In this case study, we spoke to Gary Furneaux, who is a business owner at Devon holiday park Beverley Park Holidays, an award-winning South West holiday park, for some insight into how they have managed and improved their customers’ experiences by improving the design of their hospitality offer.
Gary is no stranger to the holiday park industry. He’s been in the business for over 25 years and knows that in order to provide a great guest experience, you need to focus on quality. That’s why he commissioned hospitality designer gutxi to help improve the style and value of his holiday park in South Devon- and bring joy to both customers and employees.
Improving the holiday park guest experience through design
In this case study, we spoke to the Food and Beverage Manager of Devon holiday park Beverley Park Holidays, an award-winning holiday park in the South West, for some insight into how they have managed and improved their customers’ experiences by improving the design of their hospitality offer.
People and products are the two main factors that influence a customer’s journey and their overall guest experience. These experiences have a huge impact on your business as these lasting impressions result in how they will remember you. Maintaining and improving these elements will ensure your customers have a happy and memorable experience.
Beverley Holiday Park Holidays are one of our valued clients who we have enjoyed working with over the past decade. As a family-run holiday park situated in Torquay UK, its unrivalled sea views of the South Devon coastline make it one of Torbay’s family holiday park hotspots.
Why is guest experience design so important to holiday parks?
In order to stand out from the competition you have to offer the customer an experience to remember. You need to look at the design of your hospitality offer and how it can influence and improve the customer’s experience. Creating a style that is unique to your brand will make you memorable and ensure people come back time and again.
It pays for holiday parks to work with specialist hospitality designers
You have to be the best at what you do, and therefore working with a specialist hospitality designer who can deliver real style and add value to your offer makes sense. You want your customers to have had a positive experience so that they go away and tell everyone what a great time they had and encourage others to book with us for their next holiday.
Improving the guest experience at Beverley Holiday Park
We spoke to Gary about some of the changes they made, and he said, “We wanted to improve the style and guest experience of our holiday park as well as bring joy to both customers and employees”. Some of the changes they made included a refurbished bar and restaurant, a new reception and fish and chip shop among other improvements to the holiday park.
Holiday Park Reception Design
gutxi introduced a new scheme that was inspired by the colours and textures of the classic Devon and Cornwall seaside experience. Bright pastels, timber textures, soft fabrics and lots of fun graphics and accessories.
Behind the playful finishes there are lots of practical features that make the reception function more efficiently. This includes integrated storage for several hundred chalet keys and making sure information leaflets are displayed without detracting from the overall customer experience.
Holiday Park Restaurant Design – “The Jetty”
gutxi updated the furnishings and fittings to create a more luxurious feel ensure visitors to Beverley Holiday Park do not have leave the site in order to experience a high-quality family dining. An important part of this scheme was the restaurant refurbishment of the first-floor patio deck with its stunning South Devon sea views. Main this an attractive and comfortable place to sit has an enormous impact on sales in this area.
Holiday Park Take Away Restaurant Design “The Chip Shop”
gutxi added unique touches such as paintings and ornaments from local Cornwall and Devon artists is a key part of creating a memorable guest experience. We commissioned Cornwall and Devon artisan wicker light shades that reference old style crab and lobster pots that would have been used in nearby ports such as Brixham, Dartmouth and St Ives.
Bringing style and comfort to the overall design
Mark Green, co-founder of gutxi, explains how everything comes together to create excellent design overall:
“Style and comfort are equally important in hospitality design solutions. The visual impact of the design is what gets people through the door or to click on that booking button. But once inside it is often the non-visual design that has the most impact. Good acoustics, lighting, customer, and staff flow will play an important part in influencing the level of ‘comfort’ your customers experience.”
What difference has great hospitality design made to your holiday park business?
Since making these changes, Gary says they’ve seen a “huge difference” in their holiday park business. He explains, “Our holiday park customers are now enjoying a much better holiday park guest experience and we’ve even had some great feedback from holiday park employees too. They feel proud to work on this holiday park and it shows in their customer service.” Gary offers this advice:
Focus on the quality of your hospitality offer and make sure you have a style that is unique to your holiday park brand. This will make you memorable and ensure people come to back your holiday park time and again.”
Book a chat with our director, Mark Green
Talk with us to share your vision for your bar and restaurant refurbishment…
What were the main issues affecting your customers’ experience of Beverley Holiday Park?
