Return on Investment

Posted on September 8, 2015

Return on Investment

Caraconnect carry out comprehensive safety inspections of caravans, lodges and holiday and park homes

September heralds the start of the autumn and with it brings the opportunity to take stock of the busy summer season that precedes it.

As the bustling crowds begin to disperse and peace begins to return somewhat to parks across the country, now is the time to think about investing, upgrading and making plans for the year ahead.

At the top of many park owner’s lists will be the assessment of the on-site facilities as they strive to make improvements to stay ahead of the competition.

“Guests have more choice than ever in where to stay and the holiday market is exceptionally competitive,” comments Andy Seddon of Commercial Washrooms.

“Well maintained facilities such as washroom facilities are exceptionally important in both attracting and retaining customers.”

Andy continues: “Clean and well-looked after washrooms are the bare minimum a guest will expect, and regular cleaning of a washroom will provide a certain level of maintenance benefit in itself.”

Rolec Services provided a bespoke hook-up solution for West End Farm Caravan Park in Weston-Super-Mare.

Elsewhere on the park, keeping the accommodation up to standard is a top priority. As any caravan park owner knows all too well, the incessant wear and tear caused by a combination of heavy usage and that famously dire British climate can wreak havoc on a holiday caravan.

Ian Bloomfield, director at Caraconnect comments: “We have spent many years in the holiday home and holiday park industry and are fully aware of any problems that can occur with caravans over time.”

Listing their four main trades as gas, plumbing, carpentry and electrical, Caraconnect carry out comprehensive safety inspections of caravans, lodges and holiday and park homes, ensuring that they meet all current gas and electrical safety regulations and reliably identify any problems that may be affecting the units.

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Holiday Snaps: Zoe House of Ladram Bay Holiday Park

Posted on September 8, 2015

Holiday Snaps: Zoe House of Ladram Bay Holiday Park

Zoe House was brought up at Ladram Bay Holiday Park in Devon, which her father opened in 1943. Zoe took over the day-to-day running of the park in 2006, along with her brother Robin.

How has 2015 been for Ladram Bay Holiday Park?

It has been a fantastic season. The introduction of our brand new swimming pool and the refurbishment of Pebbles restaurant has had a great effect on business. This year we have seen a 15 per cent increase in bookings.

What are the main challenges facing the industry at the moment?

With the strength of the pound, holidays abroad are appearing cheaper this year, so it is really important that British holidaymakers have an incentive to holiday in the UK.

If you had to identify one element, what is the most crucial aspect to the success of your park?

As an independent park, we have the ability to constantly reinvest to ensure our facilities exceed customer expectation. We also can’t forget our stunning location on Devon’s Jurassic Coast.

What does a typical day in the office for you consist of?

My jobs range from managing staff and customers to investment planning, marketing and advertising. The variety makes it all the more interesting.

What has been your most interesting experience in the industry?

Last winter we undertook the biggest redevelopment since I became director in 2006. With the seasonal nature of the tourism industry in the UK, we only had four months whilst the park was closed to build our state-of-the-art swimming pool and adventure golf course, while also refurbishing the restaurant. Fortunately we finished just in time.

What is the best piece of business advice you have been given and by whom?

My father said that “without guests, Ladram is just a bay”. To me, this sums up everything we do, ensuring the Ladram experience is of the highest standard.

Where do you go on holiday?

I love to travel with my family, especially disappearing in our tourer for a short break and exploring the UK. This country has so much to offer.

Tell us a joke…

What do you call a man with a seagull on his head? Cliff!

Net Gains

Posted on September 8, 2015

Net Gains

Almost 80 per cent of Brits now use the internet to research their holidays.

Revolutionising the way that we live, work, shop, and communicate, startling figures from the National Office of Statistics revealed that 38 million adults in the UK accessed the internet every day in 2014. What’s more, 74 per cent of people bought goods or services online, up from 53 per cent in 2008.

