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RoadEyePie · 03-23-2019, 06:47 AM

I can only assume that operating a campground is a lucrative business today. After all there is real estate involved, some of which is quite significant and in prime locations. I know there are a few dumps out there, but It seems to me that there is stiff competition taking place, which should translate into good trends for the RV community.

Have you noticed trends such as more CGs with more full hook ups, pull through sites, other amenities, etc. What is the latest trend that you've noticed? Is cable or better WiFi on the increase?

Or is the trend going down hill?

I know some RV'ers prefer little to no amenities, for you there is BLM, COE, Forest Service and Parks which are not competing by adding amenities to "attract" customers. I'm excluding those type of CGs.

RoadEyePie · 03-24-2019, 07:35 PM

Well I guess there are no trends. I thought it was a fair question. My hope is that there is a frenzy of competition and that in just a few short years, all campgrounds will have 350 channels of cable and fiber optic internet feeds at each site and I would not have to shell out $2500 for a Winegard Trav-ler antenna and pay a satellite company $125 a month. I'd be willing to pay extra per night for better amenities like that.

grindstone01 · 03-24-2019, 07:49 PM

We paid $350 for our portable Winegard Path II dish and the Dish monthly base fee is $30. CG's are what ever you want to afford out there from free to $100/night, your choice.
I figure the satellite expense was the same in our S&B house as it is in our full time RV. So the actual monthly cost is a wash.

Woodman018 · 03-24-2019, 07:53 PM

That is a very good question and I don't have an answer but I do have a theory of what is likely to happen. Most of the places we camp at are completely full on the weekends so as long as they are, there will probably not be much for upgrades. Lots of private campgrounds have campers pay by the year and have all of their sites rented so they probably aren't in a big hurry to spend money as long as this trend continues. I hope I am proven wrong.
Dave

spuds · 03-24-2019, 07:56 PM

19 years of RVing....

The trends we see where investments are being made are:

More cabins for people with no RV

More kid-centric amenities/activities as "destination"-type parks

Additional sites at very popular parks, usually in wide-open areas for satellite reception.

We have not seen much increase in infrastructure, certainly not in cable TV since most folks bring their own satellite, other than some conversion of 30 amp to 50 amp sites.

I've never encountered a campground owner who felt the business was "lucrative". Unless in a popular area with frequent high occupancy rates, you don't see owners spending a lot to add to the park.

grindstone01 · 03-24-2019, 08:23 PM

My BIL owned a CG in Northern Mich about 30 years ago and we used to help him out during the summer. There is nothing lucrative about owning a CG when you consider the overhead cost like insurance and maintenance. Owning a CG is a 24/7 on call slave post job that includes worrying about what will go wrong next.

RoadEyePie · 04-14-2019, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grindstone01

My BIL owned a CG in Northern Mich about 30 years ago and we used to help him out during the summer. There is nothing lucrative about owning a CG when you consider the overhead cost like insurance and maintenance. Owning a CG is a 24/7 on call slave post job that includes worrying about what will go wrong next.

The owner of the KOA I just stayed in told me he just invested over a million dollars in his CG, expanding, and improving. It showed. He also told me the owners of Anchor Down just invested several million in that campground. Who invests millions of dollars if the return isn't there? And these aren't campgrounds at Myrtle Beach or Disney World. I believe many are lucrative.

Isaac-1 · 04-15-2019, 02:44 PM

I was involved in a conversation with Terry Cooper the founder of the NRVIA (National RV Inspectors Association) last year. in 2016 they bought a mid size (circa 100 RV sites) RV park in east Texas to use as a base for their national training center (16,000 sq ft training center building with classrooms and bays to fit 5 or 6 RV's., just completed a few months ago). At the time they bought it, this was the only RV park in its size range for sale in the state of Texas, and this one was up for sale only due to a divorce forcing the sale.

puttin · 04-16-2019, 05:58 PM

I think there are changes coming...although it's probably slow. In the mean time, the Indian casinos are a great place to have fun- most have rv parks and shuttles. We recently stayed at Seven Feathers in Canyonville, Ore. Best steak I ever had...and the rest of the entertainment was fun too...even if just people watching. We had originally intended to stay at Rogue River CG but the weather forecast was really bad so we got off the freeway and stayed at the casino...never regretted it.

Superslif · 04-16-2019, 06:28 PM

In our area I have seen the “mom & pop” places being bought out by KOA or Jellystone. Yes, they upgrade the place to match their theme, but double the price. Now there more geared to the family who gets out 3-4 weekends a year and don’t care what the price is. Many of these had many seasonal sites, but when they got sold the seasonal rate greatly increased.

After many years of very little upgrading at the state parks in our state ( Ohio), they have started updating many of the parks. One common upgrade are putting in more or new full service sites. New playgrounds, new sewage treatment plants.