By Chuck Woodbury
EDITORIAL
Jumping on the new, hot trend of “glamping,” a new KOA park in Maine will open in June without a single RV site for rent. The entire park will be composed of luxury canvas tents on wood platforms, each with hot and cold water, bathrooms and other luxurious amenities. They’re gorgeous!
The KOA first opened in 1970 and once had more than 100 spaces for RVs, tents and some cabins (we clarified this sentence from a previous version of this story).
Now, the same land is dubbed Terramor Outdoor Resort. It offers a “luxury experience in the woods,” which those of us with RVs would likely say we already have. The difference is, I suspect, that most RVers won’t pay $218 to $315 a night, which is what you’ll pay at Terramor for your experience with nature. So leave your RV at home, even though since 1962 KOA has been a welcoming stop for RVers and tenters for a night or a week (or longer).
A little bit of lingo from the website:
“At Terramor, we made a promise to offer travelers the chance to breathe in nature and at the same time have their breath taken away. More than a backdrop to everything we do, our stunning Bar Harbor location provides space to think, to dream, to relax and restore.
“Wake every morning to the sights and sounds of nature beckoning you from just beyond your front deck. Grab a fishing pole, a hiking pole or even a picnic lunch at the lodge. Too energetic? Head to Hammock Grove and take some time. Our guests seek out the Terramor Outdoor Resort experience for all the variety it provides. … This is the outdoors done right.”
No mention of RVs, in case you didn’t notice.
KOA is a for-profit company and it can do whatever it wants to build an ever-successful business. But we are sad to see the company depart from its core focus of accommodating RVers and other campers. With this new “resort”, an important place for you and me to stay on the doorstep of Acadia National Park is gone, and that’s a big deal because there aren’t many places to begin with.
This might not be such a big deal except it comes at a time when RVs are experiencing near-record sales. You can bet that if this “glamping” park succeeds, others will follow, and more RV sites will be sacrificed.
So where will you and I stay? Hey, there’s always Walmart, perhaps the largest chain of “campgrounds” in America, and it doesn’t cost even a single penny!
What do you think?
##RVT935b
Well, there’s the fact that certain ethnic groups don’t go rv’ing- according to research. I’d bet this place will help lure them into nature though. I really don’t think this is the wave that’s hurting rv camp places though. It’s a different venue- one that more closely mirrors hotels, motels and resorts.
A new business adventure for KOA……….why be so pessimistic. The only way one would know it was KOA owned is by looking at the copyright data. The word “RV” is not in “Kampgrounds of America”.
You are so right.
And it is why most folks I know avoid KOA.
They are incredibly inconsistent quality and always way over priced.
It would have been better had this facility been NEW construction rather than a “conversion”; especially since it means the loss of an RV campground close to a major National Park.
The article said Bar Harbour? Only KOA I know is the one just after you come across the waterway. Too bad, it is an ideal location to visit. I think glamping Would be a fun experience. It’s way too expensive for me. People fuss about the cost of the Cherry Hill CG outside DC. $80/ night is cheap compared to a hotel room to use when you visit the Nations Capital. I can’t imagine spend that kind of money to visit Acadia NP….
Camping isn’t for the “Me” generation nor those following. But Glamping is just their lifestyle.
Ahh but give me the good ole days
My wife and I dont like hotels,motels or any place where we must share a bed that has been used by hundreds if not thousands of others. As I like to say, “I don’t mind my germs”…
The renovation choice is sad from the standpoint of the ever-increasing difficulty of finding an RV space to begin with. The reality for me is I only spent two nights at KOAs during 12 full-timer years and then only as a necessity. The prices were always much higher – paying for ‘amenities’ I wouldn’t use was not in my game plan.
seems like it was hard to find adequate RV parks in Maine, Mass, NJ etc….that was 20 years ago. guess one less won’t hurt. Good luck to KOA finding enough people wanting to pay those prices to do that – not sure what hotel/resorts charge these days per day–whatever. Not pessimism – more like ‘realism’.
