Falling pound triggers spike in US tourist bookings across UK hotels

Hotels across the UK have seen a boost in trade from North American tourists as visitors look to capitalise on the falling pound.

Some operators have received almost double the number of US bookings compared to this time last year.

The pound fell to a record low against the dollar of just above $1.03 on 26 September following the announcement of the government’s mini budget. It had recovered to around $1.11 on Monday (10 October).

Despite the challenging economic backdrop, some hospitality operators are managing to reap the benefits of a weak pound.

Scott Harper, chief operating officer of Malmaison & Hotel du Vin, which has 17 boutique hotels across the UK, told The Caterer there had been a “marked increase” in interest from US tourists.

He said: “In September 2022 we have seen an increase in room nights booked by American guests of 177% versus September 2021. This translates as a 172% [year-on-year] increase in September revenue.”

The Sutton Hotel Collection, which includes Castle Hotel Windsor and Francis Hotel Bath, reported that bookings from the US market in September compared to August had grown by 55.7% and 85% at each property respectively.

A spokesperson for the Collection said: “Both properties are usually very popular with the American market given their destinations and it’s great to see even more US tourists visiting at the moment.”

Olivia Immensi, managing director of Nativeplaces UK, one of the largest aparthotel operators in the country, said: “We have seen a surge of American travellers coming back to the UK since summer. The interesting part is since the Queen’s funeral and the falling of pound our website visitors coming from the US has doubled [year-on-year] with significant spike on the revenue especially for our properties in London, Manchester, and Scotland.”

In London, Florence Alloing, group general manager of the Georgian House in Victoria, said there had been an increase in reservations through online booking site Expedia and 40% of guests using the platform to book their stay were from the US.

The hotel reported a 70% increase in revenue booked through the site for the first week of September compared with the first week of August.

Andrew Coney, general manager of the Hari hotel in London’s Knightsbridge, added: “The Hari has always been strong in the US and we have seen an increase in bookings for many reasons from the market this past year – but in the past week we have noticed a 55% increase in bookings from the US and it doesn’t look set to stop with future bookings coming in for Christmas.”

*Image: Ground Picture / Shutterstock *