The tourism industry is continuing to evolve around technology, with increasing access to information and services available at the customers’ finger tips. Guests now expect to see clear and representative images of accommodation and resort facilities online before they book. They want to read reviews, share other people’s experiences of the resort so they can decide whether or not it meets with their needs. And they expect to be able to do all this online, using whatever device they choose, whether it’s a smartphone, tablet PC, handheld computer or laptop.

“Users are booking when it’s convenient for them,” says Dawn Bee of website and business system provider Netguides. “Younger users don’t want to talk to anyone to book, it’s just not familiar behaviour for them anymore so they feel uncomfortable doing it. This means you are missing out on a lot of customers if you don’t take online bookings.”

Niall Norris of management and booking software CampManager concurs: “The number of holiday parks and campsites taking bookings online has increased dramatically in recent years,”

“We can see similar trends from all our clients across the UK, Ireland and France, that the proportion of bookings being made online is now averaging between 50 to 75 per cent of all bookings.”

The number of holiday parks and campsites taking bookings online has increased dramatically in recent years. Pic: CampManager.

Keeping up-to-date with the latest technology by moving to a computerised booking and management system may seem daunting, but Niall stresses the importance of moving with the times: “The right booking and management system will actually save you money, generate more business and free up so much of your time.

“We recommend that all parks to update their online booking pages and websites to be Mobile and Tablet compatible. We see clear trends that over 50 per cent of online bookings are now being made on Tablet and Smartphone devices.” He adds: “To ensure that you are catering for these customers and not losing out on bookings, it is important to address this immediately.”

CampManager offers a complete end to end process for managing a caravan park or campsite. Covering all aspects of site management, booking management and online booking, the system is user-friendly and can be tailored to suit the individual needs of each park.

“It is important to remember that not all visitors to your website have stayed at your park before. Therefore it is hugely important that your website is maintained as much as the park,” advises Niall. “An old and tired looking website, with poor quality photos will not attract new customers. Also a poor booking system that takes a long time just to check availability and does not provide alternative dates will frustrate your customers and potentially drive them elsewhere.”

The biggest change to online bookings that Dawn Bee of Netguides has seen in recent years is the move to mobile responsive online booking. Dawn explains: “There has been a surge in the popularity of mobile responsive bookings following Google’s emphasis in their search algorithm for mobile search and the growing use of mobile devices to book online.”

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High Demand for Last Minute Breaks

Posted on September 2, 2015

Last minute online enquiries for peak season were up by 15 per cent at Woolacombe Bay, compared to the same time last year.

High Demand for Last Minute Breaks

Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks in Devon reported a bumper start to the 2015 summer season, with last minute online bookings up by 15 per cent on the same period last year.

Although 93 per cent of the park’s accommodation for the first three weeks of the school summer holidays was booked up well in advance, demand was high for the remaining spaces available for last minute bookings.

Kevin Darvill, sales and marketing director at Woolacombe Bay said: “Clearly the travel disruption at the ports in Dover and Calais, coupled with the economic situation in destinations such as Greece, have all been deciding factors to remain at home.

“Last-minute on-line enquiries for peak season - compared to the same time last year - are up by 15 per cent, on-line sales have risen by 28 per cent and conversion rates have increased by 11 per cent.”

Bellamy Praises Community Spirit

Posted on September 2, 2015

Bellamy Praises Community Spirit

Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park in Padstow, Cornwall, gives away a week’s holiday to a needy family for every hundred bookings the park takes.

Hundreds of holiday and residential parks which reach out to their local communities will be put under the spotlight in this year’s David Bellamy Conservation Awards.

Scheme organiser Rufus Bellamy says that this year he is keen to celebrate parks acting as ‘good neighbours’. He reports that a whole raft of initiatives are now making a very real difference to many peoples’ lives around the country.

“The David Bellamy Conservation Award Scheme does, of course, put a major emphasis on how parks work to protect their natural environment,” said Rufus.

“However, the scheme also highlights those which engage with their local community because this, in our view, demonstrates that the park is taking a holistic view of its business.

