Latest insight from leading hospitality technology partner Zonal and CGA by NIQ, reveals the main reasons guests do not turn up for a reservation, with the following coming out top:

1. Having a change of plans (27%)
2. Others in the group cancelling (21%)
3. People booking multiple venues to ensure they would get in somewhere (20%)
4. One member of the group falling ill (20%)
5. Forgetting about a booking (15%)

The survey of more than 1,000 UK adults, shines a light on the ongoing issue of no-shows and the importance of educating customers on the impact this has on hospitality businesses.

New research also revealed that Sunday is the day in the week when no-shows are most likely to occur and that on average Autumn (September – November) tends to be the worst season when it comes to people not honouring bookings.

Figures from a recent GO Technology report from Zonal and CGA by NIQ has also found that 77% of people find not being able to amend or cancel bookings online, a key frustration in the pre-visit customer journey. A further 34% stated that if they experience frustrations pre-visit, such as being unable to amend or cancel bookings online, they would find somewhere else to go.

This all underlines the need for operators to tackle no-shows, which cost the industry £17.59bn per year in lost revenue. One way to mitigate the risk of no-shows occurring is by ensuring the booking journey is easy-to-use for customers – enabling them to book, amend or cancel bookings within a few clicks.

Tim Chapman, Chief Commercial Officer, Zonal, said: “People not honouring their reservations continues to be a challenge for the industry. Plans change and that cannot be helped, however in order to reduce the risk of no-shows, we need to continue finding ways to educate consumers on what impact this has on their favourite pubs, bars and restaurants. The figures also highlight a correlation between people not honouring their reservations and the ability for customers to change or amend bookings. Operators that have digital systems in place, enabling customers to manage bookings online will be able to reduce no-shows from happening, as well as remove any potential customer frustrations during the pre-visit journey, improving the overall customer experience.”

In response to the ongoing issue of no-shows and in support of the industry, Zonal launched their #ShowUpForHospitality campaign in September 2021, to help operators try mitigate the risk of no-shows, as well as to raise awareness of the importance of consumers turning up to a booking or informing a venue if they can no longer make it.

Latest insight from leading hospitality technology partner Zonal, reveals that bookings for the Easter weekend are up by 40% compared to 2023 as consumers prioritise spending time in hospitality over the bank holiday weekend.

In 2023, insight from Zonal showed that bookings were up by 14% from 2022. Compared with a leap to 40% from last year, the data illustrates the continued importance of the Easter weekend for the hospitality industry, as it presents a golden opportunity to drive bookings, footfall, and revenue.

Across the four-day period, Easter Sunday remains the most popular date to book, with bookings up by a whopping 75% compared to 2022, and nearly 50% from 2023. However, it’s not just Easter Sunday experiencing a surge in bookings. Reservations on Good Friday are up 32% on 2023, Saturday by 43% and Easter Monday up by 26%, showing the opportunity for operators to drive footfall across the entire weekend.

Zonal’s most recent GO Technology report in partnership with UK Hospitality further demonstrates the important role hospitality plays during key calendar moments, with 44% of Britons wanting to spend time in hospitality venues to celebrate a special occasion. To capitalise on this, operators would benefit from implementing a digital booking system which provides real-time updates on table availability. This enables operators to better manage table covers, staff rotas, as well as facilitate any last-minute changes to bookings to maximise the potential to drive revenue over Easter weekend.

Commenting on the findings, Tim Chapman, Chief Commercial Officer, Zonal, said: “Our insights shows that Easter weekend continues to be an important calendar occasion for the hospitality industry. This year, Easter falls at the end of the month around payday which could provide one explanation for the rise in bookings. Given bookings could continue to increase over the next few days, operators would benefit from showing potential customers real-time availability of tables to make it easier for them to make bookings throughout the weekend and drive additional footfall over the bank holiday.”

In the past two years, 50% of all bookings for the most romantic day of the year were made in the three days before Valentine’s Day (from 11th-14th February). A whopping 1 in 5 people book their table on the day itself, and with current 2024 booking data seeming to be in line with 2023 patterns, operators can expect a similar rush of last-minute bookings for 2024.

In terms of total bookings, there was over 100% increase in reservations made for Valentine’s Day 2023 compared to 2022. Whilst this demonstrates the impact COVID-19 continued to have on the industry, this also shows that the day remains an important one in the hospitality calendar, and operators should still see 14th February as a golden opportunity to drive bookings, footfall, and revenue.

