GREAT EXPECTATIONS
Boosted by what was the hottest summer on record, the UK’s holiday park sector has never been so appealing. More Brits each year are continuing to enjoy all that the country’s parks have to offer - and what an offering it is. From quirky wigwams and shepherds tents to deluxe lodges and cabins, today’s holiday parks and campsites are better equipped than ever before for their increasingly discerning guests. Accommodation features that were once considered luxurious are now seen as the norm. Take glamping as an example. Nobody needs to be reminded of the rise and rise of glamping, but what is noteworthy is how such accommodation is fast moving from fringe to mainstream. Rather than just providing a handful of pods alongside their traditional holiday homes, some parks are now dedicating large sections of their grounds to a variety of glamping modules, creating in effect a mini-village for guests seeking this type of experience. There are also instances of parks swapping a number of their seasonal or touring pitches for this style of accommodation, purely as a response to customer preference.
BROAD APPEAL
Glamping is also broadening the appeal of taking a holiday on a park to couples and families who might otherwise not have considered the option. In many cases, this might have been because they hadn’t quite grasped the concept of what a park offers in terms of its rented accommodation, or simply because the guests weren’t keen on camping. By contrast, the idea of staying in a shepherd’s hut, safari tent or hobbit house is easy to understand, and provides an element of adventure and fun with which it is easy to engage. “If glamping is an example of camping on an upward trajectory as far as quality is concerned, then the same can also be said of caravan holiday homes,” comments Jon Boston, a spokesperson for the British Holiday & Home Parks Association (BH&HPA). “Many of these now have levels of refinement far beyond what a customer would expect as standard a decade ago, including features such as en-suite bathrooms, exterior decking, wide-screen TVs and sophisticated sound systems.” Jon adds: “UK manufacturers have proved themselves adept at constantly refining their product, but there may be some evidence that holiday lodges will become more dominant in the future. Some park groups are now favouring lodges over holiday caravans when developing new pitches, both for sales and rental.”
COMFORT FACTOR
The extra space in a lodge can make for a more comfortable stay, especially if the customer is holidaying with an extended family or friends. For rental purposes, lodges also enable parks to offer a more luxurious experience. Some lodge breaks are now being styled along the lines of a boutique hotel with added features such as robes and slippers, upscale toiletries, bubbly in the fridge, and even fresh croissants delivered in the morning. Says Jon: “The trend towards more highly specified caravan holiday homes and lodges is also consistent with the move by many parks to extend their opening seasons. Local authorities would appear to be increasingly more accommodating when faced with such requests from parks, recognising the wider economic benefits to be gained from lengthening the holiday year, not least among the many businesses in their area which depend on visitor spending.” He adds: “With modern holiday homes now providing highly efficient central heating systems as well as double glazing and increased levels of insulation, holidays throughout the four seasons become much more practical.”
PARK PRODUCT
At Skelwith Fold caravan park in the Lake District, new accommodation trends are enabling park owner Henry Wild to broaden his customer base. The Ambleside park has around 450 pitches for holiday home owners and touring guests – but camping is not permitted: “This once meant that Skelwith Fold was only open to people with a touring caravan or motorhome, so we were limiting our guests to people who already understood the park product,” comments Henry. “A few years ago, however, we decided to remedy that by introducing top-end glamping modules for hire, based on the Swift S-Pod. This immediately extended our appeal to couples who might never before have considered using a park for a holiday.” He adds: “Their success encouraged us this year to invest in two safari tents, fully furnished and kitted-out, which are also proving immensely popular, especially with younger families.” While glamping is great for generating additional revenue, Henry believes that the real value of this accommodation is in generating interest in holiday home ownership. At least fifteen sales of holiday homes on the park over the past few years can be attributed to glamping stays.
TASTER BREAKS
“Many people typically book for three or four nights and that is sufficient for them to get an idea of what life could be like for them as owners. It’s surprising just how many on their last day ask if they can just take a quick look at one of our show homes before they leave!” says Henry. He adds: “As an industry, we have always known that a better understanding by consumers of what we offer could widen considerably our market potential. Glamping is doing the job far more effectively and economically than any amount of advertising could achieve.”
Switched on park owners who want to keep abreast of the everevolving world of park accommodation can get a first glimpse of the new 2019 models at the HERCMA Shows at The Lawns and Beaulieu this Autumn. Some 300 models of touring caravans, holiday homes, lodges and park homes will be on display at the shows, which run from September 4th – 6th (The Lawns) and September 21st – 23rd (Beaulieu).
