sunbuns
Desperately flashing Susan
Joined: 23 Apr 2005
Posts: 123
Location: Hawaii, San Diego, travel a lot US,Asia, Europe, etc |
| Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:06 am Post subject: |
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You'll need to do more market research .. than ask the infrequent and random member of this site. How many (such RV and camping sites with 'resort' facilities) can you find in your area? Statewide, provincial (CA), nationallly (or internationally - CA/Mex)? Visit or talk by phone the owner/operators of several.
I think you should not be fixed on just doing a 'RV' gay camp site. With the price of gasoline, fewer people are rushing out to buy huge RVs.
Some important things have already been said. But are you limiting the idea too much? males only, RVs only, 1-person operation?
On what kind of scale are you thinking of making this?
Enough for 5 RV (parked on 1-acre or less, or a 20 - 200 acre spread?
Do you expect to run it alone or are you going to have employees? (opening yourself up to the possibilities -- also - opens you up to a lot of liabilities too.
I'm not nixing the idea - just asking and advising you to think and also gather more information.
You need a business plan and also have a vision of how the vision might grow (change) in the next 5 - 10 - 20 years.
The male-only requirement seems a little drastic -if not downright discriminatory (not in the legal sense) - although it might be (needs checking).
By doing so, it seems you aren't really thinking about it as a money-making business. So you need to sort out what you're really trying to do: have access to your own 'private' sex club, make extra money, create a business (investment, capital expenditures, employees, taxes, accounting, etc),
 
If you make it a gay camping resort, then it's likely that 85% of your customers will be men, 10% lesbian couples, and 5% would be wives, girlfriends, fag hags, daughters, sisters, because some gay men are married or travellng with female companions.or family.
If you make it simply a clothing optional instead of 'gay', I honestly don't think these basic numbers will change a whole lot -- for example 70% would be gay men and male couples, 10% lesbian, and 20% mixed. You should be able to confirm these numbers by surveying some current owner-operators.
You're also likely to get more year-round guests, and have more men who don't identify themselves as 'gay' but who want to be with other naked men (maybe seems a contradiction - but I think it happens a lot).
Only RVs? That's too limiting. If you have the right amount of land and a good location, then why limit it to RVers? Generally, they are retirees, reasonably well off financially (esp if they are not retired), they travel in couples and they tend to herd (many RVs want to go where their nomadic RV 'friends' go). They stay a long time, too, esp if the weather is warmer in winter where you are.
It would be good to have a multiple-use type of camping resort: RV sites, tent camping sites, small cabins/A-frames, a lodge with dining facilities (the restaurant alone could draw in people), day-use passes, etc.
If you can't do it all at once, then at least plan with the idea of possibly growing the business in mind.
Also, there are any number of other expansion possibilities to bring in guests who want a vacation, or those who want to spend a day-two out of the city (and like being naked to do so), by having the resort be MORE than just a place to sleep and sit in the sun.
Location is your biggest obstacle - are you going to move to the best location for such a place or are you going to build it in your backyard -- Build it and they will cum (pun intended). Is your area conducive to such a place? In every sense ....?
Still it's been done before -- who would have thought a small rural community 40 miles outside of Knoxville (TN) would support Timberfell Lodge?
All of these places have a central type of clientele that makes them succesful. Try to find out what the clientele will be in your area? RVers only (aging baby boomers - which are still a forced to be reckoned with) or a mix of gay and gay-tolerant YUPs (young urban professionals). My impression is that today's affluent gay baby-boomers can afford and want more from an outdoor (camping resort) type vacation.
Having stuff (eating / activities / consumer-oriented (shop/gifts,classes/culture, etc or even entertainment) for guests that could also be used by passers-throug or short or day-time visitors and local residents might generate income -- of course, it makes the business larger and somewhat more difficult to manage -- In that case then, you cannot do it alone.
These might include:
a shop for local artisans or locally made food products/souvenirs), a museum of "___", a theater (for performing arts, music, gay plays, film festival, or not... ), classes and seminars (yoga , dance, bodywork, massage, spiritual training, arts/crafts, artists-in-resident, etc), gym-workout facilities, with sauna or jacuzzi.
Staffing them becomes your second biggest problem -- (not always a problem since if you pay well and have good working conditions and know how to manage people effectively, your resort could become a very nice place to work. You would be able to recruit instead of just taking any Tom, Dick or Harry who needs a job.
Well ... I've given you the $2500 lesson in business planning...
send a check (LOL) to Sunbuns Consulting, Inc. -- just kidding. But you might have a great idea -- do you have the stamina-energy / vision / drive to accomplish it and money (not a small amount)? (Note: more of the first three are needed than the latter.)
Hey... I've been to several such outdoors-oriented camping resorts in many locations (internationally and in the US).
A couple of example are: Timberfell Lodge in Tennessee
and Kalani Oceanside Resort (kalani.com). They are representative of the kind of place that I would build if I were doing this business.
_________________
The spirit is willing but the flash is week day and weekend!
Sincerely,
Kelly (sunbuns / sunbuns99 )
 
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