A socially distant staycation
How to attract customers to safely enjoy holiday homes With COVID-19 causing international travel uncertainty, UK holiday bookings are up by 60 per cent. With social distancing still a priority, how can holiday park managers safely attract customers for the summer season? Here, Nick Cowley, managing director at leading window and door manufacturer Euramax, explores the access technologies that can help ensure holidaymakers have a safe and enjoyable break. UK flights declined by 90 per cent during the lockdown period, as part of efforts to control the spread of coronavirus. Despite the easing of some measures, many people are understandably still hesitant to fly internationally in the near future. However, many people have felt the strain of lockdown and are looking for a way to lift spirits and make the most of the summer months. A local holiday, or staycation, is becoming a favourable option. In fact, the luxury of international travel has previously made many neglect the array of places to visit on our doorstep. Holiday parks are a great option, as the separate holiday home units are already distanced apart, making them naturally more equipped for social distancing than hotels. With this renewed interest in UK holidays, it’s important that holiday park managers take advantage of this opportunity, while also taking measures to ensure visitor safety once parks are permitted to open their gates. Keep it clean Holiday park managers must ensure a deep clean is conducted prior to each check in, making sure disinfectant is used and particular attention is paid to all touch points within the holiday home. Extra care must be taken by cleaning staff to prevent cross contamination between holiday homes. This can be achieved through frequent hand sanitation, changing into fresh personal protective equipment (PPE) and wiping down cleaning equipment before entering another unit. As well as ensuring park staff take precautions, it may be wise to advise visitors on the safety measures they can take. This could include information provided on the holiday park’s website or in the booking confirmation email. Equipping holiday homes with soaps, hand sanitisers, face masks and disinfectant sprays or wipes can further ensure their safety. Get SMART Remote access is often associated with industrial processes, allowing plant manufacturing facility managers to monitor production lines across the globe. However, holiday home owners can take inspiration from this method of supervision and create systems that support property management with minimal contact. Digital locks have become a popular way of transferring access to guests without hassle — and they can do much more than simply opening and closing the door. Guests receive a unique access code via their smartphone, which remains active for the duration of their stay. Authorised users simply point their phone in the direction of the door lock to gain access, reducing the need to handle keys and contact with frequently touched areas on windows and doors. Remote access also eliminates the need for contact between guests and park owners upon checking in and out. QR codes are activated and disactivated when guests enter and leave the property, meaning physical and property safety remain uncompromised. Maintaining the property can also be optimised using smart technology. Holiday homeowners can assign different codes to site managers, handymen or housekeeping staff to give easy access in the event of an emergency repair or to track how long they’ve been at the property. The activation of different codes can also ensure that nobody else is present at the property, should maintenance staff need to enter. Euramax is experienced in manufacturing windows and doors for the holiday home sector, and can incorporate SMART technology from the beginning of the design process. This saves time and cost while also reducing maintenance, as there is no need to remove windows or doors after they have been installed to retrofit technology changes. In order for SMART technology to work, full Wi-Fi access must be available across the entire holiday site. This has the added bonus of providing visitors with more entertainment inside their holiday home. Maintain fun Promoting safety measures is important, but holiday parks should still focus on ensuring visitors have an enjoyable stay. With restaurants awaiting a return to normality, park managers could consider offering a takeaway service so visitors can still enjoy a tasty treat. Some other onsite facilities, such as mini golf courses and swimming pools, may also be closed, but parks can instead promote activities in the surrounding area. Recommending local outdoor activities, such as hiking, rock pooling and bird watching, can attract customers to holiday parks despite the closure of onsite activities. However, visitors can still enjoy exploring the holiday park site safely if a one way system, with two metre markers, is incorporated. While international travel uncertainty is still looming, holiday park managers can take advantage of the surge in UK holiday interest. By keeping to strict hygiene and social distancing measures, holiday park managers can invite customers to a welcomed holiday post lockdown. With the great British countryside and coastline to explore, holidaymakers can soon enjoy a great summer holiday, without the need to fly.
