of moose, squirrels or beavers, the presence of a protected species of ducks on Lake Iona. The “village”, which extends over 20 hectares, borders a whole side. Some ready-to-camp tents enjoy a magnificent view of the stretch of water surrounded by tall pines. Here is the authenticity promised by the French company: that of holidays closer to nature, its fauna and flora.
Since 1999, Huttopia has carved out a place for itself in the ecotourism niche. It relies on stays in the countryside with classic tents, caravans or motorhomes, as well as more upscale accommodation – canvas and wood tents, chalets –, the concentration of which is “on average less important than in other campsites”, notes Clémentine Massat, the marketing director. Its flagship concept? The “glamping”, a contraction of glamor and camping, which it deploys through “villages” in the middle of nature, but all comfort and equipped. In France, in Europe, in the United States – three in the Northeast, two in California – where she highlights her french touch, but also in Canada and even… in China. Quite a challenge. “It is the only country in the world where camping has no cultural existence”, underlines Céline Bossanne, co-founder of the company with her husband Philippe.
A preserved, but secure nature
The couple, who lived for several years in Canada, claim “a strong international culture”. It is therefore not surprising that the next openings – “between 5 and 7 per year on average”, estimates Céline Bossanne – are planned in Sweden, Spain, Portugal… The Huttopia network is developing at a good pace. Its 16,000 locations, spread over more than 100 sites, generated 3 million overnight stays in 2022. That same year, the company, whose headquarters are located in the suburbs of Lyon, and which employs up to 1,500 employees worldwide in high season, achieved a turnover of 95 million euros. That is an increase of 38% compared to the previous year. An appealing growth and model: many countries, keen to develop offers for local tourists on their territory, are now approaching Huttopia for new projects.
More than a fad, the need to adopt practices – including tourism – that are more in tune with climate change is part of an underlying trend. “This movement had existed for a while, but the Covid-19 has been an accelerator of the need for nature”, notes the co-founder, who does not define herself as an environmental activist, a term too politicized for her taste, but rather as a lover of “reasoned”, simple and sober camping. Huttopia “stimulates three imaginations in customers, analyzes Olivier Bessy, sociologist and director of the master’s degree in tourism at the University of Pau and the Pays de l’Adour. The first: the impression of being in a wild place, which comes out of the standardization of everyday life. The second: that of a quiet, reassuring and secure nature, benevolent for children, in opposition to the urban model. It is very much sought after by categories of customers who do not want to take risks. The third: the imagination of a benefactor nature, where we put down our suitcases to recharge our batteries.”
Sites “as reversible as possible”
The clientele, very family-oriented, consists mainly of executives or liberal professions who wish to avoid the promiscuity of the campsite and take advantage of preserved spaces, in an ecological approach. At the heart of a mountain range in northern New York State, the Huttopia Adirondacks site attracts “mainly visitors from the surrounding large cities: New York, Boston, Montreal”, confirms Cailey Heffley. The camp she has been running for three seasons, 111 hectares carpeted with pines, birches and maples in a national park, sums up the spirit promoted by the company: minimizing the impact on the environment.
The 109 tents are mounted on a wooden structure supported by stilts. Removable, if necessary, overnight without leaving traces. The concrete was poured only for the foundations of the main building, the “centre of life”, and the in-ground swimming pool. The few trees, often already dead, which had to be cut were reused to cover the unpaved alleys of the camp, almost all of which are forbidden to vehicles. The use of plastic is reduced to a minimum and water saved, although there is still room for improvement. Seeking greater energy autonomy, Huttopia is also relying on solar energy to guarantee customers the promised comfort. At the Adirondacks camp, two Trapper tents have recently been equipped with photovoltaic panels.
“We design the sites so that they are as reversible as possible, explains Clémentine Massat, the marketing director. If necessary, we adapt to the reality on the ground.” On the site of Whine County, the last destination opened at the end of June in northern California, the connection to the water and electricity networks required major work. Too much, in the eyes of the management who did not want to degrade this setting of Napa Valley, renowned for its wines. The whole village has therefore been designed to be autonomous, fully powered by solar energy. A specific tent has been developed for the occasion. This is one of Huttopia’s strengths: mastery of its production chain.
Design and construction are driven in-house
The company has its own design office, which designs the sites, and design office, which develops accommodation models exclusive to the brand. Construction is the prerogative of three subsidiaries. La Francomtoise d’ossature bois deals with wooden cabins – untreated Douglas fir. Cabanon, based in Dunkirk, ensures that of the equipped tents: Trappers, Canadians… Hékipia, finally, takes care of the tiny houses – mini-houses. Some of these structures are also marketed to other tourism professionals.
However, at the sight of the first Huttopia tents, totally against the trend of the mobile home format in vogue in the early 2000s, “our competitors had a good laugh, remembers the co-founder. Today, they are all getting into it”. Céline Bossanne, however, lets out a slight frustration: “In France, the opening of new sites is almost impossible.” The company has therefore opted for the takeover of existing campsites which come under the Huttopia flag, or CityKamp for those located in urban areas. In 2021, the group also bought the OnlyCamp network and its 33 addresses in France.
Ex nihilo creations take place abroad. Huttopia also insists on its engineering know-how to position itself as an international reference in “glamping”. Projects abound: Dominican Republic, Morocco, Argentina… But North America and its wide open spaces remains a privileged playground. And unavoidable: in 2020, the continent claimed 40% of the world camping market. A Huttopia site is currently under construction in Plant City, Florida; another was signed in the Laurentians, Quebec. Other avenues are being studied in California, Pennsylvania and in the municipality of Charlevoix, along the St. Lawrence. The bears, once again, will not be far away.