Best Western says ‘lookers turning into bookers’ ahead of PM’s announcement tomorrow

The Best Western hotel group has said it has seen ‘lookers turn to bookers’, with a 450% increase in bookings in the last 24 hours ahead of the anticipated announcement tomorrow by the prime minister that hotels will be allowed to reopen from 4 July.

It is expected that the government will announce a relaxation of lockdown rules tomorrow, as well as the outcome of the review into two-metre distancing requirements.

Rob Paterson, chief executive of Best Western Great Britain, said: “The website has rocketed in activity in the last 24-48 hours. It started on Friday with the downgrading of the Covid-19 alert level and has ramped up every day since.

“The crucial difference we are seeing in the last 24 hours is casual website lookers are now turning into bookers, which is great news for hotel operators and destinations that rely on tourism. The trend suggests we will see another surge tonight as people look to bag a break today rather than risk missing out tomorrow.”

Popular searches on the website over the weekend have been coastal and rural locations, with Scotland top of the destination search list. City centre searches are lower down the rankings, suggesting people are looking to maintain distancing measures by avoiding more populated areas.

The marketing consortium has a membership of approximately 280 hotels in the UK.

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