Seekom provides ‘freedom from the office’ for family-run holiday park

Debbie says the lifestyle and being close to family living in the area are big reasons Repi and her made the move to Levin back in April of 2012, calling time on a teaching career to try their hand at hospitality.

Finding a way to manage the business in a way that balances work and time with family has always been a priority, so they switched the park’s property management system to Seekom after finding their old system didn’t have the flexibility they needed. They were receiving more bookings and they needed a way to manage everything in one place, all while juggling three kids and the demands of a growing business.

“Our old system was working well enough, until we needed more. Seekom can do everything we need.”

The park office closes for a few hours in the middle of the day, so being able to manage things on a mobile means Debbie, Repi and their team member Tania can still keep an eye on bookings and look after other tasks without being stuck at their desks.

Debbie says the system is “intuitive, and easy to learn”, and if she or her team ever need help, customer support is readily available.

“That customer service has improved hugely in the last couple of years. We’re a smaller business, but Seekom still goes out of its way to help.”

With summer approaching, her team is crossing its fingers for sunny weather and a steady flow of holidaymakers, including the many Wellingtonians who have so often made the short trip north for weekend escapes at the park in the past.

“It’s a great place to get away to for the weekend if you live in a city,” Debbie says.

“Levin is nice and cruisy and you can drive 20 minutes down to the beach to watch the sun go down. There are rivers to dip your toes into, and for little kids, there are lots of playgrounds. Our produce sector is huge too, with lots of berries and fresh veges.”

Their children are now on their teens and Debbie and Repi now live off site, but they have no plans to change industry again or retire any time soon.

“We enjoyed teaching, enjoyed working overseas and the corporate thing in Auckland, but we really love it here. The guests, our team, the community and the park are great”.