Some of the customer and retail areas within the holiday park were in need of a fresh new look. With Devon and Cornwall being a holiday hotspot, you can imagine the amount of local competition. We wanted to exceed the standards that our customers expected. We worked closely with our graphic and interior designers to create spaces and a style that is unique to Beverley Holiday Park.
What design changes have you made to the Holiday Park to improve the customer experience?
We have improved the design of our key customer and retail areas, the reception, the bars, and the restaurants:
Holiday Park Reception design with style and impact
Our holiday park reception has been refurbished to improve the customers experience from the moment they arrive on site. Bold colours, bespoke lighting, relevant graphics and comfortable seating communicate the excitement and fun of a Devon holiday with Beverley Holiday Park.
Improving the experience for customer and employees through great holiday park design
The extended reception desk has also improved the flow of the working area by making the check in process smoother.
A refurbished holiday park bar and restaurants increase customer comfort
We have also refurbished the holiday park bar and restaurant dining room to encourage customers to stay on site and enjoy good food and drink. By creating zones with the use of flooring and furniture, this one room can now accommodate guests looking for drinks, food or comfortable relaxed seating.
How have these changes improved the holiday park guest experience?
Many holiday park customers have commented on the fresh new look of the refurbished areas through customer feedback forms. They appreciate the attention to detail and that we have listened to their suggestions. The changes made have not only improved the experience for customers but also our employees who feel proud to work in such a vibrant and well-designed holiday park environment.
How have you measured this improvement?
Since these changes we have seen an increase in customer spend per head at the holiday park. This is due to the improved hospitality offer but also because customers are now staying on site for longer as they enjoy the holiday park atmosphere and facilities. We have also seen an increase in customer satisfaction scores which has been fantastic feedback for our team.
What advice would you give to other holiday park owners suffering a decline in their customers experience?
Don’t stand still. Start investing in your customer areas. If you offer interesting and inspirational surroundings combined with great customer service, your customers will continue to return.
Essential elements to consider when commissioning hospitality designers for your next holiday park project
Client’s Vision
The first and most important thing is to be clear about your vision for the project. What are your goals and objectives? What does success look like? Once you have a clear understanding of this, you can start to brief the hospitality designer.
Customer Segments
Who are your target customers and what do they want from your holiday park business? This will influence the style, finishes, and furniture choices that the hospitality designer recommends.
Functionality
The hospitality designer will need to understand how your holiday park business works so that they can design spaces that are fit for purpose. They will also be able to give you advice on the latest trends and technologies that can improve the efficiency of your holiday park business.
Architecture
To design the overall style and shape of the holiday park environment. Be sure to ask for a portfolio of their work, and carry out site visits if possible.
Interior Design
To select the right furniture, fabrics, finishes and lighting to create the perfect holiday park atmosphere. You will want to see samples of all materials, colours, finishes, and furniture for your hospitality environment.
Graphic Design
To produce eye-catching signage, wayfinding and marketing materials that support the overall holiday park hospitality offer. This includes menus and the website.
Customer Experience (CX)
To understand how customers move through the holiday park environment and how they interact with staff. This will help to improve the customer experience.
Value Engineering
To ensure that the hospitality project is delivered on time and on budget. This includes reviewing the specification and design to make sure that it is fit for purpose and cost effective.
Project Management
To coordinate all aspects of the holiday park refurbishment project from start to finish. This includes liaising with suppliers, contractors, and other stakeholders.
Lighting design
To create an effective lighting scheme for the holiday park environment. Lighting will help set the scene and atmosphere for the space.
Acoustic design
To ensure that the hospitality environment is suitable for the type of customer you are catering for. This includes noise levels and sound quality.
Garden design
To create an inviting and relaxing outdoor space for guests to enjoy and make the most of the South Devon landscape.
Accessibility
To make sure that the hospitality environment is accessible for all guests.
If you are looking to improve the guest experience, we recommend working with a specialist hospitality designer who can cover all of these elements. By doing so, you will be sure to create a hospitality environment that your guests will love.
Great design makes the difference
Great design can really make a difference to businesses like Gary’s. If you’re thinking of making some changes to your hospitality offer, then make sure you get in touch with our hospitality interior designers who can help you create a style that is unique to your brand.
Interested to learn more?
We cover the South West region, from Bristol down through Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall, and we’re always happy to look at small individual projects as well as estate-wide strategies. We love being presented with the challenge of putting what we claim into practice by applying it in the real world. If you have an idea that you would like to discuss with us please get in contact Get in touch