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Through the Campspot Accelerator program, Campspot has partnered with Sensible Weather to help address one of the most stressful parts of camping for your guests - unpredictable weather.
Summary:
Explore the integration of Sensible's Weather Guarantee into Campspot Accelerator, offering guests protection from unfavorable weather forecasts during camping trips. This article provides comprehensive information for campgrounds, guests, and frequently asked questions, ensuring a seamless understanding of the Weather Guarantee feature.
Uses:
- Enhance guest experience: Guests gain confidence and peace of mind by having the option to protect their camping adventure from weather-related disruptions.
- Revenue generation: Campgrounds can participate in Campspot Accelerator, earning a share of revenue and boosting occupancy by offering Weather Guarantees.
- Simplified process: Learn about the straightforward Weather Guarantee purchase process, integration details, and how guests can benefit without impacting campground policies.
What is Sensible Weather's Weather Guarantee?
Sensible’s Weather Guarantee product gives your guests protection from the risk of a bad weather forecast during their camping trip. The Weather Guarantee is designed to give your guests confidence that if their experience is impacted by rain, they may be eligible to receive a partial or full refund of their payment, without canceling their reservation.
Need more information? Check out these resources:
- Campspot Accelerator
- Full Details on how Sensible's Weather Guarantee works with the Sensible Weather Onboarding Kit
- Front Desk reference guide
How does my guest purchase a Weather Guarantee?
As part of Campspot Accelerator, we have added the ability for your guests to purchase a Weather Guarantee right on the check-out page of your consumer booking site. The Weather Guarantee purchase process is similar to how a customer might add travel insurance when booking a flight online.
What Parks Qualify?
Campspot Accelerator/Sensible Weather Weather Guarantee is currently only available to parks that meet the following criteria:
- Located in the United States
- Use Clover Connect (Card Connect) as their Campspot payment processor
Sensible Weather FAQ
Click on any topic below to skip ahead:
Sensible Weather General Info
Park FAQ
- Why should I offer Weather Guarantees through Sensible Weather?
- Will my campground get a portion of the revenue generated by a guest's purchase of a Weather Guarantee?
- Do I have to change/remove my existing cancellation policy?
- Will my campground be able to add a Weather Guarantee to a reservation that is made over the phone through the Campspot Admin Site?
- How do I opt out?
- How can I tell if a guest purchased a Weather Guarantee with their reservation?
Guest FAQ
- How does a guest purchase a Weather Guarantee?
- How is a guest charged for the Weather Guarantee?
- Should guests cancel if it looks like it will rain during their stay?
- What if a guest cancels their campground reservation?
- Do guests need to submit a claim? How will they get money back?
- Who pays for the guest reimbursement?
- How much are guests reimbursed for forecasted bad weather?
- How long does it take to get paid?
- What if a guest should have been paid a guarantee but was not notified?
- What if a guest modifies their campground reservation?
- What happens to the Weather Guarantee if a change is made to the Campspot reservation such as a change in dates?
- What should I do if a guest needs help with their Weather Guarantee?
Sensible Weather General Info FAQ
What does a Weather Guarantee cover?
Weather Guarantees are dynamic based on the dates and location. The coverage is clearly stated when a guest books, in confirmation emails, and in pre-arrival emails from Sensible Weather so they know what to expect. A Weather Guarantee will reimburse guests based on the official NOAA day-of forecasted hours of rain. Guests are covered each day of their stay, and may receive reimbursement multiple times. For example, during a 7 day stay, a guest may be reimbursed their daily rate on the 3rd day and on the 5th day if there are enough hours of forecasted rain.
What is not covered by a Weather Guarantee?
The Weather Guarantee only covers rain. It does not cover lightning, hail, snow, wind, or any other weather events. It is specifically based on the amount of rain precipitation that falls during a given time period.
Who collects customer funds for the purchase of a Weather Guarantee?
Sensible Weather is the merchant of record for the Weather Guarantee portion of a guest’s purchase. Campspot has integrated with Sensible Weather to allow for them to collect the funds for this part of the booking.
Campground FAQ
Why should I offer Weather Guarantees to my guests?
Weather Guarantees give guests the confidence to make reservations in advance, knowing that they will be reimbursed by Sensible if rain is forecasted during their dates of stay. By preventing cancellations due to impending bad weather, Weather Guarantees can boost campground occupancy and keep money in your pocket. Since Sensible handles all customer support inquiries, you can rest easy knowing your guests are well taken care of, and your property will be full of happy guests.
Will my campground get a portion of the revenue generated by a guest's purchase of a Weather Guarantee?
