Butlers and Indoor Plumbing: What 'Glamping' Is Like at This Luxury Montana Ranch

Butlers are assigned to every guest to take care of their every need.

ByABC News
September 1, 2015, 8:11 PM

— -- It might look like a luxury hotel room, but this high-end resort isn’t in a big city: It’s a tent in the middle of Montana.

From their robes and slippers to the camping butler assigned to every guest to take care of their every need, the Resort at Paws Up in Greenough, Montana, may have set the standard for "glamping" -- glamorous camping.

Watch the full story on ABC News' "Nightline" here.

“There is always a butler on duty. All you have to do is push a button, and if you don’t call, we’re just sitting around, so call and ask for some wine,” Mike Grey, a camping butler at the resort, told ABC News’ “Nightline.”

PHOTO: There are seven spa tents that offer a range of spa services at the Resort at Paws Up in Montana.
There are seven spa tents that offer a range of spa services at the Resort at Paws Up in Montana.

Some of the tents are more than 1,000 square feet, with wood floors, electric blankets, indoor plumbing and heated bathroom floors. Celebrities, like Gwyneth Paltrow, and CEOs are regular guests at the resort.But the classically trained chefs, opulent accommodations and wide array of activities come at a price. For a family of four, glamping at the resort can cost at least $10,000 for a minimum week stay.

PHOTO: There are 30 tents spread across the property's 60 square miles at the Resort at Paws Up in Montana.
There are 30 tents spread across the property's 60 square miles at the Resort at Paws Up in Montana.

“[I’m] not really a camping type of person, but the glamping makes it worth it,” Debbie Leonard, who came to the resort with her family from South Carolina, told “Nightline.” “You have a butler and chef working for you, so glamping is the way to go.”

PHOTO: Every guest at the Resort at Paws Up in Montana is provided with a "camping butler" who is on-call 24 hours a day to attend to the guests needs.
Every guest at the Resort at Paws Up in Montana is provided with a "camping butler" who is on-call 24 hours a day to attend to the guests needs.

The glamping industry says the trend has been on the rise for the past decade. The Resort at Paws Up opened ten years ago with three tents and now has 30, along with 28 cabins.Activities at the resort range from working on a real cattle drive and skeet shooting to horseback riding and fly fishing. And at the end of the day, guests can get a spa treatment in one of six spa tents and a meal prepared by highly trained chefs.

PHOTO: The Blackfoot River near the Resort at Paws Up in Montana is one of the country’s most iconic fly fishing locations.
The Blackfoot River near the Resort at Paws Up in Montana is one of the country’s most iconic fly fishing locations.

Despite being on call 24/7, many of the staff members at the resort say they’re the lucky ones.“We get to stay up here all season. They have to go home after a week. I’ve taken Montana for granted my whole life,” Grey said. “I’ve had every single guest remind me this place is damn beautiful. It is awesome to be here.”

PHOTO: Horseback riding is just one of dozens of different activities guests can do at the Resort at Paws Up in Montana.
Horseback riding is just one of dozens of different activities guests can do at the Resort at Paws Up in Montana.