Operating a park where people not only come and go but also stay for extended periods of time can be hard to manage. From how the park flows, to interactions with guests, as a park owner, you have to be aware of every detail. Here are a few tips to help you manage both your park’s seasonal guests and visitors.
1. Remember the layout.
Think about separating the seasonal guests from the visitors. It will be important to establish a community amongst your seasonal guests. Not only will they help each other with small problems that might come up, they can also help you out by policing the area. Like neighborhoods, social interaction between residents can make the overall quality of life better and even turn into more permanent residents in the future.
While thinking about the layout think about access to amenities. Although seasonal residents will be there longer, visitors will be the ones who might become seasonal residents in the future. Therefore, don't keep the visitor’s access to amenities at a distance to keep the seasonal residents happy.
If you are expecting a lot of younger visitors, think about placing group sites or walk-in sites farther away from others. This will help keep those who might stay up later not keep your seasonal guests up.
2. Think of the name.
Your park name says a lot about your park and will attract different types of people. Make sure the name you choose matches your seasonal guest’s RV types and neighborhood feel.
3. Don’t forget about pets.
A lot of RVers are older and their pets are like their kids. That said, animals who live anywhere for an extended period of time can get territorial especially with new animals coming in and out of their space all the time. Make sure you not only have easy to access bags for droppings but also strict policies about size and number of animals.
5. Set curfews.
Curfews are very important for any park. If you have space, separate “quiet areas”, with earlier noise curfews from regular areas with later. Noise curfews are different than entry curfews. Think about having an earlier entry curfew to give those who want a few drinks before settling in time enough time to have them without it being too late.
5. Offer Amenities.
Offering amenities is a great way to make more money for your park (for more ways click here) but can also be a way to keep both sets of guests happy. You can offer packages for unlimited or special use of amenities for seasonal guests. This will make them feel as if they are treated differently and even better than visitors. Although a fine line, making sure your seasonal guests feel as if they are a part of something or are valued more, will keep them coming back each year.
6. Don’t Forget Technology
- Offering wifi is up to you but we are specifically talking about sites like AirBnB. Make sure you have strict rules of placing RVs on those sites within your park. Also, don’t forget to check your reviews and make sure seasonal and non-seasonal guests are happy.
