No News Yet on the New Booking System
Comments
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It’s a business balancing act indeed. I’m sure from a financial perspective the Club will love a week long stay more than an overnight booking, particularly if it prevents a potential week long stay. This is possibly part of the problem in the Summer where weekends tend to get booked, but not the midweek period. It could be done, but only controversially, and more complicated than usual book a year in advance, with extra T&Cs.
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I think all business needs to look at their target audience too. All providers in this industry having pretty much the same ways of working and Ts&Cs would remove much healthy competition. Add to that being a club with members and that winning formula may possibly be more difficult but not impossible to find.
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A bit different from when I last used it. In fairness I have only used the site to have work done at VanBitz next door and they paid for one night.
David
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I have not read all the posts as I don’t have enough time to do so but found the title interested me so have read a few random pages therefore I apologise in advance if I am repeating what others have said.
Hopefully the club will not change things for those who have booked their time away a year in advance.
As I understand it the booking system is to change at the end of 2022 and what those changes are we have not as yet been informed of. I can however envisage changes being brought in gradually as is the case with the availability to book types of pitches at some sites now.
Perhaps by 2023 the staycation will be a thing of the past and members old and new will revert to the way they spent time away therefore freeing up pitches in the UK so the club as a pitch provider may need to introduce non-refundable deposits in order to continue to be a viable operation. Who knows what the future holds. I believe the club has to evolve to continue operating.
I agree with DavidKlyne’s post. “Just possible the Club don't want the same reaction they got to the name change? Which came out of the blue and was presented as a fait accompli which resulted in a lot of anger and hostility. The big difference is that the new booking system, including deposits, is multi dimensional. Is the Club just softening us up for what will be an equally big move in my view, by talking about it and saying they are consulting. Its been mention so many times over the last two years that it probably shouldn't be a surprise? Having said that I am sure it will be as big a surprise to many who perhaps don't spend much of their time reading the runes like many regulars on this forum”
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I think this is totally different from the name change. That was badly communicated in many ways, but to be honest, impacted little on the Membership beyond all the huffing and puffing, and the questionable amount of Club funds dedicated to the rebranding. But rebranding is common, and at least illustrates a business is willing and able to move with the times.
This is different. This will effect every single Member one way or another, depending what is decided and implemented. Some will be happy, some won’t. Some will find it impacts them little, others it might mean altering certain things they do around holidaying. As you say, it might come as a very big shock, either welcome or unwelcome to those who don’t follow things as closely as others do.2 -
I have to say, we only very rarely do a 'one nighter' - actually can't remember the last time. 'Out of season', we tend only to go our for 3 or 4 nights for each outing, so haven't bothered. We've made 'one night stays' when we've been over in Europe, when we've been on the way to a longer break, but we've often taken a few days just to have a quick look around the area. Just the way we do things....
David
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Dynamic pricing is grossly unfair to many members who are unable to book until the last minute because of work commitments. Members are members and the price ought to be the same for all.
Perhaps the answer is that there ought to be a reducing rate for the number of nights booked. For example:1st and second night stay £10 per adult £10 pitch fee £14 service pitch fee
3rd and 4th night stay £8 per adult £8 pitch fee £12 service pitch fee
5th, 6th and 7th night stay £7 per adult £7 pitch fee £10 service pitch fee
Perhaps an even higher rate for weekend 2 night bookings only. That would be fair to all and also maybe help with those who want longer stays but cannot currently book them because weekends are all fully booked on popular sites.
Another option would be the requirement for deposits for weekend bookings only. That would hopefully leave more options for those either wanting a longer holiday or unable to book till the last minute.
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I didn't know the Club used such a system. I have stayed at an affiliated that did but they are of course a free agent to run their site as they wish. ANPR could have its advantages if we ever moved to an automatic booking in system where you paid in advance for your stay and when you arrived at the site it automatically let you in. I suspect even that is a long way away from the objectives of the new booking system
David
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Surely what the club would want more than week long stays is to be able to fill the sites with single nighters, arriving late leaving early and paying the same per night as any that are staying longer, as they will use less electricity and water per day.
