Holiday Snaps - Nick Lomas - The Caravan & Motorhome Club
Nick Lomas is Director General of the Caravan and Motorhome Club, the UK’s largest club for owners of Leisure Vehicles, representing one million users. The Club operates over 200 UK campsites and provides 2300 exclusive CL locations for members. It also provides travel services to over 330 sites throughout Europe.
What was your career path into the industry?
My first job in hospitality was working behind the bar in a local pub. I graduated from University and worked in Financial Services for 17 years. I worked on the sales and marketing side promoting insurance, pensions and banking. My last job was at LV where I worked in their affi nity business providing discounted insurance and credit products to members of national motoring, travel and membership organisations and trade unions. That’s when I came across the Caravan Club, now the Caravan and Motorhome Club. The outdoors held much more appeal to me and I ended up becoming Marketing Director in 2005 and subsequently Director General in 2010.
How has market changed during your time in the industry?
The market grows ever more sophisticated. Consumers want higher quality accommodation and service delivered much faster through technology like booking apps. More people are buying motorhomes and spending short breaks glamping.
How do you predict things will change in the next five to ten years?
The shift to motorhomes and growth of shorter breaks over longer holidays is likely to continue. I think the changes to vehicles with electric cars replacing diesel and petrol vehicles will be important to cater for. Also wider ranges of experiences in terms outdoor activities in the day, matched with relaxing food and drink and pampering experiences in the evening will continue to grow.
What are the biggest challenges you face in your working life?
Supporting the Club staff of over 1000 people to give consistent, reliable quality service day in day out is the driving force of the club. Helping everyone to see how change is necessary and constant keeps me interested and excited. The future is bright but bringing it to life is hard work.
What is the best piece of business advice you have been given and by whom?
Be true to yourself and do what you believe is the right thing based on sound research – advice from a well-respected colleague.
What do you most like to spend your time out of working hours?
I love walking and cycling in the Peak District. Spending time there with friends and family restores my soul. When it’s dark, you can’t beat a good fi lm at the cinema, or a rock concert - I really enjoy watching a live gig.
If we could give you three guests? Who would like most like to sit down to dinner with and why?
Winston Churchill - he’s a hero but also a hugely complex and controversial character, Meryl Streep an amazing actress well placed for the gossip of Hollywood, and Prince Harry - youth and passion for helping others makes me think he’d be an interesting dinner guest, given his mental health and military veteran charity interests.
Do you have any claims to fame?
The Club’s Patron for over 66 years has been The Duke of Edinburgh - it’s been a pleasure meeting him and dealing with the Royal Household from time to time. Especially for our Club Centenary Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.
Where do you prefer to take your holidays?
I go skiing in Austria - snowy mountains and blue skies are a tonic in the gloomy depths of winter. I’ve driven a caravan through Greece and a motorhome to Istanbul. I love the challenge and adventure of getting somewhere new.
Claims are also impacted by major weather events from time to time. In early 2018, the Beast from the East and Storm Emma resulted in a high rate of weather-related damage claims. For owners, matters are made more complicated as no two park businesses are the same: every business’ insurance requirements are unique. “Your customers will want the reassurance of extensive insurance cover for accidental damage, fi re, theft, storm, flooding and vermin,” advises Liz Harrison from Leisuredays. “Severe flooding, storms, or fire can cause signifi cant damage to a holiday park and if you’re in the unfortunate situation where many units are written off, then you’ll want these quickly removing from your park,” Liz continues. “The Leisuredays policy automatically includes £10,000 for each damaged unit to be removed, and for a new unit to be resited and connected to utilities.” Many industry brokers operate a network of local account executives who can support you in identifying your individual insurance needs.
Tim Smyth, MD of Compass: “A good account executive will take time to fully understand your business and how it operates – and will support you in deciding on the appropriate levels of cover you need accordingly. “They will look for hidden and not-so-obvious risks which, left undetected, may pose a threat to your park. Sometimes optional/additional covers may be necessary, and your AE should be able to fi nd what best suits YOUR needs.” In addition, a good account executive should also be committed to regularly visiting your park and building a good relationship with you. Tim suggests: “They should aim to carry out an insurance review at regular intervals to check whether the insurance needs of your business have changed. If they have, your cover may need to be adjusted to reflect this.”
Some other key areas to consider when arranging insurance cover include the adequacy of your Sums Insured, the changing needs of your business and the terms, conditions and exclusion attached to your cover. Tim explains: “We sometimes see new clients whose previous cover or sum insured would not be adequate should an incident impact their income over a long period of time (e.g. longer than just 12 months). Protecting any Liability to the public through products or activities provided on the Park is also crucial.” At Wilby, holiday park insurance specialists through their Park Protect scheme, a campaign has been launched to help businesses protect themselves by raising the limits of their liability insurance. Wilby is recommending that businesses increase their indemnity limit for employers’ public and products liability cover to at least £30m. The company of trusted independent chartered insurancebrokers argue that recent cases mean that the bar has been raised, and businesses and individuals need to increase their level of protection.
Wilby’s Managing Director Richard Blackburn explains: "It can be hard to imagine that when you have employers’, public or products liability cover of £5m, £10m or even £20m that there may be times this can be insufficient. “However, we live in an age where levels of litigation have never been higher. Businesses and individuals have an increased awareness of their legal rights, coupled with the relative ease of accessing the UK legal system to pursue a compensatory award where negligence is alleged.” The issue has been made worse by the fact that the costs attached to claims are also being driven ever higher, with previous awards used as a basis for future settlements. Changes to the discount rate, the figure used to help set compensation pay-outs when people suffer serious injuries, made in March 2017 mean the potential for even higher personal injury settlements is even greater. The British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA), one of the leading UK insurance bodies which issues periodic advice to its members, now recommends a minimum indemnity limit of £23m. But, with the legal environment continually evolving, Wilby recommends that serious consideration is given to purchasing liability limits of no less than £30m.
Searles' provides more than 800 holiday home and touring pitches, including luxury lodges to buy and rent, plus a raft of family-friendly attractions and outdoor activities. Attractions at Searles include an innovative new indoor ‘splash zone’ with a host of different water play features, a new outdoor gym, and an adventure play park plus nightly entertainment.The citation from the AA's award judges noted that Searles: “Never stands still, and every year offers something new to delight visitors seeking a truly memorable and high quality experience. "The park's success and popularity is thanks to the vision, passion and hard work of four generations of the Searle family, and their quest for ever-rising standards,” they continued.
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Back of Beyond Touring Park is set in rural Dorset and boasts 80 pitches with electric hook-ups, 40 camping pitches and a glamping village, as well as an amenities block, reception and shop. Victoria takes pride in the park’s outdoor areas and keeping them well looked after is a high priority all year round. She comments: “As we are 30 acres we can't possible compete with beautiful natural foliage, however, we make the most of the busy areas of the park, such as the reception and shower blocks by planting carefully selected flowers, bushes and trees.
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