I’ve only been to one KOA and I vowed never again, it’s just my wife and I, we were visiting her grandson in Wichita, KS. They(his family) came out to see us and his daughters wanted to go swimming, at the time they were 6 and 4, the manager came out to charge $5 each for those two children to swim for a hour and a half after we had paid $48.95 plus tax to camp. I considered that a rip off and swore never again. Screw me once, shame on you, screw me twice shame on me. We didn’t use the pool but we could have at no charge he said, personally I really didn’t understand his logic but I paid the $10 and we left the next morning to another park her grandson knew about.
In Bar Harbor there were two KOA’s which one went retro to the tourist cabin mode (updated) or was it another location. ?
Are they changing a current RV Park or are they creating a new one? In the latter case, they’re not taking away from RVers, but adding to their offerings. Smart move for a business. We want them to be successful and stick around, right? Bar Harbor sees so many tourists in the summer (I’m there each year) that an alternative accommodation that takes People out of the city and into the woods is a fabulous idea. Some people Might not have caught the RV bug yet and they aren’t ready for normal tent camping yet (not me either), so this seems a great solution to connect people with nature without taking away their creature comforts. I applaud it. Btw- there is a first come first serve campground on Rt 3 that usually has availability and is wonderful.
The article says they took a 130 site RV Park and turned it into this glampground.
Nope straight up they tore down a functional RV park for this. Boo
Have to add that with per night prices, y’all have to add your rig to that, unless you’ve paid it off. Yes an RV site is cheaper than that, but add your monthly RV payment (divided by the nights per year you sleep in it) and it’s maybe even a wash. Just saying. I have no doubt that they’ll find enough people to fill it. Sure they’ve done their market research. Acadia draws a crazy amount of people in the summer. Cheers!
If the cost of the RV and the interest were the main reason for wanting your own RV, then none of us would own one. It is the ability to pull up stakes and move to a different place, if you aren’t happy with the place you are at. It is the fact that those of us that bought brand new, know that NO ONE slept in our beds, on our mattresses, except US! Anyone here that owns an RV and is okay with this, really needs to sell their RV, or reflect as to why they bought an RV in the first place. I realize that KOA has every right to convert all of their Parks if they so choose. But we, as their “current” core customers, have the right to put a serious financial hurting on them BEFORE it gets to that point! And if we don’t, we can expect this to be more and more the rule and not the exception. I, for one, will no longer reserve at, recommend, or have anything further to do with, any KOA Campground.
I would wager that if you add up ALL the expenses for the “average” RVer it would add up to more than $300 a night for camping. Be sure to include the extra fuel needed to pull the 15,000 pound beast behind our truck and the interest we pay on the loan to buy it and the maintenance and depreciation. Oh yes, the cost of all the camping gear, pots, Pando and those fancy folding chairs. I would bet the typical RV is used somewhere near 15 nights a year. Cheaper to stay in the luxury “tent”.
So, why do you RV Then?
I take it that you don’t own an RV of any type so why are you on this website? Dude, as the saying goes, “don’t knock it till you try it”.
NO WAY, I love my RV life.
I think they have every right to diversify and look for new revenue streams. It’s called capitalism that for some idiotic reason seems to be under attack in America these days. KOA realizes that there are millions of people that don’t want or cannot afford an RV but still would like to experience a stay in the woods. Rather than criticize you might want to consider that if this makes KOA stronger perhaps they will make the RV parks they have now even better.
Give it a rest.
If this was Marriott or Sheration, fine.
This is little ‘ol KOA, highest priced RV parks next to highways.
All they care about is most revenue per sq ft. Period.
While I defend the right to diversify and explore new markets, let’s hope this doesn’t spread to all of their holdings. I much prefer the RV to what they are offering. Realizing all are not the same, I applaud the effort.
I would applaud it if they built it on “virgin property” where nothing was there pre-existing. However, they “converted” an RV park that was there. Not a good sign!
The whole idea of owning your rig is the convenience of having your belongings in your space that you want when you need them. Another reason is that we are the only one that sleeps in our bed which hasn’t been slept in by any other Mal hygiene individuals. Wonder how the A/C works in the canvas tent? Hmmm? And enjoy your mosquitos!!! Let it be known that KOA ate sell out!!!! Boycotting from this point forward.
