Is KOA Abandoning RVers In Favor of Glampers?

Above, at the Tucson-Lazydays KOA Resort. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

During my recent trip to Arizona for the Lost Dutchman Chapter of E Clampus Vitus spring clampout, I stayed at two KOA Kampgrounds. One was in Willcox, Arizona and the other was in Tucson, Arizona.

I did not make reservations for either one. I simply drove in and asked the clerks if they had any spaces for my 23' Class C motorhome available. Both did. Thanks to the accumulated bonus points I had, I was able to stay at each for way under $100/night.

Granted, we're not in the summer camping season yet (that officially starts during Memorial Day weekend next month). 

At both KOAs, I did not see any evidence that either one was "abandoning" RV business in favor of glamping. Apparently, some of them are as Chuck Woodbury at RV Travel wrote about in today's Newsletter.

Here's a snippet:

So now we come to KOA, Kampgrounds of America, once referred to as the Motel 6 of campgrounds when its parks were less expensive. I am here today to suggest that KOA is no longer focused on serving RVers. Today, it’s about “glamping,” offering non-RVers stays in luxury cabins, designer tents, yurts, tee-pees, railroad cabooses, covered wagons and other profitable “glamping facilities.” Other RV parks are doing the same, but KOA is the best known.

This summer, an RV site at any KOA close to a popular national park may cost you $100, $150 or more a night — that is if you are lucky enough to find an available space. For example, a two-day weekday stay in my 32-foot motorhome at the KOA in West Glacier, Montana, for a full-hookup Super Site “with grass” goes for $199.70 a night. It would be higher on weekends or holidays.

But good luck getting a reservation. Most of the popular KOAs are already booked solid this summer.

To read more, go here.