We have noticed over the past couple years our favorite spots book up FAST. Supposedly millennials are going crazy with camping. I am 35 and started camping when I was 24 so take that for what it's worth. It got huge when recession hit because it was cheap entertainment. Well, not really cheap anymore. Now sites are $75/night because the places are packed and can charge it. We always debate getting rid of camper and getting a boat because the sites are getting pricey and crowded. We can book hotel rooms and be money ahead over the extra fuel and ownership costs of an RV.
More CGs would be nice. Would like to see more with Full hookup. I don't know what it adds to the cost of building, but I would gladly pay an extra $5-10/night to not have to wait in line at a cleanout or plan my exit/entry to the CG by the line at the cleanout.
joelm wrote:
We are in the process of developing a park. Westernrvparkowners numbers are close to what we are coming up with for the sites. Office, store, rec area,pool, etc, we are looking at 400k. My brother/partner is a contractor so savings there.
One of the mistakes I see people making is building where there is no reason for anyone wanting to stay. Just because you own a piece of property doesn't mean it is a good location for a park.
We are also going to spend time and money marketing beginning a year before opening. A good website with a proper marketing plan and budget will pay dividends.
Online presence is huge nowadays. Sooooo many CGs are stuck in the 80 with zero web presence. Most of them you can't even book online yet! It's 2017. If you can book any Michigan state park online, you should be able to book any private CG online. It costs some money, but they don't need someone sitting at the phone all day saying "no sorry, we are booked". Nothing I hate more than calling 40 CGs and getting the same response when I could just check their website to see if they have any spots avail.
