Swiss start-up Parkn'Sleep becomes Europe's leading payment provider for camper van pitches

In June 2021, the Lucerne-based startup Parkn'Sleep launched the first parking app for campers. Just one year later, the Swiss tourism concept has arrived in 10 European countries. Motorhome travellers can check in digitally at over 6,000 of-ficial parking spaces on their own and spend a quiet night. The innovative and award-winning con-cept simplifies the work for pitch operators and automates the tourism tax to the munic-ipalities.

Discovering the world by campervan or motorhome has been a trend for years and is now the fastest growing market in the European travel industry. Across Europe, 15% more campervans were sold last year than in the previous year. "In addition, many campers today want to travel spontaneously and discover the beauty of a region up close, which has increased the demand for spontaneous overnight accommodation," knows Lukas Imhof, initiator and co-founder of Parkn'Sleep. While there are many digital reservation platforms for hotels, flights, holiday flats and campsites, motorhome tourism is still a long way off - or at least was until now.

Managing camper pitches digitally

Parkn'Sleep has responded to the growing demand and the problem of wild camping by launching a parking app for campers in early June 2021. It shows official pitches with live availability. "Each pitch is legal, verified and connected to local regulations and tariffs," explains Imhof. Providers can enter their pitch offers in the system with just a few clicks and generate income. Campers can drive to the sites spontaneously, check in and out digitally on site and spend a quiet night.


Award-winning tourism solution

Parkn'Sleep thus gives providers the opportunity to manage sites digitally without having to be on site or take reservations themselves. Municipalities also benefit from automatic tourism tax-es. With Parkn'Sleep, the RV situation in municipalities can be regulated, it increases the at-tractiveness of destinations and brings additional added value to tourist regions. Last autumn, Parkn'Sleep was honoured for its innovative solution with the highest Swiss tourism award, the Mile-stone Excellence in Tourism 2021.

Digital scalable product

Parkn'Sleep was extensively tested in the first 8 months on the Swiss market and prepared for the European market. In January this year, the app was released for Europe. Partners such as the Touring Club Switzerland, the Tour de Suisse and a large software producer for campsites are also involved. For Lukas Imhof - himself often on the road with his campervan - it is clear: "The success of Parkn'Sleep depends on rapid growth and simple solutions. When scaling a business, it is important to keep the expenses proportionally low." For example, no expensive hardware is used on site and campers only make the "purchase decision" on site, so there is limited support effort for reservations. The community also takes care of parking control on the sites themselves.

Number 1 in Europe

After 14 months on the market, Parkn'Sleep already offers 6,500 pitches at over 600 different locations. 12,000 active campers are already using the system. Parkn'Sleep has thus become Europe's leading payment system for motorhome pitches in a very short time. Hosts include municipalities, private providers, catering establishments, ports, mountain railways and farms. The use of the app is free of charge for hosts and campers.

Fundraising planned

The company is financed by private investors and is planning another capital increase this coming winter. The product is to be expanded with the fresh capital and become a permanent component for travel planning in the future. This is being done with a clear goal in mind, says Lukas Imhof: "We want to make spontaneous motorhome trips through Europe possible again. Campers should be able to check in digitally at available sites around the clock and spend a safe and quiet night."

Lukas Imhof
lukas@parknsleep.app
+41765847018

Parknsleep AG
Löwengraben 14
6004 Luzern

Parkn'Sleep is the first parking app for campers in Europe. The app shows pitches from official hosts and their live availability. Campers can drive to the sites without a reservation and check in digitally on their own. Parkn'Sleep is a simple solution for municipalities and landowners to regulate the booming camper tourism and generate added value. Behind Parkn'Sleep is a Swiss start-up based in Lucerne, Switzerland Just one year later, the Swiss tourism concept has reached 10 European countries.

This release was published on openPR.