RV Parks You Love Then You Hate Them You Need Them

[fulltimedaniel]

Since I did a lighthearted look at RV'ers and their groupings I thought I should be even handed and do the same for RV Parks.

After more than two years on the road and by my count about 138 RV parks stayed in in almost every state west of a line drawn north and south on about the line of the Mississippi and a few hundred miles east of that from North Dakota to Fla to Texas the Baja and all the way to Alaska I think I can claim to have experienced about every type of RV Park that exists. And their owners.

There are several "degrees" of RV Parks from the ultra expensive, gated and patrolled that cater "exclusively" to Class A's to the humble smaller, simple places with gravel drives, no pool and (thank god) no Pickle Ball courts where riding in your $10 thousand dollar Golf Cart would elicit laughter and pointing.

The owners and staffs too are a very mixed bag from huge corporations with professional management and layers of bureaucracy to the Mom and Pop who got into the business "to retire".

It strikes me as I have traveled around and stayed in so many that a great many RV Parks, not all mind you, are owned and operated by people who have had no real experience in business and frankly do not belong in the hospitality business at all as they clearly do not like dealing with people and do it rather badly.

These folks I like to surmise decided "Wouldn't it be great to Own and RV Park!" "Build it kick back and let the money roll in...." mmm right.

These folks then come up hard against the fact that it can be a lot of work. And they have to deal with ALL THESE DEMANDING CUSTOMERS! Even though those same customers pay their Bills, and the mortgage they truly do not like us and dont really want to deal with us.

I wonder given some of what I see if they really understand ROI or what is truly profit vs Cash flow. It leaves me scratching my head sometimes how they manage.

Having said that I have seen many businesses survive and frankly do well (not nearly as good as they might however) in spite of their dubious Owner/Management rather than because of them.

There are many owners who do like to meet and deal with customers and who take their customers wants and needs seriously and do a great job of making their parks welcoming and neat and a pleasant place to stay. These can be either smaller places humble and simple or can be more modern and complicated. These are often run by middle aged folks who have some business experience an understand how to deal with people and customers. They have struck a great balance between "Rules" and freedom. They appreciate their customers and show it.

The Harvard Business Review has quite a few great articles on how businesses fail (and succeed) including well known ones like Best Buy, Martha Stewart Living, Dell etc. Most of the fault lies with the FOUNDERS and their inability to change with the times and the market.

I see this phenomenon in RV Parks all the time. Many are slow to catch on to new trends,technology and customer needs. As a group RV parks are some of THE MOST TECHNOLOGICALLY BACKWARD companies on the planet...yea the planet. I cannot tell you how many owners I run into that cant even troubleshoot their WIFI systems. Much less understand that in today's world WIFI is like running water it's an necessary infrastructure.

Now please save me the arguments about how the margins are low and there is no money to be made and do I know how much it costs? Actually yes I do. I don't think owning an RV Park is a fast way to riches for sure. But the numbers are there. It pencils out. You can make a decent ROI and a nice living.

The big corporate parks are another game altogether. Some are no better at customer relations than some of the Mom and Pop ones...mostly due to bad staff training than anything else.Usually everything works and all is neat and well trimmed, driveways are concrete or asphalt and there are 8 pages of rules.

Occasionally I stay at one of these and have nice stay. But like going into Target it's essentially impersonal. And it doesnt have to be that way. These parks also tend to have hundreds of spaces, and often some pretty touchy year-rounders who think they run the place.

These kinds of parks are big on "Activities". A sea of Blue hair line dancing is not my idea of fun. Especially when you throw in the fact it's TEQUILA NIGHT! Oh dear. Dont go near the Jacuzzi.

My favorite kind of park is smaller, more manageable, with kind management that truly understands customer service and is friendly but not intrusive. A place where most of the folks around you are neighborly but respectful. What happens inside a park and the atmosphere is set by the management. It can be cold an impersonal or warm and friendly, easy going (with limits) or chaotic and noisy. Good management knows how to get this right.

I dont really care if the streets are paved or gravel or the site completely level I want everything to work, be maintained and get what I pay for. All too often this is getting harder too find.

Now please, those of you that will jump in and say something like "well if you hate RV'ing so much why not just stay home?" just hold that thought to yourself.

I don't hate it. I rather like it. But like everything else it has it's positives and negatives. These are observations from my experiences. They are real and they all exist. It is a reality of this life I have chosen.

If everything were perfect life would be dull for sure.

[winnietrey]

delete

[4x4van]

fulltimedaniel wrote:


I can see why you as an RVPark owner might have read what I wrote that way. I don't consider my remarks as BASHING anyone. It is real. It is what I have observed. Am I to ignore reality and never speak of it?

Are sone of my remarks critical? Yes in places. But is there reason to be critical? I think a fair look at the RV Park Business as a whole indicates that there are plenty of owners like I describe out there.