“This year, our assessors have uncovered many fantastic new initiatives which we’ll be using to underline just how many ways there are for parks to reach out,” said Rufus.

The names of the 500-plus parks expected to receive David Bellamy Conservation Awards this year at gold, silver and bronze levels will be announced this month.

Lincolnshire Parks Get Tough On Crime

Posted on September 2, 2015

Lincolnshire Parks Get Tough On Crime

Members of the Caravan Park Watch Scheme at Park Resorts’ Southview Leisure Park in Skegness.

Holiday parks in Lincolnshire have seen a 45 per cent drop in crime levels, thanks to a successful crime prevention scheme in the county.

A partnership between Lincolnshire police, local holiday parks and other stakeholders, the Caravan Park Watch initiative has gone from strength to strength since it was started in 2014 and now has in excess of 50 member parks.

Members of the Caravan Park Watch scheme and the National Caravan Council (NCC)recently met with Boston and Skegness MP, Matt Warman, to brief him on its success in the area.

MP Matt Warman said: “The Lincolnshire Caravan Park Watch scheme is leading the way when it comes to preventing crime and sharing resources and ideas across the sector.

“The huge reduction in crime to date is testament to all the hard work that has been put into developing this important partnership.”

Holiday Scene With Hywel Davies

Posted on July 4, 2015

Holiday Scene With Hywel Davies

Hywel Davies is the owner and manager of South Wales Caravan Park in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire. His parents started the park in 1978 and Hywel has lived on the 15 acre site since he was three years old. Hywel and his sister Cathrin took over the park four years ago and continue to improve the farm and its facilities each year.

How do you see the UK holiday industry at the moment?

In Carmarthenshire alone Tourism is worth £350 million. It is taking over farming as the most important industry in the area. Our county is getting its name out there and I have no doubt there will be changes soon in Local Authority boundary locations in Wales - I just hope that whichever way it goes that the good work will carry on.

What are the main challenges facing the industry and how are you meeting those challenges?

Our main challenges are rising fuel and electricity costs. We are currently looking into installing solar panels and heat pumps to warm water and facilities.

If you had to identify one element, what is the most crucial aspect to the success of your business?

Good customer service. I trained at Walt Disney World in Florida and from my days there I soon realised that exceeding all my guests’ expectations is the way to succeed.

Has it been a good year so far for South Wales Caravan Park?

It has been excellent year so far. We are lucky as we only have 25 pitches to fill in total, which is much easier to fill up than a few 100 pitches. Word of mouth, a couple of awards and repeat visitors are helping us a great deal.

What has been your most interesting experience in the industry?

Becoming an adult only park. When we made the decision just over two years ago, we were worried if it would work out but it has been the best decision and best experience we have had so far.

What is the best piece of business advice you have been given and by whom?

“Never miss an opportunity to market your business” - it was given to me by my father. We wear our Llwynifan Farm branded t-shirts and hoodies everywhere and even our hand towels in the ladies and gents toilets are branded!

Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?

Our park isn’t going to grow further, but I would like to improve our offering and facilities. Each year we like to do one big project to improve our offering.

Where do you go on holiday?

My partner and I drive to Italy usually towards the end of September for a week or two, and I leave my sister in charge of the park.

Anything else you would like to add?

I wish everyone a good season and hope we all have a sunny successful summer.

Part Exchange Solution

Posted on June 26, 2015

Part Exchange Solution

Verna and Richard Culpeper part-exchanged their semi-detached house in Harrow for a park home in Pembrokeshire with Quick Move Properties.

Offering a property part exchange service can have a huge impact on sales figures and until recently it was a luxury available only to large house builders due to the financial risk and large balance sheet required.

But Quick Move Properties, the UK’s largest property part exchange company, are now looking to change that by offering a funded part exchange solution to park home providers and leisure home providers.

