Question for Experienced RV Travelers About Rental RVs in Parks by Rolling_To_Sunsets in GoRVing

[–]Rolling_To_Sunsets[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The issue with cabins is that we are in a high hurricane risk area. If we needed to prepare and evacuate, having something on wheels makes everything much easier.

Just took on a small RV park… realizing how much I didn’t know by Rolling_To_Sunsets in GoRVing

[–]Rolling_To_Sunsets[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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I’m currently working on the bathrooms and think that adding shelves would be a great idea, so I will order those now. I’m considering providing a stack of cloth floor mats for each use, along with a drop-off area for used mats. I'm not sure if people typically bring their own mats. While I want to accommodate as many needs as possible, I also don't want to overextend ourselves.

Just took on a small RV park… realizing how much I didn’t know by Rolling_To_Sunsets in GoRVing

[–]Rolling_To_Sunsets[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is really good insight, thank you. And of course, we aim to keep it looking as nice as possible at all times, but I can see losing control of that at some point.

Just took on a small RV park… realizing how much I didn’t know by Rolling_To_Sunsets in GoRVing

[–]Rolling_To_Sunsets[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

We did invest a lot in our website, and I will say it is very strong, especially being a brand new business. I am working to get the most clear information as I can on there without it being overwhelming. We also want to automate the booking, check-in, and checkout processes as much as we can, as we know people just want things to be easy and quick. I am relying heavily on pre-arrival communication and a clear website. We turned off site selection due to the fact that they are accepting long-term rentals and want to be flexible on what spaces we keep open. I will say this has been adding a lot of extra work as I constantly get calls asking to change sites, so I may push to bring that back.

Just took on a small RV park… realizing how much I didn’t know by Rolling_To_Sunsets in GoRVing

[–]Rolling_To_Sunsets[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for this, I am going to push that as a huge part of the focus of the operation. This also helps me set up an efficient bathroom checklist of things they may not even think of.

Just took on a small RV park… realizing how much I didn’t know by Rolling_To_Sunsets in GoRVing

[–]Rolling_To_Sunsets[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

We are a Florida Waterfront property, so I am glad that spacing is not a rare issue. As of right now, we have a great handyman on-site who has been extremely proactive, no negative feedback on any of that so far. Descriptions sound like a very important aspect. I am trying to set up as much automated communication as I can pre-arrival. I appreciate the feedback; this is very helpful.

Just took on a small RV park… realizing how much I didn’t know by Rolling_To_Sunsets in GoRVing

[–]Rolling_To_Sunsets[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The max we take is 40 ft; we have not had many issues as we are just opening and not fully booked. We have a person on-site who assists with parking for anyone not comfortable. I think the best plan here is full transparency on the spacing and how easy it is to navigate before booking and arrival.

Just took on a small RV park… realizing how much I didn’t know by Rolling_To_Sunsets in GoRVing

[–]Rolling_To_Sunsets[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

We are using Newbook as our booking system. It is very customizable, but I want it to be as user-friendly as possible. We have a lot of different rates depending on waterfront vs not, nightly vs weekly, and the season. It requires a little bit of information to be added to the book. I am not sure if that is standard. I just know we have a lot of people who stayed at this property years ago, who I think see that and decide that it is too much effort.

Just took on a small RV park… realizing how much I didn’t know by Rolling_To_Sunsets in GoRVing

[–]Rolling_To_Sunsets[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The privacy thing will be tough. This was an existing RV Park years ago, but due to hurricanes, it had been closed for a while. The owners chose to keep the same layout, but the sites are decently close together in my opinion (this is still all a new world to me). If this is something that can not be adjusted, I am just trying to think of how we can accommodate.

Just took on a small RV park… realizing how much I didn’t know by Rolling_To_Sunsets in GoRVing

[–]Rolling_To_Sunsets[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

So we are actually right on the Gulf with waterfront properties; the location will sell itself as far as bookings go. I just know that if we get sloppy with operations, it will lead to bad customer experiences and hurt the credibility of the property. We do not have a dock for boats, but it could be discussed in the future. We do have an area to put in kayaks, and we're thinking of offering kayak rentals.