The good news regarding the reopening of hospitality across Ireland in April meant that May was a strong, positive month for bookings as the country’s collective sentiment lightened and optimism grew.
NB: This is an article from Net Affinity
Every month, we analyse the booking trends by pulling data across of our clients which creates the most coherent picture of how, where and what people are booking. Let’s take a deeper dive into May’s booking trends breakdown and see how it compares to 2019 (pre-Coronavirus).
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What were general bookings like?
ROI
- We saw a nice big spike in bookings on the 29th April for ROI properties once the
reopening date was announced. Following this, numbers steadied out and remained healthy throughout the month - We have seen natural peaks and troughs, for example bookings were quieter on Fridays and Saturdays – but when compared with the same period in May 2019, booking volume was 27% higher
NI
- In the North of Ireland, reopening dates were announced two weeks before the Republic. Naturally, we saw a spike in bookings earlier than in the Republic, and bookings remained steady throughout the rest of the month
- Bookings in the North were up 112% in May 2021 compared to 2019
What was website traffic like?
- We were delighted to see consolidated site traffic returning to 2019 levels following the reopening announcements, while we noted normal peaks & troughs here too (weekend traffic was generally lower)
- It was positive to look at the growth in bookings, showing that website visitors have a strong intent to book when they do arrive on a hotel’s website, and it’s good to see marketing campaigns driving targeted traffic to hotel’s websites. Here’s a 10 point checklist for a successful digital marketing campaign
Bookings by arrival month?
ROI
- In the Republic, 87% of bookings were domestic (originated from the Republic)
- 11% were from the UK (including NI)
- The US only accounted for 1% of bookings made
- The majority of bookings in the month were for stays in June following the announcement
- We didn’t expect hotels to be open in June so there was plenty of availability!
- Throughout May, the percentage of bookings going into June 2021 (42%), July 2021 (21%) and August 2021 (11%) remained consistent
- Compared with bookings made in May 2019, the majority of bookings made in May were to stay in May, with a much more significant inbound market from the UK & US
NI
- Looking at the North, hospitality businesses reopened on May 24th, which meant there was a higher pickup for bookings to arrive in May 2021 than in the Republic
- This took slightly from the percentage of bookings made for June 2021 (31% in total). We saw a similar level of bookings for July 2021 (23% total) and August (13% total)
- This highlights that the focus in both jurisdictions was, and remains, on shorter-term bookings
- It’s interesting to see a higher percentage of bookings going from the Republic into the North rather than vice versa (19% of NI bookings)
- This is partly due to the earlier easing of restrictions in the North including indoor dining (4% into May 2021)
- Compared with the same period in May 2019, we can clearly see the shift Covid has caused, as we know that ordinarily we would’ve seen many more bookings in the month, for the month
What types of hotels were being booked?
- The volume of bookings made at properties located in towns (48%), rural settings (46%) and resorts (69%) have all increased significantly in May this year compared to the same period in 2019
- The volume of bookings made with 4 and 5 star properties has grown in May this year compared to the same period in 2019 (4* grew by 56%, 5* grew by 35%)
- ALOS (average length of stay) growth decreased. In April 2021, ALOS increased 24% compared to April 2019, however as the majority of bookings made in May 2021 were for June 2021, we began to see it becoming increasingly difficult to book 3+ nights together, and so naturally, ALOS began to shorten and averaged out at 12% growth
- In the North, there was a booking volume growth of 89% compared to May 2019
- Growth was strong across all hotel types
- Rural, city & urban hotels saw the smallest growth at 49% & 47% – which was still excellent
- City/urban properties saw no increase in average booking value however, due to a drop in ALOS
- 5* properties also saw a drop in ALOS due to availability
How did voucher sales do?
As is the case with April, May is not a key month for voucher sales.
- Comparing May 2021 to May 2019, EUR clients saw a 21% increase in voucher sales
- GBP clients saw an 80% increase in voucher sales
The types of hotels seeing the best voucher sales continue to be associations or hotel groups, where a voucher can be used for several hotels.
Resorts/destinations are also seeing strong voucher sales. When customers are buying a gift, they’re looking for a break away from the norm. This is why city & town properties aren’t seeing the same strength in this area.
To find out what the state of cancellations is like currently, take a look here.
