New caravans, glamping pods and Wi-Fi as holiday park gets…

A HOLIDAY park in Dorset is to receive improvements worth £2.2million as part of its owner’s biggest-ever investment programme.

Parkdean Resorts is spending the money on Sandford Holiday Park near Wareham, which will get new accommodation and park-wide Wi-Fi.

It is part of a £140m spend on the company’s properties across the country.

The Sandford park had more than 92,000 visitors last year and Parkdean Resorts says advance bookings are at record levels.

The park employs more than 320 people in peak season and is hiring for seasonal and permanent jobs in sales, food and beverage, and housekeeping.

Steve Richards, chief executive of Parkdean Resorts, said: “This investment is great news for Wareham and the local community.

“By investing in our parks, we’re not only improving the guest experience, we’re also ensuring that holidaymakers keep coming back year after year, spending money in local shops, attractions, pubs and restaurants, and supporting the communities that rely so heavily on tourism.

“2021 was a huge year for staycations, and our teams will continue to go above and beyond to deliver phenomenal service to our guests, making sure that 2022 is even better.”

The improvements will include a new development with seven more caravans and two glamping pods, as well as 28 upgraded caravans to replace the existing fleet and 17 refurbished lodges.

Parkdean’s £140m investment nationwide includes more than 850 new caravans and lodges, new developments at 16 parks and hundreds of upgraded chalets and lodges.

Thirteen parks have already received new pitches and developments in 2022 and £6m has been spent on connectivity projects, bringing Wi-Fi to 65 parks and paving the way for direct-to-van Wi-Fi to be available in 50 parks by the end of the year.

Parkdean Resorts created 2,000 jobs last year and took on more than 375 trainees via the government’s Kickstar scheme, with 550 more to be recruited this year. The company has also partnered with Cranfield University to create a Mastering Business Leadership programme, providing training for future leaders in the business.

The company logged record customer feedback scores last year, with scores in the final quarter peaking at 4.2 out of five on Facebook, 4.1 on Google and four on Tripadvisor.