I am NOT an RV park owner, and I also read what you wrote that way. You continue to talk down at anyone who disagrees with your "expert" assessment of the RV park industry, even though you have very limited experience with it (and simply refuse to acknowledge that simple fact). 2 whole years? 138 parks? Wow, I would say that certainly trumps my 33 years of RVing (not counting my years growing up camping with my parents).

All of your business experiences simply tell me that you were a contractor (something that I am well acquainted with) for most of your working life, which means you had "bit" parts in many different companys/projects/industries/etc. Sounds impressive to some, but really isn't, and none of it shows any deeper relationship with actually running those businesses or having any "business expertise" other than your time in Cambodia; which unfortunately doesn't translate even remotely to running a business in the US. But I have no desire to argue your accomplishments or lack thereof.

Your "business acumen" aside, my point is that your original post, whether intended or not, IS mostly negative (as has been pointed out repeatedly), and states that a "great many" (your words, not mine) RV parks are basically ****. I would argue that most RVers do not share that opinion, and I really wonder just what you are searching for in your travels, and/or how you choose which parks to stay at. In my 33 years, I have only stayed at 2 or 3 parks that I would not consider returning to, and none of those were because of rude staff or terrible conditions, or any of the other myriad reasons you list, but rather because they were simply not my cup of tea.

[shelbyfv]

Daniel, I got curious as to why this thread was still going so I temporarily removed you from my block list. I have to say this thread has gone the way of all your other threads. The first one I noticed was where you got agitated that folks weren't appropriately interested in your bathroom remodel. It seems interesting that all of your threads deteriorate in the same predictable manner. Maybe you don't have the right temperament for this forum. Just a suggestion, but continuing in this fashion does not seem productive.

[fulltimedaniel]

Thanks to all those that posted to this thread, yes even those that were less than generous to me shall we say.

If one thing has been made clear to me by this post it is this: That it is very difficult to have a discussion on the merits of the TOPIC. All too often and on so many posts from many authors a serious discussion devolves into the same kind of personal condemnation that happened here.

In so many threads on this forum a few, often the same few that appeared here, post to accuse the author of "Bashing" something or someone. All the time they are truly pummeling the author and often in very personal terms, in their own posts apparently unaware of the contradictions therein.

Too often criticism is mistaken for "Bashing". They are not the same. And while some criticism may rise to that level not all criticism is bashing by any means. But here they seem to be conflated far too often.

But overall despite the name calling and the severe criticism I took I found this experience enlightening and positive.

Thanks to all who posted

[Bipeflier]

fulltimedaniel, it wasn't your skin to which I referred.

[toedtoes]

Thank you Lantley, I think you summed it up very nicely. I'll just add that once again the OP has responded with "my observations are correct and everyone else's are wrong".

[Lantley]

fulltimedaniel wrote:

toedtoes wrote:
Except that he has stated that his opinions are fact and that everyone elses' opinions are lacking.

When you then combine this thread with his OP on the types of people who RV, it becomes more obvious that he was not just opening up a civil discussion butt baiting forum members (such as WRVPO - who even received PMs from the OP egging him on to continue the argument).

Folks suggest others are too thin-skinned. However, when the majority of respondents took offense at his posts, then perhaps THEY aren't the ones with the problem. Sometimes it's the OP with the problem.

Please post a quote from any of my posts where I wrote what you describe...it cannot be done because I never claimed anything of the sort. That is your interpretation. And just not accurate.

Secondly my second post was an obvious next step after the first and thinking about what kinds of parks I had seen and their owners. One led to the other in my mind. It's not trolling. that's just a way too easy criticism when one disagrees or the topic may be uncomfortable.

And again WRVPO needs no egging on to enter any discussion about RVParks. His past postings tell the story clearly. Besides what satisfaction could there be in baiting someone that so readily jumps on any criticism of business people or RV park owners. It's all too predictable and rarely balanced. He could be a great resource here for helping those who don;t understand the RV Park business. But in his view the customer is NEVER right and that doesn't inspire credibility or further the reputation of his industry.

To name me as thin skinned here is laughable. I have taken every insult and derogatory name thrown at me including some pretty harsh criticism. (I have been called a Liar, Pompous, a Blowhard and a Bloviator all by about 3 posters. These personal kinds of attacks are against the rules if I recall) I believe I have done this with equanimity and remained civil (although pointed at times) throughout. Even to those who clearly were beyond the pale.

No Toedtoes just because one doesn't like what one reads doesn't give them carte blanche to say anything. Or misquote or skew my words out of any of their original meaning and context. But sadly that is what has passed for "discussion" in many cases on this thread.

I obviously hit a nerve with this post ...an unintended one for sure...which sent it spiraling off and because of a few it became not about what I wrote but about me. That is unfortunate.

