Roseberry View Case Study
The Kingston Park and Leisure Homes Way – How personal service and a radical new approach is taking the lodge market by storm. With the launch of the absolutely stunning Palazzo and a brand-new model to be unveiled at The Lawns, we sat down with Kingston Park and Leisure Homes who have been setting the benchmark for quality and luxury in 2019’S lodge market. Speaking to Kris Robinson, the Commercial Director, he talked us through a recent project at Roseberry View to show how the company’s radical approach to customer service and build quality help get this brand-new park off the ground. Here’s what he said… “At Kingston Park and Leisure Homes, we like to do things a little differently. By putting customer service at the heart of all of our processes and systems we ensure we always live up to our motto – on time, in full and error free. We think this approach pays off and provides a real point of difference for us against our competitors. In the case of Roseberry View, it started with an introduction to Andy, the park owner, and conversation about what his vison for the park was and how we could help. Once we met in person it was clear that Andy had a particular vison for his park and a standard ‘off the shelf’ lodge wasn’t going to cut it for him. Our first meeting was at Staxton Vale where we have two show lodges – The Affinity and The Liberty, but we arranged a return meeting at our factory in Hull so we could really show him our full range and how we do things differently. One of the first things we talked about at the factory was our Unique Customisation Framework. It provides thousands of options for clients so they can stamp their park’s unique identity onto the lodges, which in Andy’s case was ideal as he had a really strong vision for Roseberry View. I also took the opportunity to explain how we focus on the small details and how these add up into noticeable sense of quality as you walk through the door of any Kingston lodge. Things like domestic style internal walls that can be painted with emulsion, our proprietary wall insulation technique and other unique construction methods. Andy also mentioned that whilst in Hull, he would also be looking at some of our competitors. Whilst it may seem counter intuitive, we recommend people do shop around and see what’s out there on the market. However, what we do know is that clients won’t get better personalised customer service, the highest construction standards and better value for money than they do here at Kingston. After the end of the factory meeting, we always make a point of booking a return meeting so the team can assess the site, visualise how the lodges will be sited and see if we can help with any extra amenity buildings. Due to our background in the modular construction industry, we can construct just about any building that a holiday park would require from toilet blocks to restaurants. After the site visit, we entered the negotiation phase. Andy is a great businessman and tough negotiator but after a few days we agreed price, terms and an initial order of 10 Tranquility lodges. Unlike some of the larger chains, here at Kingston we have the ability to do a deal that’s beneficial to all parties. At this stage we also provided our trademark guaranteed delivery dates. We understand how costly, both financially and emotionally, delays can be for park owners and operators. Our guaranteed delivery dates not only give customers peace of mind but enables them to start enjoying their new homes straight away or start generating a return on their investment as soon as possible. Once the order was placed, Andy and his entourage visited us again to really delve deep into the design of his new lodges. Whilst they loved the Tranquillity’s layout and design, Andy’s park vision had a unique set of requirements which involved a number of changes to the base model. Using our Unique Customer Framework, we developed a design scheme that was perfect for Andy and ultimately, something unique to Roseberry View. Before production started, we sent our expert access and siting team to assess the site and ensure that any protentional hiccups were dealt with before they became a real issue. The first batch of five lodges were manufactured in March and delivered to the site in May. The second batch of five were constructed in May/June and delivered in June.” We also spoke to Andy Platts, the owner of Roseberry View, to see what he thought of the process… “It was great to deal with Kris and the team and you could really tell that they were all committed to doing right by the customer. They helped myself the team at every step of the process even going as far as driving me to a local tile shop when we were designing the bathroom! Overall I’m really happy with the finished lodges and wouldn’t hesitate in recommending them to anyone.” With attention to detail, stunning quality and personal customer service at every step, it’s easy to see why these relative new comers are making a splash in the market. If you’d like to see more of Kingston Park and Leisure Homes you can visit their website, https://www.kingstonplh.com/, email them on sales@kingstonplh.comor call them on 01482 835835
Compass Celebrations!