THAT IS FINE ITS IN A CORNER OF THE US OF A WHERE HARDLY ANYONE GOES THEY DO NOT HAVE MUCH EXCEPT WOILDLIFEE AND IF THEY CAN SUCK IN THE NEW COMMERS THEN FINE WE DO NOT HAVE TO STOP THERE
Yeah nobody goes there anymore it’s too crowded.
terra….terror…. terrible….are the servants animals or people?
We can all band Koa from our stays and send a message to them. I don’t think it will go over for long. Are children allowed or is this “Glamping” for adults that want peace and quiet in nature.
In over 35 years of camping and RVing, I have only stayed at two KOA resorts. After our last stay seven years ago we wrote them off because of the extra charges in addition to the site fee.
Susan, I agree with you. Let them know our displeasure with their decision. Just like the RV Manufacturers, the only language they understand is the “Bottom Line”! This article is 100% accurate! This will be their test case. Why get $65.00 to $125.00 per night for a site when you can get up to $315.00 a night? Time to let them know what we think about their decision. There is strength in numbers and we need to exercise that strength. Bye KOA!
It won’t last! Will be interesting to see if it is still around in 5 years. Maybe by that time they will have realized they should have put some RV Spaces in as a backup!
Plus, for that kind of money, you can find a nice RV park and stay for a week!
Just another reason, why I RARELY stay at KOA! As Chuck says, it is a For Profit company, although I don’t see much profit coming down the road!
It was always full at high rates. This looks like an excuse to rake in even more money. I wonder how many will pay that price.
I might add, half the fun of RVing is traveling the hiways and roadways to get there. If I want to stay in a motel, I will. If I want to sleep in a BED BUG infested Bed, that who knows who or what slept in the night before, I will. That being said, NOPE, and No Thanks.
I’ll keep my RIG, with all it’s expenses, that I willing took on and enjoy the RV Lifestyle!
Well said. You said it all!
A new trend catering to the people who don’t have the desire to deal with the issues of owning a camper but still want to have the experience. Same idea as Autocamp, where they rip up n older campground and bring in new Airstreams for $400 a night.
The former KOA near Yosemite is now an Autocamp, with the loss of 80 RV sites. We owned and operated it 40+ years ago.
We are currently staying at a brand new KOA in Brandenton FL. It is on a working farm. They put in plenty of RV sites but also cabins, Conestoga wagons and grain silos to stay in. The cabins and wagons are about $100 more a night to stay. I can see after reading this article where KOA might be headed. I’ll stick to my Class A
KOA can try a different business model. And it will probably be successful in Bar Harbor due to the volume of visitors. The tragedy will be if KOA forces other parks to follow that model instead of devoloping new parks. Can’t imagine families having that kind of money per night though.
In a free market economy companies spend a lot of resources trying to determine what consumers want. The last thing a for-profit enterprise wants to do is offer a product or service consumers won’t buy. So the fact that KOA is converting this campground means there is likely consumer demand in that area and they can be profitable meeting that demand. The great thing about a free market is it balances itself out; it’s called supply and demand. If indeed there is a shortage of RV sites and consumer demand is there to support profit margins, companies will build them. Just because we own an RV doesn’t mean we’re entitled to inexpensive full hook up campgrounds close to major attractions, on-demand without reservations or with certain amenities. Perhaps was that way 20, 30 or 40 years ago but nothing stays the same. Consumer tastes change. Markets change. Economics change. We can of course long for the “good ole days” wishing things were the way they used to be but human memory can be fickle in that regard.
I believe their “supply” will far outweigh their “demand”. There are very good reasons why I no longer tent camp. First and foremost is NOISE. You hear every single sound of others, their screaming (playing?) kids, neighbors, traffic & critters. Maybe that makes for a good night’s sleep for some. Not for me. Give me my four walls, a door that locks, and less noise.
Consumer demand? Did you miss the part where the author stated “record sales” for the RV industry. And since we the consumers pay for these campgrounds doesn’t that give us the opinion that matters? Entitlement has nothing to do with the market. When more people than ever are buying used & new RVs, I would think that is the market right there.
I suspect these tents will appeal to the interurban wealthy crowd who cannot pull a camper with their current automobile. This taste of nature may awaken an interest in RVing for those presently “stuck” in the city and are looking for a way out.
