It’s getting late on a typical Tuesday night in suburbia. Mitch and Jacinta have just put the kids to bed; they’ve poured themselves each a glass of their favourite red wine and are about to settle onto the couch to finally chill at the end of a long day. Jacinta then quips to Mitch:

“We’ve got nothing on for the weekend, we should go away somewhere - I know we can borrow my folks RV!”

Mitch replies “sounds great - where should we go?”

“Let’s just go down to the beach - the kids love it down there”

Jacinta pulls her phone out and types into search - “RV Parks near Beach” 

“Here looks really good, I wonder if they’re booked out? To book please call the office during business hours on… well that’s not going to work. Let’s look at the place down the road - yes, they have room! (Hits Book Now, enters personal and Credit Card details) There you go honey, all booked!”

What was the deciding factor for Mitch and Jacinta in deciding to stay at a particular RV Park? It was the convenience of online bookings!

This realistic scenario demonstrates how important it is for your Campground or RV Park to have online bookings available for guests - let’s look at the steps Mitch & Jacinta took during the booking process to see why.

Online Search

The first thing Jacinta did when it was decided to find somewhere to go away was reach for her phone - and start searching online. This is now the primary means that guests will use for information. Guests don’t read magazines or ring around Parks anymore - they look for you online, so you need to be found online! 

As a property owner or manager you need to ensure your online presence is visible and accurate.   

Your contact details with the major search engines need to be accurate so guests can contact you. How up to date is your website? What about your social media accounts? Guests want to visit these pages to find out more about your property. If they are poorly maintained or out of date, guests might assume you are out of business!

Once guests have found you online, the next step they want to take is to book! 

Book Now Button

When Jacinta found her preferred property for the family’s weekend away; she couldn’t book with them straight away. Why not?

The RV Park’s website didn’t have a “Book Now” button on it. The Park wanted guests to call them during business hours to book. But that isn’t when Jacinta wanted to book! She wanted to book at a time that was convenient for her - not the Park Managers. She doesn’t have the time to call during business hours!

Adding a “Book Now” button to your Property’s website and even Facebook page allows your office to be open all hours, 24/7! This gives your guests the convenience to book when they want to, and not be restricted to your physical office hours.

The Book Now button also makes your guests’ customer experience seamless and complete; they can search for you and find you online, and once they have found you, they can click another button to book their stay, without any time lag or having to navigate away from your sites - eliminating the opportunity for guests to decide to stay somewhere else.

For guests who have not stayed with you previously and are discovering your property online for the very first time, the Book Now button is also going to increase the likelihood of converting “lookers” (potential guests simply browsing your website) into “bookers” (guests who have booked a stay). Adding a “Book Now” button to your website to accept online booking is a simple and straightforward way to increase your booking volume!     

Real-time Availability

When Jacinta found a property her family wanted to stay at (and were able to book online), she was able to view the availability of the type of booking she wanted to make for the time period desired. This real-time view of availability helped Jacinta to be able to make the decision to book - she knew that the property had availability then and there, and she could confidently complete the booking and start packing!

Guests being able to view real-time availability of your property can be achieved by connecting the “Book Now” button to your Property Management System (PMS). You don’t have to tell your guests how many rooms or sites you have available, but you can tell them immediately whether there is availability or not. This reduces double bookings and guests’ frustrations when they think they have booked with you and then you call to advise their site or room is unavailable - creating a negative customer experience that will discourage guests from booking with you in the future. 

Online Payment

When Jacinta made her RV Park booking she was also able to pay for that booking immediately online using her Credit Card. This is an extra convenience for her; she doesn’t have to worry about paying at check in by another means.

This is also beneficial for the Park - they are receiving payment immediately at the time of booking. This reduces the likelihood of a no-show, saves time for staff - they don’t have to contact them again prior to check in to obtain or arrange payment and also increases the Park’s cashflow. 

Most online booking systems will include an integrated online payment gateway or will provide a connection to a third-party gateway. These payment gateways are relied upon by millions worldwide to provide secure payment and are the standard for online retail and e-commerce providers.

If it wasn’t for online bookings, Mitch and Jacinta wouldn’t book to stay at that particular Park - they simply looked for a Park where they could book online. Don’t let your Park be the one that guests find and then book somewhere else, simply for not having a “Book Now” button on your website!