Guests give thumbs-up to parks group

A major holiday parks group which invites customers to post unedited reviews on its quality of service has received a 94 percent thumbs-up verdict.

Park Holidays UK achieved the figure in March this year after around 19 out of 20 visitors rated their booking experience as "excellent" or "good".

Guests' comments are made on the British review site Feefo which is threatening to eclipse its rivals by ensuring that only genuine customers are allowed to comment.

Park Holidays UK began inviting reviews on its service at the start of this year, with guests being assured that their views would never be censored by Feefo for negative feedback.

Although most of its 23 holiday parks only opened in March for the season, hundreds of reviews have already been submitted by families booking short breaks and longer stays.

They are encouraged to comment on any aspect of choosing a holiday, using the website, making a reservation, the helpfulness of staff and the quality of the assistance they provide.

Park Holidays UK director Tony Clish said that because reviews are only accepted from bona fide customers on Feefo, the credibility of the comments is not in doubt: "In contrast to some consumer review websites, especially those focussed on hotels, Feefo can provide an absolute assurance about the provenance of the comments that are published.

"They are exclusively from people who have booked with Park Holidays UK, and who have first-hand experience of the on-line and personal service we offer.

"In other words, these reviews are not skewed by praise or criticism from people with other agendas, but are simply what genuine customers feel about our service," said Mr Clish.

More than four million customer reviews are carried on the Feefo website, and feedback is solicited from all customers of participating companies, not a cherry-picked selection.

"It's time the holiday industry had a review platform with integrity, and which features only the honest views of people who have had a direct, personal experience," said Mr Clish.

"Although the reviews are invited just on our booking service, many customers go on to give positive endorsements of their previous stays with Park Holidays UK.

"The comments confirm what many holidaymakers already tell us, and we are delighted to be exceeding visitors' expectations in so many different ways," he added.

Reviews can be accessed from Park Holidays UK's website at ParkHolidays.com.