I don’t think it will fly.
KOA sucks anyway. Overly priced and most of their parks are crammed next to a highway with no room. Reach your hand out and touch your neighbors rig.
Good luck selling hotel rooms that are tents. Fad will die.
RV Park industry is the worst part of RVing.
Most RV parks lie about what they are.
Ever stayed at an RV “resort”?? Gee – a residential sized pool with minimal space and if lucky, a jacuzzi big enough fo 4 people in a park with over 150 sites.
Pure garbage.
KOA is the worst. Zero consistency except high prices.
Sorry to rag – but have had it with crap private RV park industry. They do nothing to police themselves and ensure honesty. There is none.
There are two separate KOA parks in Bar Harbor. Which is the one being converted into this non-RV location. We stayed at the KOA Oceanside two years ago and loved it, right on the water and with great amenities. It was pricey (about $90 a night if I recall, and being close to the water we had no sewer hookup available, only electric and city water). Throughout our stay we saw RV after RV pull up at the office and have to leave since the park stayed totally full all of the time and those without reservations were out of luck. I hope this is not the one converting since we had hoped to go back there in the next few years.
great idea great looking Tent
But, do you know who slept there the night before? And if the Sheets and Bedding were changed!
I prefer my own bed, in my own RV!
Wow tent walls. You can hear the sounds of………your neighbors arguing, kids fighting, baby crying, media blaring….
At least an RV has some insulation to quiet the noise a little.
Don’t pay the yearly membership fee. What KOA has is one of the best reservation systems in the industry. It is easy to see if the campground in your desired area is full or not. KOA has accumulated its wealth from campers paying memberships and charging it franchisees a percentage on ther rentals. KOA has the right to choose whatever business model they think will be profitable for their company. You the consumer have every right not to pay their yearly membership charge.
What yearly membership fee? They have rewards program, but there is no membership fee.
I expect that to be an epic FAIL. Don’t think they are going to find many folks with that type of money who will be interested in that sort of experience.
I think you’re wrong. I believe there are enough of the “one percenters” or at least the “top ten percenters” who will gladly shellout this kind of money. And when they get home, they’ll go on and on about how they were out “camping in the woods” and “roughing it in nature.”
They look nice now, but wait a couple of years. In my experience, people don’t take care of things they don’t own. These “tents “will be trashed in short time.
I prefer to stay in the protection of my own space in nature with my own bed, my own bathroom, my own TV and my own fridge and pantry stocked with the foods I like to eat. I do like the deck, however, but I don’t think I’d like sleeping in the middle of the room (kitchen?)… LOL! 😉
Check out the website:
https://terramoroutdoorresort.com/
Do the reservation system to test it. 2 night minimum. $654. I DON’T THINK SO!
Could spend a month in a NICE RV Resort.
No thanks I like camping in my motorhome
KOA has been on our list of campgrounds not to stay at for years. They are more expensive, tighter spaces, and more crowded. I sadly say that my grown children, when they retire, will not enjoy the wandering, free and easy, few concrete plans, style that we have had for the last 20 years. Finding places that are affordable and have available spaces are getting more difficult.
Not everyone owns an RV, although I do. I see KOA CAMPGROUNDS along the interstate. That is really an undesirable spot. Also I would never stay in one because they seemed run down . There are tons of RV spots in SW Virginia. We have never had an issue getting a good spot. The US is too big to complain about KOA business model. My friend camped in Arizona last week and didn’t see anyone for 3 days. Campsites were free. BLM and Wilderness .
Markus Lemoins is ruining everything! 🤬🤬🤬
They obviously felt they had a certain clientele that would fill that need. Time will tell.
Glamping isn’t camping!!! Just a canvas luxery resort. The crowd that will be attracted to such a resort is totally different from the folks who like to actually camp.
looks like the tents in Yosemite, probably not a problem in Maine, but in Yosemite and the four corners areas by the Navajo reservation(dry climates) the hantavirus has been a problem several times, if they don’t catch it right away your usually dead in about 48 hours, NO THANKS!
