Face-To-Face With Industry Experts

Posted on June 29, 2018

Face-To-Face With Industry Experts

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, unrivaled 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 at www.holidayparkshow.co.uk

Next Chapter In Park Success Story

Posted on June 29, 2018

Next Chapter In Park Success Story

North Wales MP David Jones has opened a new country club at a holiday park near Rhyl, and praised its contribution to Wales’s tourism economy.
Mr Jones, who is MP for Clwyd West, was at Caeran Caravan Park near Abergele to see how the award-winning business plays its part in attracting thousands of visitors each year to the region.
During his visit, David Jones took time out to cut the ribbon on The Mill, the park’s recently built country club where guests can meet and relax when staying.
The MP commented: “I was delighted to see how investment in the new facilities at Caeran Caravan Park is helping the business go from strength to strength.
“Our area is one of the most attractive in the country, and high quality parks such as Caeran give holidaymakers access to the very best that North Wales has to offer.
“Wales Tourism Week helps focus attention on a vitally important industry for our local economy, and I am very pleased to show my support,” he added.
Bounded by the River Elwy in a picture-postcard valley, Caeran was founded around 1960 and provides more than 50 privately owned caravan holiday homes in its seven acre grounds.

Fairy Tale Story

Posted on May 17, 2018

Fairy Tale Story - Wyldecrest Parks' Alfie

The story of Alfie Best’s rise from a humble childhood to multimillionaire businessman reads like a modern day fairy tale. Born into a Romany Gypsy family in 1970, Alfie started working at the tender age of eight, labouring and laying tarmac alongside his father. By 14, he was buying and selling vehicles and just a few years later, he already owned several mobile phone shops across London. By 2001, entrepreneur Alfie had made enough money to invest in his heritage, purchasing his first mobile home park in Romford – Lakeview Residential Park – for a significant £1.7million. Lakeview Park, with its 132 homes, is still one of the most popular parks in Alfie Best’s portfolio - the Wyldecrest Parks Group, now valued at over £230 million. As one of the most successful park operators in the UK, the award-winning Wyldecrest portfolio includes 52 residential parks for the over 50’s and six holiday parks offering homes for rent and sale. As the only ISO 9001 accredited operator within the parks sector, Wyldecrest Parks is also the only parks group to have nationwide coverage in 24 counties across England, Scotland and Wales.

PHENOMENAL GROWTH

Fairy Tale Story - Alfie Best The phenomenal growth of Wyldecrest Parks is undoubtedly a product of Chairman Alfie Best’s personal drive to succeed. Although numerous, his park investments are testament to quality over quantity with carefully chosen locations, safety and security provided by on site staff, and the highest operational standards. Saltmarshe Castle Park is a particular jewel in the Wyldecrest crown. Homes are set amongst the picturesque grounds of a former 19th century country house and estate close to the market town of Bromyard in Herefordshire. The original castle was demolished in the 1950s but parts of the outer walls and turrets remain, alongside several outbuildings and stables. All are being restored to their former glory to add to the park’s unique atmosphere. Saltmarshe Castle Park started life as a holiday park and was acquired by Wyldecrest Parks in 2015. It still has some 300+ holiday homes but the park is currently in the midst of a massive upgrade with 60+ residential plots being developed in the initial stage.

According to Alfie Best, Saltmarshe Castle Park’s many natural assets made it a natural choice for residential development. “The park’s premier location and its outstanding beauty are impossible to deny, Fairy Tale Story FOUR ” says Alfie. “It would have been a shame not to take full advantage of that. Now people can live in this astonishing site permanently, and enjoy its beauty full-time.” Out of the initial plots being developed in the Tower Court area of the park, more than half are ready to receive happy new owners, whilst further availability is limited, especially for those plots which offer exclusive and unrestricted country views.

