Good Sam - what's in it for the campgrounds?

bobsallyh wrote:
What we have found, when the book was "the thing", the bigger the ad purchased also got that park a better rating!

This is brought up often, but it is a false impression. First, the rating team rates a park prior to advertising sales. Second, a copy of the actual rating sheet is in the directory. You can rate a park yourself and you will come within a point of the actual rating if you follow the guidelines. Personal opinion doesn't count. A pool is a pool and it is a point. Olympic size or postage stamp size doesn't change the point. Same with road construction materials, site materials, playground equipment, office, laundry etc.
Common sense will tell you a poorly rated park isn't going to buy a big ad. Having a low score means having a park with poor infrastructure and few amenities. If the owners aren't sppending on their park they aren't going to spend on advertising. Plus, what would be the point to spend advertising money to trumpet how great the park is only to have the ratings indicate otherwise? It is pretty much a given the big ads are going to be the higher rated parks because they are the parks that are invested in the business and have the resources to both advertise and keep a nice facility.