Our approach > Case studies > Roompot

Transforming an established Dutch operator and developer of holiday parks into a high-performing market leader

Sales growth (per annum)

Netherlands

10pp+

Occupancy increase

Overview

Key facts

Sector

Food & Consumer

Headquarters

The Netherlands

Investment date

November 2016

Ownership

100%

Exit date

September 2020

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In November 2016, PAI completed the acquisition of Roompot, an operator and developer of holiday parks in the Netherlands.

PAI’s decision to acquire Roompot was based on the strong conviction that the asset could deliver attractive growth and improved profitability due to: its position as a large player in the Dutch holiday park market; its clear leadership in attractive coastal locations, which were outpacing the wider market; and its unique integrated business model, combining park operations and development.

Under PAI’s ownership, Roompot outperformed its peers and the Dutch leisure market, benefitting from the favourable sector trends identified at the time of investment and significant transformation initiatives.

Despite the Covid-19 outbreak and the short-term impact on performance, the company’s transformation into a sought-after market leader with long-term potential led to its successful sale to KKR, which completed in September 2020.

Identifying transformation opportunities

When PAI acquired Roompot, the company had experienced prolonged under-investment, which had negatively affected its operational performance.

Nevertheless, the investment team strongly believed in Roompot’s potential to deliver attractive growth. This conviction was supported by its prime coastal locations and scale within the Dutch holiday park market, the resilience of the market, which was benefitting from the growing “staycation” trend, and a market dynamic favouring large operators over family-run parks due to scale advantages. There was also a clear opportunity to improve park operations through targeted initiatives, such as dynamic pricing and restyling.

PAI’s extensive experience and understanding of consumer-facing companies made it a strong partner to support the management team in delivering this transformation.

Roompot: a leading, high-performing holiday parks operator in Europe

Roompot’s transformation journey

Under PAI’s ownership, a number of initiatives were implemented to enhance operations and strengthen the brand. These included significant investment in upgrading and expanding parks, optimising the partner park portfolio by terminating contracts with lower-quality sites and adding new partnerships, as well as implementing revenue management alongside a best-in-class digital marketing and distribution platform.

Upgrading and expanding
the parks

With PAI’s support, Roompot, invested c. €50 million in restyling capex between 2017 and 2020 to premiumise its accommodation offering, both through refurbishment and replacement, and to upgrade central facilities. This programme resulted in a marked improvement in customer ratings, an increase in average booking prices and a stronger overall brand image.

In addition, the group successfully developed and opened two new coastal parks – Nieuwvliet (c. 570 accommodations) and WaterVillage (c. 90 accommodations).

Alongside these improvements, a new corporate headquarters was inaugurated in June 2019, completing the modernisation of the group’s operations.

€50m

Restyling

Modernising the brand and developing best-in-class digital marketing

Roompot developed a best-in-class digital marketing and distribution platform, achieving above-average SEO performance and conversion rates. This enabled the group to generate 85% of bookings directly, significantly higher than its peers, while steadily reducing exposure to third-party booking platforms.

In parallel, a new logo was introduced as part of a brand rejuvenation strategy initiated under PAI’s ownership and as a preliminary step towards a broader rebranding.

When Roompot was sold in September 2020, the group had been transformed into a leading, high performing, holiday parks operator in Europe, with increased market share, high occupancy levels and a growing number of bookings per year.

85%

Direct bookings