Hello everyone, We have an idea to open a new luxury campsite.
We are looking for the right location, I want to share our idea to gauge some feedback so we can progress.
The site is intended to be for one booking with just 3 pitches fully serviced to take anything up to 15m in length including bid LHD RV’s and 5th wheels. On site we will build a log cabin with Lounge,Kitchen,dining,utility, 1wc wet room and 1wc bathroom. Patio and outdoor dining etc. NO sleeping space in the log cabin, guests must sleep in their own caravan , Motorhome, RV or tent but because everything they need is in the log cabin, their caravan etc can be left in sleeping mode so no morning and night time clear away and bed making.
The site will be landscaped and thoughtfully planted with some mature trees to create some shade but allow the afternoon and evening sun to the entertaining space. There will also be EV charging facility. Site will be 4000-8000 m2 (1 - 2 acres) pub and public transport nearby.
I realise that some people just want a field and rustic camping but wonder if there are others who require something more exclusive?
I would appreciate all feedback before we proceed, thank you. 🤞🏻
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Presumably you have already checked that you can get/already have both planning permission and a site licence?
If not, talk to your licensing council in general terms to find out how they will react.
My suspicion is that to make such a small site with such facilities a viable proposition you will have to charge so much that most people won't be interested.
You may get groups/families interested for special events, such as anniversaries, hen/stag nights etc - but depending on your location this risks neighbour complaints about noise.
But first - check planning and licensing.
With 50 years of using sites, I think what you are anticipating on doing and the cost of setting up just for the use of 3 pitches does not sound financially viable.
Thank you for your response, I take on board all comments and advice.
This idea is partly born from my wish to sell my business over the next 5 years and start to invest in something of a lifestyle for us to enjoy as well . The idea was to get 1 site up and running then start another in another location perhaps ending up with 3-4 small sites over 5-10 years so we can move between sites between guests staying to maintain the sites.
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Thank you for your response, I appreciate your comments also.
Cost depends or differs depending on what you wish from a holiday.
A lot of new larger caravans and Motorhomes are now equipt with much more electric required and sometimes no gas, this means that the amount these can consume in a 24 hour period means the days of sub £20/night are likely to become a thing of the past.
I was thinking along the lines of £50 per night which with a family of 4 with all the creature comforts didn’t seem that much but I may be wrong, also the spacious area is more exclusive than where we have been, we have visited some lovely sites each one has it’s pros and cons.
You say the intention is to take single bookings with up to 3 vans per booking. Is the £50 per night planned for per booking? per van? per person?
All inclusive? or electricity and use of the lodge extra?
Unless you will be doing this as a hobby, and subsidising it from your own pocket, I honestly cannot see how you will be able to even manage the running costs, let alone recover the initial outlay.
And, as already mentioned, your first stage is to get planning and licensing sorted. As you want to build what is, effectively, a self-contained accommodation lodge, then most planning boards are going to suspect the final intention is a full-time residence.
Start off by talking to the planning and licensing depts in the areas you are interested in to get a feel for their reactions, once you know what that is then you can start looking at the possibilities and costing things up.
As a tent camper, what you are describing sounds more like a glamping site, where people would pay loads to stay in a pod or shepherds hut, rather than appealing to caravanners who like to keep costs down.
There is a ‘luxury camping’ market, curiously the more expensive the site the more likely the toilets are to be compost. But what you get is a very ‘natural’ environment with pitches mown into lovely flower meadow (and miles apart) or ‘pitch where you like’ but lots of privacy with clumps of bushes etc and again lots of space.
Many of these sites have a communal under cover kitchen and table area with various facilities.
Middle class London empties on a Friday night to pay £60 pn-ish for 2 adults and 2 kids on many of these type of site in Kent and Sussex. Much much more if they are paying for a hired bell tent or shepherd’s hut.
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I'm happiest on a basic site that gives me the facilities to operate my caravan, CL/CS sites do that perfectly. I attend a number of group activities (rally's, groups of friends meeting up etc.) where we camp en masse, we have ways and means of providing mass catering and social space, so it's perfectly achievable and hugely enjoyable in the most humble of surroundings.
I spent quite a lot of money on a very well appointed modern caravan that provides all my comforts, I really don't see any point in paying dearly with sky high pitch fees to supplement that with site facilities.
IF I want more than my caravan provides, I'd go to a hotel or rent a cottage! Overall when taking into account the purchase cost and depreciation of my caravan, the ongoing running costs, the cost of towing it to a site, the pitch fees etc. that covers quite a decent hotel's fee or rental fee as an alternative! The numbers only get worse when you raise it to the level of large RVs etc.
I like the simplicity and degree of isolation from others that basic caravaning brings. I think for a great many it's the same self contained mentality that drove them to invest in their leisure vehicle.
As a businessman myself, even allowing for others who do seek 'glamping' sites, it's difficult to see financial viability in the scale of the project, the pitch fees would have to be so high it would be a niche business practically on it's own, and being the only one in a market sector is always a tough sell! Competition is often a great marketing tool for your business, you only have to be a little bit cheaper, or a little bit better than competitors to win business from them, selling a unique product is hard and fraught with risks!
