Would You Camp at a Place Like This??

I'd consider staying there - after I see some pictures.

HadEnough wrote:
....... Thanks for the thoughts. I guess the market reaction is "meh". It's funny because I'd never use Harvest Hosts because I don't want to buy stuff or have long chats with the hosts. I want small, individual, private campsites without all the people involved. It doesn't exist.

I apologize for the clipping above from only a portion of your latest post. It does exist, but it's VERY RARE. Here's a partial description of one we have been to here in Northern CA (I omitted it's name to protect it):

"Here at ---------- we have a large campground consisting of 113 sites located on a 100 acre portion of the facility that is surrounded by shade giving Oaks. Most campsites have running potable water, some have electricity and many sites are located on the waters edge when the lake is full. There are hot showers and flush toilets located throughout the campground and some sites located by swim pond also have free WIFI access! All sites can be reserved and reservations start the second Friday in February and go through Labor day weekend. All reservations must be made a week in advance and are recommended, but walk-ins are always welcome as well."

It's campsites are spread way out, with our favorite ones having only a water faucet and a 120V 20 amp box sticking out of the ground next to the RV pad. Here's a photo of one of the campsites:

HadEnough wrote:
Ok. Thanks for all the feedback.

Seems it may work, but it's not a complete home run. That's why I asked here.

One big variable is price. I think that depends heavily on location. It's $120/night to stay in a parking lot in Jersey City, NJ with quick access to NYC. It's booked nearly solid too. Can't determine the price of the KOA nearby to where I am in Florida since it's sold out for the next 6 weeks and the site only shows pricing if they have a spot. Not a single spot or day available on their calendar. If I look in Montana or something, low prices and plenty of availability.

Don't think you are going to find a lot of people going to Yellowstone or Glacier National Parks (yes, Montana is where most people access both of those parks.) during the season who feel the local campgrounds are either low priced or empty. While we don't get $120.00 a night for a parking lot experience, we do get $80.00 for providing a good experience. If you can't find local prices on the KOA website, just go to campgroundreviews.com. The reviews post what the guest paid. It won't be 100% accurate, since you don't know if the prices include taxes, if the site they rented was subjected to a premium charge or what discounts they might have had but it will get you a ballpark figure.
You seem to believe I am paranoid about competition. What I am actually concerned about is two things. First, if RVers have bad experiences with parks, they will eventually become ex-RVers. That would in the long run hurt my business. Therefore it is to my benefit if people who wish to enter the business do so with a business plan that works and they ultimately offer the guest a good experience.
My second concern is it is not good for me or the industry to have RV parks fail. If multiple parks fail the resale value of my parks fall. Parks that go broke make lending institutions leery of the industry making financing more expensive or not available at all. Sears going bankrupt a was not a boon to the remaining department stores and all the other shops in the malls. I want a tide that lifts all boats, not a tsunami that crushes everything in it's path.

I would gladly pay $120/nt at Jersey City, and everything it has to offer. It's on my bucket list. I can't see paying $50/nt to hide in the woods. If I was passing by and needed to dump & recharge, that's worth $25 for an overnight stop. I would be gone by 10am. It's not a destination to me.

SP & COE type CGs are the prefered types of park here too. Don't need water or a dump at the site for less than 6 night stays. Don't need bathroom or showers either. Self contained for all of that. 30amp power is good however 20amp is good enough if weather is mild.

Nope, not paying a premium price to have FHU & privacy. Westernparkowner is correct. There are lots of overheads to running a business & a CG is no exception. Liability insurance being a biggie.

There are cheap options like Harvest Hosts where camping for a night or so is free but you are expected to contribute by buying something.

Ok. Thanks for all the feedback.

Seems it may work, but it's not a complete home run. That's why I asked here.

One big variable is price. I think that depends heavily on location. It's $120/night to stay in a parking lot in Jersey City, NJ with quick access to NYC. It's booked nearly solid too. Can't determine the price of the KOA nearby to where I am in Florida since it's sold out for the next 6 weeks and the site only shows pricing if they have a spot. Not a single spot or day available on their calendar. If I look in Montana or something, low prices and plenty of availability. So we are all talking from a huge variety of backgrounds in price here. Those were some beautiful pics above of the BLM type camping. That's definitely the dream. I'd prefer that too. But I guess some people like NYC and Florida too, given they are completely sold out and/or $120/night. So location dictates price.

As to the park owner, I already own 2 other small businesses. Haven't worked at any other company aside from my own since before the turn of the century so we can let that ridiculous part of the thread go. Found it particularly funny he was all sour grapes just like a hotel owner would be toward an airBNB. Owns one small businesses but assumes I'm either "dirt poor" or shady because he's frightened. That alone makes me think I'm into something. Ha ha.