Holiday Park’s will be the getaway of choice when lockdown is lifted
Here, Adam Jurka at Ramtech looks at why UK holiday parks will be this year’s getaway of choice when the lockdown is lifted. If you thought that a Spanish beach holiday was going to be your holiday destination, get ready to enjoy the delights of a UK holiday park this summer. Parks are set for a staycation boom once the travel restrictions are eased as more Britain’s abandon their plans for travelling abroad, and operators eye up the opportunities that will arise from a surge in demand for domestic breaks. Park operators are particularly hopeful of being able to welcome guests this summer because their facilities are ideal for social distancing. With self-contained units, contactless check-ins and the ability to drive right up to your door as well as being completely self-catering, holidays parks don’t get much safer. And, given the size and extensive nature of parks, social distancing is eminently possible for the duration of the holiday. With the parks located in some of the UK’s most scenic areas, there are few better places to get away from it all this summer. Holidaymakers themselves get a break they can rely on with all the comforts of home, without the hassle of overseas travel. It must also be in the back of everyone’s mind about being stranded somewhere in a foreign country should the worst happen. And who can predict what comes next in this saga? Operators are already seeing a significant increase in people searching for UK breaks. All this is good news for park operators that can deliver a fantastic experience for customers, whilst creating an efficient and safe working environment for staff. In order to achieve this, operators are choosing business information and monitoring platforms that provide real time alerts and date remotely about security coverage, energy metering, fire safety, equipment failure, occupancy monitoring, staff management, contactless checkin-checkout and access history. Stay connected Creating a home from home holiday experience for guests that are used to full connectivity and control can present a challenge to park owners. Many holidaymakers view their technology as an essential part of the holiday experience, whether it’s Instagramming the accommodation or sharing snaps about their trip. The benefits of technology aren’t just restricted to the rooms, either. Holiday parks need to make their guests’ holidays as seamless as possible. The varying size of the accommodation, length of stays and diversity in the landscape – plus additional numbers of staycations forecast for this year – means that changeover days are likely to be hectic. Guests can often overlook this, although operators that embrace technology can ensure that their customers’ holiday is as enjoyable as it should be. Using this kind of smart technology on the park, such as our WiSE system, allows managers to map the cleaned accommodation in real-time to swiftly release it to the next customer promptly, smoothing the handover process and enabling managers to deploy staff where they are needed most. When guests arrive at their accommodation the same technology can facilitate a ‘smart’ stay with an array of connected wireless, battery operated devices monitoring all elements of the property. This kind of technology has the potential to improve the holiday experience with automated billing for efficient tracking of periodic site fees, insurance or utility bills. Plus, there is the possibility of smart metering for easy access and analysis of electricity, gas and water meters as well as billing from a central location. Capturing and logging occupancy data, too, will allow operators to manage arrival days, reduce cleaning costs, track maintenance visits, monitor security patrols and manage third party contractor management. Wish you were here? By using these devices, parks will be able to harness data to pre-empt their guest’s needs and even offer automated customisation for individuals, tailoring their holiday experience even further. It’s clear that data tracking can offer a step change allowing park managers and their staff to run their business more effectively through insight driven operations. By automating and simplifying tasks, parks can enhance their engagement with guests, staff and visitors, which is the experience that customers remember long after they go home. So, to start on your journey to becoming this year’s favourite holiday destination, simply look at how incorporating relevant technology to your park can bring about a positive change to how you work. We understand that it has been painful for everyone in the sector so far this year, but we are here to support you. For more information on Ramtech Electronics’ WiSE technology, click here, or call 00 44 (0) 115 957 8282
Glastonbury touring park will re-open with triple triumph
