Gowrie Park Wilderness Lodge

15 minutes drive outside the North West Tasmanian town of Sheffield, in the shadows of Mount Roland, lies the Gowrie Park Wilderness Village.

Offering accommodation for all budgets from wilderness cabins to camping. Many guests use Gowrie Park as a base to explore the rugged wilderness of North West Tasmania, including the iconic Cradle Mountain, located in the heart of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

In 2013 new managers took over the village, having relocated to Tasmania from managing a Caravan Park in Southern New South Wales. With no booking system in place, they initially had to manage their bookings via scribbles on bits of paper, diaries with entries crossed out and written over - a logistical and administrative nightmare!

Having used a booking system in previous parks they had managed, the new managers knew that a manual, paper based system would not work long term, it was too hard to keep track of everything! They sought to find a better solution.

Their requirements were:

• The booking system was easy to use.
• It offered flexibility with user access - not having to be restricted to terminal licences or limited logins.
• A system that would deliver real time savings so they could spend that time on other areas of the business.
• Cost effective.
• Have access to technical support and service whenever required.
• Software that exceeds guest expectations with easy to use online bookings for accommodation and sites.

After extensive comparison and evaluation of a number of market-leading vendors, the management of Gowrie Park Wilderness Village chose to use RezExpert as their reservation management software.

The result? Management saw an immediate impact to the running of their business once they started using RezExpert:

• RezExpert is easy to use - they were able to see who was coming into and checking out of the park at first glance via the reservation grid screen - the first thing you see when you log in every day!
• RezExpert is cloud-based, meaning it is accessible from any internet-enabled device! Gowrie Park management are able to access RezExpert from any computer, or even a tablet or phone when out of the office. RezExpert doesn't charge extra for additional terminal licences or logins, so management can give access to the system to whomever needs it.
• Management have estimated that the task of managing their bookings would take over twice as long without RezExpert - saving them many hours each week! This is time they can spend on other areas of their business that require attention.
• RezExpert was the most competitively priced option in the market, allowing the business to benefit from the latest booking technology while still maintaining fiscal responsibility,
• Management and staff are able to access technical support and service. This is included as a core part of the service, not an additional extra. As one of the managers said "If I get confused about something, I just ring Clare (RezExpert's Support Manager) and say 'help!' I consider Clare to be my best friend!"
• Provision for guests to book accommodation and sites online via the "Book Now" button to their website. Online bookings now account for up to 70% (even more during peak times) of all bookings, most of which would not be received if online bookings weren't available. Their online booking interface also incorporates a payment gateway so they receive immediate payment at the time of booking!

"Once we started with RezExpert, we never looked back."

- Shelley, Manager of Gowrie Park Wilderness Village