Binnacle was established in a unique, strategic alliance between BH&HPA and Rural & Commercial Holdings back in December 2018. The name Binnacle was chosen for the business because a binnacle supports and houses a ship’s compass. Some six months later, it was celebrations all round on 26th of June, when the Compass team were able to finally and formally celebrate the re-birth of their Scheme. The official Grand Opening of the airy new Binnacle/Compass offices took place in Pullman Court in Gloucester, which is also home to the British Holiday and Home Parks Association (BH&HPA). Invited guests were welcomed by both the Compass and BH&HPA teams for a champagne lunch and a blue ribbon was cut to mark the occasion. In welcoming everyone to the event, BH&HPA National Chairman Andrew Baragwanath explained how important it is to the Association to ensure that the right insurance cover and services are available to park business and their customers. He also outlined some of the history of the Compass Scheme, which dates back to 1976, and explained the work involved in establishing Binnacle. Binnacle’s Chairman, Allan Gribben (who is also Chairman of the Primary Group) then detailed some of the ambitious plans for Compass, noting the investments that are being made in people and systems to ensure that the Scheme not only meets, but exceeds, its customers’ expectations. Allan went on to thank the many people who had worked tirelessly to establish Binnacle, including the park-owning members of the Compass/BH&HPA Committee and the members of the Compass team. Summing up, Allan noted that ‘this is only the beginning’ for Compass 2.0! Compass, 7 Pullman Court, Great Western Road, Gloucester GL1 3ND Tel: 0344 274 0277 E-mail: enquiries@binnacle.co.uk Twitter: @CompassInsUK Web: www.compaissinsuranceservices.co.uk Compass Insurance is a trading style of Binnacle Insurance Services Limited. Binnacle Insurance Services Limited is Registered in England under No. 11429456. Registered Office: 2nd Floor, The Hamlet, Hornbeam Park, Harrogate, HG2 8RE. Binnacle Insurance Services Limited are authorised and regulated by the Finance Conduct Authority, FRN 820727.
Keeping Guests Warm Throughout The Winter Months
Summer time sometimes lulls us into a false sense of security – it’s warm enough inside and the heating may not be used for weeks (even months) in vans, holidays homes, pods and glamping tents. But come the autumn and winter – when many owners and visitors would like to extend their use of parks – the temperature has got to be spot on for guests to want to return. Here, we take a look at the different approaches to heating and some of the newest, most innovative heating and ventilation methods on the market. Pods Slades Farm Leisure build hand-crafted pods for a variety of outdoor situations. Its underfloor heating and insulated walls ensures the pods are comfortable even in the harshest of weather. The smaller spaces mean pods heat up quickly and efficiently and energy bills remain low. Glamping tents Flue, chimney and renewable heating products supplier Specflue recently published a guide on how to keep your luxury glamping accommodation warm and cosy. Advice for Glampsite Owners contains suggestions on how to select a competent installer and an example of a how a ‘smart’ pellet boiler is providing heat to a luxury geo-dome in Wales. The high- performance appliance can be fired-up ahead of time via a smartphone, to ensure a welcoming atmosphere on arrival! Lodges Many caravan manufacturers have branched out into the luxury world of lodges, where owners and visitors expect a real home-from-home experience. Willerby’s Mulberry lodge offers the revolutionary Thermowise system, which combines excellent insulation and acoustic technology, making the Mulberry 14% warmer and quieter than current industry standards. It also offers customers real savings on energy bills. Caravans and motorhomes Most caravans are built with central heating but in the winter months, condensation can become a problem. Chris Michael from Meaco, supplier of dehumidifiers and air purifiers, says, “Although vans and motorhomes are ventilated when they are built, this only helps to keep the air moving and to stop the air from becoming stale – it will not help to keep the space dry or to protect the artefacts from moisture damage. “This is where a dehumidifier comes in. It will reduce the level of humidity in the air, by sucking in air from the room at one end, removing the moisture, and then blowing it back out into the room again, adding warmth in the process. Sealing any ventilation gaps in a caravan when using a dehumidifier in the winter will make it work more efficiently.” For more information on all of these heating methods, see our website caravanindustryandparkoperator.co.uk.
