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Old 09-02-2017, 08:10 AM   #1
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Why not more overnight rates?

I often wonder if many campgrounds are losing business because of posted rates. Some offer many amenities, which I understand cost money to maintain. I have often times pulled in late at night and out early in the morning, couple of hours sleep, little water and power, and I am gone. No trash to handle from me, no use of rest - shower facilities, no cable, etc... I always fill out late check in paperwork, leaving credit card info, and always get charge full day rate.

Often times I'll pass the "resort" campgrounds based purely on price. Park and get six hours of sleep for $60+, no thanks.

We rarely do the Wal-Mart thing, like the security of campground away from light and noise too.

The counter to this is what I have witnessed on many occasions, people pull in late at night set-up, rise, unhook, and out before dawn and never pay. Thieves, to me.

I think if campgrounds along heavily traveled routes offered "overnight" rate, say in after 6 and out before 9, maybe 1/2 rate or so, would be a great for travelers and bring in more revenue for them.
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Old 09-02-2017, 08:24 AM   #2
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Reducing prices will not bring in enough additional dollars to overcome the reduction in prices. Clear as mud I know.

You order a meal and don't eat all of it but pay for the full order. Of course there is the Senior meal in some cases which is kind of what you are saying. However, doing the math to find the marginal revenue increase is not for me.
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Old 09-02-2017, 08:32 AM   #3
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I follow Pippi Peterson's channel on YouTube. She did a solar installation on her motorhome last year and now prefers no hook ups. She is caravaning with a friend who prefers hook ups. In a new episode, he is hooked up paying full rates and she is without hook ups and is paying $1/day "storage" rates. That sounds like a deal to me.
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Old 09-02-2017, 08:35 AM   #4
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We stayed at a CG in Roanoke Rapids, NC that had spaces set aside for those who come in later and leave early the next morning. They had a reduced fee as they were for those just as the OP - only need to sleep and then get on the road. I think they only had W & E and were pull-thrus, so no unhooking was needed. They had an honor system for paying with cash. I thought it was a good idea, but wondered how many actually paid via the honor system - in after closing and out before opening.
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Old 09-02-2017, 08:58 AM   #5
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We stayed at a CG in Roanoke Rapids, NC that had spaces set aside for those who come in later and leave early the next morning. They had a reduced fee as they were for those just as the OP - only need to sleep and then get on the road. I think they only had W & E and were pull-thrus, so no unhooking was needed. They had an honor system for paying with cash. I thought it was a good idea, but wondered how many actually paid via the honor system - in after closing and out before opening.
I suspect at least 90% pay just to help keep the system there and RVers tend to be a better class of people in general. We stayed in a rest area in Wyandot Service Center on I-80/90 in Ohio that had electric hook ups RV section and a dump station. We happily paid the $20 honor system in gratitude and in hopes of more of them for the future.
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Old 09-02-2017, 09:29 AM   #6
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We stayed at a CG in Roanoke Rapids, NC that had spaces set aside for those who come in later and leave early the next morning. They had a reduced fee as they were for those just as the OP - only need to sleep and then get on the road. I think they only had W & E and were pull-thrus, so no unhooking was needed. They had an honor system for paying with cash. I thought it was a good idea, but wondered how many actually paid via the honor system - in after closing and out before opening.


That was where I spent first Wal Mart night, that place told me plenty of overnight space when I called from the road 4 hours earlier so come-on..... got there and sign blocking drive says "FULL"! Back to I-95 and Wal-Mart!
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Old 09-02-2017, 10:13 AM   #7
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Sort of like a motel offering "overnight rates" if you don't use the pool or exercise room?

I think it boils down to the effort to set up a way to accommodate that sort of traffic vs the amount of revenue to be obtained. There are risks for the CG owner, e.g. non-payment, accidents on dark roads and sites, etc. They may need more night time security, later office hours, that sort of thing. Further, some parks may not want to encourage late arrivals and early departures - the noise is often annoying to other guests.

There are campgrounds that do cater to brief overnight guests, and sometimes that is their main source of revenue. Often they are no-frills parks and most patrons just pick-a-site and leave money in an envelope. But a full service park may find it just too bothersome to try to handle a few late arrivals to gain a small amount of fees they would pay.

How much discount would you expect? 25%? 50%? RV parks have a high proportion of fixed expense. Electricity costs are the only significant variable expense in the site rental, and we are generally talking only $3-$5 per site for power. Overnight guests probably still use a large percentage of that.
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Old 09-02-2017, 10:38 AM   #8
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Personally, when both the late DW and I were still working and traveling to a destination we traveled long and hard with no reservations except at the destination. All our MH's were self contained so we pulled over and rested for a few hours at rest areas, WalMarts and some just wide spots out of the way. Even so it got expensive at times since the late DW liked to eat out at a non fast food restaurant and shop some if in a WalMart.
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Old 09-02-2017, 10:46 AM   #9
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One of the blog writers recently commented on the need to build out no-frills style facilities like this. Automated pay station, hired out or local PD security, no camp store, cool, bath houses. Dumpster for trash. Limited to two or three days and staying. I think the right entrepreneur with the right business model could do well with this.
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Old 09-02-2017, 11:28 AM   #10
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Quote:
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Reducing prices will not bring in enough additional dollars to overcome the reduction in prices. Clear as mud I know.

You order a meal and don't eat all of it but pay for the full order. Of course there is the Senior meal in some cases which is kind of what you are saying. However, doing the math to find the marginal revenue increase is not for me.
But I would think some income from someone using a few $ of electric is better than no income from an empty site.

Reminds me of an old joke, Guy goes into store to buy and item and when the clerk tell him price he reacts badly and says, "The store down the block sells this for much less", clerk replies "well why not buy it there", customer says, "they are out of them" clerk replies "well that explains it, we sell them for that price when we are out of them too!"
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Old 09-02-2017, 02:44 PM   #11
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Perhaps not a bad idea if the campground set up a small pull through loop of dry sites. All yea get is the spot & bathhouse if yea want to walk.

Call them rest sites, not campsites.
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Old 09-02-2017, 04:16 PM   #12
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"trode".....I think you have a good idea, but tend to agree with "YC1" that the profit margin would be the same for the campground.

I think the biggest issue in the country right now is the need for more campgrounds in prime areas and the rebuilding of the old ones to meet the needs of modern RV's. As you talk to see of these campground owners, they're in a pickle. Some are just recovering from the past few years where camping declined and at the same time don't want to invest a ton of money and then have another decline.
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Old 09-02-2017, 04:30 PM   #13
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As we have traveled we have noticed quite a few parks that are filling up with full time people. Some of them are not very desirable anymore. There are a few we would not stay in that we used to in the past. We will not reserve ahead without thoroughly checking them out first.
I agree it would be nice to stay for a short overnight at a reduced rate as we do that quite often. We do stay in Walmarts and such but would gladly pay $25. a night for a short stay.
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Old 09-02-2017, 04:32 PM   #14
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The problem I see with any site that depends on the honor system these days is that there are fewer and fewer honerable people in the world!
I stayed at Hovenweep National Mounument Utah for 4 nights. During that time period every night people would arrive right before or right after sunset and leave very early the next morning. I guarantee you none of them paid the $10 fee. I ask the park ranger and she admitted it was a problem but it was almost impossible for them to police.
I can see this being the exact same issue owners would have unless they were able to man the facility after hours!
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