Three-quarters of hotel searches for this bank holiday weekend on Trivago’s website are for UK properties, the bed bank has claimed.
Trivago said 34 of its top 50 searches were in the UK, with 12 on the coast. Blackpool, Bournemouth and Brighton are in the top 20, with availability of 24-32% in these destinations. The brand says there is very little availability in some resorts like Skegness, Whitby and Weymouth.
London, Manchester and Blackpool are the hotel specialist’s top three searches. It warns that city properties have seen the biggest price hikes, claiming Liverpool as the worst offender, with a 47% increase from an average of £86 per night during August to £126 over the bank holiday weekend. Barcelona is the only non-UK destination with large price increases, with prices up by 38%, from £108 during August to £149 over the weekend.
Spokeswoman Denise Bartlett said there was strong interest in the UK despite this week’s poor weather in some areas: “This is the second time this summer we have noted a strong trend towards taking a ‘staycation’ rather than travelling abroad. During the heatwave at the end of June and beginning of July, searches to UK coastal destinations increased by 64% compared to the week before.”