What I was referring to was asking for a discount AFTER you have stayed. No problem working for the best deal in advance of a stay, but to negotiate on the price after you have already used the services is just wrong.
I would not ask for a discount, other than asking if they accept AAA, Good Sam etc. I've been pleasantly surprised that some independent non- Good Sam, non-AAA RV parks (and motels) have given an extra 10%. In regard to the issue of very late arrival, I would not expect a discount. Where do you draw the time line? There are times that I arrive late, and use nothing more than a parking spot, and other times I have arrived very early in the day and use most of the services. I figure they just average themselves out over time. If still on the road at midnight it might be just as well to find a rest area, truck stop etc. anyway. If using a free spot at a truck stop I try to make it worth their while by purchasing gas and /or having breakfast . The only time I was questioned in a rest area was about 10-years ago in one that had a "no overnight camping" sign. I pulled in about midnight and went to bed. About a half hour later a fairly friendly trooper knocked on the door, and said "I assume you are just resting not camping? I said yes, I was too tired to travel much further. He said not a problem, and asked if I planned to be on the road by 8am when his shift ended. I said yes, and he told me to have a pleasant stay.
Many Hotels have different size and type rooms at different rates. I have even seen one where several rooms had the window bricked up. i asked and was told those were for truckers who wanted a dark and quite room during the day. That sounded novel. CG's offer partial or full hookups and pull thrus versus back in. What i would like to see would be cheap pull through with electric only and priced for a 12 hour or less stay. All i want to do is pull in, park, plug in, eat and sleep, then hit the road the next day.
Campground owners are the first to have higher rates during the busy season, so they play the market on their guests when it is in their favor. I have no problem with that because that's how commodity type businesses work- it's based upon supply and demand. So I certainly think, that as a general idea, there's nothing wrong with guests asking for lower rates when the supply/demand situation is in their favor. Again, nothing wrong with asking. I've rarely negotiated campground rates, but we have our own bathroom facilities and use a lot of campgrounds for quick overnight trips enroute to our final destination. It's unfortunate that most campground owners do not have a pricing structure based upon what a guest will use. We've pulled into many campgrounds after dark, only to spend the night without using any facilities. Seems like there should be a discount for that. I run a service type business myself and almost every phone call from a prospective client will have us discussing fees. I deal with that every day. I need to be aware of how my fees compare to that of the competition. Same with campgrounds. If they are the best in the area then they should be able to hold the line on their fees. On the other hand, a struggling campground with lots of vacancies might appreciate a call from a camper who wants a lower fee, who otherwise would not have considered staying there. None of this should be accompanied by any attitude. I also have to say that we stayed at a KOA in Cortez, CO last year for a few extra days because we lost a part off our WDH. We ended up getting it the morning of our last day and the campground owner did not charge us for staying later that day. So there are some great owners who will voluntarily provide lower rates for which I am appreciative.