It may be closed to guests now, but Glastonbury’s Old Oaks Touring and Glamping Park is getting set for a special celebration when it gets the go-ahead to welcome visitors once again. That’s because the family-run park has just scored a hat-trick of awards in a national poll carried out by the UK’s two top touring magazines. The readers of Practical Caravan and Practical Motorhome voted Old Oaks as their favourite park on which to stay in Somerset, Avon and Wiltshire Dorset. In the same annual poll, readers also named Old Oaks as Britain’s best park for enjoying adults-only stays which are free from the patter of tiny feet. And completing the hat trick of honours, the publication presented the park with its national award for the Best Green Site in the UK for eco-friendly holidays. Old Oaks has been in the same family’s ownership for over 30 years, and is managed by family members Tara White and her husband James. As well as touring pitches, the park provides a range of exciting glamping options including luxurious fully-equipped mini cedar lodges, shepherds huts and cosy camping cabins. According to Tara, the park’s temporary closure has provided an opportunity to put the finishing touches to a number of new projects started earlier in the year: “We’ve completed a wheelchair-friendly path around our woodland walk and half-acre lake, and upgrading twelve of the fishing platforms,” she said. “Our glamping pods now have brick-built fire pits, and we’re close to completing the upgrade of our dish-washer facilities, and making it possible for guests to choose their preferred pitch from our website. We’re also keeping our grounds wildlife-friendly by putting in extra hedgehog houses and seeding new wildflower areas to provide vital foraging for honey bees and butterflies. These new awards are a fantastic honour, especially as they have resulted from votes by our customers – and we can’t wait to welcome them back again!” added Tara. Not that the Old Oaks is any stranger to accolades for it already holds the prestigious AA Platinum Award, and the highly-regarded five-star grading from Visit England. It is also a member of the Best of British group of top-rated independent parks with verified quality standards. There is more about the Old Oaks on its website at www.theoldoaks.co.uk
Cumbria park plans a wild welcome when visitors return
A popular Ambleside holiday park, Skelwith Fold, has called a temporary halt to its plans to carve out a celebration of local wildlife life in its 130 acres of woodland. But there is a silver lining, it says, because when guests are allowed to return, they will be able to witness one of the region’s most acclaimed wood sculptors at work. Owls, red squirrels, foxes, badgers and deer will all be seen taking shape throughout the grounds from blown-down trees and others needing to be felled. They are being created by timber carving artist James Shelliker who lives near Preston, but who works extensively at sites in the Lake District including Muncaster Castle. Henry Wild, who helps run his family’s park business, says he hopes the animals and birds will stand as a testament to nature’s resilience long after the present crisis is over: “We are we are doing everything to ensure that when we do re-open, our park will quickly return to the happy and cheerful environment which our customers remember,” he said. “Many families who come here take a particular pleasure in spotting our glorious wildlife, so we thought it would be great to celebrate this part of our natural heritage. James has had to hang up his chainsaws and chisels while the park is closed, but will be straight back on the job when we are allowed to welcome guests back. It’s fascinating to see him sculpting birds and woodland creatures around the park, and now he will be able to have a live audience when we open our gates again. Regarding the present situation, real fears have been expressed about the Lake District’s £3 billion tourism industry and the 65,000 jobs it provides. These are wholly justified, and it’s certainly the case that our sector will need as much support as the Government can provide. But Cumbria has always been an extremely resilient county, as we saw in the foot and mouth outbreak almost twenty years ago from which we also bounced back,” added Henry. Skelwith Fold, which provides around 450 pitches for touring caravans, privately owned holiday homes and glamping accommodation, has won a number of top awards for its environmental care. Henry Wild is director of the Cumbria branch of the British Holiday and Home Parks Association to which some 100 Lake District park businesses belong. He is also a former national chairman of the association, and is presently helping to lead representations to Government on behalf of the body’s 3,000 park members. For similar articles visit our latest news section
The World of Park & Leisure Homes Show rescheduled!
Following the government’s most recent advice in relation to the Coronavirus pandemic, to ensure the safety of exhibitors and visitors, the World of Park & Leisure Homes – South of England Show 2020, Ardingly has been postponed until 21st to 23rd August 2020. Whether you’re searching for the latest design ideas; already enjoying the lifestyle and want to upgrade or refurbish? looking to move into this lifestyle? or benefit from it? this is the show for you. If its Leisure or Residential, we have it covered! Ever wondered how you can live this fantastic lifestyle? Come along and meet our many experts – all happy to help and advise! https://www.parkhomeandleisure.co.uk
The Holiday Home Finder – get ready for our new website!
