Federal Parks Team With ReserveAmerica

[Tim5055]

Jeff Crider
RV Business
Tuesday, August 10, 2004

The United States Department of Agriculture has selected ReserveAmerica to manage the expansion of the online campground reservation system for the National Park Service and four other federal land management agencies.

The three-and-a-half-year, performance-based contract, which provides for additional option periods for a total contract period not to exceed 10 years, is potentially worth as much as $128 million, the USDA said in a statement Monday (Aug. 9).

ReserveAmerica, a subsidiary of New York City-based InterActiveCorp and sister company of Los Angeles-based Ticketmaster, will manage a single, interagency federal recreation information and reservation service through a single web portal: //www.recreation.gov.

The website, which is already online, will eventually serve as a one-stop-shop for consumers wishing to book more than 57,000 campsites, cabins and tours in parks managed by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service.

"By late 2004, this new service will offer customers the ability to do their trip planning and to make campsite and tour reservations all on one site," Interior Secretary Gale Norton said.

The two current reservation services, the National Recreation Reservation Service (NRRS) at //www.reserveusa.com and the National Park Reservation Service (NPRS) at //www.reservations.nps.gov, will continue to be operational for making reservations until the integration is completed. At that point, //www.recreation.gov will serve as the sole web portal for making reservations.

It could not be immediately determined what percentage of the campsites in federally controlled parks and recreation areas are currently available online. However, federal officials told RVBUSINESS.com that the government

[Gone-Camping]

Oh boy...just when you thought it couldn't get any worse! I thought reserve America was already doing all of that anyway? Oh well... the few times I did reserve through Reserve America I had problems...

 
Oh well....:banghead:

[Tim5055]

Oh boy...just when you thought it couldn't get any worse! I thought reserve America was already doing all of that anyway? Oh well... the few times I did reserve through Reserve America I had problems...

 
Oh well....:banghead:

While I have never used them myself, everyone I speak to says the same thing :confused:

[Papaso]

Since September 2001 I've made 37 reservations with Reserve America. To date I have not had any problems at all. I've made all the reservations online and for Florida State park campgrounds only. What's nice is it keeps a record of all the trips booked online. If you make them over the phone it dosen't show up on the list. Incidentially everyone I've spoke to on the phone to make a cancellation or a change has been nothing but helpful and professional. I also like getting the Campfire Chronicles newsletter. Reserve America has made me a happy camper.

[brainpause]

I had heard lots of bad things about reserveamerica.com also. So, last year, I was hesitant to use them, but I HAD to, in order to camp at a place I wanted to.

Since then, I have made around 5 reservations, and cancelled one also, without any problems. And I never had to speak to a live person. Just click and reserve. I have had a very positive experience with them.

Larry

[campingboaters]

I reserve through ReserveAmerica.com every year for Raystown lake.  I've not had ONE ounce of trouble with my reservations, changes or cancellations -- and there's been plenty of each of them!  I'm glad to see we'll be able to reserve the Federal parks campgrounds on-line!

[vjm1639]

Another vote here for positive only experiences with reserveamerica.com! We've used them several times and never had a problem.  :>   I think it's just a matter of you normally ONLY hear the bad things...people will complain about a service but rarely tell you when one went well.

[Gone-Camping]

You make a very good point there. I've heard of many people complain about them, and my two experiences with them both resulted in problems. It's been a few years too, so perhaps they've got things better organized than in their earlier days. However, I could use them for Va State Parks, but instead I just call the Parks reservation number as I feel much more confident that everything will work out properly.
 
Last time I used Reserve America was for Wells State Park in Massachuesettes, and it seemed to go smoothly at first. But two weeks after making the reservation they were calling me at home to charge me EXTRA money, seems they wanted to add $2 per night for the priviledge of booking through them! That left a sour taste, and figured I'd never use them again...and to date I haven't and for now see no reason to change that.