With winter just around the corner, campground owners in colder climates are taking measures to get ahead of the weather. These preparations - colloquially known as “winterizing” - help ensure facilities are protected and ready to go when guests return in the spring. The off-season lull is also an ideal opportunity to polish up your public profile and ramp up customer and vendor communication. Here’s a few tips and tricks for a safer and more profitable winter.
Pay it forward on utilities.
Running heating at approximately 55 to 60 degrees in cabins or common areas may help keep pipes from freezing. Additionally, the slight buffer from the chill keeps grouted tiles from buckling in kitchens and bathrooms.
Make peace with your pipes.
If you choose to shut down cabins or community areas during the off-season, take the proper steps to winterize your plumbing. Prior to closure, take a status check of exposed pipes at risk for freezing and cracks in walls that are in need of caulking. When you are ready to deactivate, shut off water valves, water pumps, and heaters. Open drain valves and taps and use air compressors to blow out the excess water. When in doubt, call in the experts.
Don’t hibernate on chores.
Keep paths and parking lots raked, swept, and shoveled to help protect winter-wonderland pedestrians and drivers from accidents. As for additives, less is more. Hay or straw can cause surfaces to be even slippier and excess salt deposits can be harmful to plants and wildlife.
Use your downtime wisely.
What better time for all the things you didn’t have time for? Here’s our checklist:
Host special drive-in or outdoor events. The crisis-weary population is starved for safe entertainment and you are uniquely positioned to help.
Get digital. Update your website and social media profiles with fresh pictures of amenities, features, and your team. React to reviews and ensure business listings are up to date. Pro tip: Making sure your business’ name, address, and phone number are consistent across different listings helps you rank for “near me” searches on Google.
Send a client survey. Don’t let them forget the great times they had in better weather. You might even drum up former customers to participate in improvements.
Build relationships with vendors and mutually endorse each other.
Upgrade your campground tech stack with tools that will help streamline operations during busy seasons. Pro tip: Bonfire is evolving to serve you even better - now is the perfect time to get started!
