Peak prices during school holidays
We have just returned from 2 weeks at a C&MC site. We booked to arrive on the Monday before schools (well most of them) closed for the summer. We had booked before the holidays so that we would be able to get a better choice of pitch before the 'rush' of the school holidays. However, on arrival site was to be full that day and we had a limited choice of pitch - no problem as all were fine. Come the weekend we expected to see a full site with many more children but in fact the site emptied out on the Friday. Hmm, why's that we thought? Oh of course prices went up (by about £5 per night for outfit and 2). So peak period = higher prices but doesn't necessarily mean higher occupancy. Maybe the site would have continued to be full had the price rise not have happened. OK the site we were on (Crossways in Dorset) is not a popular child holiday destination, but it still has to raise prices for a so called peak period. Hopefully the wardens get a bonus for working during the peak holiday period?!
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Everything goes up at what the leisure industry call "peak" as Scotland and most private schools finish before the majority of schools in England and most of us grey vote population tend go to ground until September so a price freeze on some sites I do not think would have made much difference
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This is the very point I have been making on another thread NC. They don't seem to have got there pricing structure right at several sites and yet they are proposing increases for summer peak next year.
Although at least here they are filling it several August weekends. At just under £30 for a family of four, it does not seem bad value. However, if they are not filling it midweek, even in August, perhaps they should have considered kids for a £1. This would knock £3.40 of the nightly bill and possibly make it more attractive.
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Just because the school holidays started on a particular weekend it doesn't mean that every family will want to go away on that date. So whilst the demand in late July and all of August will be higher it is probably spread out over the entire period of the holidays. The start of the school holidays also coincides with a lot of the older generation going into a school holiday hibernation!!! Therefore I think it difficult to make too much of the fact that for one weekend was less busy.
I know we discuss site prices a lot on this forum but at the end of the day the Club must have a revenue figure for each site in the network. Quite naturally they maximise these at times of peak demand. If there was any flattening of rates it would mean site fees at less busy times of year going up to compensate? Perhaps they could do more to make it a bit cheaper for people with children, maybe a flat fee of £2 a child across the network where currently fees are higher. I have always argues that the Club price structure with several rates across the year is complicated and perhaps they should just have two sets of prices peak and off peak. There would be room on less popular sites to apply the mid-week discount.
Finally if people are concerned about the prices you really need to be persistent in feeding this back to the Club either by reviews or by the site surveys they are sending out at the moment.
David
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Finally if people are concerned about the prices you really need to be persistent in feeding this back to the Club either by reviews or by the site surveys they are sending out at the moment.
It's a bit heath Robinson isn't it David if the Club need us to write in a review that the price seems expensive to us. And who isn't going to say it's expensive...? We would all like our pitch to be a bit cheaper.
Surely the acid test is what occupancy they are achieving, especially at this time of year. In an age of management information and statistics being readily available on just about everything, probably even how much stationery each site uses, surely % occupancy is available. The club must know how many pitches it has on each site and how many pitches it actually manages to fill. If there is a drop off in school holidays (ie peak charging period), then the price is too high!
My own feeling is that whilst overall prices for year round campers represent acceptable value, the club has become a bit greedy in extending peak periods & the prices they charge.
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It does seeem to me that it would be advantageous to the club to maximise occupancy at this time of year, when electricity demand is relatively low. Here (Malvern) for instance 50% occupancy generates about £2900 a night, assuming two adults. If lowering the price by £5 enabled you to fill it, £4800 would be generated. Although there would be additional costs, these would be far less than carrying out a similar exercise in the winter, when any additional units would probably consume £5 worth of electricity.
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Club needs to think outside its rigid pricing box. Give the onsite staff the autonomy to discount pitch prices for anyone just rolling in on the day, if there are pitches free. Half price for example for first night. It won't affect those sites that are busy, doesn't have to include the £14 per night Sites, but will get money in for pitches not taken up. Surely 50% of fee is better than nothing. It's a return to the touring ethos as well, helpful for those who like to tour rather than just book ahead and pitch up in one spot. I have just looked at two possible sites for our tour, but at £30 per night to turn up at 8pm, maybe have a shower and then off again by 9-10am, I can get a lot cheaper elsewhere.
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As for Wardens getting extra in peak season no it is the same throughout the season at Crossways and this will apply to all sites used to have a seasonal on there for a few years.
As said before the club is a limited company who now want to make a profit on all its sites.
Agree Easy T we do not do July or August but will be using club sites in Mid September lower site fees then.
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We are booked to go away in August, a few nights on a CL with great reviews for £15 per night and a few nights on an adults only private site with excellent facilities for £21 per night. I suspect much cheaper than any club site at this time of year.
