AutoCamp Zion Review: The great outdoors, with air conditioning

In early 2024, Hilton announced plans to partner with glamping provider AutoCamp, which offers luxury tents and Airstreams in various picturesque locations across the USA. The idea was to allow members to earn and redeem points for a different kind of lodging experience.

Now, if you have no idea what an Airstream is, it’s basically a recreational vehicle (RV) that’s towed behind a car or truck, allowing the driver to set up camp wherever they wish. Airstreams are immediately recognisable due to their shiny bullet-shaped exteriors, and a consistent aesthetic that has remained largely unchanged throughout their history.

The partnership rolled out in June 2024, and last month, I had the opportunity to visit AutoCamp Zion as part of a trip to Zion National Park with the MileLioness (the MileCub declined to attend, preferring to stay at home and entertain the in-laws).

Now, I’m not exactly the camping kind- but that’s the point. Look away now, survivalists, because AutoCamp is meant for those who claim they love the great outdoors, but scream at the first sight of a bug. It’s for people who want to watch the stars and say “I feel so close to nature!” as they lounge in an air-conditioned room with a hot shower and flush toilets.

That describes me perfectly, and despite some shortcomings, AutoCamp Zion has to go down as one of my most memorable stays ever.

Booking AutoCamp Zion

For our trip to Zion National Park, I booked one night at AutoCamp Zion and paid 75,000 Hilton Honors points. The cash rate would have been about US$400, so I got more than 0.5 US cents per point, which is what I aim to get when redeeming Hilton points.

If you’re paying cash, do note that there’s a “daily mandatory fee” (i.e. resort fee) of US$39.56 that includes the use of bicycles, pool towels, Wi-Fi, onsite parking and EV charging. These fees are waived on all reward stays booked entirely with points.

Hilton Honors Silver members and above enjoy the 5th night free on all redemptions, including at AutoCamp properties. Elites also enjoy the following benefits: 

• Silver: Two bottles of water
• Gold: One bundle of firewood, two bottles of water, a space available upgrade
• Diamond: One s’mores kit, one bundle of firewood, two bottles of water, and a space available upgrade

AutoCamp Zion: Overview

AutoCamp Zion is not particularly difficult to find, as it’s along Utah State Route 9 leading to Zion National Park. If you’re headed eastwards from Las Vegas, like most visitors will be, you’ll pass AutoCamp before reaching Zion. In our case, we had stayed in Springdale for two nights prior, so we drove westwards to reach the property.

Unlike some other glamping experiences where you drive right up to your tent, with AutoCamp you park at a central carpark. I don’t mind this actually, since it keeps the vehicles away, reducing noise and enhancing safety. The parking lot had plenty of big, wide, American-car-friendly spaces, plus EV charging.

AutoCamp is all about the outdoors, and the outdoors doesn’t have tiled floors or paved roads conducive to luggage wheels. Fortunately, they’ve already thought about that, and provide several all-terrain wagons at the carpark to help transport personal items to your Airstream or cabin. 

After getting our bags, we headed into The Clubhouse for check-in. 

The Clubhouse is meant to be the social nexus of AutoCamp, with spaces to sit, read or play games. If you must do work while you’re here, this would also be the best spot to do it, as the Airstreams aren’t exactly productivity-focused.

The Clubhouse also houses The Kitchen (more on that later) and The General Store, where you can buy beverages, snacks, grocery items and other camping staples. 

The food items weren’t particularly well-stocked when I visited, and if you want a real supermarket, you’ll need to drive over to Springdale, about 15 minutes away.

Some sample prices from my visit. 

• Eggs: US$1
• Parfait: US$6
• Brioche hot dog buns: US$7
• Violife mature cheddar: US$9
• Beyond Meat breakfast sausage: US$10
• Brioche sliced bread: US$12
• Organic Prairie ground beef: US$20

At the rear of The Clubhouse is an outdoor patio with lounging chairs, a communal fire pit (which is lit every evening; the idea is that campers will gather around to toast s’mores and sing kumbaya), and a playground.

I have to say, the views at this property are amazing in all 360 degrees. You’re not quite at Zion National Park, but you still get the Virgin River, red cliffs and Zion Pinnacles within eyeshot.  And there’s next to no light pollution here, so stargazing on a clear night can be life-changing. 

If you want an overview of the grounds, refer to the video below.

AutoCamp Zion: Airstream Suite

AutoCamp Zion features a total of 81 Airstreams and cabins, split into the following categories.

