When ever we drive by a KOA I cant help but tell my husband, there's another KOA ... (Kiss Our A#$) camggroud and not many people staying there. With all the private campgrounds and state parks if enough people stayed away from the BAD Koa's then someone would notice and things would have to change.
Thats just My Opinion though.
And yes we have stayed at a couple nice Koa's like the one we stay in in Vermont. But if that one changes as its a new KOA then we will look else where to stay.
Frank & Dawn
2005 Ford Super Duty F250 Diesel 6.0L Fx4 Short Box supercab
2007 Palomino Thoroughbred F-829RK
Tucker and Sadie our 4 legged kids
Gale Hawkins wrote: Since KOA will vary based on the owner/operator I really do not see this thread as being fair all their CG's because clearly from posts some KOA locations are top notch experiences.
But isn't a major point from this thread the notion that in a franchise, there should be a reasonable level of consistency from one KOA to another? Clearly, KOA's run the gamut from horrible to very good, based on comments in this thread. What's the point of a private cg operator having a KOA logo on his/her cg if such excessive inconsistency exists? IMHO, the franchise fee paid by the franchisee to KOA headquarters isn't giving them value, based on what has been commented on in this thread.
Have been camping for over 30 years and had only one bad experience with a campground, KOA Myrtle Beach. The Manager and his clerk were the rudest people we have met camping. You are literally treated with like cattle upon arrival. We were warned about this place before we went there, so shame on us for going. This occurred about 10 years ago and we will NEVER return to this KOA.
While I am not a KOA basher, I can definitely see where some of you are coming from. We have stayed at several KOA's....some very good, and some not good at all. KOA as a franchise should be setting more reliable standards for their campgrounds.
As for quick reviews....we stayed at the Cherokee, N.C. KOA in March 2008. It was still off-season for the park so I will give them a little latitude. With that said, we picked the park for their indoor pool. The pool wasn't very clean and was way too cold to swim in. The pool house had a bad odor that wasn't very inviting. The sites were level, but our "Supersite" had cable that did not work and was never repaired during our stay. The worst part of the campground was the price. We paid $70 a night....and that was off-season. There were no events planned or anything....it seemed very excessive. We moved to Gaitlinburg , Tn. later in the week and stayed at a nicer campground for $45 a night.
We stayed at the Hatteras, N.C. KOA in June 2008. This is one of my all time favorite campgrounds! The area is gorgeous, the campground is just on the other side of the beach dunes, the staff were exceptionally friendly, and the whole campground caters to kids. This year, the campground (which is corporate owned) decided to stop charging for the moonbounce pillow and train rides. The pool also had two water slides that were added this year. The campground is very clean and has a nicely stocked store. The campground was also about $70 a night, but it seemed fair for a very nice campground at the beach during high season.
Im not going to read 7 pages of KOA stories but I will post that we camped at the Fiesta Key KOA and will NEVER return unless we are stuck ! The folks running that place were the rudest grumpiest people I ever met in any CG.
In general KOA's are priced a bit higher....but their campgrounds are for the most part always very well maintained and better then the average. When one travels the country there is quite a variance in the KOA's and its unfair to lump them all together and form a conclusion on the franchise.
As far as the staff....most are workampers and has little to do with the franchise or owners. In our travels, we have only came across rudeness once, and it was the owner.
We have stayed at some very nice KOA's....friendly staff, well maintained campground and very reasonable prices...ie: Van Horn, TX for one.
I guess it's my opinion that if you are part of a franchise, the franchiser's should make a concerted effort to ensure services offered have some comparable hospitality across the board. This way, the word that gets out is POSITIVE and there would be no need for KOA bashing. With so many locations, KOA is surely missing the boat by NOT being interested enough to pull their name from any CG that is consistently inhospitable or rude!
As my previous message mentioned, I even took the name of the manager at my last of two fiascos, so that I could write to KOA. Guess what? The manager could care less - felt there were plenty of others to take our tiny, dusty spot! THAT'S why I'm telling it like it is...so that others can be at least be forewarned. For those KOA's that are true decent CG's, I'm sorry that KOA does not have standards so you don't get lumped into this "whiners" bashing...
Dave & Brenda
Angus & Shadow, Faithful Compatriots
2008 Itasca Sunrise 35L
This may set a record for the longest KOA bashing thread ever posted.
To the best of my knowledge, KOA is the only non-member franchise for RVers. And, like any franchise in any business, they have their good and their bad. Minimum standards are met and then up to the locals.
When I worked there were Marriott's that really sucked and I got a better treatment at a neighboring Comfort Inn or independent. Some Walgreen's are bad. Some gas stations are bad.
No one is forcing you to stay anyplace! Or buy anything from any specific place.
Generalizations of negatisism - KOA or otherwise - get tiring. OK, you had a bad experience - that does not make them all bad. Maybe you had two or three bad experiences. Maybe you don't like paying for the amenities - hey, I don't either but know it is part of their cost.
Someone tried KOA once and did not have a great experience so will never go back. If I had had that philosophy in life, I would never have gotten past the first time hormone driven "relationship" in the back seat of my '52 Chevy as a teenager. And God only knows all I would have missed - some good, some great and some so so. But I sure never complained!
So let's look at the bright side.
Be safe.
Lauren - DW Barbara - "Aussie" Terrier, Sadie
2006 Mobile Suites 32TK3 with TrailAir
2006 Chev 3500 3LT Ext Cab 4x4 360HP Dmax 6 Spd Allie
What I don't understand, is why do people even have BAD experiences at RV parks? Research, people! If you don't research, you deserve what you get. I've had a couple of so-so experiences at some RV parks because of not researching them first, and I consider that MY fault. Sure, you can stay at a well-rated place and have bad luck, but, that's probably an exception to the rule then.
I have stayed at about a 1/2 dozen KOAs (in BC, WA & CA). I've researched them all and LOVED them all. I've avoided some KOAs with bad reviews, just like I would avoid a Holiday Inn or Sheraton with a bad review.
Kamp on!
Paula
Larry, Paula and Two Kids (ages 4 & 2)
2006 Dodge Ram Power Wagon
2007 Jayco Jay Flight 20BH
2005 Suzuki RMZ250
Offline
