While RVs may look and feel like little homes on wheels to campers, many RVs don’t come with washers and dryers. RV campers need access to convenient laundry equipment that works quickly, effectively and affordably.
New research into camping and RV park trends predicts that traditional hospitality services and outdoor leisure activities will merge over the next 10 years, bringing a new focus on amenities like internet and laundry facilities. RV park owners and managers have an excellent opportunity to please their guests, boost their ratings and increase their income if they solve this conundrum for campers. In this guide, we’ll uncover whether the investment pays off.
Many RV parks across the United States provide paid or “vended” laundry facilities to their guests, particularly those that accommodate longer-staying and permanent residents. Because of how common these facilities are, guests may expect an RV park to offer washers and dryers for them to use.
Only some RVs have washers and dryers, and if campers’ only options are handwashing or driving to a laundromat, they’ll likely choose an RV park with laundry facilities instead. Even campers with RV laundry equipment onboard would appreciate a well-furnished laundry facility because the efficiency and speed of commercial equipment may outperform their machines.
On-site laundry facilities undoubtedly improve guests’ experience, and they can even improve your business’s bottom line. Here are five ways your business will benefit from adding RV park laundry equipment to your campground:
Research into growing trends in RV camping preferences shows that visitors want more hospitality when they park their RV at a site. Amenities like Wi-Fi, electricity and laundry facilities make RV camping a more enjoyable, comfortable experience for guests, and they’ll be more likely to choose and revisit your location if you offer them these services.
Although baby boomers still own more RVs than millennials as of 2023, 9.6 million households plan to buy an RV within the next five years, so those numbers could shift toward a younger crowd as time passes. Millennials and Generation Z prioritize technology and online interconnectivity in hospitality, so a laundry service with smartphone-based management and versatile payment systems will impress and entice younger consumers to visit your location.
If you work with a team of laundry experts like Caldwell & Gregory, you can profit from your vended RV park laundry equipment. Leasing equipment is a great way to bring in some extra income — the monthly revenue you earn from your machines covers their rent, and you get to keep any extra income generated. We also provide complimentary delivery, installation, maintenance and repairs.
Guests with access to convenient laundry equipment on the premises will likely stay longer because they won’t run out of clean clothes to wear on their camping adventures. Even long-term RV dwellers who call campervans home are likelier to stay longer at campgrounds with good laundry facilities. Otherwise, they’d need to move to the next, better-equipped camp or seek out a laundromat after a few days.
Providing laundry services to guests will elevate your reputation as an RV park, impressing them with innovative amenities and making their lives easier. A happy guest leads to good word-of-mouth promotion and, of course, higher ratings on hospitality websites. You’ll also be able to advertise laundry facilities as a feature on booking apps, which many RV campers filter by before even considering pulling in for a hook-up.
The quality of your laundry room is a pivotal aspect of guest satisfaction. RV park and campground laundry facilities should provide the best possible service so guests leave with clean clothes and a great impression of the location. Making a good return on your investment (ROI) is a top priority, too. To maximize guest happiness and ROI, your laundry facility needs three things:
You’ll need several durable, energy-optimized commercial washers that can easily handle outdoor grime. If you’re short on space, consider stacked washer-dryer combos, which do double the work with the same floor space.
Caldwell & Gregory offers a wide range of top-quality washers, both front- and top-loaders, built to stand the test of time. You can choose from soft- or hard-mounted options, depending on what your laundry room floor is made of. Discuss which capacity and how many machines are right for your needs with one of our dedicated consultants.
Clothes dryers are paramount to a good RV park laundry room. They dry clothes much faster and more efficiently than campers’ alternatives — air drying on a line or using a low-voltage dryer aboard their RV. You’ll need a small fleet of clothes dryers with enough capacity to handle a load of wet laundry from whichever washer you’ve chosen. Since clothes can become up to 60% heavier when wet, depending on the vigor of the spin cycle, you’ll need to pick dryers with higher capacities than your washers.
How guests pay for their laundry is an essential consideration in setting up laundry machines for RV parks. Although coin-operated washers and dryers still exist, laundry technology has come an impressively long way, and RV parks should prioritize innovation to future-proof their laundry facilities. The best payment systems give guests effortless, modern options — preferably either laundry cards or smartphone apps that also manage the operation and inspection of the equipment.
If you have RV park laundry equipment on your premises, it’s important to have it inspected, maintained and repaired. One massive advantage of leasing laundry equipment is that your rental comes with free maintenance and repair services by industry-leading professionals, along with 24/7 customer support for any advice or guidance you may need. Also, if you’re using the smartphone app, you can remotely monitor machine activity and water levels, receive machine performance analyses and get notified when it’s time for a service.
The experts at Caldwell & Gregory are dedicated to providing outstanding customer service, top-quality laundry equipment, superior management software and enduring support to our customers. Whether you’re upgrading an aging laundry facility or joining the booming trend of installing washers and dryers for your guests, we can get the job done from start to finish.
Let’s discuss your needs — contact us today to optimize your laundry room and you’ll be reaping the financial and reputational rewards in no time.