RVTravel: Phantom Reservations and Extended Booking Windows

Above, Gallo Campground at Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If one is having a hard time reserving a campsite this summer, one of the culprits is the practice, by some, of making "Phantom Reservations" in which they make reservations at different campgrounds at the same time but use only one without canceling the others.

RVTravel sees a possible additional culprit: extending booking windows.

They begin their article with:

Two weeks ago, we looked at a phenomenon called “phantom” reservations. It’s the practice by some unethical campers of making multiple reservations for the same dates at multiple campgrounds. These campers select one reservation at the last minute, and let the rest go unused. (If you missed that story, here’s the link.)

Judging from the comments on that article, unused campsites are something a lot of campers are encountering this summer.

Let’s look at another possible – and less scurrilous – reason for phantom reservations … the extension of campground reservation booking windows.

Many campground owners, faced with unprecedented demand for campsites, have taken to extending their reservation booking windows to 12 months out and beyond. Extending booking windows was the way many owners dealt with the sudden influx of new guests last summer as campers hunted for ways to get outside after pandemic lockdowns.

 

To read the full article, go here.