UK hotels prepare for August Bank Holiday revenue lift

SiteMinder booking numbers look strong

Forward bookings at UK hotels have increased 6% year-on-year for the August Bank Holiday weekend, according to new data from hotel distribution and revenue platform, SiteMinder.

Average daily room rates (ADR) have also increased 2.5% UK wide, to £239.20 this year compared to £233.37 during the same period last year.

Likewise, booking lead times are up 8.19% to 130.1 days compared to 120.3 days in 2024, as measured on the equivalent date for both years.

Glasgow hotels are showing the UK’s strongest booking and ADR growth, with booking volumes up 22.7%, and ADR increasing by 10.3% to £201.78, from £182.88 last year.

Among major English cities, London leads in terms of bookings growth, with these increasing 14.5%, and ADR up by 6.38% to £251.85, from £236.74 in 2024.

Edinburgh is also enjoying a significant booking increase of 10.7%, and remains the UK’s most expensive major city during the period, with a modest 1.74% growth in ADR to £412.16.

Some UK destinations present a nuanced picture. Brighton is experiencing a 6.77% increase in ADR to £270.10, compared to £252.94 last year, despite a 13.5% drop in bookings.

Conversely, Liverpool and Manchester are seeing strong booking activity, increasing 15.6% and 7.3% respectively, yet both cities have seen ADR decrease, by 3.96% to £167.34 in Liverpool, and by 12.36% to £197.41 in Manchester.

SiteMinder’s data shows that while almost 65% of forward bookings for the Summer Bank Holiday long weekend have come from abroad - as was the case for the same period in 2024, domestic travellers continue to account for slightly more than 35% of current bookings.

And, encouragingly for UK hotels, 69% of all forward bookings for the period by UK consumers were at UK properties, compared to just 31% who opted to go abroad, which are also the same proportions as last year.

James Bishop, vice president of ecosystem and strategic partnerships of SiteMinder, said: “Our data reflects the enduring strength of travel demand, both within the UK and globally, despite economic uncertainty.

"Glasgow’s impressive growth highlights its ongoing emergence as a favourite for domestic and international visitors alike, while London’s similarly robust performance underlines the capital’s enduring status as a global leader.”

Bishop added: "Despite positive UK wide data, hoteliers across the country continue to face challenges, which they're seeking to offset with varying degrees of success.

"Edinburgh's strong bookings growth and stable ADR indicates intelligent pricing strategies to reduce seasonality as Festival season ends, but elsewhere we see that ADR can fall despite solid growth in bookings. 

"This serves as a reminder that while competitive pricing can attract volume, it may also limit revenue potential unless balanced by additional value creation."

He said: “The increase in booking lead times, and the stability of international and domestic demand as proportions of total bookings, indicate some predictability returning for hotels after years of change.

"With this newfound stability, hoteliers can now focus on amplifying demand through intelligent distribution strategies while using dynamic pricing to capture maximum value from every market opportunity.”

All figures are based on data from SiteMinder’s platform for the period 20–26 August 2025, as measured on 28 July 2025.