Big Changes Coming To Reserve America?

[Optimistic_Para]

Outside Magazine article re:

https://www.outsideonline.com/2330471/camping-reservations-app-access-land

[westernrvparkow]

run100 wrote:
My biggest gripe with the reservation systems are the high number of no-shows. Many of the sites we visit hang the "Reserved" tag showing the arrival and departure date. I regularly see no show rates between 20-30%! It's irritating when there's other campers looking for a site, but being turned away because they're "sold out." It's a waste of recreational resources.

The only answer that has ever worked is high cancellation fees and cancelling the entire reservation if they do not show on the first night. What you are seeing is the result of people being able to make reservations at a number of different locations and numerous different dates and then choosing when and where and if to go at the last minute.
If, for example, the cancellation fees were $10.00 making reservations at 5 different locations for the same week would only add $6.00 a night to the cost of the stay at the location they actually decide to visit. They may have made reservations at a beach area, a mountain area, a location near major recreation, a location near children's attractions and an adult destination. The final decision might be decided by the weather forecast and whether or not the grandkids T-ball team is still playing or if the local college football team has a bowl game. $6.00 a night is not a big price to pay for the flexibility. Ramp the cancellation fee up to $50.00 or $100.00 or the even fifty percent of the total stay and people will think twice before making all those reservations they ultimately do not show up for.

[run100]

My biggest gripe with the reservation systems are the high number of no-shows. Many of the sites we visit hang the "Reserved" tag showing the arrival and departure date. I regularly see no show rates between 20-30%! It's irritating when there's other campers looking for a site, but being turned away because they're "sold out." It's a waste of recreational resources.

[Dutch_12078]

bucky wrote:
Sleepy little SC has turned their camping into a huge ripoff. Prices thru the roof and cancelation fees are now ridiculous. We cancelled a 4 night stay 13 days out and paid $67 to cancel June 2018.

Just to be clear, South Carolina does not use ReserveAmerica for their state park reservations...

[BubbaChris]

I started a discussion with DW last weekend while camping. The issue isn't limited to the reservation systems and policies, it is also tied to the record sales years the RV manufacturers are having. More sales = more people camping.

Based on the reservations challenges AND sometimes inconsiderate fellow campers, we talked about buying little piece of property we can pull our TT to and enjoy.

No firm conclusion was reached, but at least we're thinking about options.

[wnjj]

bucky wrote:
Sleepy little SC has turned their camping into a huge ripoff. Prices thru the roof and cancelation fees are now ridiculous. We cancelled a 4 night stay 13 days out and paid $67 to cancel June 2018.

Cancellation fees aren’t just for profit. They are there to prevent people from booking spots “just in case” they want to go and cancelling, which keeps others from booking the spot.

[bucky]

Sleepy little SC has turned their camping into a huge ripoff. Prices thru the roof and cancelation fees are now ridiculous. We cancelled a 4 night stay 13 days out and paid $67 to cancel June 2018.

[hypoxia]

"Back in 2013, Aspira was sharing booking info with other websites, including Hipcamp, a startup founded by Alyssa Ravasio, who had a vision for a simple system that would let you reserve campsites anywhere in the country."
Interesting about Hipcamp, their site is not good at all for RV useage.

[Addy15]

dhull wrote:
Ohio's new moneymaker for this year is to charge an $8 online reservation fee. If you reserve at the office upon arrival no charge but then you are pretty much limited to walk up sites.

I believe that is the fee you pay to the online reservation system provider for the convenience of booking online. The money goes to that company, not the state.

[Dutch_12078]

dhull wrote:
Ohio's new moneymaker for this year is to charge an $8 online reservation fee. If you reserve at the office upon arrival no charge but then you are pretty much limited to walk up sites.

They could have raised the site fees instead...

[Dutch_12078]

2gypsies wrote:

westernrvparkowner wrote:
Article doesn't address the biggest problem, booking multiple sites and locations when reservations first open and then picking one at the last minute. Unless that is solved, what is actually changing, except maybe it will be even easier for those types to tie up even more sites for their future culling?

Another posting somewhere recently suggested that those that try to book multiple sites at different places for the same date should be red-flagged by the reservation system and blocked.

Some folks just think about themselves. :((

That's too easy to work around with multiple accounts in different names.

[2gypsies1]

westernrvparkowner wrote:
Article doesn't address the biggest problem, booking multiple sites and locations when reservations first open and then picking one at the last minute. Unless that is solved, what is actually changing, except maybe it will be even easier for those types to tie up even more sites for their future culling?

Another posting somewhere recently suggested that those that try to book multiple sites at different places for the same date should be red-flagged by the reservation system and blocked.

Some folks just think about themselves. :((

[RAS43]

Dutch_12078 wrote:
RA is a reservation management service. They can only be as good as the information provided to them by the parks. The fees charged to the guests are set by the park systems, not by RA. RA charges the parks a flat fee for the various services they provide, and how much of that is passed on to the guests is up to the parks. The cancellation fee for FL state parks is $17.75 for instance, while it's $9 for NY state parks. A few years ago FL charged guests no reservation fee, and then they changed it to the current $6.70 instead of raising the site fees. The park systems that contract with RA have a lot more control over guest fees and information than RA does.

X2 Very accurate assessment.

[dhull]

Ohio's new moneymaker for this year is to charge an $8 online reservation fee. If you reserve at the office upon arrival no charge but then you are pretty much limited to walk up sites.

[Dutch_12078]

RA is a reservation management service. They can only be as good as the information provided to them by the parks. The fees charged to the guests are set by the park systems, not by RA. RA charges the parks a flat fee for the various services they provide, and how much of that is passed on to the guests is up to the parks. The cancellation fee for FL state parks is $17.75 for instance, while it's $9 for NY state parks. A few years ago FL charged guests no reservation fee, and then they changed it to the current $6.70 instead of raising the site fees. The park systems that contract with RA have a lot more control over guest fees and information than RA does.