Customer service is #1
According to experienced owners:
“…the most important factor for success when running a campsite is giving excellent customer service.”
Excelling as a host is the most precious business asset you can possess as a campsite owner.
It’s the very essence of hospitality.
Making your guests feel at home – away from home.
Cater to guest motives
Remember also that your guests will each have their own reasons for staying.
- For some…it will be to fulfil a trip they had planned to VISIT the area or region.
- For others…it will be to make use of a PERSONAL recommendation they received.
- And there will be those who…want to take part in an ACTIVITY, like water sports, for example.
But whatever the motive, your job as a host is to be the ultimate hospitality partner to them getting MAXIMUM value.
Serve all comers & they’ll keep coming
Take note also that not all campers know camping.
Your customers will be of varying camping proficiency and experience.
Yet keeping all visitors in good comfort (but without ‘sticking your nose in’), will be your secret to keeping them coming back.
Campsite ownership tends to for the long haul
In fact, here are some stats on how long campsite owners tend to keep their investments:
- 33% owned their sites for between 10-24 years.
- 34% owned their sites for over 25 years.
- 18% owned their sites for less than 5 years.
- 15% owned their sites for 1-5 years.
(Source: Pitching the Value UK Caravan and Camping Alliance )
A Day In The Life of A Campground Owner
Here are 5 questions – asked of 3 campsite owners (from the KOA franchise website) with their thoughts on running their campground businesses:
(Note: these are examples from the US, but the theme is easily transferrable to the UK campsite industry)
Q.1 Why the campsite business?
Tim Johnson of the Pueblo South/Colorado City KOA Holiday
“My wife Elena and I were both raised in the hospitality business, so in a way, it was a natural fit.”
Diane Devine of the Livingston / Paradise Valley KOA Holiday
“It was a good way to raise our kids.
We have five children, and while they were growing up we were right there with them.”
Kendra Cooney of the Corbin / Laurel Lake KOA Journey
“My husband’s parents owned a campground, and it was [his] Jerry’s dream to own one too.”
Q.2 When does the day start?
Tim Johnson:
“…we start getting calls at 6:00 a.m. at our house, before the office opens at 8:00.
But it’s a nice, friendly wake-up call, so we don’t mind.”
Diane Devine:
“I’m at the store and office before 8:00 a.m.
My husband does the landscaping and maintenance on our campground, and he’ll usually leave the house a little later, but also comes home later.”
Q.3 When does the day finish?
Tim Johnson:
“…we’re in the office until after 10:30 at night, as guests may be arriving later than expected and we need to be there to greet them.
And we’re actually available 24 hours a day by phone.”
Diane Devine:
“…we’ll get calls at 11:00 at night from people who’ve been in Yellowstone National Park and suddenly realize they don’t have a site.
Others may not pull into the campground until after 10 p.m…”
Q.4 What are the key tasks?
Kendra Cooney:
“Check out, cleaning, then handling incoming guests.
Once we know who’s checking out and who’s checking in, any cabin turnovers are our first priority.
Then it’s getting to the sites to clean them up as well…
…but to be in the office as much as possible because it’s really important to me to be able to talk to our guests.”
Diane Devine:
“I handle a lot of the office tasks and bookwork at our campground, and I work in the store every day — more so right now because we had some unexpected turnover.
My husband does daily maintenance, but he also handles the security in the evening.
He goes around the entire campground, double checks the bathrooms to make sure they’re tidied and verifies everything is secure.
A lot of times he’s not home until after midnight.”
Tim Johnson:
“Once everyone pulls out, it’s attack the bathrooms and cabins, do housekeeping, mow and water the lawn and then get ready for the next group to come in.
It’s a bit of ‘peat and repeat’.”
Q.5 The best part of being a campsite owner?
Diane Devine:
“We live and work in one of most beautiful places in the world…this isn’t just our business, it’s our home.”
Tim Johnson:
“We’ve built so many friendships over the years. For us, it’s like having one big family…”
Kendra Cooney:
“Once they’re at their site, you can actually watch their whole body begin to relax. It’s like they’re thinking, ‘Yes! We’re here!’.”
So, there we have it – anyone can make a GREAT campground owner.
Pros and cons of owning a campground
Finally, a quick round-up if you’re still weighing things up in your head…
The Cons:
Every day, you’ll…
- work long hours
- have to juggle many disciplines including practical and clerical tasks
- have to consistently hit a spotless standard of presentation (…even when you don’t feel like it)
…BUT…
The Pros:
If you love serving people you’ll…
- make MANY loyal customers
- reap the rewards of 5* reviews and tons of repeat bookings
- live in a remote location surrounded by natural beauty and rare wildlife
Go To Part 4: https://campsitebusinessplan.co.uk/knowledge-base/campsite-financial-planning