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That is true Nellie...but customers equally want prices to be more akin with what they make use of...
staying overnight and being charged £35+ for a stay where most of it is in darkness and comprises a bit of tv usage and then bed, prior to an early ish getaway won't seem too attractive.
CLs would give a better value option for this type of stopover, or even a pub stop.
we have many such stops on our longest tours (whisper....over there) but don't need to rely on expensive sites just to sleep in the van....the sort of provision there is sadly lacking here.
Touring in the uk and using sites, we would probably make the stay at least two nights and go exploring, other wise it's a blooming expensive way to 'pull in for the night'.
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Not my van, although a vanner of great taste
, this is the type of basic overnight pitch the club could sell to one nighters, via another new pitch type (easy with the new system) and some rules that allow normal visitors to use them from, say 10am - 5pm (or thereabouts) and one nighter stopover vans to use them out of those hours.new pitch type ('aire pitch') to be sold via normal booking system to add useful extra capacity to sites and to provide extra dimension for touring vans (caravans and MH).
in order to maintain spacing, every other wide pitch could be coned off, giving 6m. No awnings, table, chairs etc....cars to be left hooked to caravans for spacing purposes...in the day time, visitors to use all spaces.
cheap to set up, no EHU to provide, a few white lines and a tweak to the booking system, available at sites where sufficient parking is currently allowed.
No disruption to normal visitors, extra capacity for the club freeing up several extra pitches for longer stayers, extra revenue (keep overall prices down👍, pitches a better 'fit' for increase in MH traffic but also available for touring caravans...all at a sensible price....£12-£15.
something like this can't be rocket science can it?
the example happens to be in Spain (although something like this could work anywhere) and I found it when checking out overnight stopping places for my route south in January.
great view, too....no extra charge.
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Agree David, as my photo shows....this one is free....like many, many others.
my point is that this isn't a difficult thing to replicate and even provide more capacity, more choice, more income, small outlay leading to extra pitches at low prices yet generating 'more' for the club and its customers.
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Oh yes, they would love that😁 It’s why we so seldom use most Club Sites. £30+ for less than 14 hours on a Site, it’s not for us.😂 We got badly stung a few years ago at Hurn Lane, I am now a much more careful selector of Sites, even at very short notice.
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Have you thought about putting your suggestion to this club ? the LNAs on sites that have them the majority seem to have an EHU, and you only pay for the occupants if used not for a pitch
Although it is not unusual. (I have been told)for those that are "in the know"
to arrive and depart when site office/staff are not available for payment
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We have occasionally been tempted to use overnight stops in this country that are no more than car parks, in fact did have a very good night in the Leisure Centre car park in Stratford a few years ago. That was well lit and as it turned out empty of all bar us and a small HGV. However, we stopped off for a meal break one night in Clumber Park, one of the big car parks, and half way through cooking, found ourselves rather intimidated by other car users being very unsocial. We moved off, finished our meal elsewhere, and continued home. Since then, we have been rather wary of areas we don’t know, that are open to anyone. (Not talking Britstops or similar). We know from our own town what can go on in perfectly safe in the day areas, that become no go areas in the dark. Is it like this overseas, or is it more usual to find MHs parked up, and not bothered by unsocial behaviour?
We used to overnight regular in big laybys with caravan in the 80’s and 90’s, but wouldn’t do it now. Genuine question🤔
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31st October, clocks went back and everyone on site had a free hour of camping!
