How technology can help holiday parks this summer and beyond

Concerns about catching, and spreading the virus, quarantine, and now the news that fines of £5,000 will be introduced for people attempting to travel without a valid reason, has meant that we have been (and will be) opting to holiday at home for the foreseeable future.

Staycation booking enquiries are the highest they have ever been, according to reports and one area of the UK’s tourism sector we can expect to be especially busy this summer and beyond is holiday parks.

Holiday parks are already proving popular in the UK. Over the last five years, UK holiday parks revenue has risen 65% according to research by New Street Consulting Group.

And the research revealed that UK holiday parks are not just gaining in popularity but are attracting higher spending consumers who may have traditionally taken their holidays abroad.   

With holiday parks favoured by a growing number of consumers, operators will be asking how they can maximise on-site sales and ensure their new guests continue to choose their resorts for their future holidays.

How to maximise customer time and spend on-site

The more facilities on-site at a holiday park, the better the chances of customers spending their time and money there, so operators must invest in their creation in the first instance.

Having a wide selection of shops, restaurants, bars, and leisure facilities on-site will not only enable providers to cater for regulars, but also those newcomers with more cash to spend on eating out, or on premium products and experiences.  

A variety of choices – from snack bars and takeaway outlets providing fast food for those looking to grab-and-go, to cafes and restaurants where holidaymakers can enjoy a more leisurely drink or meal – will enable operators to cater for multiple occasions – from family brunches to three-course meals with friends – and mean guests are less reliant on self-catering.

We know that many holiday park operators are already upgrading, or adding more foodservice facilities, alongside activities and accommodation to their offering to help capitalise on the demand, according to the New Street Consulting Group research, but this is just the first step.

When designing new on-site restaurants, cafes and takeaways for sites, holiday park providers should carefully consider how they will operate them, so they are able to meet this demand, delight their customers and ultimately boost profits.

Invest in efficient systems

One way to ensure all types of retail and foodservice operations run smoothly across the whole holiday park, is to invest in technology.  

There are multiple ways that technology can be used to streamline food and beverage operations and make them more efficient, and it is worth factoring this in when opening new sites or improving existing ones.

Operators with multiple foodservice outlets and offerings across the site, will see clear operational benefits and cost-savings by investing in Purchase to Pay software like Access Procure Wizard. The system streamlines procurement and helps control expenditure because it allows all supplier purchase orders, delivery notes, electronic invoices, prices, and products to be managed in one place.

For holiday parks boasting multiple food and beverage and food retail outlets, having access to all information for these sites in one place will not only streamline the process, but it will also enable pricing to be aligned across the site, which could improve the customer experience while delivering cost-savings to the business.

Access Hospitality EPoS software can also drive efficiency and ensure holiday park operators run a more profitable business, particularly during peak season.

With holiday parks expected to be at capacity and outlets busy, restaurant and retail staff will require an EPoS system that is fast, reliable, and simple to operate, so they can focus on providing a great service to guests. Access Hospitality EPoS’ technology is easily configured for table, mobile, quick service, and kiosk service styles, so will work across all types of businesses on-site – from the snack bar to the family restaurant. The system also boasts up-selling, promotional and grouping prompts for front-of-house staff which improves the chances of turning a bigger profit.

Having one system in use across all retail and food and beverage outlets, will also mean staff will only need to be trained in how to operate it once, should they move around operations on site. The EPoS’ Kitchen Video Display – a system that enables restaurants to capture orders from any source (kiosk, table, order and pay apps, delivery apps) through their EPoS and churn them through to the relevant kitchen screen. Once an order is cooked it disappears from the screen and moves seamlessly to the ready for collection screen. This ensures the journey from order to collection/service is as smooth as possible for both the customer and the operational team.  

Technology for the customer experience

While technology can support a holiday park’s foodservice outlets by making operations run more efficiently, it can also be used to enhance the customer experience.

Before, and during their stays, guests will want to make plans for meals out, so make it easy for them to do so by installing a fully integrated reservation and booking system like Access Collins.

It enables a bookings widget to be integrated into the website for the main park, or those of individual outlets. This means guests can check availability and make reservations for later in the evening, or another time during their stay quickly and easily instead of eating into activity time by enquiring in person at the front-desk or queuing for a table.

The cloud-based solution works in real-time and manages every aspect of reservations and enquiry management, including table management which also makes life easier for restaurant managers. A pre-ordering and pre-payment function may also help speed up service for large groups and allow outlets to turn tables quicker at busy times.

While holidays will be open in the UK this summer, the impact of COVID-19 may still be in our minds. Customers may not be keen to queue at a busy bar, or wait to pay, so it may be worth considering introducing services such as order and pay at table.

This solution enables customers to order and pay on their smartphones while limiting their interaction with staff. As with other services, it has benefits for the business as well as for the customer.

High Standards

Customer expectations are going to be high when guests can return to holiday parks and this is only going to be met if all the facilities and holiday homes are maintained to a high standard. The use of technology such as Access Maintain to track repairs and maintenance and crucially compliance and legislative and statutory inspections is going to improve the overall experience and reduce your liability.

Using one technology provider to help with all these aspects will offer further efficiencies and streamline the whole process for a holiday park’s food service operations, so when you’re gearing up for a bumper summer and building business for the future, doesn’t it make sense to take advantage of all the help technology can provide?