Campground Cancellation Policy — How to Write One That Protects Your Revenue¶

Quick answer: A well-designed campground cancellation policy collects a deposit at booking (typically 25–50% of the total stay) and retains part or all of that deposit if the guest cancels within a defined window. For peak periods (long weekends, August), stricter policies — non-refundable deposits or cancellation fees — are standard and expected by guests. The most important elements: your policy must be visible before guests book, enforced consistently (no exceptions "just this once"), and configured in your booking system so deposits are captured automatically. Most campground cancellation revenue losses come from parks that have a written policy but don't enforce it.

Cancellations are an unavoidable part of operating a campground. The question isn't whether guests will cancel — it's how much revenue you lose when they do.

A park with no cancellation policy loses the full value of every empty site. A park with a thoughtfully designed cancellation policy that collects deposits and retains fees for short-notice cancellations converts cancellations from total losses into partial recoveries — and deters casual bookings that were never likely to show up.

Why Cancellation Policies Matter More Than Most Owners Think¶

A campground without a cancellation policy effectively offers free options to guests. A guest can book three sites for Canada Day weekend (a "just in case" hedge), decide not to come, cancel without penalty, and that park has lost those bookings for its busiest weekend.

The downstream effects: - Sites that could have been booked by serious guests are held by speculative reservations - Last-minute cancellations can't be filled at full rates — short-notice availabilty often books at lower OTA rates - Guests who book seriously with full intention to come are competing with guests who have no skin in the game

A deposit-at-booking requirement immediately filters out speculative bookings. Guests who have to pay 30% of their stay upfront are much less likely to book "just in case."

The Building Blocks of a Cancellation Policy¶

1. Deposit Requirement¶

The deposit is collected at booking and applied toward the guest's total balance. If the guest keeps the reservation, it's credited at check-out. If they cancel, what happens to it depends on your cancellation terms.

Typical deposit amounts: - First night's rate: Common for short stays (1–3 nights). Easy for guests to understand. - 25% of total stay value: Common for longer stays. Scales appropriately with total booking value. - 50% of total stay value: Standard for peak period bookings. Provides meaningful recovery on cancellation. - 100% (non-refundable) deposit: For premium products (glamping tents, cabins) or specific high-demand dates (Canada Day, long weekends). Guests understand this for premium bookings — it's the hotel model.

2. Cancellation Window Tiers¶

A tiered approach is the most common and most defensible structure:

Cancellation timing	What happens
More than 30 days before arrival	Full refund of deposit
15–30 days before arrival	50% of deposit retained
7–14 days before arrival	Full deposit retained
Less than 7 days before arrival	Full deposit retained + cancellation fee
No-show	Full stay charged

The specific windows can be adjusted for your park and market. The principle: the closer to arrival, the harder it is to rebook the site, so the greater your retention.

Peak period exception: Most parks apply stricter terms to high-demand dates. Canada Day, August long weekends, and major events might use a 30-day or even 60-day full-retention window, with a non-refundable deposit.

3. Cancellation Fee vs. Deposit Retention¶

Two approaches to the mechanics:

Deposit retention: You collect a deposit at booking. If the guest cancels, you retain some or all of it. The simplicity is good — guests understand "I paid $X deposit and it's non-refundable within 7 days."

Cancellation fee: The booking itself may be refundable, but cancelling triggers a specific fee ($25–$50). Less common in campgrounds, more common in hotels. Can feel punitive to guests if the fee seems arbitrary.

Most campgrounds use deposit retention — it's simpler to communicate and easier to enforce.

4. The Admin Fee¶

Many campgrounds charge a small administrative processing fee ($5–$25) for all cancellations, even those outside the retention window. This covers the transaction cost of the deposit refund and deters frivolous cancellations. It's generally accepted by guests when the amount is modest and disclosed at booking.

Writing the Policy: Language That Works¶

Cancellation policies fail when they're ambiguous. "Cancellations must be made in advance" is not a policy — it invites disputes.

Effective policy language:

Cancellation Policy

A deposit of 50% of your total reservation value is collected at the time of booking and applied to your balance at check-out.

If you cancel more than 14 days before your arrival date, you will receive a full refund of your deposit, minus a $20 processing fee.

If you cancel 7–14 days before your arrival, 50% of your deposit will be retained.