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As the school holidays tend to coincide with the peak holiday period, IMO there is nothing wrong with the CMC business charging up to what they know people will pay. It's good business practice and the extra income helps the company balance the books during slack times where they have to discount prices to attract customers at times where other operators are reducing their prices..
K
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I got curious, so checked out the nearest club sites to where we are going and we have saved £108 by avoiding club sites over the 8 nights. I am finding recently that whilst we always look at available club sites in an area, this club sometimes is just too expensive. We often but not always, choose alternatives, club sites can be well beyond what we are prepared to pay at some times of the year. As a retired couple we have to make our meagre income go as far as possible, so seek out good quality alternatives.
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Our site search is going well, found all we need for a nice tour, nothing above £18 (that's an all facility site) and plenty of stops in the £10-14 range. Thumbs up to Club for Nunnykirk though!
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This one is at Ingleton, North Yorks, £21 per night in August, adult only, there is a charge for dogs should you have one.
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Not true, as the majority of CLs are the same price all the year round, hence there's no need to "go to ground" during peak periods. We're out all year round and never pay "peak" prices".
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It's good business practice and the extra income helps the company balance the books during slack times where they have to discount prices
Why then are they discounting some sites during the peak holiday period? Probably because they are having difficulty selling pitches at the high price they charge,
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As posted on another thread the club has some sites in July/August with 50% discount on the pitch price mid week, some sites are kids for a £1. While others offer £14 a night. All this in the peak season, yet come September there is only 1 site that has the 50% mid week discount.
The club knows that peak season isn't popular due to its high prices so have tried to entice some of the silver brigade to venture out during the holidays. Not me I'm afraid I'm not using any over priced C&MC sites full stop. I know I'm only one person but it has to start somewhere.
The only way to get the attention of the HO is to not use the sites until the prices are fair across the board.
In Scotland the prices went up just before the Scottish schools broke up, while in England the sites there remained at mid season, when the Scottish schools go back you would think our sites would drop again to mid season but no they remain at peak until the English schools go back.
The C&CC however do not do that, their sites go up and down with the local school holidays.
This club is getting greedier and greedier.
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WE are away all September using 5 CC sites and one private. The CC sites are mainly under £20 with one costing £21 a night. I am quite happy with that.
On previous holidays this year we used 4 CC sites, 6 C&CC sites and 3 commercial sites. Generally the commercial sites were dearer, the CC only about £1 dearer than C&CC sites even with age discount.
We are away on a single CC site for 15 days over Christmas. The first 7 nights are under £21 a night which is fine but the last 8 nights are £32.50! That is the period starting 21st December. Now that is too dear in my view by at least £5 or £6 a night! Pitch occupancy on this site appears to me to have dropped markedly, in my estimation, over the last 7 years as prices have risen.
Before anybody suggests that we should look elsewhere we use the site simply because it is located exactly where we wish to be for our 15 night chill out and there is no better location nearby for us.
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Good post!
I'd go a bit further and suggest that the wardens could discount pitches in the 72 hours before. This is common across the hospitality sector.
There would maybe need to be an incentive to the site staff to do this, as other organisations often get the additional benefit of bar/restaurant revenue from extra occupancy.
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I like using caravan club sites, but not at any price, there are alternatives out there which are cheaper and equally as good, and I have plenty of time available to find them.
I suspect that the bean-counters at the club have increased prices to maximise revenue, but if occupancy rates have fallen on some sites, then that plan has backfired. It will be interesting to see if fees reduce on these sites next year as a result. In the hottest summer we have had for many years, most sites should be full to bursting point. I am getting the impression that some are not and members are voting with their feet.
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Just looking at what I would call the club's flagship site at Hillhead ie it provides inclusive "extras" for site users at a premium price during holiday times. The site is full for many nights in August, on days where there are vacancies if you hover over the date box it says "only five pitches" left etc. I would say this site is running to capacity and the prices are not putting people off.
On the other hand £14 all in pitches on low key sites are also available, they are just as popular and having been on sites through the summer I'd say, although expensive in places, the club is bringing in revenue to keep the network going. This particularly means that some can visit sites out of season when they are not at capacity but can still be kept open.
The alternative is to charge winter users higher prices when the capacity is low, which is a non starter.
PS on another thread I joined in with grumbles about not being able to see late availability during the week, I had forgotten you can see this by hovering over each date in the box!
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I think it was Corners who noticed it quite a long time ago, but my brain cells failed to recall the information. Very useful and it does show that a lot of sites are busy at the moment, a blank box doesn't mean empty.
Crossways, mentioned in the OP, has a lot of blank boxes, but many are showing less than five pitches available. I would imagine the site is very busy just now.
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