How Should an RV Park Set Nightly Rates in 2027?
You set this year’s rates by adding five bucks to last year’s. So did the park down the road. Neither of you checked what guests would actually pay.
Average daily rates jumped at many parks in 2025, and discounting dropped. This page shows an RV park owner or manager how to price sites by type, season, and day.
Pricing questions come up with nearly every one of the 1,000+ small businesses Dr. Paul Borosky, Business Consultant, has helped.
Talk to Dr. PaulCall or text (321) 948-9588.
Last Updated: November 2026
Real World Help From Dr. Paul
How This Guide Works
Fast route: Doctor Owl’s answer and the 3 steps below. Slow route: in Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest Business School Series, Commander Colt charges the same rate for every site, every night, all year. Greta thinks that’s costing him. The math follows.
- List which site types sold out first last year: waterfront, pull-through, full hookup.
- Raise rates on those first, by type, not across the board.
- Add every fee into the price guests see first.
Why Did Colt’s Creekside Sites Sell Out in a Day?
Every site at Colt’s campground cost the same, creekside or back row, holiday or Tuesday. The creekside sites sold out for summer the day booking opened. The back row barely moved.
Doctor Owl asked, “Fire or foundation?” Leaving money on the table every summer was a slow leak, a foundation problem. They fixed it with Dr. Paul’s Organize-Plan-Grow™ Strategy.
- Organize. Greta sorted last year’s bookings by site. Creekside sold out months ahead. Back-row sites sat open even on busy weekends.
- Plan. Colt set three rates: creekside, standard, and back row, with summer weekends priced higher.
- Grow. Greta posted the full price, fees included, on every listing. Back-row sites at the lower rate started filling.
Colt’s campground earned more that summer with almost the same number of guests.
What’s Happening to RV Park Rates?
RoverPass’s 2026 report found average daily rates rose in 2025 across park sizes: to $64.85 at small parks (+8.7%), $83.00 at medium parks (+20.1%), and $95.00 at large parks (+18.7%). Discounting volume fell 41%.
Site type matters. The Insider Perks pricing index, cited by RV Travel, put full-hookup RV sites at $70.31 a night on average in August 2026, compared with $44.73 for dry camping. Holiday premiums are small: in Insider Perks’ April 2026 baseline, Memorial Day ran just 5.4% above regular weekend rates.
RoverPass platform data. Source: RoverPass 2026 Outdoor Hospitality Report.
Are You Charging Too Little for Your Best Sites?
If you’re pricing every site the same, you’re probably undercharging for your best sites and overcharging for your worst. Guests already know the difference.
Small holiday premiums mean there’s room to price peak dates higher. And honest, all-in pricing keeps the booking from falling apart at checkout. Storable Newbook found surprise fees were the top reason campers abandoned a booking.
How Do You Set Better Nightly Rates?
- Price by site type. Full hookup, pull-through, and waterfront each get their own rate.
- Price by season and day. Peak weekends, shoulder weekdays, and holidays all differ.
- Cut automatic discounts. Don’t discount dates that sell out anyway.
- Show the total price. Every fee, up front.
- Review it every quarter. Look at what sold out and what didn’t.
What Does Pricing by Site Type Add Up To?
Illustration only. Round numbers, not a real company.
Say you have 15 premium sites that sell out every summer weekend at $60. Raise them to $72 and keep them full for 26 summer weekend nights. That’s $4,680 more a season from sites that were already booked.
Illustration only.
Test your rate plan in the RV park business plan template, and pair it with filling sites in the off-season.
Think Your Rates Are Leaving Money Behind?
Bring last year’s bookings by site to a free 15-minute call with Dr. Paul. You’ll leave with the first rate to change.
Or call or text (321) 948-9588.
What Do Owners Ask About Nightly Rates?
Is dynamic pricing worth it for a small park?
A simple version is: a few site types, a peak and off-peak rate, and a holiday rate. You don’t need fancy software to start.
Will raising rates hurt my reviews?
Not if the site matches the price. Guests complain about value, not just price.
Should I charge a resort fee?
If you do, show it in the first price guests see. Surprise fees lose bookings.
About the Author
Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA, helps park owners price for what each site is worth.
Sources
- RoverPass 2026 Outdoor Hospitality Report.
- RV Travel, RVers are paying $100, $150, even $200 a night to camp (2026), citing the Insider Perks Outdoor Hospitality Pricing Index (August 2026).
- Insider Perks, Outdoor Hospitality Pricing Index, baseline issue (April 22, 2026), via Modern Campground.
- Storable Newbook camper survey, via RV PRO (September 2026).