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.

On this episode of Campground Confidential, we talk with Marcia Neese, owner–along with her husband Jim– of RiverWalk RV Park in Jonesville, North Carolina. Marcia and Jim spent two years building their campground, and then opened RiverWalk RV Park in 2020…right in the middle of the pandemic.

Even though the journey to opening the campground was not without its challenges, Marcia’s prior professional experience in sales and managing multi million dollar businesses has been worth its weight in gold. She also attributes their success to their commitment to leading with their heart and always trusting their instincts to provide an amazing guest experience for all their visitors.

Campground Details: RiverWalk RV Park

Nestled along the Yadkin River in Jonesville, North Carolina, RiverWalk RV park offers a unique blend of nature and community-focused amenities. With 51 meticulously planned sites, the campground caters exclusively to transient RV campers, providing a serene escape for families and outdoor enthusiasts who are typically just an hour's drive from home. This proximity allows for frequent visits and a steady clientele looking for a quick yet refreshing getaway.

Although the RV park has been booked solid on weekends since its opening season, Marcia and Jim do not plan on expanding the campground footprint. They love the size of the current campground, and focus on enhancements for their current campers.

Building RiverWalk RV Park

Marcia’s transition from a 30-year corporate career into campground ownership was driven by a desire for change and a new challenge as she and her husband both approached 50. Jim Neese, a former professional athlete with a background in grading and construction, shared her desire for a change. Together, they embarked on creating a campground from the ground up. The couple's journey began with a frustrating experience trying to book an RV park spot, which sparked the idea that they could offer something better. They envisioned a place that fused their love for community with a welcoming, friendly camping experience.

Armed with determination, the couple started by transforming a piece of overgrown land. Jim personally graded the land, ensuring each site was perfectly level—a nod to his attention to detail and background in grading. The initial design was simple, sketched on a paper towel, and evolved as they built the campground. They focused on a guest-centric approach, shaping the park to offer the best possible experience from the perspective of campers rolling into their carefully crafted haven.

RiverWalk RV Park Partners with Local Vendors to Enhance Guest Experiences

From the beginning, Marcia aimed to weave the local community into the fabric of her campground. She started by introducing 'Sit Back and Relax Saturdays', a tradition that brings different local food trucks, dessert vendors, and a pop-up mobile bar to the campground every weekend. A local brewery helped set up an onsite bar, further anchoring the park within the local economy.

Marcia expanded the campground’s offerings by including diverse activities coordinated with local businesses: ax throwing sessions, live music events, and themed bingo nights named 'World Famous RiverWalk Bingo', where winners shout "I love RiverWalk!" to claim their prizes. These activities not only entertain guests but also support local artists and entrepreneurs, many of whom struggled during the disruption of Covid-19 shutdowns. .

Guest Insights at RiverWalk RV Park

Marcia's campground attracts mainly local campers—about 80 to 85% live within an hour's drive. This insight allowed her to tailor her marketing strategies effectively, utilizing data to focus efforts where they would have the most impact. Her campground has become a favored local spot for quick retreats, providing a beach-like experience with a man-made tranquil sandy beach that draws guests, especially during warmer months.

Lightning Round Insights

During the lightning round, Marcia emphasized the importance of community and personal connection in her business philosophy. She shared that the initial plan to create a hands-off investment quickly gave way to a full-time passion, underscoring her commitment to ensuring every guest’s stay is memorable. Her advice to new campground owners is to dive in with passion and be prepared to work hard and adapt, reflecting her own experiences of building and nurturing a successful campground from scratch.

RiverWalk’s story exemplifies how a personal touch, combined with community integration, can transform a simple campground into a thriving local retreat. Marcia reminds us that thoughtful management, guest-centered operations, and local collaboration can lead to a successful campground where guests and local vendors alike find a ton of joy…and plenty of economic value.

This episode of Campground Confidential features Chris Pyle, the Director of Operations at RV Self Park, a small, family-owned campground business. In this multifaceted role, Chris has worn various hats, handling everything from answering calls and spearheading marketing initiatives to overseeing upgrades at the park.

His journey into the outdoor hospitality industry began with a solid foundation in customer service as a recruiter prior to joining RV Self Park. This experience equipped him with the interpersonal skills and client-focused mindset that have proved instrumental in his transition into the world of hospitality. Chris's commitment to providing exceptional service and ensuring a positive guest experience has been a driving force throughout his career.

The concept of RV Self Park is rooted in providing a simple, automated, and stress-free overnight stay for transient travelers. The idea stemmed from the founders’ experiences as they RVed across America and often found themselves looking for a safe and affordable place to spend the night while they were driving from point A to point B. The challenge became finding a place that was close to the interstate and wouldn’t be too expensive considering they wouldn’t be using the large majority of campground amenities.

Of course, RVers know that a common solution to the dilemma of looking for a safe place to sleep without paying a high price point is stopping in parking lots of businesses like Walmart and Cracker Barrell. Many of these locations allow RVers to park overnight for free. However, noise, light, lack of hookups, and the variety of local ordinances make this a less than ideal solution for many travelers.

Enter RV Self Park.

The first RV Self Park location opened in January of 2020 in West Sullivan Missouri right off I-44. The goal was “meet the needs of the RV traveler who” was looking for “a convenient, hassle-free, safe place to park for between a few hours, to a few days.” The greatest challenges came with developing the automated technology for guests and also communicating processes and expectations that RVers were not accustomed to with this entirely new model of campground.

The second RV Self Park location recently opened in Kingsland, Georgia. In this episode Chris discusses how they chose this location and the goals for growing the company and franchising their unique model.

