Holiday Park Industry

Park And Leisure Show Hots Up

Posted on May 27, 2015
The World of Park & Leisure Homes Show returns to Stoneleigh Park from 11th – 14th June, offering free entry and free parking.

The World of Park & Leisure Homes Show returns to Stoneleigh Park from 11th – 14th June, offering free entry and free parking.

Park And Leisure Show Hots Up

The UK’s biggest show for leisure lodges and residential park homes will return once again to the grounds of Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire in June.

The World of Park & Leisure Homes Show 2015 is your chance to view over 50 show homes including the launch of several new lodges and homes from the country’s leading manufacturers. Pathfinder Homes will be showcasing their Keepers Lodge, which launched earlier this year and Omar Park & Leisure Homes will be exhibiting a selection of their bestselling homes including the Heritage, the Colorado and the Accent on stand M11. There will also be homes and lodges to view from The Dream Lodge Group, Willerby Holiday Homes and Stately Albion to name a few.

In addition to the display of homes, a host of suppliers will be exhibiting related products and services including decking, coatings, hot tubs, insurance, refurbishment and garages. Be sure to make a beeline for the Quick Move Properties stand – the UK’s largest property part exchange company – where the team of experts will be on hand to offer advice on all aspects of part exchange.

If its spas and hot tubs that you’re interested in, stop by the Superior Spas stand to learn more about their full range of wellness products including spas, steam rooms, saunas and hot tubs. You may also benefit from speaking to the Spaeuro team who can advise on spa filters, parts and accessories.

Show organiser Jo Turner comments: “Our experience shows that 95 per cent of our visitors want to meet owners and operators face to face so they can truly discover what’s on offer.” She adds: “Following its tremendously successful introduction last year, the Trade Preview Day allows park owners, site managers and others working within the industry to come along and view the homes, chat with manufacturers, discover new models and discuss the latest issues and developments.”

The Trade Preview Day is Thursday 11th June and the show will be open to the public Friday 12th – Sunday 14th June. Entry and parking are free and each visitor receives a complimentary show guide.

Keep up to date with the latest show news by visiting www. parkhomeandleisure.co.uk

£1 Million Upgrade For Lochside Park

Posted on November 28, 2014
lochside

Argyll Holidays is creating a five star holiday park on the bonnie banks after buying Loch Lomond Holiday Park in May 2014.

£1 Million Upgrade For Lochside Park

Argyll Holidays is investing £1 million to turn Loch Lomond Holiday Park into a luxury five star holiday resort.

The renovation project includes new accommodation and facilities scheduled over the next three years, with existing holiday home owners already seeing improvements throughout the park.

Keith Campbell, managing director at Argyll Holidays commented: “It has always been a goal of ours to have something on the shores of Loch Lomond. I, along with my two fellow directors, saw it as a once in a lifetime opportunity when it came along.

“To us Loch Lomond Holiday Park has not had an awful lot of investment in the past 10 or 12 years. We would love it to be a five star holiday park regardless if it is for holiday home owners, holiday makers or touring caravans.”

The Loch Lomond park was purchased by Argyll Holidays in May in a deal worth £2.4 million. The business is run by the second generation of the Campbell family, and includes a portfolio of holiday parks and hotels across Argyll including the Drimsynie Estate Holiday Village and Hunters Quay in Dunoon. Argyll Holidays was named Family Business of the Year at this year’s Scottish Business Awards.

Holiday Snaps: Simon Altham, Hoseasons

Posted on July 3, 2014
simon

Simon Altham, Hoseasons

Holiday Snaps: Simon Altham, Hoseasons

Having been with Hoseasons for eight years as director of lodges and parks, Simon took over the role as managing director in March last year. His responsibilities include overseeing the ongoing growth of the company’s UK portfolio, travel trade relationships, contact centre operations and new product development...

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

Demand for UK holidays remains high thanks to monumental investment by holiday park owners in accommodation, facilities and food and beverages. This has kept satisfaction levels high and secured repeat customers as well as attracting lots of new ones too.

What are the main challenges facing the industry?

In a world of social media, when we occasionally do get it wrong, it is imperative that issues are resolved as quickly as possible to avoid any reputation damage. Conversely, when customers receive outstanding service they are also quick to promote and recommend.

What is the most crucial aspect to the success of your business?

Recruiting and retaining the right people has to be up there as the most important aspect of our business. We invest heavily in ensuring Hoseasons is a great place to work and that our team is motivated, energised and committed to delivering exceptional service to our customers.

What has been your stand out experience in the industry?

We have a sister company based in Holland, Landal Green Parks, who now operate over 70 parks across Europe and I have been very fortunate to spend time out with the team in the field learning how they manage their parks. There is a lot we can learn and that will translate into the UK market.

What does a typical day in the office for you entail?

I am an early riser so I tend to get in at 7am which gives me chance to plan out my day and most importantly review the previous days’ trading. I like to spend an hour a week with my direct reports so a large proportion of my day can be spent in meetings, but the thing I love most about working in travel is that no two days are the same and you never really know when you walk through the door what the day is going to entail.

To read more of the interview with Simon, please subscribe online.

And to find out more about Hoseasons, visit their website here.

New Campaign To Support British Tourism

Posted on May 2, 2014
tourism

It is hoped that the new VisitEngland campaign will boost holiday bookings and support businesses affected by the bad weather earlier in the year. Pic: VisitEngland, Chris J Parker.

New Campaign To Support British Tourism

A new £2million government funded campaign has been launched to support businesses affected by the recent severe weather and to drive holiday bookings in England.

VisitEngland, the country’s national tourist board, has developed a campaign with two distinct elements - events focused on providing business support and a tactical marketing campaign called ‘Spot On England’, aimed at boosting bookings.

While tourism businesses in the main have been unaffected by the severe weather conditions, and the resounding message from industry has been ‘business as usual’, recent research by VisitEngland shows that 10% of consumers say that have been put off taking a trip to affected areas.

To combat this negative perception VisitEngland has launched a dedicated marketing campaign in the UK as well as in Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, called ‘Spot on England’. The campaign will promote England with great value offers to inspire holiday bookings. In addition, VisitEngland is partnering with a number of destinations to organise events around the country where tourism businesses can gain free access to experts on building design, communications, social media, marketing and legal issues to ensure greater resilience against severe weather conditions in the future.