Adding to their investment in the local region, last year Wyldecrest Parks also acquired the nearby Sapey Golf Club. Alfi e Best believes that the popular Club offers huge potential as a lifestyle venue. The rebranded Sapey Golf and Country Club is shortly going to be offering a select number of exclusive golf lodges. “Our main goal is to bring the golf club up to its former glory, at the same time we create more jobs, invest in the region and bring revenue to the local community,” explains Alfi e. Giving back to its communities is at the heart of Wyldecrest Parks’ ethos and to this end, the company recently launched the Wyldecrest Parks Charitable Trust. The aim of the Trust is to deliver family support, equipment and health care to those who are facing life-threatening health conditions in and around their park communities. The charity will also be supporting holiday breaks for families in need. Through the Trust, the Wyldecrest Parks Group hopes to inspire some of its 120 staff and many thousands of homeowners to organise their own fundraising activities and get involved in volunteering opportunities within their own communities. “As a company, we are really excited about this development. We feel it’s our duty as a successful, growing company, to make a positive contribution to worthy causes and this is our expression of that deeply held commitment”, says Alfie Best. If Wyldecrest Parks’ recent growth (30% expansion over two years) is anything to go by, the business is assured of a bright future. Over the years, Alfi e has also built up a number of other successful businesses within the hospitality and leisure, events, trading and finance industries including Vinyl Bar, Best Park Home Finance, Kyoto Clearance and Wylde Events.

Memory Makers – Hafan y Môr

Posted on May 16, 2018

We dip a toe into Haven’s award-winning Hafan y Môr resort…

Above : New investment will include significant accommodation choice upgrade.

Boasting a continuous re-investment schedule into its 36 nationwide locations, Haven is the UK’s leading provider of family holidays. Part of Bourne Leisure, the company is the Sunday Times’ sixth ‘Best Big Company to Work For in the UK’ and Haven was the winner of the Best Family Holiday Company of the Year 2017 at the British Travel Awards. Bourne Leisure’s main ethos is to simply give guests a great time, with memories that last a lifetime. Hafan y Môr gets that customer seal of approval with in excess of 200,000 visitors every year between March and November. If you think, with such high visitor numbers, that the park feels crowded then you would be mistaken. Hafan y Môr is spread over 500 spacious acres with a stunning beach and coast line, offering guests an irresistible great escape from and a fantastic launching pad to explore the local area, which boasts rich culture and awarding-winning tourist attractions. Hafan y Môr is the largest single self-catering holiday provider in North Wales and is the biggest employer in Gwynedd.

Above : The resort boasts 1400 caravans across its 500 acres.

The park is critical to the success of the local economy and the tourism industry. At peak times, the park doubles the population of the local town Pwllheli. The park employs 430 team members at peak, with over 50% of them being native Welsh speakers. The holiday resort is home to an outstanding array of great family friendly activities and facilities including 1,400 caravan pitches. This is combined with a whole host of on-site activities from an Aerial Adventure high ropes course down to the relaxing boating lake and fun indoor SportsDrome to expert led outdoor Nature Rockz sessions. The Old Butlin’s Starcoast World closed in 1998 and was refurbished and re-opened as Haven’s Hafan y Môr in 1999 transforming it into a stunning family park on Llyn Peninsular. Featuring extensively in the latest Haven television commercials, Hafan y Môr’s fl agship pool complex, Splashaway Bay, has undergone a £4million transformation over the last two years, culminating in the completion of the new £1million Changing Village.

AWARD-WINNING

ABOVE: The flagship attraction at Hafan y Môr is its award-winning pool complex.

Recently winning the coveted UK Pool & Spa Awards’ Holiday Park Swimming Pool Of The Year, the pool serves as an all-weather venue where families of all ages and abilities can feel safe. The holiday park pool is often the first time families will have been in the water together and this memory is one that lasts a lifetime. The refurbished water complex hosts a brand new fresh design alongside an array of exciting family friendly water features. These include an exhilarating new flume slide, exciting wave machine, a fully-fited, themed children’s pool with fun features such as tipping buckets and new water slides together with a multilane pool for committed swimmers. To top it all off guests can enjoy a new Milly’s coffee and cookie bar. There is no question of Hafan y Môr resting on its award-winning laurels. The management team has just unveiled its next ten year Strategic Development Plans that include over £21million of investment, including additional facilities, restaurants, Owners Club and more caravan and lodge developments as well as the demolition of the remaining apartment accommodation. This is in addition to the continual investment in the park environment and landscaping, and supporting the diverse ecology on the park.

