How the hospitality industry can take advantage of the recent increase in staycations

The Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 had an immense impact on the UK’s hospitality industry, with approximated damages of £115 billion. However, the restrictions placed on international travel meant that ‘staycation’ breaks became more popular, allowing restaurants, hotels and bars to reopen their doors to all the Brits holidaying at home.

And despite the ease in travel restrictions, staycations are still hugely popular in 2022, so the hospitality industry should be taking advantage of them.
Promote, promote, promote

When it comes to attracting consumers, promotion is absolutely essential. With so many Brits looking for their perfect stay-at-home holiday, you need to make your establishment stand out. Recent data has demonstrated that Google searches for ‘UK staycations’ and ‘UK holidays’ have increased 23% in 2022 from 2021, so there will be plenty of competition across the hospitality industry.

The key is to promote as regularly and relevantly as possible on your website and social media platforms in order to attract attention to your business. Specifically, promote the hotel breaks that you offer as the perfect ‘staycation’ getaways and extend your digital marketing campaign to target both locals and people across the UK.

Capitalise on your location

When it comes to taking advantage of the staycation boom, your location could be the key to your success. According to staycation booking website Snaptrip, the “most desired features” for UK staycations include a nearby beach, a nearby pub, Wi-Fi, a swimming pool, and a luxury feel.

If you run a hotel with a nearby beach, you should and can easily make that one of the key features that you advertise for your summer staycation breaks! If you run a pub adjacent to a beach or a string of hotels, advertise yourself as that ‘nearby pub’. Other features are a bonus, but your location will be the main pull for people searching for new staycation breaks.
Focus on customer service

Anyone in the hospitality industry will know that customer service begins as soon as a potential customer shows interest. So, to benefit from the surge in Brits hunting for their perfect staycation getaway, businesses should focus on making their booking processes as simple as possible.

Then, try to make every customer’s stay as comfortable and enjoyable as possible because excellent customer service yields excellent customer reviews. And the better the things that visitors have to say about your business, the more customers you are likely to attract.
Ultimately, the recent increase in UK staycations has been nothing short of a blessing for the hospitality industry after devastating lockdowns, so now is the time to take advantage, if you haven’t already. If you need any support or resources to help transform your hospitality business, JWR can provide that. We offer recruitment support across the industry working with hotels, restaurants and bars across the UK. For more information visit our website today and find out more.