“It just wasn’t easy to find open sites the same day you planned to travel,” explained Bruner. “It was an incredibly challenging friction point not only for us but for a lot of folks.”
Bruner and Broussard decided to do something and started Spot2Nite in late 2019 with the goal of creating an app that allows users to book a campsite in real-time. The platform is set to go into beta testing by the end of the year.
Broussard pointed out that the app is not designed to be a competitor to reservation systems, but instead integrates with reservation systems to highlight the sites a campground may still have available so that campers can quickly determine where they can camp for the night.
“There is no real booking engine for the RV sector,” Bruner noted. “There are a ton of directories out there, but when you’re in the directory and you click to book, then it kicks you out to the park’s website, and then you have to go through all the individual filters you are looking for, and then hope that there’s a spot at the end of it.”
Bruner said that Spot2Nite utilizes integrations with park management systems to show sites available in real-time that meet the camper’s needs without having to transfer a camper to another site.
The platform has so far integrated with reservation system providers RMS, Newbook and Checkfront. Bruner said they are currently working to load campgrounds that utilize those systems into the app. They are currently in discussions to integrate with other platforms as well. “The goal is to have one platform with as many park management systems on there because that means there are more parks, and there is more ability for individuals to see what’s out there and see what’s available to them,” he mentioned.
Bruner noted that when a camper does select a site and goes to pay for it that the system immediately updates a campground’s info to show that the site has now been taken.
“That’s the value of direct integration at the level that we’re working with right now across these multiple systems,” said Broussard. “It gives us real-time, immediate visibility of those sites and what’s available.”
Spot2Nite passes along a $2 to $5 fee per booking to campers using the system to find a site.
To learn more, head to partners.spot2nite.com.
