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The bookings data for holiday rental properties from January 2022 is in, and the short summary is, it’s shaping up to be a great year!
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As the holiday rentals industry recovers from the effects of COVID, we're seeing a change in guest behaviour and booking trends.
We review all bookings taken through Bookster software and analyse these for trends and behaviour change.
This data is essential to understand travel behaviour and consumer confidence in the short and medium-term, and how this impacts opportunities for growth for holiday rental managers.
Bookster property management software offers an all-in-one solution, including an integrated Channel Manager as well as template and custom Websites; providing a full view of booking trends of Bookster clients.
We focus on three key aspects, helping you attract bookings to your holiday lets, manage bookings, and manage guests.
The bookings data for holiday rental properties from January 2022 is in, and the short summary is, it’s shaping up to be a great year.
We’ve analysed all the bookings made through the Bookster system in January 2022, and there are strong new trends taking place.
We’ve compared the data to bookings made in January 2019, 2020 and 2021 to see the full picture.
Are you ready?
Bookings made in January 2022 have increased year on year, with a 340% increase in bookings comparing to 2021, and 165% increase in bookings made in January 2020, before the pandemic hit the UK and Europe.
This is an outstanding increase in guest bookings for 2022.
This increase may in part be reflective of guest demand for exclusive use properties, minimising the risk of COVID transmission from other guests, and may be reflective of a growing trend for self-catering holidays.
Whatever the reason, this increase will be a positive boost for the holiday rentals industry in 2022.
Travellers are actively booking holiday rentals during 2022, in high numbers.
Bookings are coming in thick and fast for Q1 (40% of bookings), in fact, 53% of bookings are for January to April 2022.
There are bookings for the following year, but at a lower percentage than in previous years.
Travellers want to travel, and they want to travel now.
During the height of COVID in 2020, the average length of bookings extended to an average of 7 nights (Mode and Median).
Holidaymakers swapped short city breaks for longer holidays in rural destinations, which contributed to a higher average night stay and higher average rental income per stay.
However in 2022, we can see that the Mean Average night stay has reduced to 5 nights, and the Mode Average night stay is 3 nights.
This change fits with the timing of the bookings, as guests are making high volumes of Pre-Summer bookings.
The re-introduction of shorter breaks is a good sign. It indicates consumer confidence to take shorter trips, weekend escapes, and city breaks.
If you want to take pre-Summer bookings, take a look at your business rules and business model. If short breaks fit your business model and can provide a profitable revenue stream, then take the following steps:
Holiday booking trends have adjusted greatly during 2019-2020, and these changes continue to affect how property managers across the globe attract bookings and grow revenue.
This article:
Booking Analysis
At 1 September 2021, the level of UK Christmas holiday bookings for 2021 is around 80% of the level of 2020 Christmas bookings. This is particularly important, as we're only 60% through 2021.
What this means
This figure indicates that Christmas 2021 bookings are strongly ahead of previous years, suggesting that booking levels will equal, and perhaps overtake 2019 levels.
Actions for property managers with holiday rentals
Booking Analysis
Holiday bookings took a dip in 2020 down to 70% of 2019 booking levels. The latest figures indicate that bookings are up to 96% of 2019 levels.
What this means
These figures indicate that the Engish October break of 2021 is filling up and will be a productive time for UK property managers.
Actions for property managers with holiday rentals
Booking Analysis
The average value/booking has increased significantly to approximately 22-25% higher than 2019 figures.
What this means
This change may be caused by a number of factors. During 2021 there have been fewer city weekend bookings, with bookers favouring longer rural holidays instead. This may increase the average value, and as the cities re-attract weekend break guests, we'll see this balance out.
Booking Analysis
During the pandemic guest sizes per booking have fluctuated. Initially, bookings for smaller groups grew, as those travelling needed to conform to restrictions on guest size. As restrictions lifted, we saw a surge in bookings for larger groups.
Data from August 2021 indicates that this fluctuation has stabilised, with 35% bookings for 2 people, followed by 24% for 4 people, which is comparative to 2019 booking sizes.
Larger group bookings have reduced, with bookings with 7+ guests falling from 12% to 8%.
What this means
The significant drop in larger booking numbers will affect property managers with larger properties.
Actions for property managers with holiday rentals
Booking Analysis
In August 2021, almost 20% of bookings were for 2022 and a number of bookings for high-demand properties for 2023.
What this means
Guests are planning ahead, booking ahead, and don't want to miss out on high-demand properties.
Actions for property managers with holiday rentals
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