“Offering a part exchange service has several benefits for a park home or leisure home operator,” says Patrick Chambers, sales director at Quick Move Properties

“Firstly it removes the risk that a sale will fall through due to chain collapse, it also frees your customers up to commit to a purchase – helping to convert potential customers into proceedable buyers – and, because we use our own balance sheet to make the purchases, we are able to offer a great deal of flexibility.”

Quick Move Properties have also recently teamed up with Prestige Homeseeker, Omar, Tingdene and Pathfinder to offer a new stock support service.

Quick Move Properties.
Tel. +44 (0)1793 840917
www.quickmoveproperties.co.uk

Best Certificated Site Honour For Acorn Wood

Posted on June 26, 2015

Best Certificated Site Honour For Acorn Wood

Acorn Wood campsite received the Best Certificated Site award.

Acorn Wood campsite in Burton-upon-Stather, Lincolnshire, is the winner of The Camping and Caravanning Club Best Certificated Site (CS) 2014.

The small five-‘van site received the most positive nominations and reviews by Club members, and was awarded the prestigious title at the Club’s headquarters in Coventry.

Facilities on site at Acorn Wood include a popular fishing lake, stocked with carp, tench, roach, perch and bream. The Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding National Beauty and Peak District National Park are both close by.

Site owners, Heather and Martin Thompson, purchased their smallholding in the early 1990s. With fond memories of their own camping holidays, they opened Acorn Wood CS in 2008, enabling them to share their “little slice of heaven” with all Camping and Caravanning Club members.

Heather said: “Martin and I are absolutely over the moon to have been given this award. It’s a huge recognition for all our efforts over the years, and we cannot thank everyone enough for all their support.”

Lock Down

Posted on June 26, 2015

Above: Walk-in burglaries are known to increase during the summer months, so there’s no better time to assess the effectiveness of the security measures in place.

Lock Down

A man found guilty of burglary at Parkdean’s West Bay Holiday Park was recently handed a four year custodial sentence. During the trial, the jury heard how Anthony Bown had burgled the Nisa convenience store on the park, stealing cigarettes, cigars and tobacco worth £3,300.

In a separate incident, a cleaner admitted stealing electronic devices from caravans at Haven’s Devon Hills Holiday Park in Exmouth last summer. Richard Copley admitted two counts of burglary when he appeared in court and was subsequently jailed for eight months, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay almost £1,400 in compensation.

Incidents like these are unfortunately all too common in holiday park locations. While complete protection from such occurrences can never be guaranteed, there are a number of measures and precautions that holiday park operators can implement to safeguard their parks.

The good news is that the latest figures from the Crime Survey for England and Wales and police revealed that crime level fell by 16 per cent in 2014. Decreases were evident for all major crime types compared with the previous year; violence saw a 23 per cent fall, criminal damage fell by 20 per cent, and theft offences decreased by 12 per cent.

Above: The Irish-manufactured HKC system is backed by Crosby Intruder Alarms and offers a flexible solution for caravans, lodges, lockers and sheds.

Walk-in burglaries are known to increase during the summer months, so there’s no better time to assess the effectiveness of the security measures in place to ensure that your park is well protected.

“Holiday park theft is becoming a big issue as caravans, lodges and holiday homes increasingly have more valuables in them,” says Roy Williams of security provider Crosby Intruder Alarms.

“It is commonplace these days to have two or more televisions, Sky boxes and other audio and video entertainment systems. It can be lucrative for a thief to target these units, particularly in the closed season when there is less chance of being disturbed.

“There is also an increased risk of theft from lockers or sheds, as these often go completely unprotected.”

While simple measures such as door and window locks and burglar alarms offer some degree of security, Roy recommends an all in one wireless system for intruder, fire, personal attack and mains fail.

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CARDEA SOLUTIONS
Tel. +44 (0)161 413 0766
www.cardea-solutions.com

CROSBY INTRUDER ALARMS
Tel. 0844 588 6912
www.crosbyintruder.co.uk

FRONTIER PITTS
Tel. +44 (0)1293 548 301
www.frontierpitts.com