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TTDA, to try and answer your question...the example in my photo is a bone ride 'aire' listed in the various reference media, apps etc and, as the sign shows, it's for MH only.
that example wouldn't seem (to me) to be big enough for the boy racer type you mention...we've stay on many, many such 'sites' and only once, in France on a shared area with local village hall, did we get noise at night...but they soon got fed up and went away...along with 8-10 thousand formal 'aires' in France alone, there are hundreds of thousands of less formal 'car parks', often used by MH but shared with other local traffic....these might attract more comings and goings, in fact one of our overnights in Irun, while listed in the Aires books, is a shared car park, close to a local small supermarket, but 'at the vanners' end' it's generally quiet...it also attracts a small fee of €2 or so and tickets are checked by the local police, which in fact gives a good feeling.
probably not attractive to a typical caravaner looking for a warden and a peg, but used by hundreds of vans every year as a rest spot after the winter trudge down through France and before the hike over the Pyrenees to the sunshine.
I usually have the next rest spot in mind, based on my driving expectations, but this doesn't always pan out and a quick check on one of the apps (park4night etc) can often throw up a real, previously undiscovered, gem.
of course, 'gem' in this case means a decent parking area, close to the town, well lit and easy to access etc...many won't see the term 'gem' being used in the same sentence as car park...but we are looking for something with a specific purpose.
Steve (and others) have started using Camping Car Parks...a private organisation who took over the running of a number of village aires from the local authorities and added better booking, more security etc....but at a price, around €9-€15. We have yet to try them, mainly as there are still so many other types to choose from we wouldn't want a restricted number of CCP locations to drive our itinerary...for us, it must be the other way round.
try looking at CAMPING-CAR-infos website....view 'cherche un aire NEW 2020' where they've added a far better search...this will give you an idea of the choice out there.
back to CC...the sites are already known, already have a booking system, are considering new pitch type booking, have a payments system, some sites have the space (possibly under utilised), have a rising number of Campervan/MH members (with facility also available to caravans) all of whom are looking for better value based on certain specific needs.
yes, we know what the club currently offers and, yes, we can all go elsewhere for something different....but times are changing and any relatively easily increased revenue stream at minimum cost should be worth investigating, especially if it gives great value to those pesky customers.
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new pitch type ('aire pitch') to be sold via normal booking system to add useful extra capacity to sites and to provide extra dimension for touring vans (caravans and MH)
BB, Here is what the Club said about this at the 2020 AGM
"At the beginning of this year (2020) we commenced an exploration as to whether this is something we could viably offer. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, this project is currently temporarily suspended, however it is planned to re-initiate in 2021".
2021 is nearly at an end and to my knowledge nothing has yet happened. Meantime others are cracking on raising the need for such facilities and over a hundred official Aires have been established in the last year along with ongoing trials in other areas.
peedee
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2021 is nearly at an end and to my knowledge nothing has yet happened. Meantime others are cracking on raising the need for such facilities and over a hundred official Aires have been established in the last year along with ongoing trials in other areas.
If this is the case then why not simply use these new aires PD, why are you so keen that the club should also have them?
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and some rules that allow normal visitors to use them from, say 10am - 5pm (or thereabouts) and one nighter stopover vans to use them out of those hours.
so what would 'normal' visitors use these for? parking? sitting out?
in order to maintain spacing, every other wide pitch could be coned off, giving 6m. No awnings, table, chairs etc....cars to be left hooked to caravans for spacing purposes...in the day time, visitors to use all spaces
Firstly I think you have got the spacing idea wrong, it is 6m between adjacent walls of an outfit, you can have a car or awning with that 6m, but they have to be 3m from each other.
So every other wide pitch coned off and I suppose not used? Isn't that lost potential income?
in the day time, visitors to use all spaces
again what or who are these visitors?
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Thanks BB. We only stop somewhere if it feels safe. Sadly not too prevalent other than a site of some kind in this country. We joined Britstops this year, and have been using searchforsites website as well, as there’s usually feedback on what folks have found. Hard to tour in this country now via Club Sites, very few open now in Winter, and spread widely, so we rely more on CLs and small private Sites this time of year.
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I’d like to see what they suggest. As BB mentions, we have used the Camping car park chain in France, plus a couple of others, when they weren’t available. We very much like what CCP provide, are happy to pay for it and use them as a default. We might like what the CAMC come up with.
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