All of the above categories, except the Cabin Suites, feature an Airstream. The Cabin Suite is a special category of room, housed inside a container unit with a larger kitchen (that has an induction hob) and bathroom area.

A map of the property can be found below. 

At check-in, I was told that as a Diamond member, I’d been upgraded to 112, a Premium Airstream Suite. On the map, however, 112 was labelled as a Classic Airstream Suite. I pointed this out and was told “yeah, the map is out of date; this is now classified as a premium”- which I guess goes to show how nebulous “view upgrades” are!

In any case, Classic and Premium Airstreams are much the same, and only differ in terms of location. If you look at the map, you’ll see that Classic Airstreams have their backs to each other, or the dirt road that goes around the premises. 

In our case, the rear of our Airstream faced the hills, which is a good thing. The bedroom is at the rear, and when it’s dark outside and bright inside, the light can end up creating a shadow puppet effect, allowing those outside to observe the…activities within the bedroom. 

Whether you have a Classic or Premium Airstream, you’ll still enjoy the same personal patio, picnic chairs and table, deck chairs and a fire pit. 

Now, I should warn you that Airstreams aren’t very big. They’re about 9.5 metres long and have roughly 200 square feet of interior space. It’s best you think of it as a microhotel room, and remember: you’re here to explore the outdoors, not stay inside. 

When you step in the door, the first thing you see is a small living area, with a movable coffee table. To the front of the Airstream is the bathroom; to the rear is the bedroom. 

While in theory these rooms sleep up to four, anything more than two adults is going to be a tight squeeze.

All Airstreams come with a kitchenette with a small wash basin, a microwave oven, and fridge. There’s no induction stove, however- those are only available in the cabins. 

The kitchen had utensils and plates for four, together with an electric kettle. If you want to do serious cooking, a cast iron pan can be borrowed from reception. Detergent is provided. 

A small closet provided space for hanging clothes, and had two more foldable wooden stools.

You’ll also be pleased to know that Airstreams are all climate-controlled with both heating and cooling. They have also been winterised, which means the plumbing system won’t freeze over in winter.

As for power outlets, you’ll have those too, as well as Type-A USB ports. 

The bedroom had a queen-sized Tempur-Pedic Adapt mattress, a medium-firm memory foam mattress. There is a skylight just above the bed which you’d think would be great for stargazing, but unfortunately it’s covered with blinds that can’t be opened. 

Each bedside also had 2x Type-A USB ports, though curiously, no power outlets. You’ll have to leave bigger devices in the living area to charge.

I know/hope no one comes here to watch TV, but all Airstreams are equipped with a flat screen TV loaded with various apps like Netflix and Disney+. You need your own subscription to login, however, as none is provided. 

As for streaming speeds, AutoCamp’s Wi-Fi network clocked in at 15 Mbps down and up. It’s not the fastest connection I’ve ever seen (though Netflix considers this the threshold for 4K streaming), but considering the remote location, you can’t ask for too much. 

The bathroom is located at the front of the Airstream, with a flush toilet, single vanity and a walk-in shower. However, the water pressure was rather weak, and the shower head small. I know you can’t expect the same pressure as what you’d get in a building, but when it’s cold out, the idea of a trickling stream of water isn’t very appealing. 

Autocamp-branded amenities were provided in bulk-sized pump bottles. These lathered well and smelled pleasant. 

AutoCamp Zion: Dining

If there’s one weakness of the overall AutoCamp experience, it’d be the dining options. All AutoCamp properties have a concept called The Kitchen, which AutoCamp says “features an array of delicious hot and prepared options for every meal, crafted by local chefs and partners”.

I don’t know about the other locations, but at Zion this felt like a bad joke. The Kitchen was nothing but a glorified microwave, with every item chilled or frozen and nothing made on-site. I asked the lady at the front desk what the signature dish was, and she laughed and said “nothing, really”, which tells you all you need to know.

The drinks menu wasn’t very extensive either, with just a handful of beer and wine options to pick from, and no cocktails.

It just seems strange to me, because AutoCamp feels like the kind of place that would attract people who don’t mind paying a premium for quality food and drink, and all you’re offering them is tater tots. Under Canvas, a competing glamping concept that has a location a short distance away, at least offers proper dining. 

But there’s an alternative- cook your own! For US$60, AutoCamp will sell you a grill kit that includes:

• 2x 12oz (340g) ribeye steaks
• Mac & cheese
• Baked beans
• Asparagus
• Cornbread
• S’mores kit

For those who don’t eat beef, an alternative kit with three organic sous vide chicken breasts is available for US$55. Considering the price you’d pay for dinner for two in a touristy place like this, that’s not too bad. 

