As competition in the camping and hospitality sector grows, campsites with pools are evolving to offer outstanding experiences for holidaymakers. Themed pools and customised pool installations stand out among current options and pool ideas for campsites.
Campsites with pools are far from a regular holiday option nowadays: they stand out as today’s most sound investment to ensure campsites attract holiday makers’ attention.
From themed pools to family-oriented leisure, campsites are increasingly looking into pool installations. Designed to adapt to the needs of different customer profiles, the goal is to exceed their expectations and offer a fantastic customer experience that results in great word-of-mouth marketing and increased customer numbers.
Want to find out about the current campsite possibilities and how the camping sector is transforming to offer distinct experiences? We share the current key developments in pool installations for campsites with pools.
The campsite sector has undergone a profound transformation in recent years.
Today they’ve evolved to offer a multitude of services and experiences similar to other hospitality options, such as resorts.
Campsites are no longer restricted to basic plots for caravans or standard bungalows.
In fact, there are at least two important trends leading the way in this sector’s transformation:
- Customised and thematic areas are becoming a regular feature of campsites. The sector is thus evolving towards a more exclusive approach, blending architectural design with high-standard services and branding to provide unique experiences.Campsites now include many different areas dedicated to specific uses, from sleep to sports, aquatic, leisure, and relaxation areas, restaurants, adventure and so on.Among these, campsites with pools stand out as one of many holidaymakers’ favourite options. Swimming pools play a key part in creating thematic spaces.Additionally, current pool designs allow aquatic areas to be created in harmony with the architecture, design and branding of each campsite area.Part of this trend is the chance to create family-oriented experiences, as campsites remain a popular option for this type of tourism. With the right pool installations, different zones can be created to meet every family member’s taste and needs.
- Eco-friendliness and sustainability have also made a big splash in the campsite sector. In such a context, campsites with pools are now not only themed, but can also offer experiences that are integrated into the natural environment and present a low impact on landscapes and the preservation of natural spaces.From conceptualisation to manufacturing and installation, campsites with pools now need to be conceived from an eco-conscious approach, which includes using low-impact materials and respecting already-existing nature.Other measures that can be adopted by campsites to be part of the “green movement” include the introduction of measures to reduce energy consumption, the use of alternative and renewable energy sources, and the promotion of practices such as waste recycling, the inclusion of local culture and nearby businesses, as well as the use of sustainable electric vehicles.In fact, the move towards sustainability opens up a myriad of new business opportunities, such as installing playground areas for children with games focused on nature conservation.
As campsites with pools evolve towards integrated, wide-ranging hospitality projects, they also require much more complex and extensive design and conceptualisation processes very similar to large resorts.
This is where concept design comes into play, an architectural and design process that seeks to align spaces with each project’s requirements and potential uses.
This requires the cooperation and integration of a wide range of experts and disciplines, with the aim of delivering efficiency and sustainability for each campsite project, crafting unique experiences.
Through the right conceptualisation and design, it’s possible for campsites with pools to precisely design outstanding leisure experiences and the necessary spaces to achieve them.
This includes the campsite’s business services and potential activities, creating circuits that are coherent and themed.
From safari-style to tropical Polynesia areas or pirate adventure zones, the possibilities are endless, and can be paired up with adjacent services with the same design style including restaurants, bars, or shops.
Great conceptualisation and design will also open the door for campsites to provide a wide variety of services, including water shows, music spectacles, sports bars, water parks, swimming pools, ornamental features such as fountains, restaurants, sport activities, supermarkets, coffee shops, etc.
Among these, those looking for campsite ideas might also consider the trending “glamping” option. These areas are defined by their privacy and exclusivity, as well as their distinguished design blended with the surrounding architecture and thematization, which can increase the customers’ average ticket by providing unique experiences.
All in all, great conceptualisation leads to providing a cohesive experience aimed at exceeding customers’ expectations and enlarging their view of what a campsite can offer.
Themed campsites thus offer a way to boost the installations’ financial performance and the customers’ holiday experience.
As mentioned above, themed swimming pools have become a significant trend for operators who want to look beyond classic pools and create memorable experiences for their customers that set them apart from the competition.
Caves, waterfalls, slides, swimming, relaxation areas… The possibilities to create an extraordinary space for all ages and different user profiles are, today, endless.
Among these, the creation of themed pools that imitate nature are especially trendy right now, using rocks, cascades and vegetation to enhance the beauty of such installations. It is also increasingly popular to install fantasy pools nowadays, including animated characters and other fantasy constructions such as pirate ships or medieval castles to spark customers’ imaginations.
All of these elements, however, must be appropriately designed so that behavioral dynamics and social interactions are encouraged.
This is to ensure this type of pool’s ultimate goal is fulfilled: to create themed installations that will capture the customers’ attention, encouraging them to spend their time in the pool and use the surrounding services and businesses.
Differentiation
As competition in the campsite sector grows, campsites with pools – and those with themed pools in particular – remain a surefire choice to stand out and deliver a memorable experience for users. From a marketing perspective, this is the ultimate winning formula, as these users are likely to become promoters and loyal customers of your brand.