Takeaways

RV Self Park offers a simple, automated, and stress-free overnight stay for transient travelers.

Choosing the right location is crucial for the success of any campground, but particularly when you are serving transient guests.

Trends in the campground industry indicate a growing demand for convenient and hassle-free overnight stays.

Dynamic pricing and promotional pricing can be effective strategies for attracting guests.

Owning and operating a campground requires attention to detail and the ability to adapt to guest needs.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

00:36 RV Self Park Concept

07:03 Challenges and Solutions

08:01 Frustrations in the Campground Industry

09:02 Choosing the Right Location

11:36 Expansion and Franchise Model

20:55 Pricing and Promotions

25:57 Personal Camping Experience

27:02 Challenges with Guests

28:18 Dynamic Pricing and Promotional Pricing

30:22 Advice for Opening a Campground

31:01 Controversial Campground Rule

31:49 Misconceptions about Running a Campground

32:06 Conclusion

Campground Confidential is brought to you by Park Vendor Review. Visit ParkVendorReview.com to search, save, rate, and review vendors in the outdoor hospitality industry.

Our guest on this episode of Campground Confidential is Garrett Weber-Gale who describes himself as a husband, father, athlete, and entrepreneur. He is perhaps most well-known as an athlete, having won two Olympic gold medals at the Beijing Olympics in swimming, and for having broken eight American Records and Four World records, one of which still stands today that he set in Beijing along with Michael Phelps, Jason Lezak, and Cullen Jones in their epic 400 freestyle relay that beat the highly favored French team.

Garrett started his first business at the age of twelve and went on to run a sports nutrition business. He continues to grow his outdoor adventure business Discover Term, was a partner and COO at Campground Booking that he helped sell to Camping World in 2021, and is now building a new hospitality brand called Gather Campgrounds.

The first Gather Campground recently opened in Belton, Texas about 45 minutes north of Austin. The property contains 141 sites just across the street from Bell County Expo Center, which hosts over 400 events per year ranging from rodeos, dog shows, and monster trucks and the event center is certainly a significant part of the campground strategy.

In this episode Garrett shares the story of opening Gather Campground. He is clearly passionate about providing an elevated guest experience, and shares specific examples of how they go above and beyond for their guests, such as helping someone secure a hard-to-find replacement part for a necessary RV repair.

Garrett also discusses the challenges and lessons learned from building the campground and shares his plans for future expansion. He touches on the topics of dynamic pricing, promotional pricing, and the trend of people working from the road. Overall, the conversation highlights the dedication and passion required to be a successful campground owner.

• Providing a great guest experience is crucial for the success of a campground.
• Investing in high-quality amenities, such as showers and common areas, can greatly enhance the guest experience.
• Choosing the right location and understanding the target market are key factors in the success of a campground.
• Building a campground requires careful planning, attention to detail, and the ability to adapt to challenges.
• The trend of people working from the road is not going away, and campgrounds should consider providing amenities and services to cater to this demographic, including high-speed, reliable WiFi.

00:00 Introduction and Opening of Gather Campground

01:07 Description of Gather Campground

04:25 Major Amenities at Gather Campground

06:21 A Playground for Adults

07:19 Origin Story of Gather Campground

09:08 Location Selection for Gather Campground

10:24 Competitive Landscape and Target Market

11:33 Guests Working from the Road

15:49 Importance of Great Showers and Amenities

18:13 Guest Experience at Gather Campground

23:36 Lessons Learned from Building the Campground

28:21 Future Plans for Building More Campgrounds

29:01 Dynamic Pricing and Promotional Pricing

30:02 Camping for Fun

30:36 Biggest Mistake in Building the Campground

31:52 Building Another Campground

32:23 Misconceptions about Being a Campground Owner

Our guest on Campground Confidential is Kathryn Berta, owner--along with her husband Alan--of the Brattleboro North KOA Journey in East Dummerston, Vermont.

This is a gem of a campground that I have personally visited quite a few times over the last decade. Kat and Alan purchased the property in 2019, while she was still in her late 20s. She takes a fresh approach to earned media placements, including being interviewed by Readers Digest about camping mistakes she witnesses at her own campground and giving advice to new campers about ways to avoid these faux pas. Kat feels strongly about providing an amazing customer experience, offering concierge-like services to her guests. And we’ll talk specifically about these strategies in this episode.

Kat is going into her sixth year of campground ownership, but we return to the beginning of the story and discuss the purchase of the campground and the challenges of the first year.

Kat emphasizes the importance of providing customized experiences for guests and shares her advice for new campground owners. The Brattleboro North KOA Journey provides what Kat calls "one-pagers" which provide detailed information for exploring hidden gems and local treasures. Kat has found that these trip guides actually help people find the campground via SEO when they are planning their trips to the Vermont area. You can find examples like the Covered Bridge tour on the Brattleboro North KOA Journey campground blog. The conversation concludes with a discussion on dealing with negative reviews and a controversial campground rule.

Throughout this conversation with Kat, one thing was abundantly obvious--she places the customer experience at the center of her decisions as a campground owner. This effort has resonated with guests, as is evident in the number of 5-star campground reviews that mention the owners and the friendly staff.

Takeaways

• Providing customized experiences and unique amenities can attract and retain guests.
• Working with a broker can provide valuable insights and guidance when purchasing a campground.
• Staying up-to-date with camping trends, such as electric vehicles and multi-generational camping, can help attract a diverse range of guests.
• Dealing with negative reviews and implementing controversial campground rules can be part of the job, but it's important to focus on the positive experiences and feedback from guests.

Chapters