If you cancel within 7 days of your arrival, or do not show up, your full deposit is retained and no refund will be issued.

Canada Day, August long weekends, and designated peak periods: Deposits are non-refundable within 30 days of arrival.

Clear dates, specific percentages, explicit no-show terms. No room for interpretation.

Where the policy must appear: - Your website (a dedicated cancellation policy page or section) - Your booking portal (guests must see it before confirming their reservation) - Your booking confirmation email - Your waiver (if applicable)

In PitchCamp, your cancellation policy is displayed in the booking portal before guests enter payment information. You can configure different policies for different site types or rate schedules — so your glamping sites can have a stricter policy than your basic RV sites.

Enforcing the Policy Consistently¶

The most common campground cancellation mistake is writing a policy and then not enforcing it.

A guest calls, explains they had a family emergency, and asks for an exception. You grant it. And again the next week. And again for the nice couple from Quebec who've been coming for years. Your "policy" becomes a negotiation — and guests learn that calling with a story is worth trying.

The problem with exceptions: - Once you make one, you've effectively made it known that exceptions are available - Staff who witness exceptions feel awkward enforcing the policy with other guests - Guests who are denied an exception (because you reached your limit that week) are more upset than if the policy had simply been applied consistently from the start

A more sustainable approach to hardship cases:

Rather than refunding, offer a credit toward a future stay. This acknowledges the guest's situation without costing you the revenue on the cancelled booking. The guest gets something of value; you retain the revenue and a future booking opportunity.

"We're sorry to hear about your situation. Our policy doesn't allow for a refund at this point, but we'd love to offer you a credit of $X toward a future stay." This converts many would-be disputes into future bookings.

Configuring Cancellation Policies in PitchCamp¶

In PitchCamp, cancellation policies are configured per rate schedule or site type. Configuration includes:

Deposit amount (fixed dollar amount or percentage of total)
Refund tiers by days before arrival
Admin fee (optional flat amount deducted from any refund)
Peak period override (stricter terms applied to specific rate schedules)

When a guest cancels a reservation, the system automatically calculates the refund based on the configured policy and the days remaining until arrival. The refund is processed through Stripe to the original payment method. No manual math, no disputes about what the policy says — the system applies the configured terms.

Frequently Asked Questions¶

What should a campground cancellation policy include?

A complete campground cancellation policy includes: deposit amount and when it's collected, cancellation window tiers (how much is retained based on days before arrival), no-show terms, any peak-period exceptions, and an administrative processing fee if applicable. The policy must be visible to guests before they complete their booking.

How much deposit should a campground collect at booking?

Most campgrounds collect 25–50% of the total stay value as a deposit at booking. First night's rate is another common approach. For premium products (cabins, glamping tents) or peak period bookings (Canada Day, long weekends), 50% or even 100% non-refundable deposits are standard and widely accepted by guests.

Can a campground keep a deposit if a guest cancels?

Yes, provided the cancellation policy was clearly disclosed before the guest booked and the deposit retention terms are reasonable relative to the notice given. In Canada, consumer protection laws in most provinces allow deposit retention as long as the policy was disclosed and agreed to at booking. Policies that retain 100% of the total stay with no prior disclosure are more vulnerable to disputes.

How do I handle last-minute campground cancellations?

Last-minute cancellations (within 7 days of arrival) should trigger your strictest retention terms — typically retaining the full deposit or charging a cancellation fee. If you have a waitlist in place, initiate the waitlist process immediately to fill the site. If no waitlist guest takes the opening, consider re-listing it on Airbnb or Booking.com for last-minute travellers. The combination of deposit retention + waitlist minimises revenue loss from late cancellations.

Should campgrounds allow free cancellation?

Allowing free cancellation up to a certain point (e.g., 30 days before arrival) is reasonable and common. It reduces friction for guests who plan far in advance and aren't sure of their schedule. Allowing free cancellation within 7–14 days of arrival is costly — those sites are unlikely to be rebooked at full rate. A tiered policy (fully refundable beyond 30 days, partial retention within 14, no refund within 7) balances guest flexibility with revenue protection.

PitchCamp configures your cancellation policy automatically — deposits collected at booking, tiered refund calculations applied on cancellation, and refunds processed through Stripe with no manual work.

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