Capturing market niches
Themed pools offer the possibility to create spaces directly aimed at target audiences and specific customer profiles. Children, families, adult couples, young people… These market niches can be explored by creating multifunctional spaces that attract all kinds of customers.
Customer retention
The extraordinary benefits of considering themed pools for campsites lie in the fact that these are designed to retain customers for an extended period of time, as they see their campsite experience enhanced. This offers the chance of extension for campsite businesses, which can add a number of profit-making activities (such as shops, restaurants, sports activities, sunbeds, watershows or other services), increasing customer turnover and retention.
Leisure pools
Leisure pools are the multifunctional water zone par excellence. Coming in many shapes, sizes and styles, they grant multiple themed and design possibilities. They’re also easy to adapt for all types of public, providing multiple family pool activities within the same area, water games, slides or hydromassage jets. Common adjacent services include lounger areas and businesses such as bars, restaurants or shops.
Children’s pools
Also known as kids’ pools, these are specifically designed to ensure the safety of children under the age of ten, including features such as shallow depth, a higher temperature and supervision by campsite staff or parents. Children pools might include water games or slides and are an ideal addition to bungalow areas. Offering a themed area provides an enhanced design and coherent experience for customers.
Lagoons & lakes
These innovative aquatic installations are designed to blend in with natural environments and can easily become the heart of campsites, all while increasing adjacent businesses’ performance. They present great recreational possibilities for the whole family, and can be used for many activities such as water sports or sunbathing. The addition of ornamental elements such as fountains makes these installations extra-special.
Above ground pools
These are easy-to-install, Plug & Play pool solutions that can add an extra to private zones such as bungalows or glamping solutions. These options offer an elegant, minimalist style that aims to blend in perfectly with the surroundings. Typically associated with relaxation or exclusive, private bathing experiences, they can help increase the average ticket per night.
Water parks with slides
Pools with water slides are a must for aquatic facilities designed with kids in mind, opening up an entire world of new experiences and fun. Slides today come in an extensive range of sizes and configurations to choose from, delivering countless ways to create unique and memorable facilities in campsites with pools.
Splash parks
Unlike more traditional children’s pools, splash parks are designed to promote entertainment and fun with the use of specific aquatic installations such as interactive fountains that feature different colours and shapes, water splashes, dynamic water jets, wave areas, interactive games and so on. As with any other aquatic facility designed for children, safety in splash parks is the number one priority, ensuring that these are shallow all over and include additional measures to fully guarantee a safe environment. Also ideal for bungalow areas, they can be designed to fit within specific themed areas (e.g. safari, tropical, Asian, etc.).
Wellness spaces
Steam baths, saunas, hydromassage pools and beauty treatments are all part of the “wellness pool” experience, a type of aquatic solution targeting adults and enhancing exclusivity at campsites. These wellness solutions can take different shapes and designs, including the possibility of designing water circuits, while allowing operators to join the growing “wellness tourism” trend.
Ornamental & interactive fountains
Scattered throughout the campsite, ornamental and interactive fountains take themed areas further and help generate a unique experience and atmosphere. Classic basin fountains sustain an open area’s beauty and provide a refreshing effect; meanwhile, dry deck fountains (funsquare) provide dynamic and interactive experiences for children, who can play with water jets under the heat of the sun. The integration of light systems into these structures also makes them ideal for night spectacles and watershows.
Connectivity & IoT applications
Automation and IoT (Internet of Things) systems can facilitate pool management for campsite operators, including the option to connect, interact and control extensive campsite aquatic equipment from smart devices like mobiles or tablets.
New technologies such as Fluidra Connect & InnfoPool provide users and operators with an enhanced pool experience and management that is also more efficient, thus boosting the pool’s energy performance and sustainability.
LED Lighting
Lighting for campsites is also a crucial element, as it can help define the style and atmosphere of any type of aquatic installation. Today, it’s possible to opt for sustainable and eco-friendly underwater and outdoor LED lighting that provides stunning illumination while also guaranteeing significant energy and cost savings for campsite operators.
Efficient water treatment technology
Proper water treatment is essential for any successful aquatic installation, as both users and operators positively value water that is always in the best condition. This is especially true in a post-pandemic scenario, when campsite users are increasingly concerned about suitable environmental and health conditions.
At Fluidra, we’ve developed a series of efficient technologies for water recirculation, reutilisation, filtration and disinfection. With the aim of ensuring water quality, operator savings and user comfort, we thus incorporate innovative sustainable techniques such as Freepool2, Neolysis, KIVU pumps, OC-1 filtration media, among other services, to our water treatment solutions.
Robot cleaners
The new Zodiac series of electric robotic cleaners is designed for public and communal swimming pools to provide sturdy and resistant performance for intensive daily use. These systems come in different sizes and ranges, adjusting to the diverse needs of small and medium-sized public pools.
While their Vortrax series (TXR 7500 iQ and the TXR 7700 iQ) uses cyclonic suction to suck up all types of debris, their two cleaning robots (ARCO and ARCOMAX) are specifically developed for intensive use in medium to large-sized pools of up to 50 metres.
