Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
The Tucumcari/Route 66 KOA Journey campground recently earned a KOA President’s Award from Kampgrounds of America.
The prestigious award was presented Thursday at Kampgrounds of America Inc.’s annual international convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The KOA President’s Award is given to campgrounds meeting exceptional quality standards and receiving high customer service scores from their camping guests.
KOA surveys hundreds of thousands of campers each year about their KOA camping experiences.
“These award-winning KOA owners have made the right investments in their campgrounds and their staff to provide the best outdoor experience in North America,” said Toby O’Rourke, president and CEO of Kampgrounds of America Inc.
The Simoneau family — husband John, wife Cindy and son Jay — acquired the KOA in Tucumcari in April 2022 after selling another KOA in Placerville, California, they had owned for 29 years.
“We wanted a place in the country, and this fit,” John Simoneau said in a phone interview.
Simoneau attributed the award to a lot of interior and exterior renovations to the property. He said the previous owners had deferred maintenance to the facility during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Simoneau said he hopes to earn KOA’s top honor, the Founder’s Award, next year.
The Tucumcari KOA was built in 1966. The Simoneaus are only the third set of owners.
Montana-based Kampgrounds of America, founded in 1962, has more than 500 locations across the United States and Canada and remains the world’s largest system of privately owned campgrounds.