Enhancing Guest Experiences in Outdoor Hospitality: Insights from Amy Hansen of Amity Outdoors Management and Consulting

In this episode of Campground Confidential, we talk to Amy Hansen, a seasoned expert in property management and RV resort operations. With over 25 years of experience, Amy has built a stellar reputation in the outdoor hospitality industry, particularly in managing RV parks, RV resorts, and campgrounds. Her journey from a general manager at an RV resort to a director of operations for various properties underscores her extensive knowledge and passion for the industry.

Amy Hansen's career in property management began with a strong foundation in real estate investment. Her early experiences managing investment properties paved the way for her entry into the outdoor hospitality sector. Over the years, she has developed expertise in rate and revenue analysis, site optimization, brand development, and leadership training. Today, Amy heads Amity Outdoors Management and Consulting, where she leverages her extensive experience to help campground owners and operators enhance their operations and guest experiences.

Key Themes from the Interview

1. The Importance of Guest Experience

Amy emphasizes the centrality of guest experience in the outdoor hospitality industry. She believes that personal connections with guests are crucial and that staff should strive to make every guest feel valued and heard. Amy advocates for a balance between automation and personal interaction, ensuring that while technology can streamline operations, it should not replace the human touch that defines excellent guest service.

2. The Role of Property Management and Consulting

Amy discusses the various ways property management companies and consultants can support campground owners. These services range from comprehensive third-party management to specific tasks like rate analysis or software evaluations. Amy highlights that property management is not a one-size-fits-all solution and that services can be tailored to meet the unique needs of each campground.

3. Navigating Rate and Revenue Management

With rising costs and rate sensitivity among campers, Amy stresses the importance of transparent pricing and regular rate evaluations. She advises campground owners to avoid hidden fees, which can lead to negative guest perceptions, and instead focus on providing a value-driven experience that justifies the rates. Regular market competition analysis is also essential to ensure rates remain competitive and fair.

4. The Challenge of Reputation Management

In today's digital age, managing online reputation is critical. Amy encourages campground owners to respond to both positive and negative reviews with care and transparency. By acknowledging guest feedback and addressing concerns openly, campgrounds can build trust and improve their reputation. Amy also recommends proactively encouraging satisfied guests to leave positive reviews.

5. The Evolution of Technology in Campgrounds

Technology plays a significant role in modern campground management, from online reservations to automated services. Amy discusses the importance of choosing the right property management software (PMS) and the potential pitfalls of selecting a system that doesn't fit a campground's specific needs. She shares her experience of demoing multiple PMS options for clients to find the best match, highlighting the value of consulting expertise in making informed decisions.

Enhancing Operations with Expert Guidance

Amy Hansen's insights reveal the multifaceted nature of managing RV parks and campgrounds. Her emphasis on guest experience, transparency in rate management, and the strategic use of technology provides a roadmap for campground owners seeking to improve their operations. By embracing the expertise of property management companies and consultants, campground owners can alleviate some of the burdens associated with day-to-day management, allowing them to focus more on creating memorable guest experiences.

Amy's passion for the industry is evident throughout the interview. She encourages campground owners to find joy in hospitality and to continuously seek ways to enhance their services. Whether it's through small, meaningful interactions with guests or by leveraging technology to streamline operations, the goal is always to create an environment where guests feel valued and welcomed on a human level.

In the outdoor hospitality industry, the guidance of experienced professionals like Amy Hansen can make a significant difference. By focusing on guest experience, transparent rate management, effective reputation management, and the strategic use of technology, campground owners can navigate the challenges of the industry and achieve long-term success.

In this episode of Campground Confidential, Maddi Bourgerie, Senior Director of Communications at RVshare, joins us to discuss the ins and outs of hosting RV renters at your campground or RV park.

Maddie has worked in the industry for a decade, visited almost all 50 states, and rented more than 20 RVs. She is dedicated to the company’s mission to help travelers experience the magic of an RV adventure. Maddi has RVed on the East and West Coast checking off National Parks and music festivals from her bucket list. Her career has been dedicated to sharing her passion for travel.

RVshare is the largest online community for RV renters and owners with a diverse selection of vehicles for rent across the United States, ranging from luxury motorhomes to cozy camper vans. There are more than 60,000 owners nationwide who rent their vehicles for others to experience the magic of an RV trip.

RVshare’s Campground Partnership Program is a free program that allows RVshare to build out a community of campgrounds that they can recommend to their users. In return, the program gives campgrounds around the country the opportunity to engage with RVshare’s audience and make additional revenue by referring users to book an RV through RVshare.

• Increase reservations for RV camping spots

• Having a campground listing created on RVshare while also getting additional exposure on RVshare’s ‘Top Campground’ pages

• Additional incremental revenue for referring users to RVshare.com to book an RV

• List and rent on-property RV units for free - including Park Models

• Having your park recommended as an approved RV Delivery location to RVshare users

• 8% commission for any booking the campground refers to RVshare.

• The average booking on RVshare is about $900 which comes to an average of $72 in commission per booking for the campgrounds.

• A $25 referral bonus for any RV owner that comes from the campgrounds site to RVshare.com and creates a new listing on RVshare

• The program has 518 campgrounds signed up to date

• Roughly 300 campgrounds host live links promoting RVshare on their websites

• Around 20% are top performing campground partners sending RV bookings to RVshare and making money for each of those bookings

Many campground owners have insurance concerns when hosting an RV renter on their property. On this episode, Maddi discusses the benefits of working with a vetted peer to peer rental platform like RVshare, noting that each and every RV rental is required to secure RVshare Insurance and Protection in case anything accidental happens while the RV is on a trip. This also includes trips where the RV may be delivered or stationary for the duration of the trip. Even if the RV is delivered or stationary, damages may still occur, examples include fire, acts of nature like storms and falling trees. RVshare also vets all of their renters, with ID verification, criminal background checks, and driving history reports.

In this episode, Maddi shares an example of a campground that is benefiting from embracing the RV rental trend. Camp Margaritaville in Auburndale refers about 10 rentals a month to RVshare, and receives a referral bonus in return. When checking a customer in, they ask if the RV is rented and request the name and number of the owner to keep on file in case of an emergency.

The campground has specific policies around delivery and set up of rentals. They also have a page on their website explaining RV rentals and campground policies. They only allow rentals through vetted, reputable rental companies, which allows them to benefit from the growing rental market while limiting their risk.

RVshare has officially added park models as a new product category on their rental platform. Renters are very inclined to stay in stationary or delivered RVs at a campground, so now RVshare is allowing campground partners to list their park model RVs on RVshare.com.

For more information about everything discussed in this episode, check out the Campground Partnership Program on the RVshare website, or reach out to Campgrounds@rvshare.com.