Dare To Be Different – GLAMPING

Posted on May 16, 2018

Dare To Be Different - GLAMPING

ABOVE: Tentsile's best selling signature model is the Stringray Tree Tent, Photo: Tom Kahler

With glamping bookings already up by 50% this year, the drive to provide something different has never been more urgent. Typical glamping offerings include wooden pods, safari tents, yurts and bell tents. Out of the box options are as likely to include fl oating houseboats, treehouses, converted airplanes and double decker buses, Dan Yates, who founded Pitch-up.com in 2009, says that right blend of accommodation mix is crucial in this increasingly competitive market. According to Dan, success in glamping depends on staying ahead of the game and choosing something that makes your accommodation ‘stand out from the crowd’. Ensuring superior facilities and customer service is key to keep up with increasing quality accommodation. And don’t forgo technology! “While some sites promote an ‘off-grid’ retreat, this is a small niche market and for the vast majority of customers, fast and stable Wi-Fi is a ‘must’,” advises Dan. In the 12 months to November 2017, Pitchup’s bookings for cabins were up 102%, micro-lodges up 114% and pods up 73%, says Dan. Rent-a-tents were up 151%, bell tents 77%, safari tents 73%, yurts 52% and domes 26%. “Many site owners fi nd that a combination of traditional pitches and glamping units that appeal to a new audience work well,” he explains, “Not least to reduce dependence on the weather!” Open for three years and constantly evolving, Wardley Hill Campsite offers guests a unique camping and glamping experience from a six-acre site in the picturesque Waveney Valley.

Owner, Joe Putman honed his camping skills working on campsites on the Isles of Scilly and in Dorset before putting down roots with his wife Holly and son in Norfolk. There are no neat rows of accommodation at Wardley Hill. Glampers can choose from a stunning Lotus Bell Stargazer tent, a huge Family Emperor Bell Tent, a locally crafted Sheperd’s hut, home-made Hammock hut and a Tentsile Connect tent suspended in the trees. “We wanted to offer a real ‘Swallows and Amazons’ experience,” explains Joe. “We have made a conscious decision not to have two of the same of any type of accommodation and in doing so, we’ve created something far removed from the typical holiday park.” “We have deliberately taken a very low-key approach to glamping,” says Joe. “As an industry, glamping is the trend that everyone has jumped on and it’s already becoming overcommercialised.” At Wardley Hill, the ethos is a very definite decision to celebrate the unregimented.

Wild flowers and grass are left to grow to encourage wildlife and the facilities offer an authentic back to- basics experience with composting toilets and open-topped showers. The family is constantly on the lookout for the next quirky addition to Wardley Hill. Joe is currently converting Camelot, an Eventide 26 sailing yacht to offer two-berth accommodation for those with a nautical bent, on land. Camelot is to be surrounded by a wooden deck with an outdoor fi re pit, whilst the interior will boast a wood burner and BBQ via the rear hatch.

Gates Tops Bunn Leisure Entertainment

Posted on May 15, 2018

Gates Tops Bunn Leisure Entertainment

Bunn Leisure has confirmed Gareth Gates as one of its headline entertainment acts.

Pop star Gareth Gates is one of the top acts in West Sussex holiday park Bunn Leisure’s 2018 entertainment line-up. On May 12 this year, the 33-yearold singer will be heading to the south coast holiday park to perform an eclectic mix of pop classics including Spirit In The Sky, Summer of 69, and Suspicious Minds. It’s been 16 years since Gareth Gates won the hearts of the nation on the UK’s first Pop Idol, wowing the judges and finishing a close runner-up to Will Young. Since then, the Bradford-born star has carved out a hugely successful career, selling over 3.5 million records worldwide, with four UK No1 singles. He’s starred in West End musicals, come fourth in Dancing On Ice, made a TV documentary about the struggle faced by people who stammer – and has recently launched the world’s first range of coconut teas!

Unmissable Show Dates

Posted on May 15, 2018

Make a date to visit June’s World of Park & Leisure Homes.

Unmissable Show Dates

Offering possibly the biggest collection of Park Homes and Leisure Lodges on display at any event, the World of Park & Leisure Homes takes place next month at the Stoneleigh Showground from June 7 to 10th inclusive.

Leading UK manufacturers are lined up to transform Stoneleigh into a huge luxury park with some 60 styles of the latest lodge homes on display.

The event is an unmissable opportunity to meet up with other park owners and operators as well as meeting industry specific exhibitors from a vast array of core specialist suppliers from insurance providers to indoor and outdoor furniture.

Open from 10 am daily, Thursday June 7th is an exclusive Trade Preview Day. The show opens to the public as well as the trade on Friday, Saturday and Sunday June 8th, 9th and 10th. For those planning for extended visits, a wide variety of accommodation is available locally at neighbouring towns like Kenilworth, Leamington Spa and Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Sat navs should be set for CV8 2LG but for all other information and updates, visit the event’s new website at www.parkhomeandleisure.co.uk

Top Of British Holiday Survey Pops

Posted on May 15, 2018

Top Of British Holiday Survey Pops

Above : The Away Resorts Survey showed Brits still want to head for their annual holiday getaway.

