Combat ghost camping: Maximise holiday park occupancy with PMS solutions.
With more holiday parks facing operational challenges, "ghost camping"—where guests book but fail to show up—poses a growing concern for independent operators. Empty sites mean lost revenue, especially during high-demand periods, making it essential to ensure full occupancy. Leveraging property management software can help parks reduce no-shows and streamline operations without additional manual work.
Automating communication to maximise capacity
A great solution is automated communication. By sending triggered emails and SMS reminders 48 hours before arrival, operators can prompt guests to confirm their bookings or cancel if their plans change. This gives park managers enough time to fill those spots. Two-way messaging allows operators to track real-time guest updates, giving them visibility on arrivals, departures, and requests, all from a single system. Courtney Hall, Sales Manager of Parks and Campgrounds at RMS Cloud, explains, “Our cloud-based system keeps park operators connected with their guests, automating time-consuming tasks and reducing no-shows with the click of a button.”
Securing upfront payments to reduce no-shows
Payment technology integrated with your property management system is another game-changer. RMS Pay allows operators to send payment links, giving guests flexible options and centralising both communication and payment processing. This ensures that operators receive payments promptly and can issue refunds quickly if cancellations occur, opening up spots for last-minute bookings. “RMS Paylink capabilities allow holiday parks to process payments securely and efficiently, ensuring every transaction is contactless and streamlined,” Hall adds. To ensure secure payments, adopting direct bookings through a centralised IBE (Internet Booking Engine) within your PMS is essential. “When I started at RMS, operators often took small deposits, leaving them open to no-shows. Today, over 95% of the customers I speak with now take full payment upfront through their IBE, securing bookings and protecting their revenue.” This approach not only minimises the risk of no-shows but also streamlines operations, ensuring a seamless guest experience and boosting occupancy.
Real-time tracking for full occupancy
Real-time tracking features within RMS Cloud enable operators to monitor available sites and incoming reservations, helping them make immediate decisions to maximise capacity. This dynamic system minimises the risk of unused bookings and ensures full occupancy, even with last-minute changes. By providing operators with live data, RMS Cloud reduces the anxiety associated with cancellations and gives peace of mind.
Tried-and-tested tools are available to help eliminate many of the daily challenges you face as a holiday park operator. By automating communication, payment processing, and availability tracking, park operators can manage their sites more efficiently while still offering a personalised guest experience. During peak seasons, when every booking counts, systems like RMS Cloud give operators the tools they need to maintain full capacity and lower operational costs.
Adopting data-driven solutions allows independent holiday parks—and even larger national parks—to combat ghost camping, improve occupancy rates, and ultimately boost revenue.
