Managing a small campsite: keep track of the day-to-day

Start the day with arrivals, departures and free pitches

Before the first arrival, check who is leaving, who is staying and which pitches need to be ready. Include maintenance closures. Use the same overview each time so a phone booking does not remain on a loose note.

For example, a guest on pitch 4 wants another night, but that pitch is promised to a new arrival. Check dates and any other suitable free pitches before confirming what you can offer. Then update the change straight away.

• Check both arrival and departure dates for every change.
• Note who still needs an answer or confirmation.

Make handovers easy for someone else to follow

Use consistent pitch names and record what is needed to fulfil the booking. ‘The family by the hedge’ means less to someone covering for you than a pitch number and dates. Explain who can answer questions about prices, extensions and refunds.

Ask your cover to find an arrival and identify a free pitch without your help. Wherever they get stuck, some explanation is missing. Keep guest details in the appropriate record and share them only with people who need them for the work.

Make time for maintenance as well as welcoming guests

Small jobs easily get lost behind guest arrivals. Separate daily checks, planned maintenance and faults that need attention now. Temporarily stop selling any pitch you cannot offer safely or in suitable condition, and review the closure after the work.

Agree who handles a fault and where important contact details are kept. A broken tap or light needs a task, an owner and a follow-up. Relying on someone remembering it becomes unreliable on a busy arrival day.

Check bookings, payments and messages separately

A reservation, a guest payment and a payout to your bank account happen at different times. Agree where you check each one. When a stay changes or is cancelled, also check the message to the guest and the terms that apply to that booking.

Prepare a short arrival message covering directions, arrival times, parking and a contact. Read it on a phone: can a guest work out where to go without another call? Check the text again whenever access or reception arrangements change.

Fix one recurring problem each week

Note a question or mistake that came up repeatedly this week: unclear pitch names, a late change or guests arriving at the wrong entrance. Pick one improvement and agree when to check whether it helps.

Start with the routine rather than adding another list or system straight away. The booking guide below offers a fuller approach to reservations, changes and handovers. Use it as a starting point and adapt it to your site.

• Choose one current reservation overview.
• Agree who updates changes and informs guests.
• Set a brief daily check and a weekly review.