BWH Hotels Stakes Its Claim in the Glamping Space Through Its WorldHotels Brand

WorldHotels is BWH Hotels' independent luxury and lifestyle hotel brand, bringing together approximately 160 properties worldwide under four distinct positioning tiers: Luxury, Elite, Crafted and Distinctive. A fifth tier is now making its entrance with WorldHotels Backdrop.

The soft-brand is designed for owners of upscale outdoor properties, who can retain their individual identity while leveraging the group's resources and infrastructure. It marks a new chapter for Best Western — one that extends well beyond traditional hotel formats, opening the portfolio to safari-style tents, cabins and lodges set against the backdrop of national parks, mountain ranges and other natural environments.

Properties joining the collection gain access to the group's loyalty program, which counts more than 66 million members.

Three Properties Inaugurate the New Brand

WorldHotels Backdrop launches with three founding properties:

Zion Wildflower Resort in Utah (picture on top), gateway to Zion National Park

Asheville River Cabins in North Carolina, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains

The Lodge at Pico Bonito in Honduras (picture below), a rainforest lodge near Pico Bonito National Park

The group has already signaled that its pipeline extends well beyond the Americas, with upcoming announcements for beachfront locations in Vietnam as well as safari experiences across Africa and Australia.

A Multi-Billion-Dollar Global Market

Major hotel groups' interest in glamping is not new — but it is rapidly going mainstream. Hilton Hotels has signed a distribution partnership for AutoCamp properties near U.S. national parks, Marriott has launched its Outdoor Collection, and Hyatt has partnered with Under Canvas to distribute 14 sites across the United States.

The global glamping market was valued at approximately $4 billion in 2025 and is projected to approach $8 billion by 2033. The segment is particularly driven by Millennial travelers — a demographic with rapidly rising disposable income and a strong appetite for immersive nature experiences that refuse to compromise on comfort.