It’ll be interesting to see how these tents survive Maine’s winter snows. LOL
If they REALLY want to offer the experience they say they do, they would leave sites for RVers too. How many people can afford to stay in those tents for any time? Or at all? Those kinds of prices are lots more than a motel/hotel. Nice for awhile, but as the tents age, I think clientele will drop. Maybe then they will allow the rest of us in. Krampgrounds of American have always been too expensive for me anyway.
KOAs overhead and hiring cleaning people and washing bedding, etc … I’m surprised this makes good business sense. But as one other reader said I’m sure KOA researched this business model to death before implementing it.
I have never been a fan of KOA, so I do not care that they will not accept my motorhome.
If they use to offer sites for rvs, tents, and cabins did they get rid of all 3 or just the rv sites? If they kept the others I am confused why they would not just replace the cabins with these “glamping” sites instead of rv sites, because essentially that is what they are (just much nicer). I can understand upscaling a shabby ol cabin for this as I am sure they charged more for them than the rv or tent sites to begin with. Why not leave all options to cater to the largest amount of people possible?
From what I have seen for prices at similar glamping resorts, the pricing for this is pretty normal. I’m sorry to see a former campground converted but glamping does seem to be the thing right now. Bar Harbor tends to draw a higher money crowd and I’d be willing to bet that KOA did a ton of market research before making the investment to develop a resort dedicated to glamping. Obviously they are anticipating higher profits that they were achieving from running a “normal” campground. I can’t help but wonder what their long term projections show but please remember that their intended audience are not those of us who complain that KOA is priced too high. Some folks will want to rent beach houses in Maine, some will want to glamp in the woods.
It seems KOA tried something a few years back, by making some parks “destination” parks. That didn’t work out too well either. I think this may be a wave that will not last either! I did stay at a rivals campground this past summer that did have RV spaces, cabins, and a couple of glamming tents. This may be a better model, but for Rver’s I don’t see this either! It was an old KOA the had been bought out and taken private. They upgraded it a ton from the old old kOA, which it did need. What they still haven’t figured out, is we just need a campground good shape, without a bunch of costly add on stuff. We bring what we want with us! As for as cost for being an RVer, it is a lifestyle choice, not necessarily a money saver. It may be when the kids are young, but for seniors it bigger rigs, not so sure. We are seniors and love the lifestyle and are on the road 4-6 months every summer, then Two weeks out of every month with our RV clubs we belong to! So we use ours!
Not sure where you are getting your information, but KOA “destination parks”, otherwise known as KOA Resorts are doing very well. They are hard to get into to because they are so popular. The Holidays are nice also. The Journeys are basically for overnight or a couple days. What you like in a campground is not necessarily what the next person wants.
More & more campgrounds are excluding “certain” RVs. They are making sites smaller and smaller. I was a fan of KOA, one of the campgrounds that didn’t have a ton of restrictions, now most of them are dumps and poorly run. So one less nasty KOA doesn’t matter I guess. Things are changing and not always for the best for campers.
It’s all about money. KOA and the rest of them can expect a sharp decrease in the 300 dollar a night customers. Secondly, and the biggest problem with owning a Class A, Class C, or a travel trailer is where do I park it when not being used? That is the # 1 question you should ask your self BEFORE you buy one.
Owners of land need to be able to realize a competitive income stream from their land regardless of the use to which it is put. If KOA can realize a greater return on investment from this glamping enterprise than from renting out RV spaces we will lose more spaces in high value locations. We have stayed in “tented safari camps” in Africa and the Sahara. They are comfortable and pleasant, but nowhere near as comfortable as our own RV. There are also many wonderful B&B’s in the area that would be as comfortable as well, just not as exotic. I do fear for the loss of RV spots in popular areas, unfortunately the answer will be higher prices for RV spots to make the return to land owners competitive.
What’s to “think?” It is a KOA WOODSY HOTEL. Designed for wives that want to wear white pants everyday. Don’t want their children to get dirty and God forbid, have to sleep on the ground. If a Racoon comes by, they will call 911. This is for phoney people that have no idea what camping, RVing or “being with nature is all about. If it had been marketed as a “campground for the handicapped” I would be behind it 100%. A chance for folks in wheelchairs, on crutches, children with physical handicaps to enjoy nature – sure. But $315 a night ($2215 a week) for city foks to bitch “the birds woke me up at 6:30” (Ha & and oh so true) – no way. Take a cruise ship instead.