According to a recent survey by market-leading holiday park operator Away Resorts, 55% of Brits are taking their main holiday at a UK lodge or caravan park this year. Away Resorts is a UK holiday park operator, with six parks in Lincolnshire, Isle of Wight, North Wales, Hampshire, Hayling Island & Essex. It was the 35 – 44 and 45 – 54 age groups that picked lodge and caravan parks the most, suggesting that families and empty nesters are interested in an experience where the facilities and entertainment within easy reach. Carl Castledine, the Chief Executive of Away Resorts, said: “It’s great to see that the great British holiday continues to go from strength to strength. We British are taking more and more domestic short breaks throughout the year, but to see that a third of consumers are taking their main holiday in the UK just goes to show that our fabulous island can inspire people to stay here over far-flung destinations. “Away Resorts has six lovely resorts in stunning locations throughout the UK. From the vibrant coastal surroundings at our Mersea Island park to the luxury leafy tranquillity at our New Forest resort and from the serene waterscapes at Tattershall Lakes to the dramatic landscape of Barmouth Bay in Wales, it’s easy to see why we’ve seen an increase in visitors to our resorts too.”

BEACH LOCATION

In terms of where Brits will be holidaying, 44% of respondents will be taking their holiday next to the beach. So, if your holiday park is right near a beach, you’ll likely attract more bookings. Location has also proven to be a determining factor, with 60% saying the local area influences their decision to book in a certain place, followed by the accommodation type and thirdly, the facilities. This suggests that although accommodation is important for holiday makers, where they stay is mostly used as a base to explore the local area and get the most from their holiday. The majority of holidaymakers are willing to travel over four hours to reach their destination and most will be staying for six nights. Considering the beach is where most will be heading, this suggests Brits are willing to travel further to reach a beauty spot. Over 43% of those having a staycation return regularly to where they’ll be heading in 2018. Unsurprisingly, most respondents said they will be going away in the summer months. When asked how much their UK holiday will cost, most respondents, 32%, said they will pay £250 - £500 per person, excluding spending money. With only 14% of respondents saying their UK holiday will cost up to a maximum of £100 per person.

Thumbs Up For Beach Lodges

Posted on May 15, 2018

Thumbs Up For Beach Lodges

Above : Lodges on Bournemouth Beach are proving a five star attraction.

Business is booming for the Bournemouth Beach Lodges now entering their second season. Waking up to the sounds of the sea with stunning views of the Purbecks and Isle of Wight, many guests have commented their Lodge stay has been typical of a five-star experience. Designed and built by local New Forest craftsmen, each Lodge is heated with a fully equipped kitchen and shower room, can sleep up to four adults and two children, all of whom can stay connected via wifi and great local 4G coverage.

The 15 contemporary overnight stay Lodges are situated a stone’s throw from the water’s edge, a short walk east of Boscombe Pier, and include bespoke interior details which complement the natural warmth and look of the Lodges. Since their launch last April more than 1,250 bookings have been made and more 12,500 Dorset biscuits have been dunked into more than 7,500 cups of Dorset Tea, both found in the complimentary Beach Lodge welcome packs.

Calls For Fixed Easter Date

Posted on May 15, 2018

Above : Tony Bywater, Salop Leisure's Chairman.

Calls For Fixed Easter Date

A leading businessman is calling for the date of Easter to be fixed to help businesses and avoid public confusion every year. Tony Bywater, chairman of caravan and motorhome dealership Salop Leisure, said fixing the date of Easter, which can vary by as much as month every year, would help businesses and their customers when planning for the year. This year, Easter is from March 30 to April 2, but it can potentially be any date between March 22 and April 25.

Easter is usually celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon on or after March 21, the first day of spring, because it is based on the lunar calendar. “The fact that Easter falls on a different date every year causes businesses tremendous problems and I think fixing a date would help the tourism industry especially,” said Mr Bywater, whose business has sales centres in Shrewsbury, Machynlleth and Stourport-on- Severn. “Businesses like to know how many days they have got after Christmas to get ready for Easter and currently the date can fall anytime between March 22 and April 25. It’s confusing to businesses, tourists and the public in general. “We also have a situation where some businesses open on Good Friday and Easter Sunday while others don’t, which is also confusing for customers.” Mr Bywater has raised the issue with Shrewsbury and Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski, who has pledged to investigate.

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Face-To-Face With Industry Experts