What will the holiday industry of the future look like? Will resorts and holiday parks become fully smart, sustainable (energy neutral) and increasingly autonomous? Think of a self-propelled shuttle bus that takes visitors from A to B or a holiday bungalow with a virtual assistant with which guests can order, open or turn everything on and off. No more dusty reception (and unnecessary contact moments) but a fully digital customized customer experience and optimized operational processes: welcome to the holiday of the future.

One thing is certain: with the current COVID19 pandemic and the fierce competition going on, the leisure industry needs to digitize. Something that seems to be happening more and more recently when we look at hotels and holiday parks.

It seems as if the app concepts for the recreation industry are flying around us. Did we just the electronic baggage label for the KLM travel app from BAGTAG, we are already developing one Digital Key for Roompot holiday visitors. We have recently noticed a great interest in smart digital solutions in the leisure industry. A development that we fully support, for several reasons. Why is that?

1. The apps are often complex in nature, have a lot of technical challenges and there is an enormous return to be made for the customer. In short: it makes our programmer hearts beat faster.

2. It is high time for digitization in the leisure industry. Compared to other sectors, the sector is still in its infancy in terms of technical feats and the provision of ultimate service using IT solutions.

The term 'recreation industry' is perhaps still somewhat broad. If we take the entire industry, we should also include navigation and travel apps in our list of recreation apps*, and then this article gets out of hand. When we talk about digitization and apps for the leisure industry in this article, we roughly divide this over two industries:

Digitization in holiday parks
Digitization in the hotel industry  

We may all have had a camping (or glamping) adventure in which we happily walk around the campsite with a toiletry bag and a toilet roll. But in recent months, the holiday & bungalow parks have become really popular. Two holiday home landlords (Belville & naturehouse.nl) have even indicated that they see such a significant increase in the number of bookings that this has increased from 40% to 100% compared to the same period last year. It AD called it an 'unprecedented spike in domestic holiday home bookings'. The number of hotel guests also seems to be steadily increasing.

This increase in the number of bookings is not entirely unexpected. Due to COVID19, we are rediscovering a holiday in our own country and a distant backpacking holiday may become a bit difficult. This increase in the number of holiday park visitors is good for the holiday parks, but also entails risks. After all, how do we ensure that everyone adheres to the one and a half meter society in fully booked holiday parks and hotels with busy swimming pools or overcrowded spas? That's right, with apps.

Recreation parks are more than just tourist recreation

Let's go back to the beginning for a moment. We now have quite a few holiday parks all over the world. In principle, holiday parks are intended for tourist recreation, but now holiday parks also have a lot of permanent residence as holiday homes or investment properties. With the current situation, the industry needs to innovate, just as the education sector has done in the past period. This is necessary in the current one and a half meter society, but also because guests are used to having more and more convenience and comfort around them when they go on holiday.

Of course, the charm of a campsite remains camping and the lack of excessive luxury (for some). This experience is not compromised with the implementation of digital solutions. Apps will always have a supplementary function. But they actually have the potential to make the holiday more pleasant by realizing more ease of use. In addition, they are indispensable for owners of recreation parks and hotels in their business operations: apps help optimize processes with a quick ROI. Some examples:

 Park management & hotel management apps

An app can be an excellent assistant on both an operational level and providing an extra service to the guest. Think of automated barriers by means of iBeacons or requesting room service or cleaning via a smartphone app. For management, this can yield a lot of efficiency because processes can be better coordinated. In addition, this can result in fewer contact moments between individuals, which not only saves time but also a corona-proof policy.

An app can improve operational processes, which saves both money and time. For example, having insight into any defects in a house before the guest arrives, so that the guest does not have to rebook upon arrival, this has already been done automatically. These defects can be tracked by, for example, a service app, after which an employee can view and solve the problems.

More luxury & comfort of the stay

An app can significantly upgrade a holiday accommodation and provide more luxury. By implementing home automation (automating processes in a home) the guest gets a unique experience and more comfort. This is the case, for example, with the Roompot Digital key, which allows users to open the door of a holiday home with their mobile phone. Users no longer have to fuss with a key (very suitable for large groups on winter sports holidays).

You can of course think of many more applications in which an app improves a stay. Think of operating the lamps, monitoring the laundry on a TV app, etc, etc…

A clear and safe source of information for the user

Users like it when they can find all the information they need in one convenient place. Think of one app in which users can find and do everything they need. For example, guests can log in in a secure environment and make online reservations or additional bookings, rent a bicycle, view a park map with GPS, request an online menu with QR code, register for planned activities in the agenda and much more...

Park owners and hotel owners have not stood still in recent years. For example, large-scale investments have been made in the construction of new sports and play facilities Court of Saxony the largest indoor water slide in the world and a lot is being invested in modernizing holiday homes and hotel rooms. Last year, Center Parcs invested a 'little' half a billion in modernizing the holiday homes. Almost all bungalows now have a smart TV*** and they try to keep the houses energy neutral and innovative.

However, there are still many opportunities here that are currently not being exploited. As already indicated in the intro of this article, there are still a range of possibilities. Think of an autonomous shuttle bus, a fully smart hotel room or holiday bungalow that is operated with a virtual assistant and no more dusty reception.

Creating a unique guest experience and identifying one's own character is now more important than ever for the leisure industry. To provide a unique competitive advantage and generate more revenue, we believe digitalization is the key to success.

Curious about more success stories of digital solutions in holiday parks? Or do you work at a hotel and/or holiday park and are you curious about which smart solutions facilitate your business in growth and guest experience? Then take contact us without obligation.

Or first view two recent app projects.

* Not that we find that very annoying. Developing navigation apps (or travel apps) is almost second nature to us. Curious? Then take a look:

• Our first ever travel app: our very own Moto Tour app.
• De Hymer Freeon tour app for camping holidays with a Hymer motorhome.
• De BAGTAG app: an electronic luggage tag that allows air travelers of airlines such as KLM and Lufthansa to check in luggage online.
• De Love-measuring app. Small thing: the app works better when you own a boat. *Sloop does not count.

**Maybe they have read our blog about the ten commandments of effective video calling.

*** Nice for our TV apps from Dutch Channels.