RETAIL SALES
“The industry overall is enjoying a good year with retail sales on the rise in all sectors, in particular with holiday homes and park homes,” explains Michael Ritchie, Event Manager of the Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire Caravan Manufacturers’ Association (HERCMA) Shows. “Customers want more and more creature comforts in their holiday homes and manufacturers strive to keep pace. Electronic gadgetry is now common in many of the higher priced units and in recent years there has been a rise in the popularity of twin units for both holiday and residential use. In fact, there will be a record number of twin units on display at The Lawns show this year – nearly 40 of them from 13 different manufacturers.”The Lawns show has been running for more than 40 years at The Lawns in Cottingham. It is run by HERCMA, which comprises five manufacturers from the region: ABI, Carnaby, Coachman, Swift and Willerby. Open to the public, the show attracts well over 20,000 visitors each year. “There will be numerous new product launches – as always at The Lawns,” promises Michael. “ABI and Swift are unveiling additional twin units with highly imaginative layouts; Willerby will be unveiling its range of park homes; and companies such as Pathfinder, Prestige-Homeseeker and Omar-Wessex always have stunning new designs on show and are promising the same this time.” Commenting on the future of holiday park accommodation, Michael adds: “I think that holiday caravans, lodges and park homes will continue to evolve, according to customer requirements, becoming, along with parks, more and more energy efficient, providing some of greenest and most environmentally holidays and residential accommodation available. While there may be short-term problems with issues such as Brexit, the longer-term future looks pretty good.”
Company Contacts
ASSOCIATION
Tel. 01452 526911
www.bhhpa.org.uk
COMPASS INSURANCE
Tel. 01452 511430
www.compass.co.uk
THE LAWNS AND BEAULIEU SHOWS 2018
www.lawnsandbeaulieushows.com
Ambitious Planning
Chester’s Croft is situated in the leafy Stockport suburb of Cheadle Hulme, and was acquired by Serenity Parks in November 2016. Its highly desirable location, just over two miles from Stockport itselfand seven miles from Manchester, makes it a popular choice with residents. The park offers plenty of green outdoor space, as well as excellent travel links, including two nearby rail stations and the ease of Manchester Airport just a few minutes drive away. Since taking on Chester’s Croft, Gary and Andrew have completely redeveloped the park and its infrastructure, investing heavily in surfacing, drainage, curbing and landscaping. They have bought back a number of plots in order to upgrade with new homes for sale. Out of a current 47 plots at Chester’s Croft, just three remain available. Serenity Park’s second Cheshire-based development, Alvanley Park, has also undergone a major upgrade. Many new homes have been added to the site and just one remains for sale out of a total of 40. The park sits in a prestige location in pretty Cheshire countryside and next to National Trust woodland, but with easy access to amenities in the nearby market town of Frodsham.
Gary says the potential saving to the public purse from park home developments is massive, not to mention the solution they can offer to aid the national housing supply crisis.
Landscape Show - 18th-19th September
The annual HERCMA Southern Trade Show at Beaulieu takes placethis year on Thursday 20th September, from 10am until 5pm. More than 150 of the latest caravan holiday homes, lodgesand park homes will be displayed in the splendid setting of theBeaulieu Estate in the New Forest in Hampshire. Leading brandson show include manufacturers such as ABI, Atlas, Carnaby, Delta,Pathfinder, Pemberton, Prestige-Homeseeker, Regal, Stately-Albion,Swift, Tingdene and Victory. Other exhibitors range from decking companies to software and furniture suppliers. Parking and entry are free for bona fide trade visitors who can register to attend on www. hercmatradeshows. com. Trade visitors are also welcome on Friday21st September, the opening day of the annual Caravan Holiday Home and Park Home Show. This continues over the weekend of 22nd and23rd September from 10am until 5pm each day. Details of the public event are on www.lawnsandbeaulieushows.com
Following a successful launch earlier this year, the Be My Guest event series has announced its autumn dates. A UK roadshow for independent accommodation providers including holiday parks, camping sites, glamping experiences and holiday rentals. Theevents are supported by partners like The AA,Google, Expedia, local DMOs and media partnersincluding Holiday Park Scene. The one-day business development eventswill be visiting Torquay (2 Oct), Carlisle (10 Oct) and Skegness (13 Nov). The events are free to attend for providers and feature a fantastic speakerline up to help businesses improve their performance by mastering topicslike digital marketing, local networking, supplementary incomes throughinitiative like electrical vehicle charging ports. Visitors to the show will also be able to take advantage of theMarketplace exhibition which showcases the latest products and servicesfor providers and is packed with show-only offers. As an example, theBe My Guest team provide a 20% subsidy for any new accommodationproviders looking to undertake The AA Quality Assessment Scheme forthe first time. For more information and to register your FREE place at the show justvisit the website.
