Holidaymaker App

26/05/2026

Melanie Brook spent years as Head of Marketing at Beverley Holidays before founding JEM Marketing She came into this conversation already testing AI tools side by side in her own workflow.

In episode 10 of In Good Company, Lana talks to Melanie about what AI is actually doing inside hospitality marketing teams right now. What changes when the setup is right, what goes wrong when it isn't, and why the foundations matter more than the tool.

Listen now: https://community.holidaymakerxp.co.uk/ai-hospitality-marketing-tools-melanie-brook/

22/05/2026

You may not know, but co-founders, Dave McRobbie and David Lakins, are involved with the The Dorchester Trust for Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Since 2005, the trust has provided long-term, low-cost therapy to people in Dorchester and the surrounding areas who simply cannot afford private treatment. Sessions from as little as £15. Up to a year of support. No one turned away because of money.

The trust runs almost entirely on grant funding, and right now they are applying for one that will help keep that support going.

If you have two minutes, a nomination costs nothing and means everything to the people they are helping.

Nominate here: https://movementforgood.com/draws/special/health-wellbeing?cn=1109562&ct=health&i=1779438026-40530.jpg&utm_source=holiday+card&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=M4G2025card&utm_id=M4G2025card

Thank you 🫶

21/05/2026

Arrival day is the best day. That moment when guests finally pull onto the park after weeks of looking forward to it.

We've been working on making that moment even better, and we're really pleased to share that our guest communication feature is now live at West Dorset Leisure Holidays.

When a guest drives through the barrier, their number plate is recognised automatically. From that moment, everything they need to get settled in is sent straight to them, without a single manual step from the park team.

It works differently for lodge, caravan and glamping guests versus those on touring and camping pitches, and everything feeds back into the platform in real time so the park team always knows who's on site.

A huge thank you to James Cox and the team at West Dorset Leisure Holidays, ParcVu powered by Booking Experts, and Key Digital Agency Ltd, our digital integration partners who helped bring this to life.

Read the full story here 👇
https://community.holidaymakerxp.co.uk/holidaymaker-anpr-guest-communication-west-dorset/

20/05/2026

We sat down with Thomas Scarrott, director of Vale Holiday Parks, for episode 9 of In Good Company.

Vale is a family business. 12 parks from North Wales to Cornwall, started in 1999, still run by the same family. Mum, dad, brothers, wives, and now the next generation too. His dad is still managing director.

Thomas and Dave talked about nearly 30 years of running parks, what data can and can't tell you, how guest behaviour has shifted, and where technology fits into the reality of running a multi-site business in 2026.

There's also a brilliant story about a family holiday in Florida, five or six Target stores, and a water bottle the kids had seen on TikTok. You'll have to listen for that one.

Episode 9 is live now. Link in the comments.

14/05/2026

Every guest who loves your park is a potential home owner. Until now there was no connected way to generate, build and capture that interest. Today that changes.

Holidaymaker App and ParkSync have formalised a deep integration that connects the full guest journey, from first booking through to holiday home ownership.

Beyond the home sales pipeline, the integration connects the whole guest stay. Pre-arrival communications, what's on, direct bookings that cut OTA commission for good, and real data on what guests actually do on site. The AI handling enquiries was built by people who have worked in parks and own parks. It knows pricing, pitches, and peak windows because the people who built it do too.

Read the full story: https://community.holidaymakerxp.co.uk/holidaymaker-parksync-integration-holiday-home-ownership/

P.S. Not in parks? Holidaymaker works with hotels, health clubs, visitor attractions, glamping, and self-catering too. Same idea, same platform.

13/05/2026

Episode 8 of In Good Company is live, and this one had a lot of laughs.

Dave McRobbie chatted to Rhian Hughes and Stephen Brown from Lady's Mile Holiday Park Group to talk about where the sector is actually heading...

Smart resorts, guest choice, AI, dynamic pricing, data privacy, and what Lady's Mile are doing over the next 12 months.

Such a fun one to record, listen now:

What could a holiday park look like in five to ten years? Dave McRobbie sat down with Rhian Hughes and Stephen Brown from Lady's Mile to find out.

12/05/2026

Edinburgh, we're coming back!

XP Hospitality Edinburgh is confirmed for Tuesday 15 September 2026. Venue to follow shortly.

Six brilliant speakers. Peer-led sessions. Honest conversation about where independent hospitality in Scotland is heading — covering agentic AI and distribution, brand and marketing, owning your direct guest relationships, and building businesses that last.

Speakers confirmed:
Marc Crothall MBE, Chief Executive, Scottish Tourism Alliance
Sarah Allanson, Director for Scotland and Northern Ireland, Holiday and Residential Parks Association
Ian McAteer, Marketing Consultant and Non-Executive Director
Matthew Escott, Head of Product, Zonal Retail Data Systems
Sam Weston, Head of AI and Marketing, 80 Days
Joshua Ryan-Saha, Director, Traveltech for Scotland at Edinburgh Futures Institute

Free to attend for operators. Lunch and refreshments provided. Collection in aid of Shelter Scotland on the day.

Register: https://community.holidaymakerxp.co.uk/events/edinburgh-xp/

12/03/2026

Meet the speaker 👋 James Murphy joins us at XP Beverley Holidays on 25th March.

James is PPC Manager at Chalk + Ward, an independent agency with over 25 years in hospitality and tourism marketing. He's been working in paid search for eight years and has a knack for cutting through the noise to find what actually works.

His talk: How to build your brand and not pay interest on it.

Why brand isn't always the right paid focus, what you should be doing instead, and how to get more from your budget without the complexity.

If you work in parks and you're running ads, thinking about it, or wondering if what you're doing is working, grab a spot.

Register here: https://community.holidaymakerxp.co.uk/meet-the-speaker-james-murphy/

11/03/2026

Episode 4 of In Good Company is out, and this time our Head of Marketing Lana Tigwell is in the host seat for the first time!

She headed down to the stunning south Devon coast to chat with Claire Flower, Lisa Cunningham and Lauren Peters from Beverley Holidays, and they covered everything from Holiday and Residential Parks Association and the next generation to changing guest behaviour, TikTok rabbit holes and yes, fridge-restocking videos.

Give it a listen and let us know what you think. 🎙️
community.holidaymakerxp.co.uk/in-good-company-beverley-holidays-ep4

23/02/2026

We’re raising funds and awareness in aid of Shelter this year. A few people have asked why we chose them...

If you run a park or work in hospitality, you already know the answer.

Recruitment challenges. Team members commuting further than they should have to. People priced out of the communities they help power.

Housing is not separate from our sector. It shapes who can work with us, who can stay local, and how sustainable our businesses really are.

At XP Dorset in 2025, Julie spoke openly about the scale of the housing emergency and what it means for our regions. At Norfolk, Maya Brodie-Dowden led an interactive Q and A session that grounded the conversation in lived experience.

At Beverley Holidays, Hannah Vischer, the new South West Fundraising Manager, will open the day and continue that dialogue.

We’re proud to support Shelter in 2026, and to keep this conversation visible within our community.

If you’d like to understand more about why we’ve chosen Shelter and how it connects to our work, you can read more here:
https://community.holidaymakerxp.co.uk/supporting-shelter-in-the-mission-for-a-home-for-all/

Thank you to Shelter, to Maya, to Hannah and to Julie for bringing clarity and perspective to the room 💗