Managing an RV park and campground is tricky, to say the least. You have to manage the expectations of your guests while still making sure that they stick to the rules and do not cause inconvenience to others. When a park is as big as the Shaded Haven RV Park, Bakersfield, things become a little more complicated.
Having said that, it is estimated that there are more than 30 million enthusiasts looking for an RV park which is a really big market. If an RV Park is managed properly, it has the potential to generate a good return on investment. If you are struggling with managing your RV Park, here are a few tips to help you with the same:
1. Clear rules
There shouldn’t be any confusion surrounding the rules every guest has to follow in the park. Make sure the rules and regulations do not extend beyond 2 to 3 pages. Do not use verbose language.
Everything should be clearly laid out including rent payment dates, late fees, security deposits, utility charges, pets, guests, laundry, sewer connection, lease termination, parking rules, speeding rules and other such things.
2. Wi-Fi speed matters
If there is one thing that can give you a competitive edge with relatively little investment, it is to make sure Wi-Fi is fast in every corner of the park. Typically, there are certain spots in parks where guests get a good speed but once they move away from those spots, the speeds decrease considerably.
It won’t require much investment and should be completed in a day. You just need to install a good number of routers covering maximum space.
3. Keeping things calm
Nobody likes noisy campers but there are ways to handle them. One of the ways to keep things calm is to clearly indicate that you won’t tolerate noisy campers. Make sure you have ample signs around the park mentioning this.
Your website should also clearly mention this. The rules should also mention this. Maybe you can have a security deposit which will only be refunded only when there are no complaints.
4. Increase customer lifetime value
It is easier to get existing customers to spend more than to get new customers. Acquiring new customers is always going to take more money and you are not going to have an endless supply of customers in your location. This is why it makes sense to keep your guests happy and one of the ways to keep them happy is to incentivize them to keep coming back.
5. Make something happen
While you can always dole out coupons and discounts as an incentive to get repeat customers, there is something that matters a lot more to RV enthusiasts. They want to go to a place where something exciting is always happening.
You can do that by adding an attraction or two, each year. You should always have something to say when your loyal customers ask you what new thing you have added to the park.
6. Appropriate software solution
Everyone wants to book things online today. Phone bookings should be offered along with online bookings. It will keep things organized for campers as well as you. There are several solutions available in the market at various price points. You may want to try several solutions before choosing one.
Having a user-friendly online bookings system will allow you to keep things streamlined. In fact, many such solutions also have separate modules to help you manage your RV Park.
Final Thoughts
There are thousands of RV parks out there but making it successful is not easy. With the increasing number of RV enthusiasts, operating an RV Park presents an attractive business opportunity.
If you have invested in an RV Park, it is important for you to know everything there is to know about the industry in order to maintain and operate an RV Park successfully. The above mentioned tips should help you in increasing your revenue and keep your park going for years to come.
