Here’s the pitch. Less than six hours from Denver, across the Utah border, and into red rock country, there’s a place where you sleep in a safari tent wrapped in Parachute linens, dine with a front-row view of Looking Glass Arch (a rock formation so iconic it guided explorers along the Old Spanish National Historic Trail centuries before anyone thought to put a wine list next to it), and end your night under a sky so thick with stars it’s earned official DarkSky certification. The only thing “roughing it” about ULUM Moab is the drive home.
ULUM Moab didn’t invent outdoor luxury. “Glamping,” in fact, has become a bit of a crowded category. But it did answer a question the category hadn’t thought to ask yet. The brand grew out of Under Canvas, which spent years refining the art of upscale camping near national parks. “ULUM Moab goes beyond what many people traditionally think of as glamping,” says chief operating officer Sean Rush. “It’s still rooted in connection to nature, but with a greater emphasis on creating a complete hospitality experience.”
That experience begins the moment you arrive, just south of Moab, with sweeping views across Canyonlands stretching out in every direction. The suite tents are tucked into the natural contours of the land, oriented to protect sightlines and preserve the landscape’s drama. Inside, wood-burning stoves and rain showers with Aesop products. Outside, hot and cool dipping pools overlook a stretch of land that has inspired its fair share of people to quit the corporate grind and devote their time to exploring every inch of it. “The landscape wasn’t treated as a backdrop,” says general manager Omar Meshref. “It shaped the experience from the beginning.”
The design reflects that philosophy at every turn. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls blur the threshold between you and your cocktail and the rust-colored expanse beyond. Natural woods, local stone, and polished concrete anchor the shared spaces to the earth beneath them. And then there’s the massage cave, carved organically by nature itself, which may be the single most dramatic wellness amenity in the American West.
For guests who want more than stillness, Moab delivers. World-class mountain biking, white-water rafting, and hikes to Arches and Canyonlands are all within reach. Morning yoga on the deck, live music as the sun sets, and southwest-inspired cuisine round out the days. The goal, Omar says, is guests who leave “feeling both restored and inspired.”
ULUM has earned two Michelin Keys, which function as the hotel world’s equivalent of a Michelin Star, awarded by the Michelin Guide to recognize the most outstanding and memorable hotels on the planet. Turns out, the future of luxury travel was outside all along. And it’s barely a tank of gas away.
For print-exclusive stories, download the digital magazine or pick up a copy from select local King Soopers, Safeway, Tattered Cover, or Barnes & Noble locations.