The grill kit also comes with salt, pepper, and a couple of sachets of extra virgin olive oil. The front desk provided free butter, and the only thing you need to buy is firewood (US$20, but remember, Hilton Honors Diamond members get a pack for free).

Since the MileLioness had given me a long lecture on the drive over about the importance of modelling gender-appropriate roles to the MileCub, I stayed inside to wash the plates and cutlery, while she went outside to get the fire going, just like nature intended.

I, of course, later emerged to do the most manly task of cooking asparagus.

As for the steaks, we each cooked one to see who got the better result, and let’s just say we won’t be competing on MasterChef anytime soon. It’s really hard to control the heat with an open flame, and our steaks, though seared on the outside, were raw in the middle. 

After some further cooking, the inside turned a lovely medium rare, but the exterior was burned to a crisp. I felt like an idiot sandwich.

Even if the dinner wasn’t up to scratch, the experience was a whole lot of fun. And I think that’s what you’re buying, really. I’m not going to remember my cremated steak. What I will remember is the fun of trying to start a fire, the grease flames that almost burned my eyebrows off, and the contented munching of mac and cheese while the spellbinding red-rock desert got darker and darker and the stars came out.

AutoCamp Zion provides complimentary breakfast in The Clubhouse from 7 a.m to 10 a.m daily, but lower your expectations, because the sum total is granola, coffee and tea. You can buy breakfast items from The Kitchen, but remember they’re all just microwaved meals, so I’d recommend stocking up before you arrive. 

AutoCamp Zion: Facilities

AutoCamp Zion has an outdoor heated swimming pool, though it would be even better if they had a hot tub as well. The pool water was not nearly warm enough for the nippy evenings, and a hot tub would be an awesome place to catch the stars.

During our stay, most of the poolside umbrellas had been flipped on their side and weren’t usable. The reason given was that there had been some strong winds over the past week, but given how still the air was during my stay, I wish they had exercised some flexibility and deployed the umbrellas for the guests given how strong the sun could be during the day.

Also, you can have food and drinks by the pool, but there’s no attendants here, so you’ll need to go into The Clubhouse to order stuff. 

AutoCamp Zion doesn’t have a gym, but it’s hard to see why you’d want to work out in a room when you have miles of beautiful trails all around you. 

AutoCamp Zion: What could be improved

Aside from the lacklustre F&B options, my biggest complaint about the stay was that the place felt understaffed. 

I saw a grand total of two staff members the whole time I was there, who had to take care of all the guests. They tried very hard and were lovely to talk to, but you could tell they were overstretched.

This resulted in some roughness around the edges. For example, the swimming pool had a good number of dead insects inside. I realise that it’s an outdoor pool amidst nature and some dead bugs are to be expected, but the amount could have been reduced by skimming the pool once or twice a day.

Similarly, I suspect our room didn’t go through a proper check before handing over, because it was missing the complimentary firewood and s’mores kit we were supposed to receive. Also, since the area is pitch dark at night, the property thoughtfully provides a portable electric lamp. But the lamp’s no good unless it’s charged, and the battery was completely flat on arrival. This feels like the kind of thing that housekeeping should have checked for prior to releasing the room.

There were also some visible maintenance issues, like a broken glass panel yet to be replaced, and a broken sparkling water tap in The Clubhouse.

None of these were big deals in and of themselves, but it does point to a lack of attention to detail. If this were addressed, then AutoCamp could really have something special here.

Conclusion

AutoCamp Zion wasn’t perfect, but still provided one of the most memorable stays of our trip.

The Airstreams might seem like a gimmick, but they offer some advantages over traditional hotel buildings. For starters, their low-rise design and small footprint mean there’s nothing to obstruct your view. They’re also great at containing light, unlike outdoor corridors that can disrupt your night vision with constant glare. The low density adds to the sense of privacy and seclusion on the grounds. While they’re not ideal for larger groups, we found them perfectly comfortable as a couple, complete with all the modern conveniences we needed.

But what wins the day (night?) are the views. On a clear night, we could see nothing but stars, right in our own backyard. And as our eyes acclimatised to the darkness, we even spotted the Milky Way and a few shooting stars. You don’t have to stay in an AutoCamp to enjoy this, yes, but wuss that I am, I loved that we were never more than a few steps away from our heated Airstream.

So I’d heartily recommend trying this out at least once, all the better if the dates you’re looking at represent good value for Hilton points redemptions.