Best Practices: Top 10 Things to Know: Owner, Operator, Manager

Summary:

Whether you’re new to Campspot or stepping into a new role at your campground, this guide covers the top 10 essential things to know for efficient operations and for maximizing the potential within Campspot. From setting up units and optimizing your booking grid to configuring pricing, managing guest communications, and understanding reports, each section is packed with practical tips and links to deeper resources. Designed for owners, operators, and managers alike, this is your go-to reference for navigating Campspot confidently and effectively.

content:

Below is a list of the content that you'll find throughout this article. For quick access to a specific topic, click the topic below and you'll jump forward to that section.

Managing Unit Setup
Handling Inventory and Grid Optimization
Site Pricing Strategies and Booking Rules
Managing Reservation Policies and Fees
Customizing Guest Communications and Policies
Understanding Reports and Business Intelligence Tools
Configuring Add-ons for Ancillary Revenue
Optimizing Online Booking and Distribution
Managing User Access and Permissions
Support Tools and Resources

1. Managing Unit Setup

A well-organized unit setup lays the foundation for smooth operations, accurate pricing, and a customer-friendly booking experience. Your Admin Site’s Unit Setup determines how guests view, select, and book accommodations, making it crucial to get this right from the start.

Understanding Your Unit Setup

Your park’s sites are structured into a hierarchy based on site type, organized as follows:

Categories: Broad classification of sites and add-ons, including Tent, Lodging, RV, Other, and Daily Add-ons.
Site Types: Customizable groupings of sites within a category, defined by assigned amenities, pricing, and even location.
Sites / Add-Ons: Individual listings under each Site Type, each with its own assigned amenities, unit number, and placement on the booking layout map.

Booking Layout Map 🗺️

The Booking Layout Map is a visual representation of your park, showing where each site is located. It is used for booking purposes in your Admin Site, Consumer Site ("Book Now" page), and Campspot Marketplace listing.

Note: This map does not replace a physical map for guests—it is for booking and operational use only.

Booking Rules - Unit Management

Your Admin Site includes over 20 booking rules to help you manage various aspects of your operation. Here are some key rules that impact site management:

Rule Name	What It Does
Occupancy (Min/Max Age Groups & Pets)	Sets the min/max occupants per site type. ⚠️ Each site type must have an active rule to allow reservations! ⚠️
Pricing: Occupancy-based Fees	Automatically apply fees based on occupant count , including adults and children.
Rate Groups	Allows pricing adjustments by overriding additional people fees based on date ranges and occupancy categories.
Taxes	Customize tax rules based on site types, add-ons ➕, and reservation durations to fit various scenarios.
Pricing: Pet Fees	Automatically apply pet fees based on booking details, including pet count and reservation duration .

Want to know more? Check out these resources:

Unit Setup: What's on the Page?
How To: Manage Site Types
How To: Manage Sites
How To: Add a New Site to a Site Type
How To: Move a Site to another Site Type

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2. Handling Inventory and Grid Optimization

Managing your inventory ensures sites are available when guests want to book while maximizing occupancy. Grid Optimization automatically arranges reservations to fill gaps and increase revenue, optimizing your grid up to 72 hours before arrival.

Closing Sites:

There are two ways to prevent bookings on a site:

Admin Holds function – Manually block a site(s) for maintenance, events, or other needs.
Cannot Be Reserved Online rule – Restrict online bookings while keeping availability open for manual reservations.

Booking Rules - Inventory Management

Your Admin Site includes over 20 booking rules to help you manage various aspects of your operation. Here are some key rules that impact inventory management:

Rule Name	What It Does
Resort Closed	Blocks reservations during your park’s off-season.
Grid Optimization	Excludes specific sites from automatic optimization.
Flexible Lock Site	Allows guests to lock a site for a fee, maximizing revenue.

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3. Site Pricing Strategies and Booking Rules

Pricing strategies are key to driving revenue and ensuring competitive rates. Campspot allows for flexible pricing setups, whether you’re managing simple daily rates or implementing complex dynamic pricing and packages.

