Hi bigdogger - I think there is some confusion about a park's rating, and how we gather that information.
A park's rating is based on the physical inspection made by the review team and adheres to the ratings guidelines set by Good Sam only.
The rating inspection is a requirement for all private RV parks and campgrounds by Good Sam RV Travel Guide and Coast to Coast. No RV park or campground (private or franchise owned) pays any kind of fee to be inspected or pays any kind of fee for their final rating. A policy that has been in place for many years.
Good Sam RV Travel Guide and Coast to Coast are sister companies and therefore utilize the same review teams and rating guidelines. We employ 35 review teams to inspect private RV parks and campgrounds throughout North America. The Good Sam rating inspection is a job performed by our review teams and they are remunerated by Good Sam Enterprises only.
Franchise parks such as KOA or Yogi Parks go through the same rigorous inspection per park just like an individually, privately owned park.
I would be happy to contact you directly if you have further questions about the ratings, just send me your email address.
Regards,
Ellen Tyson
Good Sam RV Travel Guide