Boosting Your Boat/RV-Storage Revenue: Amenities to Offer This Lucrative Segment of Your Self-Storage Customer BaseBoosting Your Boat/RV-Storage Revenue: Amenities to Offer This Lucrative Segment of Your Self-Storage Customer Base
If your self-storage facility offers boat/RV storage, you already know this segment of the market can be lucrative, just based on rent. However, you can realize even greater profit by catering to this customer base with key amenities. Let’s explore some of the products and services you can offer to supplement your ancillary revenue.

Boat and RV sales are still on the rise, which has spurred many self-storage developers and owners to create rental space for the people who own—and need a place to keep—these specialty vehicles. There isn’t just an increasing need for boat/RV storage; the industry requires at least five times the current capacity to meet demand in this burgeoning market niche.
As this sector of the self-storage business evolves and builds momentum, facility operators who offer vehicle storage can benefit from this fundamental industry lesson: Creating customer convenience not only increases tenant satisfaction, it encourages renters to open their wallets wider. Consumers will pay a premium to have the things they need or want at precisely at the right moment.
This is why smart self-storage operators have amped up their ancillary products and services. By selling retail products that facilitate packing and moving such as boxes, tape and bubble wrap, they simplify life for their renters and other local customers. The same is true of truck rentals, printing and notary services, pack and ship services, and other handy offering https://www.tampabay.com/hurricane/2024/10/04/tampa-bay-hurricane-helene-storage-unit-full-hotel-rental-car-problems-st-petersburg—boat and RV storage among them!
If it makes sense to offer add-on amenities to your self-storage customers, why wouldn’t you do the same for your boat/RV tenants? It’s a wise move that not only enhances the customer experience, it pumps up your profit. Read on to find out how.
Comfort and Convenience
More and more self-storage operators are recognizing the importance of providing a better rental experience for customers that includes a well-designed facility, upgraded security and technology, and “extra” products and services. “As a storage operator, you can make good ancillary income by offering a variety of unit sizes to meet tenants’ needs, but you can make even more if you also sell products and supplies that appeal to your toy-storage tenants,” says Greg Ellsworth, president of Self Storage Consulting Group, a provider of third-party management and industry consulting. “Offering these must-have items will boost your facility’s revenue while providing tenants with conveniences and superb customer service.
Knowledgeable operators are experimenting with an array of comfort and convenience amenities to attract long-term boat/RV-storage tenants such as:
Free water and ice
Dump station
Wash bay
Propane
Climate-controlled units
Electrical hookups
Specialty retail items such as de-icers and bungee cords
Access to a pressure gauge and air for tires
Restrooms and showers
Extended access hours
Wi-Fi
Clubhouses and conference rooms
Lobbies with couches and TVs
Beverages and snacks
Many of these amenities can be included with unit pricing, but some operators prefer to take a different route. “The subscription model is making waves in the storage industry,” says David Perlleshi, senior director of Franklin Street, a commercial real estate and management business. “These plans can offer flexibility along with additional perks and priority access to premium facilities, aligning [with] the demand for hassle-free, personalized storage experiences.
Options to Add
While the above offerings will meet the needs of nearly every boat/RV-storage customer, don’t be afraid to brainstorm more creative ways to please this tenant base. For example, folks who travel with pets will be over the moon if you provide a pet-relief area with water bowls and room to roam. Parents will gleefully allow their kids to wear themselves out at a playground before the long drive ahead. These amenities give customers time to ice down their coolers, check tire pressure and charge their hybrids. (Speaking of hybrid vehicles, maybe consider an electric-vehicle charging station.)
Another great way to turn your self-storage site into a one-stop shop is to partner with a local mechanic or boat/RV dealership to offer onsite vehicle inspections and repairs. This is especially handy for tenants who need to quickly patch a tire or top off their oil before hitting the road.
Some premier self-storage operators are also experimenting with luxury valet services. Customers can call ahead and request that their vehicle be parked at the front of the site just before they arrive. To take things a step farther, you might wash the tenant’s boat or RV upon their return to the facility, before parking it back in the storage space.
“I think the valet service is a huge delineating point for us, because we have relationships with our customers,” says Jeff Beyer, owner of Central Virginia Indoor Boat & RV Storage in Amelia Court House, Virginia. “Some of them are retired and have time to strike up a conversation, and they just love to talk about their new RV, boats and cars. Either way, they appreciate the personalized service that valeting adds to the experience.”
Wrapping It Up
With the dearth of boat/RV-storage facilities nationwide, some self-storage owners believe that stringing a chain across the entry of a dirt parking lot is all they need to do to start raking in profit. Those who are savvy recognize that this niche is in an explosive growth mode, and it won’t be long before competition intensifies. Customers will eventually be drawn to a classier facility that offers higher levels of protection for their precious vehicles while giving them the royal treatment they’ll cherish for many years to come.
“Amenities are often a driving factor for these owners, who seek more than just a parking space,” says Barry Sherman, founder of S3 Partners, a self-storage development and consulting firm. “As the demand for high-quality storage facilities grows, owners and operators must consider value-added features to set them apart, which will draw long-term tenants and greater profit.”
Drew Whitney has decades of storage experience and is the content curator for Toy Storage Nation, a media brand designed to educate RV and boat storage developers, owners, operators and investors through its website, membership program and quarterly workshops hosted coast to coast. To learn more, visit toystoragenation.com.
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