Join our website and be found by thousands of members looking for their next holiday destination. Register today to be listed in our extensive directory of UK Holiday Parks. Get a free trial sellers account today. CLICK TO LIST YOUR PARK FOR FREE Holiday Parks Seek out your perfect holiday destination Search by park facility, location, distance, or a combination of all Find out holiday park information and contact details Read and Submit reviews Create an account and save your favourite parks Caravan & Lodge Sales Find your next holiday home by park, features, or budget Set up alerts for future caravan and lodge sales on your favourite holiday parks Subscribe to emails from holiday parks Free Park Owners Account Update your park details and photos List static caravans and lodges for sale on your holiday park Print For Sale signs with feature details Scheduled listings and reductions Quick submission facility from a mobile device Get alerts when your park or sale is watched View Park and Sales Statistics Finding your ideal holiday home has never been easier! Our website has comprehensive listings telling you about holiday homes for sale and about the holiday park they are on. Take the hassle out of finding your next holiday home using our simple search facilities where you can compare all options before choosing your ideal holiday home. Our independent website allows you to find a park, save your favourites and also receive alerts when a holiday home becomes available on the park(s) of your choice! The Holiday Home Finder website features a huge range of holiday parks and enables you to view photos and video in their gallery along with information on their facilities and location. Whether you are looking for a pre-owned static caravan for the family by the sea, or a luxurious lodge in the countryside, finding your next ideal holiday home could not be easier! Search The Holiday Home finder today to see how easy it is to find your ideal holiday home where you and your family can get away from it all in your perfect location.
New Victory Leisure Homes lodge has the wow factor
Victory Leisure Homes has launched a ‘game-changing’ holiday home designed to inject a wow factor into the marketplace. The Lakewood Lodge is the most innovative product in the company’s 10-year history, combining Victory’s renowned build quality with pioneering manufacturing techniques and higher quality materials. The holiday home’s innovative design and contemporary layout are the result of extensive consultation with Victory’s customers, to create a product with a more robust and domestic feel. The Lakewood Lodge, which was officially unveiled at the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show 2020, has been designed to meet the changing needs of the holiday home and lodge market by placing a strong emphasis on comfort and luxury. Managing Director, Gary Corlyon, said the model features a range of new-to-market manufacturing techniques devised and perfected by Victory Leisure Homes. These include: Beadless internal wall system. The internal walls in the Lakewood Lodge feature the first truly beadless system to be developed for holiday homes, utilising flush-fitting panels butt joint wrapped wallboard. This produces a high-quality finish to the interior, unmatched by any other model presently on the market, and the thicker internal walls – 38mm – bring greater robustness and thermal efficiency. Virtual beadless ceiling The virtual beadless ceiling has been designed to match the walls, giving a much higher-quality interior finish. This has been achieved via tongue and groove jointing. Replacing chipboard flooring with a composite OSB board with high comprehensive strength insulation. This brings added strength to the flooring, as well as much greater thermal efficiency. Despite these market-leading construction improvements, Gary said the most noticeable difference in the Lakewood Lodge is the contemporary interior and layout, designed to attract a new type of customer discovering holiday home living for the first time. The model also has a striking glass front which produces an airy feel and allows spectacular views of the holiday home’s surroundings. Staycationers demand luxury living Gary said: “The trend for staycations is only going to increase, particularly as people are more conscious about the environmental impact of flying, so a new type of holidaymaker, eager to embrace the holiday home living, is starting to emerge. “These might be young families or professional couples who enjoy the outdoors and staying in off-the-beaten-track locations. “One thing they all have in common, however, is the expectation of high-quality accommodation, with comfort and luxury that surpasses their own home. “That is what we have created in the Lakewood Lodge. We have worked closely with our customers to design a product with real wow factor that will meet the changing demands of the marketplace. “We believe the Lakewood Lodge is a game-changer for the industry.” Gary added that with the new model, Victory Leisure Homes is pushing to become one of the most innovative manufacturers in the holiday home and lodge sector. To facilitate this, the company has appointed a new senior management team, new design team and overhauled its manufacturing processes. He said: “This model is a step-change for us; it heralds the future direction of Victory Leisure Homes. “But this is just the start. We’re going through a transformational process that will see us go from traditional and safe to contemporary, luxurious and innovative. “It is this step-change that will underpin future growth at Victory Leisure Homes.” Photos: Gary Corlyon, managing director of Victory Leisure Homes, and the new Lakewood Lodge holiday home.
