Why America’s Biggest Hotel Chains Are Suddenly Betting on Glamping

If you’ve booked a hotel room in the last year, you may have noticed something strange creeping into the loyalty program perks: cabins in the woods and canvas tents near national parks. This isn’t a marketing gimmick — Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton have all made real moves into glamping over the past two years, and it says a lot about where outdoor travel is headed.

Marriott Bought Postcard Cabins Outright

In late 2024, Marriott acquired Postcard Cabins (formerly known as Getaway), a company built around tiny, minimalist cabins placed within a couple hours of major cities. Unlike the partnership deals below, this was a full purchase — Postcard Cabins now sits inside Marriott’s “Outdoor Collection,” bookable through Marriott Bonvoy like any other property in their portfolio. With close to 30 locations already open, it’s the largest of the three by property count, and the most squarely aimed at short, close-to-home trips rather than big vacations.

Hyatt Partnered With Under Canvas

Hyatt took a lighter-touch approach, striking a points partnership with Under Canvas in mid-2024 rather than buying the company outright. Under Canvas specializes in safari-style canvas tents near major national parks, with private bathrooms and wood-burning stoves but notably no wifi or electricity inside the tents themselves — a more deliberately unplugged experience than its competitors. World of Hyatt members now earn points on stays, and can redeem them the same way they would at a traditional Hyatt property.

Hilton Went All-In on AutoCamp

Hilton’s relationship with AutoCamp works similarly to Hyatt’s arrangement with Under Canvas — a marketing and booking partnership, not an acquisition. AutoCamp blends Airstream trailers, canvas tents, and cabins, typically clustered around a shared “Clubhouse” with communal fire pits and, at some locations, a pool. Guests can now book directly through Hilton.com and earn or redeem Hilton Honors points, with pricing between the two platforms now aligned.

Why This Is Happening Now

None of this is charity. The North American glamping market was valued at roughly a billion dollars in 2025 and is projected to more than double by the early 2030s, driven largely by younger travelers who want a nature experience without fully giving up comfort. Cabins and pods — the most hotel-like end of the glamping spectrum — already account for the largest single share of that market. For hotel chains sitting on loyalty programs built around business travel, glamping offers a way to capture a completely different kind of trip: shorter, closer to home, and often booked on a whim.

We’ve Already Been Tracking This

This isn’t news to us. We’ve had AutoCamp Sonoma in our own Campsite Locator for a while now, alongside more than 250 other real, vetted campgrounds and glamping stays across the country. We built this site around exactly the shift these hotel chains are chasing — comfort-first outdoor stays, without the guesswork of sorting through hundreds of listings on your own. If Marriott and Hyatt think this trend is worth billions in acquisitions, we’d call that a pretty strong endorsement of what we’ve been building here from the start.

What This Means for You

If you’re already collecting points with one of these chains, this is genuinely useful to know — a Postcard Cabins or AutoCamp stay can now fold into travel you were already earning toward. But it’s also worth knowing you don’t need hotel points to get a similar experience. If this trend has you wanting the glamping upside without the big-brand price tag, Campspot’s marketplace surfaces thousands of independent glamping resorts and campgrounds with the same comfort-focused amenities — often for a fraction of the cost, and without needing a loyalty account to book.

More Around the Campfire

• Why September Might Be the Best Month to Camp This Year
• Why We Support the National Park Foundation
• The Rise of Women Solo Camping