Florida State Parks Adopts New Reservation and Point-of-Sale Platform Focused on Improved Visitor Experience
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Florida State Parks, the nation’s only four-time Gold Medal winner for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management, is introducing a new reservation and point-of-sale platform this week that is designed to enhance visitor experience and improve facility management across dozens of sites.
US eDirect, a global leader in campground management software with more than 20 years of experience serving publicly run facilities, is delivering its signature offering, Recreation Dynamics, to serve the millions of visitors to one of North America’s most visited state park systems.
Visitors can book campground reservations at Reserve.FloridaStateParks.org.
“Our new park business system will ensure that visitor access to Florida’s award-winning state parks is easier and more efficient than ever,” Florida State Parks Director Eric Draper said. “As a result of our efforts, more people will be able to visit and enjoy our state’s beaches, springs, natural areas and cultural resources.”
US eDirect echoed the sentiment.
“We are extremely proud of the collaboration we’ve conducted with Florida’s park service as we’ve worked together develop our intuitive, flexible and secure solution focused on delivering the best visitor experience,” US eDirect president Tony Alex said.
“The Real FloridaSM brand is synonymous with a widely popular park system that plays a significant role in making the Sunshine State a world-class tourist destination, and we’re pleased to be able to support their team in adopting flexible software and reliable hardware solutions to support their vision and growth.”
US eDirect secured a six-year contract with Florida State Parks following a competitive proposal process.
The US eDirect solution was selected due to its one-stop shop platform, which includes intuitive, innovative features, as well as the firm’s success working with state campground and recreation agencies.
Recreation Dynamics, the secure, cloud-based solution trusted by dozens of public agencies as their multi-functional application for park financial management was introduced on May 27.
Engineered on the secure Amazon Web Service cloud platform and renowned for its flexibility, breadth of features and transaction processing speed, Recreation Dynamics is leveraged by park systems in California, Ohio and Minnesota.
The solution will support approximately 100 sites across the state of Florida, including 56 campgrounds that include 7,500 total rental sites ranging from primitive tent sites to some of the most well-appointed and highly visited cabin rentals available at any state park system.
Visitors to the new booking website can take advantage of a map integration powered by an industry leader in mapping technology. The Esri ArcGIS integration will help website visitors enjoy a more interactive and real-time mapping experience.
“The Esri integration is an exciting innovation for the booking platform, as it will help visitors better understand the park they’re visiting and the site they are booking,” Alex said. “It’s a major leap forward from a conventional, one-dimensional campground map and will help visitors better appreciate the incredible sites.”
Recreation Dynamics powers a central reservation system (CRS) for camping and cabin reservations and a day-use point-of-sale system for park admission, annual pass sales, equipment and facility rentals as well as merchandise sales in an integrated, intuitive and accessible format.
US eDirect will also deliver:
- A 24/7 year-round CRS with call center, online, kiosk, agent, commercial vendor, and mobile reservation and trip planning capabilities.
- An operational field point-of-sale system with integrated online sales available on desktops, tablets and mobile devices and capable of working in cellular, wireless, broadband and offline mode.
- Management of annual, day-use and seasonal pass management; permit management including quotas; activity scheduling including classes, events and tours; ticketing; gift cards; shelter and day-use facility bookings; ‘things to do’ management; and volunteer management.
- A suite of new self-service technologies on the mobile platform (passes, check-ins, rentals); kiosks; 24/7 customer interaction; new technologies enabling fast lanes; and day-use pass management.
- A discovery platform that allows visitors to plan vacations integrating key information about the parks and nearby attractions, events and places of interest.
“We’ve innovated alongside Florida State Parks to deliver a seamless experience for their visitors and management alike,” Alex said. “We look forward to continuing this innovative partnership to improve the experience for the service’s tens of millions of visitors from around the world.”
About US eDirect:
US eDirect is a global leader in campground management software that helps dozens of public agencies deliver digital solutions to their visitors and campers via a suite of intuitive software solutions. Founded in 1999 and based in New York state, US eDirect employs more than 100 people focused on providing exemplary customer service for public agencies that manage more than 100,000 individual campsites in North America and Australia.
About the Florida Park Service and Florida State Parks:
Florida State Parks is the proud recipient of four National Gold Medals for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management, making Florida America’s first four-time Gold Medal winner. The awards were received in 1999, 2005, 2013 and 2019 from the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration and the National Recreation and Park Association.
Florida’s 175 state parks, trails and historic sites inspire residents and visitors with recreation opportunities and scenic beauty that help strengthen families, educate children, expand local economies and foster community pride. With nearly 800,000 acres, 100 miles of beaches and more than 1,500 miles of multi-use trails, Florida’s state parks offer an abundance of opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy the state’s natural treasures. For more information, visit FloridaStateParks.org.