10% OFF Autumn Getaways
Comments
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Arch, having someone who already stays on Club Sites (primarily) stay a bit longer is a small positive, but has to be weighed normal price v discounted price to get a true increase. Persuading someone who doesn’t use Club Sites to come and stay as opposed to going elsewhere is the real winner, and will put money in the coffers if it can be maintained. You, happy with the Club (I think😁) are not the true intended target, but add a little bit of a positive. The Club gets a bit, you get a lot. Other way round is what the Club wants👍
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I also question the idea that the club doesn't know its membership?
From past data the club will know exactly how many members book 'early' that is over 14 days in this case and when they do it. It will know exactly how many book (and have booked) over the three week half term period (from all the Uk schools) and with parents or grandparents. It will know many how people are booked on these sites and for how long. I would suspect this is more than those who cannot go away at short notice for other reasons.
When I was working full time I would have loved to have this sort of offer on over half term. When I went PT I still would have loved it. I think it's great now it's just a shame that the sites I've got booked in Scotland and Northumberland are not there (mmm I wonder why?) but it will get me to book one of them in the lakes. The others are a bit too far (am I being discriminated by distance - surely the club knows where I live?). Win win. Thank you club.
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Because those few realise they made a mistake but that mistake has nothing to do with the way some MH-ers tour.
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The offer we are discussing is aimed to increase site occupancy. That’s all there is to it. CAMC will be happy if occupancy increases on the well used sites as well as the lesser used sites.
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Corners, you are not the intended target market of these offers, other than you will use a different Club Site. Nothing wrong with this, it is to your benefit, and in a smaller way also the Club. But looking at all the offers, sometimes two a week, and the email from the DG, from a marketing perspective, evidence would suggest that the Club is seeking to increase its usage and attract more or lapsed Members back onto Club Sites.
It’s happy time for those who love Club Sites, lots of offers, money off prices that they already find good value, T&C’s that have no problems, and I have no doubt that there are probably a lot of existing Members like you currently reaping the benefits of something that suits and you enjoy. That’s good.
But can the Club survive on this? That’s the underpinning issue, and why I suggested it’s not the happy customers that the Club needs to reach, by all means keep them happy, but it needs to get more wheels, either brand new or returning onto pitches to maintain at a level that is not going to mean more or earlier site closures, or increasing prices. Telling folks to go elsewhere if something doesn’t suit, will not ultimately stop the empty pitch nights. So, knowing more about those who don’t come, is just as important as retaining those who do. And 🤞 it might just be a few simple things initially, but finding out is key.
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I can sort of understand why the Membership of MH owning, and caravan owning numbers is important, as we certainly don’t tour in the same way with either outfit.
We would stay longer on a site (of any kind) with our caravan, than we probably would with our MH, as we would hop from site to site more with the MH, rather than going back and forth each day.Those who move to a MH from a caravan might just find life a little bit more restrictive not having a vehicle to go off site with, and might need sites within walking distance, cycling distance, or on a bus route, if they choose not to go out in their MH daily. Hence, this question of type of outfit might have some bearing in terms of pitch take up and why the site isn’t achieving its target take up. Location? Access to public transport? Enough to do directly from the site? All questions to ask potential users.
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Totally agree. The Club knows it’s Membership reasonably well. But it’s equally important to try and find out why new outfit owners don’t join, or why existing users have stopped using Club Sites so much. I’m sure they will be doing something in this respect.
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I have briefly skiped over this thread(currently on tour not using Club sites) To me it makes no sense at all tl impose a minimum stay, it does not make the slightest difference to those wanting longer stays but it does exclude those who like to move on more frequently. Are they expecting a rush of longer stay bookings which would otherwise not have been made? Excuse my laughing but I am not rushing.
peedee
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I don’t think the free night was DK, you had to book, but even if you only booked and stayed the one night, you got it free. That was something far different to the latest round of offers.
TDA
Yes I have looked back at the original email and as you say no minimum booking requirement, so apologies. Our last touring act was to go to Ferry Meadows for three nights and we paid for two. Since we retired 17 years ago we have never gone away for less than 3/4 nights. Whilst on a longer trip we have stayed as little as one night en route between sites, but we wouldn't have left home to stay in the van for just one night.
What the Club seem to be after is more occupancy for longer periods so I imagine that is what drives this sort of offer where there is a minimum stay requirement. Perhaps the Club will repeat the one night free early next year. In reality that is probably worth more than the 10% off unless you stay more than 4 days? I suppose the Club could argue that there are slightly more costs attached to shorter stays than longer ones as it means reception will be busier. A bit tenuous maybe but we are all second guessing the motives!
David
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Surely the club is better off with many short time stays especially by M/Hs, who arrived late and leave early, but still have to pay the full pitch price than those that settle down for an extended period, using much more electricity and water, for a similar pitch price. They should really be trying to encourage those to use the site rather than handing out benefits to those who stay 4 days or more.
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I thought I was right DK, it was such a rare occurrence getting anything free (first time in 40 years for us) so it’s something I took notice of and made sure we could use. I love your optimism in it happening again, but you never know😁
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As far as we are concerned, not using Club sites is mainly down to prices.
Using Club sites exclusively, as we used to do until about 8 years back, would mean we would need to cut down on our length of time away as my pension has not kept up with site prices. Over the years we have whenever possible gradually moved to using CLs, CCC sites, and commercials.
Dynamic pricing and deposits do not help either as we can no longer book so far ahead as we used to as increasing health issues mean we are more likely to need to amend or cancel bookings.
