April 24, 2024

KOA keeping up on trends for their campers

By Jamee A

In keeping up with the trends of camping, KOA introduced a cabin for rent two seasons ago. (Jamee A)

Celebrating 10 seasons at the KOA campground, located just north of I-80 on East 36th Street off of Iowa Speedway Drive, owners Wayne and Helen Rose have worked hard to keep up with the trends in campground living.

“When people pull into a KOA, they expect full amenities, and that is what we provide,” said Wayne Rose.

An expected part of the camping experience now is wireless Internet and cable. KOA is equipped with high speed wireless Internet for the whole campground as well as a cable hook up at each site.

“There is an expectation now to have a good, reliable Wi-Fi system,” said Rose. “Twenty years ago nobody owned a laptop. Now, not only does a camping unit have a laptop, but all of the kids have tablets. Also, we have our own satellite dish, and every site it hooked up with cable. They can pull right in hook up and start watching their favorite shows.”

The newest addition to the campground is a dog park located on the south east corner of the park. Studies show about half of the people traveling in campers have dogs, and they found the campers were wanting a place available for the dogs to run around without being leashed.

“Dog parks are really popular, and dogs are like people. They are cooped up in the RV, and they need to get out and stretch their legs. It has been a good addition to our park,” Rose said.

Another recent addition at KOA is a cabin. It has a queen-sized bed, bunk bed, half bath, flat screen TV and air conditioner.

“We bought one cabin that is a park model. We bought it two years ago, and it has paid for itself. A lot of people rent it out,” Rose said.

With the popularity of the cabin, another unit may be in the future plans at the campground.

An up-and-coming idea within KOA is having a place for electric cars to dock.

“They know their stuff about camping. They also stay current on trends in campers, and they take those trends and incorporate them into campground plans so the campgrounds are ready for them. The next thing on the scene is electric cars. There is a segment in KOA working on how to provide for electric cars,” Rose said.