That is a personal opinion, not intended as universal statement for the industry, or business guidance.
This is at the moment just an idea which I wanted to explore hence asking for feedback.
The site(s) are somewhere we also want to spend time in between. The log cabin will not have any sleeping space.
The site will not be open or used all year only approx 45 weeks per year.
I was looking for an investment that also gives us some pleasure. If I compare this to a holiday let I.e 3 beds, 6 person max, I could open 3 of these kind of sites which could give holiday accommodation collectively for 36 people for similar investment, all be it the house could bring in revenue 52 weeks per year.
You would also be right if you said just buy a field and put a standpipe and portaloo and sleep 100+ but that is not what we want.
We want to take from our experience of many sites to build the best from all adding additions we thought were missing and share with others. We hear a lot of times and have found ourselves about not enough space specially for big units, I realise it’s perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea but we are looking to provide a facility if there is demand other wise we can just make it for ourselves, family and friends .
As I said I appreciate all views ,for or against, I am not offended by any negativity.
Thanks for your response, For me the main reason we prefer this type of spring / summer/ autumn holiday is you can load up all you need and favourite things, find nice place and sleep in your own bed and surroundings, doesn’t matter whether it’s a tent or luxury RV as long it provides what you need. Sometimes our UK weather is just not quite pleasant enough to sit out in a cool draughty spot specially in the evening. That’s why we want to design a space that caters for most situations, patio doors on 3 sides, shady areas and sunny areas also inside around a cosy wood burner or outside round a fire pit.
I would say you will spend a lot of money on the 3 huts but will restrict customers to only those with a motorhome or caravan etc. You will have a much larger user base if you include bedrooms which may also include a convertible bed settee cum diner in the living space to sleep more.
You'll be able to charge more this way.
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Quote: Originally posted by 22seaside on 07/6/2023
You say the intention is to take single bookings with up to 3 vans per booking. Is the £50 per night planned for per booking? per van? per person?
All inclusive? or electricity and use of the lodge extra?
Unless you will be doing this as a hobby, and subsidising it from your own pocket, I honestly cannot see how you will be able to even manage the running costs, let alone recover the initial outlay.
And, as already mentioned, your first stage is to get planning and licensing sorted. As you want to build what is, effectively, a self-contained accommodation lodge, then most planning boards are going to suspect the final intention is a full-time residence.
Start off by talking to the planning and licensing depts in the areas you are interested in to get a feel for their reactions, once you know what that is then you can start looking at the possibilities and costing things up.
My original idea was, £20 per night per unit , £10 per adult, £5 per child and £2.50 per dog which on average family of 4 would be £50 per night.
Electric would be solar with battery storage for 90%, I do hear now some sites are metered, normal use should be included. A bit like a holiday let, We would check the site before and after arrival and a deposit taken and refunded if no mess or damage. We would be at arms length a phone call away if needed. No staff just ourselves to tend the garden and maintenance because of the size.
The investment would increase the value of the site therefore the return would come later as long as your not borrowing the money to build it. I don’t confess to having all the answers that’s why I appreciate your feedback.
It seems to me that you are trying to create a very niche market. No idea it would work and probably asking on here where most of us are "traditional" campers is unlikely to give you the information you need. Unless you are going to have onsite facilities like toilet/showers, which would have to be luxurious at the price you intend charging. I think most would want a swimming pool as well? The concept might work if with more units as there are already a couple of examples already out there, Love to Stay is one example.
Not the sort of place we would go to either, we spent a lot of money buying the caravan in the first place and a fortune every year for servicing, storage and insurance, we don't need hook up but like to have the choice, again like Mrs Bonce we look for places around the £20pn mark or less, we use our own facilities and if we meet up with friends we sit outside or in each others units/awnings, if we wanted to be indoors we might as well stay at home. The whole point is to get out from our own four walls at home, we do a lot of rallies in fields which we prefer, as staying at proper campsites tend to be a bit regimented at times.
My on site observation / chatting to sales people at shows suggests that these big vehicles will use their own microwave to reheat meals from the full size fridge freezers; or use the tow car to go out for a meal in a local pub or restaurant ; or rig up the BBQ outside and have lots of people round. That is: I don’t think cooking separately from scratch in the log cabin will appeal much & the building could cost as much as a small house with its drainage, toilets, heating, fitting out, furniture. (The planners might even think you’re building your own retirement house in disguise.) Maybe a covered seating area with central BBQ for communal cooking & eating & drinking until midnight would be worth it. Could be ok if the pitches radiate out from it as a central meeting area.
We won’t be coming but that’s not important.
Oh, decide whether or not you want dogs: I’d think 3 units that know each other will expect their dogs to run freely round the site: will your neighbours be ok with this. I assume you’re expecting families, but so far I’ve only seen couples in the “horse box” size Motorhomes. Families expect a play area to keep the children occupied while the adults gather: that’s another expense & may well increase your insurance.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Feedback wanted to help us build campsite
via mobile 06/6/2023 at 9:28pm
