What a 5 star RV park REALLY should have in it. A lot of RV parks and Campgrounds claim to be 5 star parks or a Woodall's, but it seems to me that the rating rarely match reality resort. What ever criteria they are using misses a lot of important things that make a park memorable. Also the time between reviews is too long IMHO. A change in ownership should also trigger an automatic review by the rating groups. I have seen several parks now that had a high Woodall's rating, that had not been reviewed in a while or had different owners than what got the original review. Needless to say, the ratings would be different if redone then.

So here is my list of things a 5 star resort should have:

MANAGEMENT sets the attitude from the top down in Parks, as any other business. The first rule of running an RV Park would be to remember that you work for the RV'ers, NOT the other way around. Too many parks, especially those that are Membership Parks, or those parks with long entrenched management, forget this important rule of business. Arrogant attitudes in top manager do filter down to staff at all levels. This is an unacceptable situation in a true 5 or 6 Star resort. Actually it is unacceptable in ANY business.

Another list of things that I NEVER EVER thought I would have to add to this list, but after staying at a park in VA, I have added a whole bunch of things on the never do not list for RV parks. I have never seen a place that called for a change in management to the degree that this park did, nor have I ever seen a better example of owners milking a business. Email me for the name of this park so you can avoid it

1.) Empty the garbage cans you place around your facility daily. Never mind the rodents, bees and flies, in the summer heat, this stinks. When the vultures are circling the garbage cans, this should be taken as an indication that there is a problem.

2.) Clean your pools, hot tubs and common area facilities daily. When the water foams in the hot tub like the head on draft beer poured too fast, the bottoms of the hot tubs and pools look like you are at the beach in New England and the tables and floors have not been washed in days, there is something wrong. At this park I have no idea what the food facilities were like, after seeing the conditions of everything else, I would even go into the restaurant to find out.

3.) Clean your shower and toilet facilities at least once a day. 'nuff said.

4.) Make sure your pricing match what you actually charge. Also double and triple check that the specials you print up in your own flyers and advertisements are actually valid and honored at the locations in your own park. There are no excuses for pricing mistakes in your own advertising for your own specials. Do not continue to accept adds from third party advertisers that you get too many complaints about from your campers.

5.) Provide sufficient lighting in your common areas to meet at least minimum safety concerns. Change the light bulbs when they burn out. Clean the dead bugs off the fluorescent light fixture covers. Make sure all fluorescent lights have covers. Make sure all lighting fixtures actually have bulbs in them and the bulbs work.

Paved or small stone LEVEL pads. Sand, mud or unleveled makes it a 1 star resort, no matter what else is there in the park.

Large Pads I like my neighbors (most times anyway, I am not Will Rogers) and have met many new friends around the country in the space next door. But I do not want to be able to hear them, trip over them, or have to worry will my awnings block them too. Also any pad that I can not walk around with my slides out without getting into bushes or trees is too small.

Space to park your tag vehicle on your own site, without blocking the road, or your neighbors site is a must. Again a paved parking pad for your tag or small gravel or stone is preferred.

Roads & Paths in your facility should be wide enough to easily get a large rig or 5th wheel down them. Match your rig sizes to spaces when handing out sites. When someone's awning hangs out into the travel lane, or there is not room to park their tag vehicle in front of their site, there is something wrong. And regardless of what you think your disclaimer says about your lack of liability, you can not exempt away negligence liability. Any one who is competent knew or should have know that putting a 40 ft 5th wheel into a 35 ft space was not safe.

Wi Fi Park Wide Free or for fee it does not matter, but this is NOT a luxury today. This IS a requirement. And not just in some single room some where. Wi-Fi must be park wide so your campers have access in their sites. When it goes down, (and most DSL or cable based solutions will go off line sooner or later. This is why a business should ONLY use a dedicated T-1 line if you are charging) react to it and fix the problem ASAP. Give refunds if the outage is more than a day. A T-1 line comes with up time commitments and guarantee's from your provider to protect the business owner.

Cable TV at Full Service Sites Free or for fee it does not matter, but it should be available in a 5 star resort. Publish the Satellite Dish Pointing settings for both Dish and Direct TV on your Welcome to Our Park handout.

Large Showers Clean goes without saying. The showers need shower heads at least 7 feet off the ground too OR offer a multi head setup with a Hand Shower Wand so women do not get their hair wet. Sufficient water pressure is not asking too much. Nor is a regulated water flow that when someone flushes or starts another shower, you do not bake or freeze someone in the shower. Anti scalding fixtures should be used. Racks in the shower to hold your soap, shampoo etc. Hooks to hang clothes from while showering, in each shower stall. Room to move around to dress and undress, with a seat or bench in each shower stall.

Laundry Room. More dryers than washers. A wash takes 25 minutes. The dryer takes 45 to 60. Do the math. 4 dryers for every 3 washers at a minimum 5 to 3 is more like it. Iron and ironing board available. TV or music in laundry room is a plus. The Laundry Room should be available 24 hours a day.

Change Machine. A change machine IN the laundry room is also a must have. I know most parks have change at the office, but some times you want to do laundry when the office is closed. Remember, you are supposed to be a 5 star resort.