I agree with you your statement. I really like the idea being for older & handicap people. I am an able body that has a RV and I do get out into the “real forest” but this group hardly has a chance to do so! Thanks for your thoughts
I see your point in reducing the number of RV sites. But remember the park itself is privately owned and the owners can do what ever will make them the most return on their investment.
I wouldn’t spend $200.00 plus per night myself but there may be some that will. I wish them the very best.
More and more Walmart’s are disallowing overnight stays because it is being abused.
KOA is marketing this to millennials and Gen Z folks with more money than they know what to do with. I’m sure there will be an Uber stop and all the restaurants in the area will deliver to the location. Times and the economy are changing… We will have to wait and see if this is a new trend or a once and done thing.
…………….the line should read with debt they don’t give a dam about as long as they look as good as their aging parent who it took a couple generations to “look good” . That’s more like it..
I didn’t think millenniels and/or Gen Z folks HAD a lot of money, which is why they want to vote for politicians who promise to give them free stuff.
That’s OK…..No RV’ers don’t really care for KOA over priced camp grounds anyway!
YUP!!!!!
Good luck to them. Personally, we do not use Keep On Adding. They charge different prices each day. Monday – Thursday is one price. Friday & Saturday is another price. Sunday, yet another price. The one time we almost stayed (12 years ago) we were upcharged due to them having a pool, Guess what-it was under construction. We left, crossed the interstate, charged $22.00 less and they had a pool and hot tub & internet was free. Maybe the fact that KOA was virtually empty and the park we stayed at was booming should have been our first hint.
The KOA already has another RV Campground on the same road.
That’s fine, there’s a place for them too. What shocks me more as I’m currently traveling, is all the parks for “no children, no tents, no one under 55, no camper units older than ten years etc”. How sad! Much of that is the working man of our society that is paying our Social Security.
Doesn’t work that way in Canada Wendy. In many places you cannot refuse on basis of race , number of people living in your home, the number of kids, dogs, the age of anyone or disability. One of the reasons there’s so dam many slums in this country.
Working Man does not pay our Social Security that is a myth left over from the gold slandered Warren Mosler
“Taxes function to regulate aggregate demand, and not to raise revenue per se.
https://tinyurl.com/y3d9hc8
As the population goes up but the land area stays the same it’s only logical that the price of that limited land, and amenities on that land, will also go up. Check out the website. These glamping tents, at $300 a night, don’t even have kitchens. They don’t have any information on cost of “libations and cuisine to satiate you” in their lodge, but I imagine it is somewhat more expensive than McD’s.
Now I’m an old backpacker (REAL camper) and what I’m about to say may piss a few off, but sleeping in anything with wheels under it is not “camping.” I’ve seen it creep from tent trailers to small hardside trailers, to converted van campers to small motor homes right on up to the latest $2 million+ Newell motor palace. And now $300+ a night glamping without even a kitchen. And I have been part of it. From 22′ TT (which I lived full time in for 9 years) to 18′ class C to 22′ class A and now back down to a 17′ Casita. I’m also a boater. There’s a truism in boating that a boater will keep getting bigger boats until he (she) gets the first level of “too big” and backs off one size. I didn’t do that in boating. I got to my final size and stayed there. In RVing, yes.
Twenty-five years ago I lived in a coop RV park. Any time a large class A came to rent everyone went to OOH and AAH over it. Now, in that same park (I don’t live there now) at least half the rentals are big buses. Confession – We were the third to buy a modern 400 sq ft Park Model (12′ X 34′) with loft and porch when they were allowed in the park. We have since moved our Park Model to a commercial mobile home park, but about a third of the “rigs” in the RV park are now Park Models.
There are a few people who will buy those Newells. There are a lot more who will by less expensive 45′ class A diesel pushers. And there are many thousands more who will buy other class As. They are all fooling themselves if they call that “camping.” I would suspect that we are now seeing just the beginning of the “glamping” movement. Things have gone full circle from backpacking to motor-moteling and back to tent “glamping.” It’s here to stay, folks.