I'd personally like something like this myself since I'd never stay at a campground. I don't like all the neighbors and activity. I boondock if I'm urban or rural, but would prefer a nice campsite, especially visiting a new area or somewhere that I have a lot of plans for exploring. It gets annoying trying to find a spot to boondock in congested areas. Plus hookups are great.

Thanks for the thoughts. I guess the market reaction is "meh". It's funny because I'd never use Harvest Hosts because I don't want to buy stuff or have long chats with the hosts. I want small, individual, private campsites without all the people involved. It doesn't exist.

But it seems I'm pretty much the only one that feels this way.

tdiller wrote:
I would not use it. If it's the same price as the KOA with all the amenities, I'll take the KOA. Now if the price were half that of the KOA I would use it.
I mostly stay at COE campgrounds anyway and don't need or want to pay for the pool and arcade or onsite store. Plus with my America the Beautiful pass I pay about half the going rate of COE campgrounds.

Up where I summer 50 a night would not even cover a tent site at the KOA. 90-100 for a class A.

I might consider it. but I do agree price too high for my liking .

Yes I would camp at a place like that but, not at those prices.

BCSnob wrote:
Continuing the Airbnb vs hotel argument; here is something Airbnb offers to hosts
https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/937/what-is-host-protection-insurance

And guidance Airbnb provides to hosts
https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1376/responsible-hosting-in-the-united-states

General regulations

What local regulations apply to me?

Taxes

Ensure you look up any local taxes or business license requirements that may apply. This may include things like hotel/transient occupancy tax, sales, and other turnover taxes such as Value Added Tax (VAT) or Goods and Services Tax (GST), or income tax.

Permits or registrations

Ensure you look up any permitting, zoning, safety, and health regulations that may apply. The governing authorities that regulate the use and development of property in your area may have useful information on such regulations.

See Had Enough's previous post and you will understand that none of that really applies. He is the true expert on the subject, by his own admission.

HadEnough wrote:

westernrvparkowner wrote:
I assume your business plan includes just ignoring the mundane things actual park owners have to contend with. Things like liability insurance, permits, licenses, inspections, environmental rules, water testing etc. I suppose the "I hope nothing goes wrong" approach may work for a two site park, or it may not. If it does work, no problem, if it doesn't, only you know what you can lose. If you have assets, being sued for a few hundred thousand because someone tripped and broke their hip may or may not be a big hit. If you are otherwise broke, too bad for the injured party.
But how do you expect people to find these sites in the first place? You surely can't afford to advertise with only two sites to potentially generate income. Even if you do some basic advertising, most people are going to just discount everything you say about the place and assume it is really just someone looking to collect $50 in exchange for allowing them to park in their driveway. If getting there requires turning off the main roads and down side streets, alleys and country lanes you lose a big percentage of potential customers. Very few people are going to take a two site park seriously. Today, with the internet, it is easy to research places to stay even while traveling down the road. For almost everyone, an unknown place with two sites in the middle of who knows where for $50.00 isn't a chance they are going to take.
How do you plan on collecting the site fees? Are you going to be there every day and night 365 days a year? Doubtful you are able to take credit cards, so are you going to be strictly cash? Our real life experience is that less than 10% of customers pay in currency, if it wasn't for our ability to accept credit and debit cards we would be out of business instantly. There are a whole lot of roadblocks for something like you propose to actually work out. Good Luck.

Said by an RV park owner. Ha ha ha. That's like a hotel owner posting their opinion about AirBNB.

Nothing but sour grapes and fear.

You'd probably say the same thing to someone opening a competing RV park in your town too.

Well, you're 100% wrong on nearly everything you posted.

Good to see an expert has chimed in. To think I have been in business for 20+ years and never realized I actually didn't need to have permits, insurance, licenses or the need to actually follow all the rules and regulations the state laid out for operating a RV Park. This proposed new park in Florida is actually something that will cause me to lose sleep, I mean Florida first and before you know it all fifty states will be awash in two site parks. It will only take about 250 of them near my parks to suck up all the business.
Obviously, You have hit upon the business plan that will completely disrupt the RV park industry. You saw right thru my phony red herrings about regulations and costs and saw right away my post was an attempt tamp down the firestorm that will eventually engulf the entire RV Park industry, leave my parks a vast landscape of vacant sites and send me to the poor house. Can you really blame me for trying to keep the date of my demise as far into the future as possible?
Just one quick question, however. If you know so much about RV parks to know everything I posted was 100% wrong, why did you feel the need to start a post questioning whether or not your park idea would work? And since you know that my post was only about sour grapes because RV park owners are threatened by your business plan, wouldn't it follow that all the RV parks near you will go out of their way to make sure your business fails, and hopefully fail spectacularly?