The findings highlight the importance of having the tools in place to show live availability of tables and to accommodate seamless and simple bookings right until the last minute. As well as this, keeping a few tables back to facilitate walk-ins on the day might be useful to operators, for the more spontaneous.

Commenting, Olivia FitzGerald, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Zonal, said: “Our insights suggest that Valentine’s Day 2024 will follow previous trends for a rush of last-minute reservations. Given the impromptu attitude to romance we’re seeing, operators will benefit from showing real-time availability and keeping tables open as long as possible. Smart brands can also maximise bookings on the day by adding channels like Google Reserve, Facebook and AMBL.

Last-minute booking channels can also help mitigate the effect of those costly no shows – sadly inevitable on big trading occasions such as Valentine’s Day. Our #ShowUpForHospitality campaign found the industry loses a shocking £17.59bn annually due to people not honouring their reservations. To tackle this challenge, user-friendly booking platforms that allow for deposits and provide clear cancellation options are more important than ever. It’s not just about using tech though – we also need to do more to educate consumers on the impact no-shows have on their favourite pubs, bars and restaurants.”

In the world of hospitality, cancellations are an inevitable part of business – but it’s not always for the expected reasons.

Research from Zonal, looking into booking trends across the UK, has revealed 10 of the strangest reasons people provided for needing to cancel a reservation, including:

1. “Seagull problems”
2. “I wanted to ruin my fiancé’s birthday”
3. “Sorry! Changed our minds after having breakfast!”
4. “My sister wants to eat at home”
5. “Na”
6. “My friend has an unexpected council meeting”
7. “My kids don’t care”
8. “Went into labour”
9. “Still in the queue for the London eye”
10. “My date cancelled on me last minute”

Aside from these more unusual reasons, analysis of the data shows that over half (52%) of cancellations occur due to customers making a mistake on the original reservation. For example, over a third of this group said they had booked the wrong time, date, or venue. Other issues included the group size or dropouts (17%) or being double booked (9%).

The next most common reason for cancellation given was ‘illness’, with 19% of people mentioning this. While 12% said that a change of plans meant that they were unable to turn up to their booking. Nearly a quarter of people didn’t provide any reason for their cancellation – however that is still better than those who don’t cancel their bookings at all and simply don’t turn up.

These are called ‘no-shows’ and, according to a survey conducted by Zonal in partnership with CGA by NIQ earlier this year, the behaviour is on the rise – doubling since September last year. In fact, 12% of consumers are no-shows, which costs the sector £17.59bn per year in lost revenue and even more once wasted food and staff costs are taken into account.

Commenting on the findings, Olivia Fitzgerald, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Zonal, said: “Although some of these cancellation reasons are funny, the issue of no-shows is no laughing matter for the industry. With the most common cancellation reason revealing itself as customers making a mistake with their booking, it’s really important for venues to put solutions in place to prevent this. Making it easy for people to amend their booking or sending timely reminders to customers, are just some of the ways operators can help minimise booking mistakes and in turn, decrease the likelihood of no-shows, which are so damaging to an operator’s bottom line.”

Zonal launched its #ShowUpForHospitality campaign in 2021, in order to help spread the message far and wide and educate consumers about the damage of no-shows on the sector. Visit the campaign page to find out more and join the conversation.

The latest figures from Zonal show reservations for the month of December are already up by over 40% on 2022, and that bookings for Christmas Day itself are up a whopping 59%.

The data suggests that, despite the cost-of-living-crisis, the crucial festive season is looking positive for the hospitality sector.

With no-shows doubling in the last year, however, it’s imperative that operators have booking systems in place that make it easy for customers to cancel if their plans change. The latest figures from our #ShowUpForHospitality campaign, show no-shows creeping up from 6% to 12% over the last 12-months – at a cost of £17.59bn a year to the industry.

Operators that have implemented booking systems that send out automatic reminders and confirmation communications and which make it easy for customers to cancel or amend their bookings will be best placed to minimise the risk of people simply not turning up for reservations, during this key sales period.

Commenting, Olivia FitzGerald, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Zonal, said: “The increase in Christmas Day bookings is very welcome news for the industry and it’s great that people are keen to spend time in their favourite venues to celebrate. Whilst bookings are up, we’re conscious that people’s plans change and we’re keen to ensure that people can easily amend or cancel their bookings so that hospitality venues don’t suffer no-shows, especially at this important time of the year. The impact of no-shows could be costly but we hope that our #ShowUpForHospitality campaign raises awareness amongst consumers about the importance of honouring a booking and supports the industry in helping them to mitigate the impact of this occurring.”