KOA has slowly evolved into over hyped campgrounds with high prices for year. Used them only when desperate. If they want to go Glamping have at it.
I’m confused. Rarely a week goes by where we don’t hear about how RV sales are falling. Plummeting even. Yet the author states ” it comes at a time when RVs are experiencing near-record sales”. Well, which is it? If RV sales are near-record, then it seems they are going the wrong way. However, if RV sales are falling (as we keep reading month after month), it makes good economic sense for KOA to do what they can to expand into an untapped (by them) market, people who want to camp, but don’t have an RV or want to rent and learn how to use one. If they succeed, good for them. If not, well, it was a worthwhile experiment, and they can always change it to an RV park, or maybe even a hybrid.
Good Comment and probably spot on as I do not know of one RV sales outlet where sales were better in 2019 than in 2018. This KOA thing is simply addressing a growing trend. People increasingly do not want to invest in a very expensive piece of crap they use maybe 30 days out of the year (if it isn’t in the repair shop)
Same with housing, has anyone noticed the mammoth condo/townhouse projects being built everywhere??? Young people today do not want lawns, shovelling snow, fixing fixing fixing, they want to pick up and go and get instant gratification, and the KOA’s of the RV world is one example of someone meeting a growing demand.
Thank you Chuck for posting this article! The comments were to say the least very entertaining.
The Yankees barely have space to park a tiny car (if they even own a ride) so they certainly have nowhere to park an RV. Let them go “camp” and pay the price for bragging rights.
The KOA in question is a corporate-owned property, and had maybe a dozen RV sites. It was KOA Woodlands, and focused on tent sites, some Kamping Kabins, and some tent sites with Kamping Kitchens. The RV money is made at the other corporate-owned property just up the road, KOA Oceanside. The amount of money that is spent by tourists in the Bar Harbor area is just astounding. There are two other Glamping campgrounds (Woods of Eden and Acadia Yurts) that are already open and bringing in those nightly rates. Rather than being bent by the reduction in RV sites, one should be outraged to be charged $100/night for a site packed in like sardines, unable to open shades, and only view being your neighbors back window! If we all stop paying these rates, we can turn the tide and actually enjoy amazing places like Bar Harbor, Maine.
I read the comments. I must say, as someone who lives fulltime in a 30+yo self converted school bus, I find many of the comments quite funny. So many RVers have posted negative comments on review sites about campgrounds and RV parks allowing “older” RVs, “permanent” and/or “semi-permanent” RVs, not to mention the folks who still work at jobs while having the nerve to live in an RV like it was an apartment. Now that it’s those same folks who aren’t welcome and considered “undesirable”, suddenly it’s unacceptable that a campground/RV park should implement rules that exclude them.
When it gets to be 100 degrees out at 85% humidity, sleeping in a tent will be a lot of fun. I’d rather stay at a luxury hotel at that price. You will see the RVers revolt and boycott.
Not to mention the bird sized mosquitoes and biting flies. Oh and let’s not forget, summer temps only last a couple weeks in late summer. Early summer there is turtleneck sweater and coats season.
Own an RV and live in it renting private homes extra driveway space with water,electricity 30amp with sewer dump.Only go to state parks and only during the week on non-holidays.Private parks are overpriced,crowded,noisy and too many pets campers anyway🐶💩machines so haven’t been at a KOA type park in decades.So if they can get this hipster idea to work have @ it.Spending that much money I’d just go to the Hilton that doesn’t allow pets where it’s quieter.
Error in your reporting. You state “Before its new life as a “glampground” it had up to 130 spaces for RVs, tents and some cabins.”. Wrong. Woodlands KOA had maybe 30 RV sites. It catered to tenters and folks that rented cabins. The KOA a mile down the road, Oceanside KOA, still has 100s of RV sites.
HA! You are right Norris. I just looked at Google Maps and Streetview and saw both locations. Oceanside is taking RV reservations and then Woodlands has a sign beside the road “Glamping sites coming soon”.
Funny how a bit of ‘misinformation’ or “Fake News” gets peoples dander up.