Verdant Leisure raises over £76,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust
Bespoke holiday park operator Verdant Leisure announced its support of Teenage Cancer Trust in 2018 and over the past two years, employees, holiday home owners and holiday guests across Verdant Leisure parks and Lancaster Head Office have held numerous fundraising events to raise a total of £76,033.69 for the charity. In the past year, Verdant Leisure has worked tirelessly to raise an impressive £38,753.04 for the charity. The 2019 sum exceeds the previous year’s notable total of £37,280.65 for the charity. 2019’s fundraising events and activities saw members of the Verdant team skydive over 10,000 feet, shave their hair and host weekend family fun days. The monies raised will help Teenage Cancer Trust provide care and support for young people aged 13-24 facing cancer in the UK. Facebook vote for charity had clear winner To decide on its Charity of the Year, Verdant Leisure called upon holiday home owners, holiday guests and employees to nominate a charity. The nominated charities were shortlisted and decided by a public Facebook poll, with Teenager Cancer Trust being the overall winner with an outstanding 80% of the vote. Verdant Leisure’s Communications Director, Stacey Hope said: “We are delighted to have raised so much for such a worthy charity! Everyone at Verdant Leisure made a great effort to get involved with fundraising. We are so proud of all the team and have been honoured to support Teenage Cancer Trust over the past two years.” Louise Miles, Regional Manager at Teenage Cancer Trust said: “It has been the most wonderful two-year partnership which has raised an incredible amount of money and awareness for young people with cancer. Teenage Cancer Trust nurses, support teams and special hospital wards help young people cope with some unimaginably hard times. But without companies like Verdant Leisure, these specialist services would simply not be there – and we can’t thank their teams, caravan owners and visitors enough for supporting our charity.”
Caravan Guard lobbies local MP over motorhome road tax
The team at motorhome insurance specialist Caravan Guard met with a local MP to raise their concerns about huge increases in motorhome road tax on new-generation motorhomes and campervans. New motorhomes with a Euro 6d/2 engine registered after September 1st, 2019 are no longer subject to a commercial vehicle tax band. The Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) payable is now calculated in the same way as a car, despite much lower annual mileage, and has seen first registration fees increase by 705% – from £265 per year to up to £2135 in the first year. This is followed by a fixed annual fee of £465 for five more years. Halifax-based Caravan Guard is concerned about the negative impact of this tax increase on the motorhome industry and urged their local MP Holly Lynch to support the National Caravan Council’s “Fair Motorhome Tax” campaign and to call on Parliament to review the tax in the new budget. “The motorhome sector employs many people in the Yorkshire region, from manufacturers to suppliers and dealerships – not to mention the camping sites and tourism destinations which attract motorhomers from across the UK,” said Caravan Guard’s Managing Director Ryan Wilby. “We have real concerns about the long-term, negative impact these tax increases could have on our industry, our future recruitment and our customers. “We work closely with hundreds of UK motorhome dealerships who have experienced positive increases in motorhome sales over the last 10 years, which has led to growth of our motorhome insurance scheme. Customer feedback indicates that this tax is causing confusion and could reduce demand and be a barrier for those looking to experience the freedom of motorhome ownership.” Taking the motorhome road tax debate to Parliament Ms Lynch has already raised her concerns in Westminster and has visited Halifax-based dealership Richard Baldwin Motorhomes to hear of their worries about reduced sales and the impact on the local economy. “I’m very aware of the negative impact on local businesses and the economy in Halifax that these massive increases in vehicle excise duty will have and so I’ve encouraged the Government to rethink its approach,” said Ms Lynch. “The tax hike on new motorhomes is creating a perverse incentive for people to buy motorhomes with older, dirtier engines whilst discouraging people from holidaying in the UK, instead using air travel. Neither of these approaches are good for the environment and so I have been working cross-party to urge the Government to arrive at a much fairer deal.” The National Caravan Council (NCC) has been lobbying Parliament for many months and is calling on HM Treasury to reverse this tax in the forthcoming Budget process. For more information about the Fair Motorhome Tax campaign visit www.fairmotorhometax.org To find out more about Caravan Guard and their great-value, highly rated motorhome or caravan insurance visit www.caravanguard.co.uk. Images show: Holly Lynch MP (Labour, Halifax) meets Caravan Guard Managing Director Ryan Wilby (right) and Partnerships Director Neil Menzies (left) to discuss motorhome tax increases. Holly Lynch hears of customer concerns from Caravan Guard’s Head of Operations Heather Kershaw.