Those working within the holiday park and campsite management industry will have the opportunity to learn from leading opinion formers, further their career prospects and see new products and services fromprominent suppliers when SALTEX opens its doors at the NEC,Birmingham on October 31 and November 1. This year, the show floor will be bursting with everything avisitor needs to increase their efficiency and improve operations andwill contain a plethora of exhibitors representing the likes of playequipment and services, turf maintenance equipment, fencing andlandscaping, sports surface design, research and consultancy, seeds,turf, aggregates and treatments, and facilities services management. As well as a wide range of innovative products on display within the three large halls, visitors to SALTEX will have the chance to see many of these products in action. The outdoor demonstrations will take place on a grassed area directly outside the SALTEX halls 6, 7 and 8. There will also be a number of education opportunities through Learning LIVE - SALTEX’s all-encompassing, free-to-attend education programme. Learning LIVE will take place in four dedicatedseminar theatres situated on the show floor and willfeature a wide range of expert speakers discussingrelevant topics. SALTEX 2018 is free to attend. To register yourattendance and beat the queues visit www.iogsaltex.com
The Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show is back at the NEC, Birmingham on the 7th and 8th November providing holiday and leisure entrepreneurs with an unparalleled opportunity to make the most of their resorts, holiday parks and attractions by delivering first-hand the very best in advice, products and services. Combining world class experts, face-to-face advice, 150 inspirational seminars, 350 leading suppliers, workshops, unrivalled networking and live features all under one roof - these two days are truly unmissable for anyone in this sector! Whether you’re relatively new in the holiday market and looking for inspiration and advice or an established business looking for new and exciting ways to improve your offering, the event covers everything you need to run your holiday business more efficiently. Discover all the latest technology and trends from within the sector and find out more about current marketing and business strategies. The industry’s most innovative and influential figures will pass on their peerless knowledge and advice and ultimately help you stand out from the competition and increase your occupancy rates. Tickets to attend are free and you can register via the website. We look forward to welcoming you to the event.
No Quick Fix
Lodge Retreat, on the edge of both the New Forest National Park and the beach at Milford-on-Sea. Lavender House, set in stunning private grounds close to Shorefield Country Park, has been completely refurbished and sleeps up to 14 people in six en suite rooms. In addition to this Rose Cottage, a historical property at Wilksworth, will soon be available to holidaymakers. Shorefield Holidays’ chairman and Managing Director Simon Pollock says: “2018 is a really exciting year for Shorefield Holidays, as well as our holidaymakers and home owners. “Not only are we celebrating six decades delivering happy holidays, we’re also investing in some significant improvements and introductions which we hope our customers will love.” “We are so proud of what Shorefield Holidays has achieved over the last 60 years. We wanted to show our appreciation to all our staff for the dedication they have shown to our company, whose family values are as strong today as they were when my father opened our first park in 1958. “Every member of staff is valued and encouraged to understand how they can make a difference to the success of our business,” he continues.
The couple now also offer ready-erected tents, yurts and timber lodges for glamping guests with comforts such as full-size double beds, heating and kitchen areas. Back of Beyond’s guests also include a quarter of a million honey bees in its hives, and which thrive on the high pollen-bearing blooms of the park’s many wild flowers. Their honey is sold in the park’s shop, and Martin and Vicki have imposed a total ban on herbicides which, say nature experts, are causing a worrying decline in bee populations. Other natural attractions at Back of Beyond include two picturesque lakes and a stretch of the Moors River where the wildlife includes otters, dragonflies, and many different bird species. Martin said it was wonderful to be able to enter the summer season with so many awards, and that a lot of the credit must go to the park’s staff: “The feedback we receive from holiday guests, and which helped contribute to these awards, often highlights the park’s friendly atmosphere and the hospitality provided,” said Martin. “Delivering this is very much in the hands of our team as well as Vicki and me, so we owe them a big thank-you for helping to create so many memorable experiences. “I hope these awards will benefit not just us, but also other tourism businesses in the New Forest area by showing what a great part of Britain this is for taking a holiday,” added Martin.
Brenda House touring park is a labour of love...
“So many holiday park operators have been sold domestic tubs or modified tubs that are not easy to maintain, have domestic spa covers and present a serious amount of problems when it comes to customer care,” he adds. The lightbulb moment came with a variation on proven heat The Climacube Heat System offers the very latest energy saving heat technology, dramatically reducing running costs, increasing customer usage, reducing the carbon footprint and enabling customers to use hot tubs all year round, at the desired temperature without the concern of cost. Customers are already benefiting, with installations producing significant reductions in their energy heating costs.
