Keeping track of bookings on a small campsite

Agree where to keep the current booking overview

A guest calls while you are mowing. Another books online, while your partner agrees to extend a stay at reception. On a small campsite, those moments can easily overlap. Choose one place where you check occupied dates and pitches after each arrangement.

Agree who does this when you are unavailable. A notebook may be useful during a phone call, but afterwards update the overview you use for availability. Then nobody has to guess which arrangement is the latest.

Record the pitch and stay dates together

For each new booking, check arrival, departure, the number of guests and their camping equipment. Use recognisable pitch names. ‘By the hedge’ may be clear to you, but record the actual pitch if several areas run alongside that hedge.

LycamPe supports online reservations and bookings you add yourself. Both can be seen in the booking calendar. You need to enter a phone booking yourself: a phone conversation does not automatically become a reservation in the system.

• Booking system for your campsite— LycamPe

Update extensions and blocked dates promptly

A guest staying another night changes the availability of that pitch. Check before agreeing to the extension. Do the same when you temporarily want to keep a pitch off sale, for example to repair an electrical connection or let the grass recover.

In LycamPe, you can block periods and view the calendar for each pitch. Block the dates when the pitch must not be booked. Remember to review the period if the work finishes earlier or later than expected.

• Booking system for your campsite— LycamPe

Make a short check part of your day

Before the first arrivals, check who is leaving, who is staying longer and which pitches need preparing. Discuss anything unusual with the person welcoming guests. A short, regular check is often more useful than a long list nobody opens.

When handing over, explain what still needs checking, such as an arrival time you are waiting to confirm. Treat the booking overview as a working tool and record only the personal information needed for the arrangement.

Start with the pitches you can comfortably keep track of

You do not need to change your whole routine in an afternoon. Start with clear pitch names, existing bookings and the periods when you do not want to welcome guests. Then check what a guest sees when trying to reserve a stay.

If someone helps you run the campsite, ask them to find a booking and point out an available pitch. Where do they hesitate? That is usually a more useful starting point than adding another list or form.