What qualifies as an RV "Resort"?

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JoelP

JoelP

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San Jose, CA
In the past, when we had a smaller RV and lived in the Northwest we stayed at Oregon State Parks and enjoyed that experience.  Now that we have a larger RV we prefer full hookups and the amenities of a better equipped RV Resort.  That said, I am confused about what qualifies as a "resort". 

Is there any standard by which one can call themselves a resort?  So far we have seen the gamut from beautifully landscaped facility with a beautiful lobby in Escondido, to a patch of concrete pads with a restroom facility in Chandler, AZ that didn't even have an office to check in, but had the nerve to call themselves a "resort".  We have stayed at one that had a beautiful restaurant and bar, nice swimming pool and spa, with a well equipped shop.  Last week we stayed at a resort that had an adult spa (closed every day that we were there due to impending rain), a wine bar (closed except on weekends during high season), an unheated pool, a nice shop, and three dog runs covered in pebbles, and precious little landscaping.  The prices were that of a resort, but the amenities were lacking.

What do those who generally stay at RV resorts expect to find there?
 
I think you just about covered it. I'm convinced that campground owners just change the name to resort and increase the price.
 
As an administrator for RVParkReviews.com, I can tell you that the word "resort" in the name of an RV park is totally meaningless.  I urge you not to make any decisions to stay on the basis of whether or not the park calls itself a resort!  Use the various review sites to read about parks that you are considering staying at. A nice resort will have all the amenities you are looking for, but the use of the word doesn't guarantee they will be there.
 
A park or campground can be named pretty much anything the owner wants. There is no naming "standard". Using the park name alone to determine what amenities to expect at a given park will only lead to a lot of disappointment.
 
HappyWanderer said:
I think you just about covered it. I'm convinced that campground owners just change the name to resort and increase the price.
Click to expand...

Quite a few of those so called "resorts" took the name many years ago when they may have even qualified for it when compared to other parks in the area. Over the years though, they just haven't kept up by enlarging sites, modernizing facilities, and adding the amenities that folks expect from higher end parks. Unfortunately, many of them still seem to think they command the higher rates that an actual resort park would charge.
 
Seems that if they have a swimming pool, they feel entitled to use the be term "resort".
 
What, some have a pool???
I have found you can look at some with Google and street view, I have ben able to use street view right in the park not all but some.
Bill
 
Great questions! IMO most resort parks are far from it and, as most have said, use the word to represent the park as something it is not. I recently spent a day at Sarasota Ford in Florida and I would classify this experience as more of a resort experience over many of the resort RV parks we have visited. Why you ask?

Greeted upon arrival and given a $50 debit card just for coming. (sure it's built in somewhere but that's not the point)
Next, introduced to a sales/ concierge person who took care of my every desire throughout the day
Then an $8.00 chit for breakfast at their own gourmet cafe!
Access to a courtesy car while my truck was being appraised if I needed to go anywhere..
In between negotiations a wonderful 10 minute chair massage by a professional masseuse.
Full anytime access to a Hydro Massage chair suite, best time I've had with my clothes on in a long time. I almost proposed!
After negotiations off to the in house movie theater with more massage type lounge chairs.
Unlimited free cookies & donuts

Now this classifies as a resort in my book haha. A big pet peeve of mine for most parks is the outdated websites and photos! There are plenty of pool shots and event shots but very few if any of the park and the sites themselves and, if there are, they are old and deceiving. Unless they have all of the above like Sarasota Ford and a Disney like atmosphere I wouldn't classify the park as a resort. Note: I don not represent sarasota ford or Disney in any way.

we've been in Cross Creel RV Resort in Arcadia Florida for the past 6 months, it's not a resort~

Peace Brother & Sister RV'rs

Rob
 
It's just marketing wordsmithing.  Putting "resort" in the name doesn't make it one, and lacking "resort" doesn't disqualify it either.  For that matter, what's the difference between a campground and an RV park?  I doubt if many of us could agree on what constitutes any of those things anyway.

Nor does putting "lite" in an RV name reduce its weight.  :(
 
This is the problem with commercial campgrounds as a whole, there is no standard of quality, even with name brand rv parks.  For example last summer I stayed to 2 very different KOA "Journey" RV parks, these "Journey" parks are marketed as RV parks that are along prime travel routes, and are expected to be used for short overnight stays.

One was basically a big gravel parking lot surrounded by ran down mobile homes, with a typical KOA camp store, a laundry room / restroom and that was about it.  The other was a much more park like setting, with paved sites and roads, lots of nice big trees, picnic tables at some sites, swings, gazebo, and even a swimming pool (they also had a couple of the KOA Kabins for those without RV's or needing overflow accommodations)
 
Rob VanVoorhis said:
Great questions! IMO most resort parks are far from it and, as most have said, use the word to represent the park as something it is not. I recently spent a day at Sarasota Ford in Florida and I would classify this experience as more of a resort experience over many of the resort RV parks we have visited. Why you ask?

Greeted upon arrival and given a $50 debit card just for coming. (sure it's built in somewhere but that's not the point)
Next, introduced to a sales/ concierge person who took care of my every desire throughout the day
Then an $8.00 chit for breakfast at their own gourmet cafe!
Access to a courtesy car while my truck was being appraised if I needed to go anywhere..
In between negotiations a wonderful 10 minute chair massage by a professional masseuse.
Full anytime access to a Hydro Massage chair suite, best time I've had with my clothes on in a long time. I almost proposed!
After negotiations off to the in house movie theater with more massage type lounge chairs.
Unlimited free cookies & donuts

Now this classifies as a resort in my book haha. A big pet peeve of mine for most parks is the outdated websites and photos! There are plenty of pool shots and event shots but very few if any of the park and the sites themselves and, if there are, they are old and deceiving. Unless they have all of the above like Sarasota Ford and a Disney like atmosphere I wouldn't classify the park as a resort. Note: I don not represent sarasota ford or Disney in any way.

we've been in Cross Creel RV Resort in Arcadia Florida for the past 6 months, it's not a resort~

Peace Brother & Sister RV'rs

Rob
Click to expand...

Wow! You got me dialed in.  Does Sarasota Ford do RVs?  It may be worth a trip to Florida.
 
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