But you continue down the same path with each ensuing post.
You state"But in his view the customer is NEVER right and that doesn't inspire credibility or further the reputation of his industry."
I don't see that as WRVPO view at all. I find his post enlighten and insightful. He gives us all a perspective from a RV park owner that we otherwise would not have. I may not always agree with his perspective but I don't challenge his view or credibility.

I deal with the public and understand the customer is not always right however you have to pretend they are and keep them happy. Claiming WRVPO thinks the public is never right is a continuation of the bashing tone you set early in this post. You claim you not hear to bash, But then you continue bashing.
In the end you do fit the definition of a troll posted earlier.
What is the point of your post? It appears all you care to do is rile up the natives and upset the apple cart.
Your post are not informative,light hearted,accurate or cordial as you implied. They continue to be divisive and confrontational.
Maybe you just can't help yourself.
For someone with as much business experience as you claim you don't appear to be a very good communicator. You seem to have trouble expressing yourself without creating a conflict.

[RandACampin]

Keep diggin' that hole FTD, keep diggin'.

[fulltimedaniel]

toedtoes wrote:
Except that he has stated that his opinions are fact and that everyone elses' opinions are lacking.

When you then combine this thread with his OP on the types of people who RV, it becomes more obvious that he was not just opening up a civil discussion butt baiting forum members (such as WRVPO - who even received PMs from the OP egging him on to continue the argument).

Folks suggest others are too thin-skinned. However, when the majority of respondents took offense at his posts, then perhaps THEY aren't the ones with the problem. Sometimes it's the OP with the problem.

Please post a quote from any of my posts where I wrote what you describe...it cannot be done because I never claimed anything of the sort. That is your interpretation. And just not accurate.

Secondly my second post was an obvious next step after the first and thinking about what kinds of parks I had seen and their owners. One led to the other in my mind. It's not trolling. that's just a way too easy criticism when one disagrees or the topic may be uncomfortable.

And again WRVPO needs no egging on to enter any discussion about RVParks. His past postings tell the story clearly. Besides what satisfaction could there be in baiting someone that so readily jumps on any criticism of business people or RV park owners. It's all too predictable and rarely balanced. He could be a great resource here for helping those who don;t understand the RV Park business. But in his view the customer is NEVER right and that doesn't inspire credibility or further the reputation of his industry.

To name me as thin skinned here is laughable. I have taken every insult and derogatory name thrown at me including some pretty harsh criticism. (I have been called a Liar, Pompous, a Blowhard and a Bloviator all by about 3 posters. These personal kinds of attacks are against the rules if I recall) I believe I have done this with equanimity and remained civil (although pointed at times) throughout. Even to those who clearly were beyond the pale.

No Toedtoes just because one doesn't like what one reads doesn't give them carte blanche to say anything. Or misquote or skew my words out of any of their original meaning and context. But sadly that is what has passed for "discussion" in many cases on this thread.

I obviously hit a nerve with this post ...an unintended one for sure...which sent it spiraling off and because of a few it became not about what I wrote but about me. That is unfortunate.

[Lantley]

2012Coleman I think you pretty much summed it up at this point.

[2012Coleman]

The OP, from his statements, clearly has a beef with WRVPO. He has stated twice that he expected to a reaction from him. I'm pretty sure this was his intention in this and other inflammatory posts he makes.



... response or of otherwise disrupting normal, on-topic discussion, often for the troll's amusement.

Shoe seems to fit - Nuff said.

[toedtoes]

Except that he has stated that his opinions are fact and that everyone elses' opinions are lacking.

When you then combine this thread with his OP on the types of people who RV, it becomes more obvious that he was not just opening up a civil discussion butt baiting forum members (such as WRVPO - who even received PMs from the OP egging him on to continue the argument).

Folks suggest others are too thin-skinned. However, when the majority of respondents took offense at his posts, then perhaps THEY aren't the ones with the problem. Sometimes it's the OP with the problem.

[js6343js6343]

OP - I think you pretty much nailed it.

My only question is, how do you figure out ahead of time where your best bet is.

I still cant figure that out.

[RPreeb]

Bipeflier wrote:
I found the OP interesting. Several points that I haven't considered but nothing to get so up in arms about, just a discussion.

I also found the replies interesting as well as troubling, unnecessary, and outright disrespectful at times.

Too many "thin skinned" folks on this board. You need to learn to discuss issues in a civilized manner. I wonder how many of you would be so "mouthy" if you were face to face? I suspect some of you would deserve an a$$ kicking!

Agreed. Seems like some folks have nothing better to do than pile on.

There are well run parks and poorly run parks and everything in between. Most of the comments in opposition to the OP have been sniping, not reasoned discussion. Right or wrong he is entitled to his opinion, and I felt that he made his case fairly well. Maybe he could have been more certain in stating that the negative experiences have been the minority (at least I would hope that is the case). It could be twisted to read as an attack on the RV park industry whole, but it seems to me that he clearly did not intend it that way.