Palm Creek RV & Golf Resort: Financial Trouble In Paradise?

Whenever I mention I retired in June 2007 I am almost always asked if I miss work. The best answer I can give is both yes and no.

Yes, I miss the people, the interactions, the speed of business and the feeling of making a difference & of getting results. I miss helping people develop their skills , seeing them grow into stronger, more capable team members that make bigger and bigger contributions. And I miss seeing them (and myself) well paid for their efforts. Very rewarding and lots of fun.

And no, I do not miss the 'same stuff, different day' aspect of work where you know what you are doing based on the specific time of the year and month. The end of October, well it's closing business for the end of the fiscal year, working hard to get orders in by SAB cut-off dates for Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, etc. Nor do I miss working on the same issues that you worked on previously that remain unresolved.

So as we travel around the country and see the inner workings of various businesses I can't help but evaluate what they could do better to make their business more efficient and more profitable. After all these years of being focused on results and constant improvement, it's just second nature.

So when I see the RV Resort we are staying in turn away business it makes me wonder what on earth they are thinking. Apparently a new manager has been brought in to make the park profitable, something it has been unable to do for the last several years.

Now, I won't pretend to understand all the in's & out's of this park's business (or any other park's business for that matter) however I do understand empty sites are missed opportunities to bring in revenue.

Just like the hotel business. Yes, they'd like to get $150/night/room however they are willing to settle for less rather than let the room go empty. Better to discount the room to $100 or even $75 dollars than have it be empty and bring in $0. Just basic economics.

Why do I bring all of this up you say?

Well, today, MLA went to the office to extend our stay here at Palm Creek for another week and had talked about making reservations for us to spend a couple of months here this winter. She had a coupon good for another week at a reduced rate. The resort is at best 50% full and yet they told her she could not use the discount coupon. Why, oh why would you turn business away even if it's not 'full' list price?

Mary Lynn, not being one to suffer fools (except me) or to have companies refuse to honor their word, went and made reservations at another park. So on Monday we move to another RV Resort rather than continue to spend money is this park. And she did not make the reservations for a couple of months this winter.

My only hope is that she is not so frustrated with this resort refusing to honor it's coupon that she decides we will be staying somewhere else this winter. I'd like to come back but MLA is hesitant to do business with organizations that don't do what they say they will do. Can't say I blame her... Like all of us she wants to feel she is being treated fairly and with respect.

We'll see; depends on how much she likes the park we are going to next week. A park that we never would have experienced if we had not been 'pushed' by Palm Creek RV & Golf Resort.

See Ya!