It’s no secret to most RVtravel.com readers that it’s getting harder each year to find an available space in an RV park without a reservation days, weeks, months or even a year ahead.
And so here’s some good news, at least for RVers who stay at KOA campgrounds. In an interview with Woodall’s Campground Management, KOA CEO Pat Hittmeier said that the company had “signed four new construction contracts this year and that is on top of nine others that already have franchise agreements. That’s 13 new KOAs that are in the process of being built.”
He went on to say that the construction activity is unusual. “It is the first time over in 20 years that we have seen numbers like this for new constructions. That is a new aspect of the campground and RV park sector that has been taking place. I see more campgrounds being built today than ever before.”
KOA has experienced eight consecutive years of growth in both camper nights and revenue, and has grown to 515 parks. The parks feature campsites for RVs and tenters, but has increasingly added additional basic and deluxe cabins to its mix of offerings, sometimes at the expense of sites for RVers.
KOA = Keep On Adding. Fees for this, fees for that. Nickle and dime you until the price is outrageous for what you have. No thanks.
I was just out to visit the KOA in Hot Springs, AR today. This place is a total DUMP. Very Hilly, narrow sites and lacking in allot of maintenance. Yet, they want $55 per night for a pull thru. I wouldn’t waste my money on this place.
We used to get a bunch of friends together and stay at the campground attached to Boomtown, just west of Reno. The sites were nice and the grass was lush. You could also get the Good Sam discount. Somewhere along the line KOA bought the campground and it all went downhill from there. We drove through there last year thinking we might set up a nostalgic camp-out with our friends. Well, the grass was all but gone, replaced with bare dirt where grass USED to grow. The pavement was all cracked and rutted. The pool looked like a cesspool. The rates were sky high and the only discount you could get was the KOA discount, IF you belonged to their exclusive club. KOA is never on our list of places we consider staying.
We are from Winnemucca NV and stayed there once and were not at all impressed. Check out the good sam at Gold Ranch instead.
How about KOA corporate putting money into maintaining the campgrounds/sites they already have. I gave up staying at KOA’s because of their new restructured expense scheme and overall terrible condition of their sardine can sites. The last site in Massachusetts, was a gravel less mud hole that my rig almost sank in, for $65.00/night. Really?
Their campgrounds are all privately owned. It is up to the owners to keep up and improve their parks. West Glacier KOA just added many new spaces, a second swimming pool, upgraded all of their spaces a couple of years ago. Going back this year to see the changes.