The importance of modernising and maintaining facilities Image courtesy of DA Christie
By Sarah Davison, Industry Reporter
Tourists are flocking to holiday parks in record numbers and for many, it may be time to revisit the guest facilities they offer. With the COVID-19 pandemic largely putting the brakes on travel for nearly two years, the current trend is seeing families spending big on high-quality, high end, camping, and caravanning gear. BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park, General Manager, Andrew Hewitt said this move towards the more premium end of the market needs to be reflected in the guest facilities at holiday parks. “I think that COVID has really changed peoples’ perception of what clean and sanitised means,” he said.
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natural enticement to come in. It’s the same with guest facilities at holiday parks.” Communal guest facilities can range from laundry, shower, and toilet facilities to barbecue, pool, and play areas. In addition to general cleanliness and hygiene, Mr Hewitt said keeping these facilities fresh and modern was important, with guests beginning to expect all the mod cons. “Keeping it looking modern shows that your property is loved and cared for, and by extension that you love and care for your guests,” he said. Mr Hewitt said with current trends across the industry, it was going to be interesting to see how holiday parks responded to the move toward high-end campers.
“Coming from a food and beverage background, I’ve always said that if you walk past a restaurant and you see dirty plates stacked up on tables and the place is empty, it’s not very appealing.
At BIG4 Gold Coast, Mr Hewitt said he regularly saw families arriving in caravans and campervans worth over $100,000 and he made the point that holiday parks must respond to the expectations of these guests.
“But if you walk past a restaurant and it’s clean and tidy and well-organised, it’s a
“They’re in the most luxurious caravans, they’ve got all the mod cons and all the fancy
AccomNews - Winter 2022
equipment,” he said. “So you don’t want someone rocking up in this big, beautiful van and seeing old barbecues covered in grease and grime- they’re just not going to feel at home.” While BIG4 Gold Coast prides itself on its wide range of facilities, Mr Hewitt said that holiday and caravan parks that deliver a more “back to nature” experience should also keep an eye on their facilities. “If you’re offering that more natural experience and have only a few facilities on-site, it’s important to ensure that those are also clean and well looked after,” he said.
space, we want it to be spacious and classy,” Mr Hewitt said. “Despite us being a caravan park, we’re very modern with everything we build. It’s all about maintaining that high quality and keeping ‘the look’ consistent across the park.”
Laundry facilities On why it is so important for holiday parks to provide excellent laundry facilities AccomNews consulted Shaun Naughton, the Sales Manager and laundry facility specialist at Veeco, a leading supplier of commercial laundry equipment, to the accommodation sector. P50
“People have high expectations and I think they’re only going to get higher.” Mr Hewitt said his holiday park was always looking at how to improve guest facilities, by refurbishing existing offerings and building new ones to meet demand. He said that keeping design elements cohesive throughout the park, and including modern finishes was key. “Whenever we’re building a new
REFURBISHMENT
Shaun Naughton Sales Manager, Veeco
