Caravans needed a kick in the pants! Here's why we built the TriBeCa and Rockstar caravans.
Glamping Alarm Bells
The rise of 'artisan accommodation' like glamping tents, camping pods, tree houses, vintage caravans and yurts were becoming incredibly popular. Initially, I thought, like many, that this was a new and exciting new product development. In truth, it became clear that it was a warning sign.
Our loyal customers were really encouraging change in a product they liked, but that had become a little... let's say predictable. Caravans need to be spiced up! I agree, I don't want UK holiday parks to follow the decline that coastal hotels suffered in the past 20 years.
Design Dilemmas
Caravan design has two distinct customer types that provide the motivation for the development teams at the manufacturers. Principally these are Holidaymakers and Holiday Home Owners. Caravans designed for use as holiday accommodation rental were typically more hard wearing, functional and straightforward. For Holiday Home Ownership the designs leaned towards calmer colours, creating a more spacious feel and tended to offer a sense of quality.
Over time these boundaries have become less apparent and the design differences less pronounced. So, with no evident sense of customer-centric design, caravans - in my opinion - were less and less innovative. And this drift meant that they didn't entirely suit one customer group or another.
We were competing on an uneven playing field
Nearly all UK holiday parks have static caravans, and in general, when people look at booking a holiday, they will check the price of the holiday versus other businesses offering similar accommodation. It means that when our competitors move their prices, we are being compared to them and could look artificially expensive or indeed cheap.
No matter how fantastic our park is or how beautifully located or indeed how exceptional our Holiday Heroes look after our guests, budget-conscious customers will very often follow what on face value appears to be the best price. We needed a distinctive and unique accommodation product to defend against this simple price comparison approach.
Mums were heroes or villains
Picture the scene. Mum has been instrumental in booking the holiday. In fact, research suggests it was her choice. After a long journey in a car with kids that are impatient, struggle to sit still and have been travel sick on the way... they eventually arrive at the holiday park.
Dad - who has usually driven - remains in the car as mum heads off to 'reception' to collect the keys for their caravan. She is stood in the queue feeling anxious, wondering if the accommodation is as it was advertised, will it be clean to her exacting standards. Will the kids like it? Will hubby like it? Will I like it?
The queue takes a long time to move, but mum eventually reaches the counter. She's now wondering what mood her car buddies will be in when she returns... it's hot, and it's been ages. This caravan will need to work miracles! At last, she has the keys, and it's the moment of truth.
The family drive around to their holiday accommodation and...
We wanted to end the stress.
Holiday 'relations'
We ALL have needs or perhaps hopes for a little bit of 'jiggy-jiggy' when we're on holiday. But come on, when is that going to really happen in a standard caravan? The kids or your friends are sleeping on the other side of that paper-thin wall... disaster!
We need to give every chance for all guests to have a very 'pleasant' holiday if you know what I mean.
A bedroom fit for a lady
My other half, Cathy, always get's irritated on holiday saying things like "this was obviously designed by a man"!
So I once tried to put on mascara in a typical caravan. I turned to Cathy and said "this is tough work. Did a man design this"?
I wanted mum to walk into the master bedroom and not feel like 'this was it' for a week. I wanted her to step in, drop her luggage, look around and say... "wow"!
Mum needs a break too. There is nothing in a standard caravan that makes her feel special or cared about. That required changing.
The accommodation needed to be entertaining
I'm a tech fan. I love my big TV with its funky sound bar, so when I go away I expect my TV to at least be matched; otherwise I feel like I'm missing out! We need big TVs in our lives... it's the rules.
I love quirky. Don't we all? Who wants to be like everyone else? Beige, is everywhere on caravan parks and it's time to find a new colour in our palette. We tried to break the mould and use exciting, inspiring colours that stimulated an emotion. If people hate it, then other people will love it. In either event, they will talk about it. Controversy causes conversation, which creates interest and that leads to demand.
We wanted to be brave with colour.
Red Red Wine... or maybe gin? A child's bedroom holds the key!
Once upon a time I was on holiday and one evening I remember wondering where is my daughter, she's been quiet for too long, and that should always get you thinking! She was just preoccupied in her bedroom, doing no harm. She had stuff that was keeping her busy. It was great. Parents having some space to relax? Heaven forbid!
I painted a picture for our design team. It's 10 o'clock at night, mum and dad are sat in the living space watching the big screen TV drinking red wine, or maybe a gin, and then mum has a moment of panic. She turns to hubby and asks in a worried voice... "Where are the kids"?
Then a little voice comes out of the bedroom "We're in here mummy"!
The kid's bedroom needed to be adventurous and fun, so parents got a chance to relax, with a red wine or maybe a gin.
What's family about family accommodation?
