Commission reviews demos from My Sites and Campspot for Berlin camp reservations, defers choice to next month

The Berlin Parks and Recreation Commission on July 1 heard demonstrations from two online reservation providers as it considers moving campground and shelter-house bookings online.

Brian McGuin of My Sites showed an interactive map-based booking interface and back-office features, saying the system can display site-level calendars, host images and videos, collect upfront payments and present a required cancellation/terms checkbox at booking. "We can put that front and center where they'll have to click 'I understand' to proceed," McGuin said during the demo.

George Murphy, national sales executive with Campspot, demonstrated Campspot's marketplace and back-office tools and told commissioners Campspot would list Berlin for free in its platform search results. "I put in Berlin, Wisconsin … we've got over 100 partnerships within a 150-mile radius of Berlin," Murphy said, explaining the company’s approach to surfacing nearby availability.

Both vendors outlined back-office capabilities for staff: real-time availability updates, payment gateway flexibility, support for training materials and analytics reporting. Campspot emphasized 24/7 North American support and a suite of dashboards that update frequently; My Sites highlighted an AI help feature, offline (phone) booking flow and modular staff training.

A member of the public, Jerry DS, had urged the commission earlier to address confusion around first-come/first-served campsite handling and the absence of a clear cancellation policy. Jerry said staff told him he could not reserve certain sites ahead of his intended stay and recommended requiring payment up front or clearer cancellation rules. Staff acknowledged the concern and said a written campsite reservation policy could be provided for review.

Commissioners compared costs: My Sites proposed a flat processing fee (example given as $3 per booking) while Campspot typically uses a commission model (example discussed at 6 percent of the booking). Commissioners noted which fee structure would be more or less costly depending on booking duration and agreed to test the user flows on partner sites before deciding.

The commission did not select a vendor at the meeting. Members agreed to take the next month to review demo materials, try live partner bookings and return the item to the agenda next month for a decision. Any system changes and related policy shifts were discussed as likely to take effect for the next season, with January 1 identified as a target implementation date if the commission moves forward.