50 Amp Service 30 amp used to be enough, but not any more. If you want to be called a 5 star resort, get 50 amp service. Make sure that your facility is properly wired to support the services delivered to each site. Spend more than a month RV'ing and you will run across someone who burned out an AC unit, or something from bad or low power feeds.

Water Pressure I am surprised I need to list this one, then I hit some AZ parks that lacked this feature. If you are going to run off an Artesian Well, have a large enough water tank to keep the water pressure up to all spaces.

LP Gas on site. Yes, I know it is a pain to get all the permits and train people, but a resort without propane on site is NOT a 5 star site. Period, end of discussion.

Office Hours. There needs to be staff available 24 x 7. Be it live on site staff, or a Night Host, but some one needs to be there all the time. Main office, needs to be staffed more than old style bankers hours also.

Organized Activities. Trivia contests, crafts, yoga, computers, you name it, the sky is the limit. But give people reasons to mix. Tennis, pickelball, basketball, horseshoes, Bocce and shuffle board can all be put in to a park for a very nominal amount. No reason not to have these in a 5 star park. Small chip and putt or mini golf is a plus, so are many other things. But the ones most commonly played or asked for seem to be the ones I listed. Fishing if your site has water, hiking or walking trails if you have the land are all nice plusses to make it a 5 star PLUS facility. If you have pool tables, the should NOT be coin operated. Pinball and other Video games you are renting I can understand being coin operated, but NOT a pool table. Nickel and Dime Cheap makes you a 1 Star resort.

Tennis, Basketball and Pickelball courts should be accessible at all non-quite times. Lighted is more than a plus, it is almost a must. Especially if you are in warm climate areas. The ability to play in the evening when it cools down is almost mandatory, especially when even Mad Dogs and Englishmen will not go out in the afternoon heat to play in some locations.

Game Room At the least, board games, a set or two of checkers or chess and a couple of card tables. A place for groups to gather to watch sporting events or other things in larger numbers than any one RV can support is a plus. So is a wide ranging book, VHS and DVD exchange library. Again, you are claiming to be a 5 star resort. And by the way, if someone offers your library some books, tapes or DVD's, take them. Even if you do not use them, and just toss them later, do not insult someone by refusing their gift to your park and their fellow campers.

Age Group Appropriate Facilities The need to attract the next generation of RV people, I believe it is important to have facilities to entertain the children and grand children of RV'ers. Playscapes, age targeted games in the game room, recreational facilities like Basketball courts are low cost high return items to help younger guests enjoy themselves and want to come back. And more importantly, have positive memories about RV'ing as children and what to continue the experience after they marry and have children of their own.

Hot tubs open year round. Indoors or out, no matter. But a 5 star resort HAS a hot tub that is always open. A tub that is clean too!

Pool, available peak season. Unlike the hot tub, which must be year round, to be a 5 star resort I do not think a year round pool is mandatory. But for your peak season, it is. Shower facilities and changing rooms need to be close by the pool. Large patio with multiple tables and chairs. Umbrellas where needed. An adults only vs. a family pool is also a plus. Clean is mandatory. A Tip of the Hat to Bass Lake WHR in NC for a great safety idea! Besides their pool is a direct connect phone to 911 emergency with the name and address of the facility.

Weight or Exercise room Today's RV'er is more into staying in shape than any other generation to date. Not sure if these are a must for a 5 star rating, but having them (and the rest of the things) would solidify your claim to 5 star status.

Must accept mail service for residents. I was shocked to discover that some parks do not. This is acceptable for some 1 and 2 star places. But a 5 star resort MUST offer this. Secure mail PICKUP for out going mail too. The ability to send and receive faxes for residents is also a requirement for a 5 star resort. Charging to receive a fax, is a 1 star type resort, see comments on nickel and dime charges.

Picnic Tables. I never thought I would have to add this one, but I came upon a park that did NOT have Picnic tables at each site. (They claimed to be a 5 star resort too) This park was in love with its grass. Mowed it like it was the 17th green at Sawgrass, sprinkled it regularly with an irrigation system that prevented leaving any thing out at night, and prohibited setting any thing up on the grass. I bet they could have halved their maintenance costs by getting real about the grass.

Lets talk about Grass There are some huge disconnects with reality at some parks about their lawns. If you are located in arid areas, or locations where there are concerns about the long term supply of potable water, you do NOT need a lush green lawn. South of I-40 and west of the Mississippi, this means you. If there is a draught on, and your grass has not grown in weeks, do not mow it just because the schedule calls for the lawn to be mowed on Tuesdays. All you are doing is making dust to settle all over your campers vehicles, throwing rocks and putting wear and tear on your equipment.

Lending Library for books and Tapes and DVD's is also something a 5 star resort should have.

Fire Rings are a must. Between the possibility of a brush fire starting or worse, spreading to someone's coach or 5th wheel, a safe and controllable means for a camp fire, s'mores and toasted marshmallows is a requirement. Having firewood available is also a must. Charging for it, if the prices are reasonable is OK. More than $5 a bundle is not reasonable.