Base Pricing & Adjustments

You can set pricing at the Site Type level, including:

Daily rates for each night
Weekly or seasonal adjustments
Holiday or event-specific overrides

BOOKING RULES – PRICING STRATEGIES

Rule Name	What It Does
Dynamic Pricing	Automatically adjusts nightly rates based on demand and lead time.
Package Pricing	Creates offers like extended stay pricing, BOGO, percentage off and more
Discounts	Applies promotional codes or custom discounts to eligible reservations.
Minimum Length of Stay	Sets the shortest allowable stay length for bookings.
Maximum Length of Stay	Limits the longest allowable stay per reservation.
Booking in Advance	Controls how far into the future guests can book.
No Gaps of _length allowed	Prevents short booking gaps that are hard to fill.

Want to learn more? Check out these resources:

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4. Managing Reservation Policies and Fees

Establishing clear reservation policies and fee structures is essential for setting accurate guest expectations, protecting your revenue, and streamlining front desk operations. These settings help define how much a guest pays, how refunds are handled, and what options they have during booking—ultimately reducing confusion and improving guest satisfaction.

Key Reservation Policies

Deposit Policy: Determines how much a guest pays at the time of booking.
Cancelation Policy: Defines how cancellations are handled and what refunds (if any) are given.
Refund Rules: Allow partial or full refunds based on cancellation timing.
Site Lock Fee: Lets guests reserve a specific site for an added fee.
Add-ons & Fees: Daily Add-ons and reservation-level fees can be customized.

BOOKING RULES – POLICIES & FEES

Rule Name	What It Does
Cancelation Policy	Defines how far in advance guests can cancel and what penalties apply.
Payment Policy	Specifies deposit amounts, payment timing, and balance due rules.
No arrivals/departures on X day	Restricts guest check-ins or check-outs on specific days.
Flexible Lock Site Fees	Enables site selection locking for a cost.
Auto-charge Balance	Automates the process of charging guests for their remaining balance.
Reservation Fees	Applies fixed or percentage-based fees per booking.

Resources for deeper learning:

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5. Customizing Guest Communications and Policies

Consistent, timely, and clear communication is the foundation of great guest experiences and fewer front desk headaches. Campspot offers built-in tools to help you tailor confirmation emails, set expectations, and share important policies—before guests even arrive.

COMMUNICATION TOOLS

Automated Emails: Customize automated confirmation, reminder, and post-departure messages and more.
Terms & Conditions: Include details about your cancellation policy, check-in/out times, and park rules.
One-Way Texting: Use Campspot's native SMS tool to send arrival instructions, gate codes, or updates. For additional texting capabilities the SimpleTexting integration is available in addition to Mailchimp.

Resources:

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6. Understanding Reports and Business Intelligence Tools

Tracking performance through reports is key to running a successful operation. Campspot offers a range of built-in reports and analytics tools to help you monitor revenue, occupancy, reservation trends and more. With these insights, you can make smarter business decisions and proactively adjust your strategy throughout the season.

KEY REPORTS TO KNOW

Revenue Summary by Month: The Revenue Summary by Site Type report offers a dynamic overview of reservation charges, fees, and taxes by Site Type and Daily Add-on type over a selected date range. This report helps parks assess site performance and forecasting trends, but should not be used for financial or tax reporting.
Occupancy by Site Type: This report shows daily occupancy by Site Type, including total occupied nights and occupancy percentage, based only on confirmed reservations. Admin and Pencil-in Holds are excluded, and because the data updates dynamically as reservations change, it reflects the most current occupancy status.
Reservation Items Origination by Date & Source: Get a daily breakdown of all reservations—confirmed or canceled—by origination date and source, distinguishing between bookings made through the consumer site, Campspot Marketplace, and app.

ADVANCED TOOLS

Scheduled Reports: Automate delivery of key reports via email.
Saved Reports: Quickly access your most-used report filters.
Campspot Analytics: Dive into dashboards like Operations Summary, Occupancy Pace Reports, and Signals Monthly Performance.