No doubt we will not be the only members who are in this situation.
£3 - £4 off site prices does not bring them down enough to make them VFM to us, and the Ts & Cs of the offers are too restrictive.
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We won't be in a position to take advantage anyway! The number crunchers at the Club will have worked out if there was a net gain in offering the free night, they won't be doing it for any other reason than it drives an increase in site nights I suspect. Ferry Meadows seemed to be pretty full when we took advantage. If the offer comes up again next year it won't be through the goodness of their hearts but that it, at the least is neutral, or it increases site revenue. I imagine members like the idea of a free night?
David
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It dropped perfectly for us that free night. We had been bought a steam train breakfast ride at the Embsay &Bolton Abbey railway, and we would normally have booked into a favourite CL for a couple of nights, but this popped up, club Site was a bit closer to embarkation station so we actually had three nights away, and cheaper than the CL nightly average. Couldn’t believe how busy BA was, our first night was only the second night of re opening after Winter break, and the weather was poor. Staff said loads of folks had booked to get their free night in, before it expired at the end of March. It’s one of our favourite Club Sites, lovely when it used to stay open up to Christmas, but we stopped going when it closed a month early.
We used to use FM in winter as well with the MWD, but found a nice CL for half the price closer to Grantham. In fact, it’s about a mile away as the bicycle trundles (canal paths😁) to the area where the Club is hoping to put a new Club Site, under Belvior Castle.
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Corners, you are not the intended target market of these offers, other than you will use a different Club Site.
How do you know I'm not? Have I missed something you've seen?
It's got me booking a site that I wasn't thinking of using at that time, so it perhaps it is? I've got no idea who it is intended for, personally I think it's just there to get more people on club sites no matter what their previous bookings, both people like me and others. As I said win win.
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My sympathies, Rowena. You post what you are told to post and you always word it well
But why anyone would book 14 days in advance for the autumn when the weather might be awful just to save ten percent is beyond me. The Club’s big problem is here and now. For the peak week commencing 28July - every one of the 20 Club sites in Devon and Cornwall has availability every singe day of the week - that’s peak holiday season in prime holiday area, but the Club can’t fill its pitches.
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Perhaps it is due to the Olympics being on, but Devon and Cornwall are not areas which are exactly short of camping and caravan parks and I doubt if, even at the height of the season, everywhere is booked up.
Two weeks ago I returned from an 11 night break, consisting of 2 nights at Warwick, 2 nights at Cheltenham, 3 nights at Winchester, 2 nights at Rookesbury Park in Hampshire, back to Winchester for a night and 1 night at Tewkesbury (the latter being as Cirencester was fully booked). All of the sites were busy and I managed to book the last pitch that was available at Tewkesbury, so it appears that a lot of CMHC sites are doing OK at the moment.
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I got this week’s fantastic saving offer email from Club yesterday. Number crunchers have analysed that we go to Clumber Park in September (we do, but it’s always for an event) and are we tempted to go again, saving £15 per night? Oh thinks me, this sound’s more our kind of offer. The £15 saving relates to being Members, so no, for us there won’t be a £15 per night saving🤷♀️ It’s akin to the offers you get from BB suppliers, a great deal, but only if you don’t already use the services.
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Eurotraveller commented further up the thread that all the sites in Devon and Cornwall had free spaces. Just out of interest I have had a look at the country as a whole.
In the first week of the peak season I could have booked a whole week starting Saturday at 123 sites and if I were prepared to wait until Sunday add a further 17. So out of the 157 club sites they have a peak week free on 140 sites. When could you last do that?
I think the Club has serious problems. It will be interesting to see the financials in their next AGM.
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I would have done something similar LTC, but I cannot access the booking system to look!🤣
It doesn’t surprise me though. But on the helpful front, Club are reacting………….by closing at least 5 sites this year.
I am waiting to see which site offers the first £100 a night stay for a family of four or five. Might involve a super pitch or a service pitch, and be dynamically priced. But it’s what Members want………………apparently.🤷♀️
Edit….Crikey, just had a look. For a family of 5 on a super pitch, I have found at least one night dynamically priced already at £85.20 per night🫣 I thought it might take a few years, but not sure now.2 -
Is £82 per night for a family of five expensive? I've looked at Seacroft and for five it comes in at £80.80 but that site has a heated (30C) outdoor pool, bar, restaurant and close to the beach. A room in a Premier Inn comes in at £300 per night for two rooms (3 +2). Traveling on a package holiday the cheapest I've quickly found is £150 per night but the average appears about £400.
And of course this family of five already has a suitable outfit. I would question why five is the 'average' number of people on club sites to base prices on?
So is £82 expensive for a family of five? And is this what members want apparently? Well Seacroft at that price is full for 16 days in August and low for the rest. So yes apparently it is what these members want!
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I don’t find the fact that there is a fair bit of availability at many of the sites, despite price cuts. We are living through difficult times for many financially. Even the likes of Ryan Air are finding things difficult, despite attracting 10% more customers with a 15% price cut, their second quarter year on year profits dived by 46%. In our experience the more popular, and generally expensive, CAMC sites don’t seem to be having a problem. Hopefully there will be enough uptake at the others that the years figures are not too dire.
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If they can make enough from the ancillaries to make a price like that sustainable, then it’s a good business model. If not, then they might not be here next year. It does depend on what each of us want from a site. Personally we would prefer a quieter site without all the extras, even if the cost is higher.
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Care to share with others, PD?
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