LODGE CONCEPT, DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

There is an old adage that goes 'build it and they will come', and in most cases they will, especially if you do your homework correctly up front. The tourism sector can be quite unforgiving so before you invest your life savings in the development of a tourism facility ask yourself the question 'how much can we afford to make mistakes?'

It's no good developing a great product and then opening your doors to discover you may have been over ambitious in your planning and overstated your objectives and targets. The most common mistake made in the planning and development of new lodges is 'over-capitalisation'. This leads to a process of 'forcing the market' to buy into higher rates, thereby raising the expectations of guests, and putting unnecessary pressure on your staff and your business. In these circumstances few if any have achieved their stated financial and operational objectives.

The Nature Workshop has a maxim - 'the right development for the right location'. This ensures that whatever we develop is the right product in the right location, with an appropriate design, offering a great experience at a price that is affordable to the specific target market.

The Nature Workshop has developed a holistic approach to lodge development that

Assesses all the physical factors related to the development location i.e. environmental and conservation; Assesses the development factors including cost of materials, transportation of supplies, product and labour; Assesses the aesthetic factors including architectural design and decor; Assesses the marketability of the tourism facility or lodge based on accessibility, quality of experience, pricing and affordability to the identified target markets; Fits into desired tour operator circuits linking to and from other desired destinations; Offers a high quality experience; Defines market demand for the regions and the experiences on offer; and Understands and assesses pricing.

Our focus is to understand the development potential from all angles starting with an intimate understanding of tourism markets and the demand factors that may influence the success of the lodge operation.