Resources:

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7. Configuring Add-ons for Ancillary Revenue

Boost revenue with extras that enhance the guest experience and streamline onsite fulfillment. Campspot allows you to offer optional items during the booking process, enabling upsells that can significantly impact your bottom line.

DAILY ADD-ONS

Add optional items to reservations such as golf carts, extra vehicles, or early check-in. These items are:

Charged per night and assigned to specific sites
Allowed or restricted by site category or type
Displayed during the online booking flow

ONLINE STORE ADD-ONS

Enable guests to pre-purchase non-site-specific items like firewood, ice, or T-shirts. Have these items prepared and ready for guests to receive upon arrival. These items are:

Fulfilled manually on-site
Charged once per reservation
A great way to increase convenience and reduce front desk congestion

Resources:

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8. Optimizing Online Booking and Distribution

Your online presence is one of your most powerful sales tools—Campspot gives you the flexibility to manage how your park is seen and booked across multiple channels.

CONSUMER SITE SETUP

The Consumer Site Admin page offers tools for customizing and optimizing your campground's online presence. From branding options to analytics integration, social media setup, membership linking, and event management, there are several features available to enhance the guest experience and drive engagement.

Branding: Customize your consumer site by adding your park's logo to enhance guest experience and reinforce brand identity.
Analytics: Integrate tracking tools like Facebook Pixel, Google Analytics, AdWords, and Tag Manager to optimize marketing strategies and gain insights into visitor behavior.
Social Media: Add links to your social media profiles (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook/Meta, Pinterest) to increase engagement and provide guests with easy access to your online presence.
Events: Manage and promote special events by adding, updating, or removing them from your consumer site to keep guests informed and engaged.

CAMPSPOT MARKETPLACE

List your park on Campspot.com, our high-traffic marketplace/OTA used by thousands of campers daily. Listing on the marketplace gives you:

Easy discovery by new guests
Marketplace-exclusive features like flexible dates and map search
No additional setup required if you're already using Campspot

OTA INTEGRATIONS

Reach even more guests by connecting with major OTA (online travel agency) platforms.

Boost Visibility: List your park on OTAs like Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com to reach more potential guests.
Real-Time Sync: Rates and availability update automatically across platforms.
Centralized Management: OTA bookings flow directly into Campspot for easy management.
Low Maintenance: No setup fees; Campspot handles the integration process.

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9. Managing User and Access Permissions

Properly managing user access ensures your team has the tools they need—without compromising sensitive data or critical settings.

Staff Roles & Permissions: Assign different access levels to Admin, Front Desk, or Housekeeping roles
Custom User Creation: Add or disable users as your staffing needs change
Managerial vs. Front Desk Access: Limit high-level reports or settings to specific users

Tip: Use permission settings to give seasonal staff access only to what they need, reducing the chance of accidental changes to important configurations.

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10. Support Tools and Resources

Campspot offers a variety of resources to support you as you navigate the system:

Resource Center

Found by clicking the Campspot icon in the bottom-right corner of the Admin Site, the Resource Center offers training guides, quick accounting resources, and the latest product updates. It also includes the "Request a Feature" tool, where you can search for, vote on, or submit feature requests to improve the system.

Knowledge Base (KB)

This is the website you're currently viewing this article in. In the future, you can access this by clicking "Support" under your initials in the purple box at the top-right corner of the Admin Site. The KB mirrors Campspot’s layout, making it easy to search for answers or browse by topic. Whether you’re looking for step-by-step instructions or troubleshooting tips, this is a great first stop for help.

Live Chat

Start a chat with our support team from the Knowledge Base by clicking the chat icon in the bottom-right corner. The chatbot can assist in searching articles, opening a support ticket, or connecting you with a live agent for real-time assistance.

Support Ticket Customer Portal

Found by clicking "Go to Customer Portal" at the top of the support page, the Customer Portal allows you to submit new support requests and track the status of existing tickets. This tool is perfect for monitoring open issues or following up on previous inquiries.

Certification Program

Campspot’s online Certification Program is designed to help you build confidence in using system features. Trusted by over 3,000 users, it’s an excellent resource for mastering common workflows and continuing your education.