Stay cool
Glad that this was reported. There are a lot of RV’ers that don’t have $200.00 – $300 to blow for one nights stay. It’s obvious the new KOA park is for the wealthy.
inaccurate information can cause us,, as readers of rvtravel, to lose confidence in the reporting articles.
Please be more accurate. Thanks.
So…. it’s a hotel.
Not leaving my rv at home, sorry.
People forgot what camping is all about. It’s about getting down with the outdoors and roughing it.
It hasn’t been like that for at least 30 years.
In your world. It’s different for everybody.
KOA sucks, anyway… no big loss here!
Innovation to stay alive.
KOA = Keep On Adding. Nickle and dime for anything and everything, instead of one price stay.
The cost of staying at the campground will result in its demise. It will be a curiosity for awhile but probably will re-think the concept in the long term.
This may be a success for the younger generation due to the location. California has Costona near Santa Cruz. The have rv spaces with ocean views near $100 night and then have an awesome rustic hotel and then several luxury huts like these on the property. It was a super popular place for those to come down from San Francisco for a quick getaway. It was not cheap, but rustic and elegant. The also had fabulous restaurant on site too.
Looks pretty neat but awfully expensive. I wonder what it will look like in 10 years?
RVs made KOA rich and now they outlaw them?
No. They are developing a park with a different focus. I don’t see a connection with outlawing anything. It’s a business. If they can make more money with their plan, Great! Parks are a difficult business to have pencil out.
I believe that any business should change, explore, or experiment. That’s how business’s evolve. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. The market place is the determining factor. Many people don’t think they would like RVing. When we tell some people how much we love it, they say, “Not me, I don’t want to cook, and make beds and clean up. That’s not a vacation to me.” I don’t agree, but to each his own. What a dull world if we were all the same.
My guess is that it would be a fad, especially at the price points quoted in the article. For those prices, very nice luxury hotels can be had with a lot more amenities to offer. Sampson State Park in the wine rich Finger Lakes region of NY has gorgeous modern cabins that look like small townhouses overlooking Seneca Lake at $180 a night and up with I believe a four-night minimum. Any time we’ve camped there with the RV these beautiful structures are mostly if not all empty.
In my camping world, I seriously avoid any type of campground that uses the word “Resort”. To me, that’s a red flag that they think they are more than a decent campsite with good working hook-ups, and perhaps many kids running around the place.
KOA’s are as varied as the owners/franchisers of these campgrounds. I’ve stayed in some really nice ones (love the Ft Collins Lakeside except the train early in the morning), and some really crappy ones (Rock Island/Davenport was under water and they never gave us a discount for it or offered higher ground, Estes Park is a sardine can on a very steep slope). Their prices have gone over the top on some of these campgrounds, and they do not accept Good Sam cards. You have to buy a yearly membership to get their discounts. I stay at other Good Sam campgrounds unless there is none in the area. KOA is my last resort for a quick overnight stop if nothing else is available. Personally, I prefer forest or state campgrounds or boondocking myself, but sometimes I don’t have a choice but to stay in an ownership campground (all KOA’s are ownership/franchisee campgrounds).
I’m an RVer. I have seen many RV parks who won’t allow tent camping. That’s their prerogative so keep in mind when traveling, look for parks that accept RV’s. Simple as that. Please don’t make camping a Political Correct thing.
Unfortunately there are many Walmart stores in the south east that no longer allow overnight parking. We also encountered a couple in Arizona last winter that didn’t. There have been a couple that had signs up but when we asked they said we could stay but to park away from the main parking areas.
KOA stands for “Keep on Adding” which is what you find out when you book a campsite for, say $50 a night at a KOA, only to find out if you want ANY “amenities” that they promote, you have to pay, individually, for each such benefit of a KOA campground, so the final per-night cost you actually experience ends up totaling up to a lot more than their advertised campsite fee.
I will NEVER support this company and their “bait and switch” tactics.
This low-end tent hotel is NOT what camping is about, BUT with advertising, they’ll be able to convince SOME people that this is actually camping . . . at an EXTREME financial cost.
$218 to $315 a NIGHT for a tent platform campsite is NOT CAMPING, it’s just a way for KOA to get even more profit out of their business model.