We recently visited Vakantiepark Wiltershaar, a beautiful wooded park owned by Hofparken in Winterswijk, and spoke with Maarten Bode, their Head of Marketing. He shared insights on the industry’s challenges and opportunities, and how Booking Experts supports Hofparken from the sale of properties right through to managing holiday rentals.
About Hofparken
Hofparken is a relatively new player in the Dutch holiday market, focusing on creating sustainable and attractive holiday parks. Maarten, who’s been with Hofparken for two years as both a board member and Head of Marketing, explains that they are currently in a rapid growth phase. This means launching new development phases, finding buyers for holiday homes, and managing rental operations.
To support this fast growth, Hofparken needed a partner who could keep pace and assist in every step from property sales to rental management. They found that partner in Booking Experts.
How does Booking Experts support Hofparken?
Maarten highlights that they were looking for more than just software. They wanted strategic advice and market insights to guide them through every stage of the process. Booking Experts offers this full support, from developing new phases to marketing homes for rental.
Before a holiday home can be rented out, it first needs to be sold. In today’s competitive market, it’s vital to offer buyers exactly what they want. That’s why Hofparken consults Booking Experts before developing new phases to stay up to date on the latest leisure trends and tailor their offer accordingly.
For example, Booking Experts advised them to equip some homes with hot tubs, and Hofparken has seen these homes rent out much more frequently than those without.
Beyond development advice, Booking Boosters helps Hofparken attract leads and secure rentals by keeping their websites updated and running targeted online campaigns. Maarten also stresses the importance of ongoing cooperation with homeowners, which Booking Experts facilitates through their dedicated owner portal.
How does the system improve homeowner satisfaction?
Clear communication with homeowners is a top priority. The homeowner module in BEX PMS plays a vital role here, offering full transparency from construction updates and news to occupancy rates and average nightly prices all accessible directly in the system.
This transparency builds trust and encourages long-term relationships. Meanwhile, Booking Boosters helps ensure healthy year-round occupancy, which is essential for homeowners to see attractive returns on their investments.
What was the onboarding experience like?
Maarten describes the onboarding process as both intensive and rewarding. It allowed them to evaluate and optimise their internal processes critically. With guidance from Booking Experts, Hofparken redesigned its entire customer journey to align with its growth ambitions, setting it up for the future.
Why recommend Booking Experts?
According to Maarten, partnering with Booking Experts has helped Hofparken professionalise and streamline their organisation, enabling rapid scaling. He praises their quick support and responsiveness: “When we have questions, they often respond within half an hour, allowing us to keep moving forward.”
Curious how Booking Experts can help your holiday park or real estate project?
Get in touch or visit our project developers page to learn more.