At the gate

The first test comes at the gate. A booking might cover two cars, but three arrive. A family shows up early, hoping to swim before check-in. A motorcycle passes under the camera. Bright sunlight blinds a number plate. Each of these edge cases once meant a call to reception, a delay at the barrier, and an irritated guest.

Koole’s barriers link directly to reservations. Pre-registered plates open automatically. If details are missing, a PIN code does the job. Parks set their own rules: how many vehicles per stay, whether early arrivals can use facilities, or which exceptions to allow. If the barrier stays shut, staff can override it with a single click. The barrier hardware pushes real-time data into Maxxton’s dashboard, so staff see not just that the gate is closed, but why, and resolve it without switching systems.

The same logic continues at the door. Locks can be opened using a PIN code, mobile key, RFID card, or a traditional key, depending on the park's choice. Access is also role-based: housekeepers can reach their assigned units, maintenance can enter technical spaces, and managers hold broader permissions. If a key goes missing, the entry log shows who unlocked which door and when.

Koole’s expertise didn’t appear overnight. The company began in industrial automation more than 25 years ago before moving into hospitality, where last-minute bookings made manual systems unworkable. That experience is evident in how its hardware integrates with Maxxton’s software, solving practical snags like gate jams, lost keys, and early arrivals in a way that feels seamless to both staff and guests.

Once guests are inside, the challenge shifts from getting them through the door to keeping them comfortable.

Inside the unit

Keeping hundreds of units at the right temperature is one of the toughest balancing acts in park management. Leave them running while empty, and the bills spike. Switch them on too late, and guests head straight to the front desk to complain. The challenge lies in the fact that every building warms differently, which makes manual control slow and unreliable.

Koole’s system automates the balance. It cools empty units to save power, then warms them at the right pace so they’re ready exactly at check-in. At night, it cools the temperature down, only to rise again in the morning. Parks set sensible caps, often around 25 degrees, so guests can’t run heating into wasteful extremes. Sensors feed into Maxxton, which applies heating schedules across the park. Staff don’t adjust thermostats unit by unit; the software distributes the hardware’s data and rules at scale.

The savings are tangible. Six-person units use 10–15% less power, while larger ones save 15–20%. Staff also avoid the treadmill of thermostat checks, freeing hours each week. Many parks start with a pilot, fine-tuning schedules on a small group of units before rolling them out across the site.

Energy bills fall, service teams stay focused, and guests walk into a space that feels comfortable from the moment they arrive.

However, comfort depends on more than just heating schedules; the equipment must continue to function once guests are inside.

Before it breaks

Of course, saving energy is only one side of the challenge. Even well-heated rooms don’t help if climate control fails or the lock stops working. Maintenance has always been the least predictable part of park operations, with problems often surfacing only after guests are already inconvenienced, leaving staff scrambling to respond..

Koole’s monitoring changes this dynamic. Sensors track boiler pressure, lock batteries, and heating performance across units. When something looks wrong, a task is automatically created in Maxxton’s operations manager. The maintenance team sees it on their app and can fix the issue before a guest notices.

That shift makes the difference between a complaint and a positive stay. It also means technicians spend less time firefighting and more time on planned work. For operators, it cuts costly callouts, reduces guest frustration, and creates a more predictable workload for staff.

Beyond the front door

Once the accommodation runs smoothly, attention shifts beyond the bungalow. Pools, bowling alleys and sports courts bring their own pressures. Numbers climb, queues build, and without controls, spaces overcrowd. Staff end up checking tickets or managing lists by hand.

With Maxxton’s planner, guests book sessions and receive a QR code. Koole’s scanners check the code at the entrance and open the turnstile. Operators can apply rules for time slots and capacity, just as they do with the car park, so facilities never exceed safe numbers. Staff avoid the burden of policing queues, and guests spend more time enjoying activities instead of waiting in line.

What holds it together

Taken individually, these improvements may look small: a barrier that recognises number plates, a lock that works with a phone, a boiler that signals low pressure before it fails. Together, they transform how a park operates. Costs fall through lower energy use and fewer emergency callouts. Staff gain hours back as gates, locks, heating, and activities run themselves. Guests enjoy a stay where comfort is the baseline, not the exception.

Koole’s hardware and Maxxton’s software weave these details into one system, turning routine friction points into predictable processes. The real value isn’t in what guests notice, but in what managers no longer worry about: the call from the gate, the unheated unit, the failed boiler, the queue at the pool. With the right systems in place, those crises don’t vanish; they simply never arrive.