Have you ever noticed that caravans tend to be built for adults rather than families? It's not entirely unsurprising when you consider the design drift I mentioned previously but also the fact that most manufacturer design teams have a significant male influence.
We sell family holidays but where does that actually happen in the accommodation? Adult everything! Beds, furniture, showers, cutlery, crockery and so on. Even a travel cot doesn't fit most caravan master bedrooms.
We desperately needed a woman's touch, empathy and intuition.
Beds designed for sleeping
Standard caravan beds are not always a high spot in a holiday experience. The fact is that the mattresses are often on the 'economic' side of life and the pillows are thin slithers of foam. The linen design and quality is about functionality and laundering, not about guest experience.
When guests are bringing their own pillows and bedding, it's time for a rethink!
Village life versus a busy High Street
Caravan pitch developments were historically built to have the maximum number of caravans per acre. More is more. The most efficient use of space is to have straight lines on a road. Boring but efficient.
Most people prefer to live away from busy roads. Traditionally villages create a sense of community and importantly safety. Who wants to be on holiday continually worrying about where the kids are and whether they are near roads and cars?
We needed a new setting that would ease parental anxiety and build a sense of community.
Want to know what we built?
Well first of all we insisted on an all female design team that were not influenced by the the male production team. Design came first and the production had to create it!
The master and second bedrooms had to be at opposite ends of the caravan. The walls had to be acoustically insulated, and the doors had to be 'proper doors'. This would deal with two issues. Holiday 'relations' could be more freely enjoyed... bonus! But also two couples could holiday together with a sensible degree of privacy, so making holidays potentially more affordable.
We designed a large and comfortable bath into the master bedroom, especially for mum. She could kick everyone out of the room, grab a glass of Prosecco and watch Love Island on the TV. It was all about mum feeling pampered. The additional benefit is that if there were three children in the party, they could all be placed in the bath together... showering three kids is a challenge!
I have never watched Love Island, and I never intend too. That's what's great about the TriBeCa and Rockstar accommodation. You don't have to watch what anyone else wants. There are five TV's so everyone can watch what they want. The TVs in the second bedroom have extra power sockets and connectors so gaming consoles can be easily used.
We built two bedrooms with five beds for 4.3 people. That's right, the average number of people in our accommodation is 4.3, so 5 beds are adequate the vast majority of visitors. In the event more bed space is needed we have a double "guzunder" bed in the living room - so called because it "guzunder" the sofa.
The bed linen is all about comfort - specially designed for this exciting new accommodation it's all about style, not function. Hotel grade mattresses with built-in bed toppers and luxurious bounce back pillows. They're so comfortable we have had customers ask to buy them from us!
The master bedroom has been designed to comfortably fit a travel cot in it, and every TriBeCa and Rockstar has a travel cot as standard... so no need to book one or hire one. It's all included.
The adventurous second bedroom has been constructed to keep the little ones happy, with their own space and fun spaces. That said the three beds are full-size single beds so adults can have a cool area as well.
Just about every plug socket has USB points so you can charge tech with standard USB leads rather than have to bring a plethora of adapters.
In the living room, there is a 60 inch HDTV screen with an integrated Bluetooth soundbar. It has every possible connector so a whole bunch of tech kit can be used with it.
Beige is banned! The outside is a cacophony of colour, deliberately designed to say "it's okay... caravans can be a different colour"! Internally there is a sense that vibrant, energetic colours are a passion for us. They're bright!
In this category of accommodation, we wanted guests to feel like they have indulged themselves. So on top of all the other great stuff, there is a big, hot bubbling spa tub. Checked twice a day, every day and with fresh water for every new guest. It's perfect.
We wanted the Rockstar accommodation to offer a Rockstar experience. Quirky, crazy, bonkers, fun and with rock concerts! We provide a compendium of DVD's that feature classic concerts from rock to pop... also included are inflatable guitars, so visitors can 'rock out' together! Add to that a compendium of games like Scrabble and Jenga and guests will be entertained throughout their break.
We include a complimentary and lovely welcome pack that consists of some local treats and goodies, as well as simple essentials like washing up liquid, dishcloths and a tea towel. There are bath towels provided, so no need to pack more than is absolutely necessary.
It would be ever so easy to have provided the standard range of plates, knives, forks, glasses etc. But no. Guests will be eating on restaurant quality crockery, cooking with great pots and pans and then washing it all efficiently using the dishwasher. The dishwasher tablets come as standard.
The accommodation had to feel like it was open, light and airy, so there are quite literally tonnes of glass! The tri-fold doors to the front allow visitors to enjoy the outdoor space to the maximum. And, given that all Rockstar and TriBeCa accommodation is situated on purpose-built village style spaces, that have no vehicular access, the outdoor area is exceptional.
In the end, it's a caravan... but it is cool and answers so many questions. These categories of accommodation are booked up twice as fast as anything else we have on offer, so something is working!