With the rise of Millennial campers and Baby Boomer generation getting older, many campgrounds are starting to offer cabins or RVs as a way to attract more customers. While some think offering these accommodations defies the spirit of camping itself, many parks have seen an increase in Park visitors due to offering more lush accommodations. Here are a few pros and cons for offering cabin or RV rentals as a means to generate more income for your RV Park or campground.
First, let’s start off with the pros.
Although a little sad, people are used to certain things in today’s modern world. When people decide to go camping they already have to face the possibility of not having wifi, a HUGE deal to most. If you additionally take away their ability to have a hot shower and a mattress, you will miss out on a lot of potential clients. Therefore, renting cabins will be the only way you will get them to make a reservation at your RV Park or Campground. To put it simply, those who won’t camp will stay in a cabin.
As the Baby Boomer generation gets older, being able to camp outdoors gets harder. By offering cabins, they will still be able to enjoy the great outdoors while also not putting as much stress on them. Their families, even the ones who do not enjoy camping, would be more likely to come with. Therefore, having accommodations for larger family units would mean your park would be full even in the offseason.
You can also list cabins and RVs on places like Airbnb which sees an average of 80 million nights booked each year.
That said, there are several cons that go with renting out cabins or RVs. Let's start with RVs.
RVs can be tricky due to things like clogged toilets and those who have not stayed in an RV before might not know how to treat one. Maintainance is also tricky with cabins. If something goes wrong, that cabin has to be fixed fast. If you do not have someone on staff who is skilled at quick fixes, you might have to cancel short notice which is never good for business.
Additionally, cleaning crews will be needed. This can be tricky because if you do not have enough to hire a cleaning crew. If you are too small to hire a permanent crew, you might find yourself overwhelmed sometimes when guests change fast.
Finally, if you live in a state like Texas, you are required to pay for a hotel type certification. This not only means you will have to pay an additional 17% tax for any units rented out, but you also have to file a lot more paperwork at the end of the year.
Whatever your campground or RV Park decides to do, Bonfire Software can help you manage your listings and keep track of things like taxes and reports. Plus, with Bonfire’s simple campground management tools, you can also list your rentals and sites online for instant bookings. If you have any questions about how Bonfire can help you, please email us at howdy@letsbonfire.com.