Yes! As this offering is part of Campspot Accelerator, all you need to do is sign up to receive a quarterly credit to your Campspot invoice get paid (quarterly) as part of your participation in this program. To learn more about this process [READ HERE].
Do I have to change/remove my existing cancellation policy?
You do not need to change any of your existing policies and all of your existing cancellation policies will continue to apply. Reimbursements to guests from Weather Guarantees are paid for directly by Sensible Weather. This provides in-destination protection for guests, as opposed to protection against cancellation. In fact, the guest's reservation is not impacted or canceled at all, even if they receive a payout.
Will my campground be able to add a Weather Guarantee to a reservation that is made over the phone through the Campspot Admin Site?
No. Weather Guarantees can only be added by your guests during their online check out process.
I don’t want to offer this Weather Guarantee to my guests on my online booking site. How do I opt out?
If you do not want to make this offering available to your customers and earn additional revenue from displaying it, you can choose to opt out of Campspot Accelerator and we will turn off this placement (along with all other Campspot Accelerator revenue generating features). To opt out complete this form.
How can I tell if a guest purchased a Weather Guarantee with their reservation?
You will be able to see the Weather Guarantee on each reservation through both the Reservation and Billing tab. The images below show examples of the Reservation tab and Billing tab with a Weather Guarantee purchase.
Note: The Sensible Weather Notes modal will pop up on the Billing and Reservation tab if the green Read More button is clicked.
Guest FAQ
How does a guest purchase a Weather Guarantee?
Guests are able to purchase a Weather Guarantee during the checkout process on campgrounds' consumer booking sites. This will be an added option to the checkout. The image below shows what a guest will see at the end of their checkout page (below where they enter their own contact information in the check out process).
How is a guest charged for the Weather Guarantee?
Guests will complete one transaction for the booking of their reservation and the purchase of a Weather Guarantee, however, they will have a separate change on their credit card from Sensible Weather. This will also show on the billing tab of the reservation.
Should guests cancel if it looks like it will rain during their stay?
No. Guests should not cancel their trip due to rain. If they do, they’ll lose the Weather Guarantee and will not be reimbursed from Sensible Weather. Guests need to maintain the reservation in order to be reimbursed.
Any funds collected for Weather Guarantees will not impact your campground's financial reporting.
What if a guest cancels their campground reservation?
The guest will need to contact Sensible Weather directly at support@sensibleweather.com to cancel their Weather Guarantee and to be refunded for the cost of the guarantee.
Do guests need to submit a claim? How will they get money back?
No, guests do not need to submit a claim. When guests are eligible for reimbursement from Sensible Weather, they will receive a text message and email to start the reimbursement process using multiple payout options including Paypal and ACH. No claims, no hassle.
Who pays for the guest reimbursement?
Sensible Weather pays reimbursement to guests. Campgrounds do not pay the guest or Sensible Weather. In fact, campgrounds benefit from fewer cancellations since Sensible is reimbursing guests.
How much are guests reimbursed for forecasted bad weather?
Weather Guarantee reimbursement amounts vary based on the guest reservation and are communicated at the time of purchase. Most Weather Guarantees cover up to the average daily or nightly cost of the qualifying reservation with varying levels of reimbursement at lower rain thresholds.
How long does it take to get paid?
Sensible Weather triggers the payment right away once the guest has confirmed their payout method, but processing time depends on the payout method. Typically funds arrive within 3-5 business days.
What if a guest should have been paid a guarantee but was not notified?
It is very unlikely that a guest will experience bad weather and not be notified beforehand. However, forecasts are not always right. If your guest has any concerns, they can contact Sensible’s Customer Support at support@sensibleweather.com or (424) 367-1964.
What if a guest modifies their campground reservation?
If a guest modifies their reservation, such as changing the dates of their stay, they will need to reach out to Sensible Weather to update the terms of their coverage and forward their modification email to their support email, support@sensibleweather.com, prior to the start of their trip. For modified reservations, Sensible Weather will send the guest a link to re-purchase their Weather Guarantee for their new itinerary.
What happens to the Weather Guarantee if a change is made to the Campspot reservation such as a change in dates?
Nothing happens to the Weather Guarantee when a change is made as the Weather Guarantee is separate from the reservation and is owned by Sensible Weather. The guest will need to contact Sensible Weather directly to make changes to their coverage dates if they change the dates of their Campspot reservation.
Please note, changes made to a Weather Guarantee directly with Sensible Weather will not be updated in Campspot. There is not a way to change a Weather Guarantee within Campspot.
Below are images of the message that will display in the Admin Site when reservations with Weather Guarantees are edited or cancelled.
What should I do if a guest needs help with their Weather Guarantee?
The guest should contact Sensible customer support at support@sensibleweather.com or (424) 367-1964.