Finding a kick-ass accommodation business in a spectacular location is like winning the lottery. My wife and I spent ages looking for the right spot for our business and were very lucky in finding Evans Head. The park did need some care when we started managing it, but the facilities it offered were outstanding. We know how lucky we are, and some businesses owners we’ve met over the years manage a park that’s in a great location but the facilities they have on-site leave a lot to be desired. I often get asked for advice on how they should go about making expansions to their park. I’ve been asked this so much, that I put together a checklist that I know will help to steer expansion in a positive direction for any accommodation owner.

1 – Hire an Expert

Before making any expansion to your park, I would heavily recommend (if not insist) that you spend some cash upfront on someone to plan your changes. Getting someone in to map your client base, your site and your plan for the park over the next several years will ensure that any changes you make will bring in profits and make sure you are maximising your land.

2 – Make Sure Your Investment has a Return

Once you have your expansion plan in place, make sure what you choose to invest in will bring in cash. Deciding to put up some permanent structures and lease them long-term won’t work if the traffic you get is mainly short-term stays. In making a move like this, you need to ensure your investment is backed up by a marketing plan to encourage long-term stays in the park.

3 – Don’t Go into Competition with Local Businesses

Everyone loves a good coffee in the morning, but putting a cafe in your park could put you in direct competition with other local businesses. I have written before about how important it is to ensure you work in conjunction with your local community. Keeping your local community thriving is good business. There is always a delicate balance that should be maintained, maybe invest in a delivery service with a local cafe instead as an expansion project.

4 – Make Sure You Can Build It

The last thing you want to do is to build or change something without permission. This will lead to a lot more cash being spent on it or worse, you might have to remove it and then get permissions, spending double of what you originally planned. An expert up front will usually call out things like council permissions, though it will always be on you as the park owner to make sure you have these things covered.

Making changes to your facilities and expanding your park is always a great idea if it will give you the outcome you want. This simple checklist will ensure that your hard-earned cash is spent in the right areas and make sure you are enhancing the business that you manage. It’s much easier to move a pool on a sketch than when it is in the ground.