Safety should be a higher priority for UK hoteliers if they hope to increase repeat visitors, according to an independent survey of over 2,000 holidaymakers.
The research by Opinion Matters found that 88% of tourists would not return to the same hotel where they had contracted an illness or had an accident.
Mark Harrington, chief executive at Check Safety First, which commissioned the research, warns UK hoteliers that they are jeopardising future revenues by ignoring health and safety matters:
“UK hotels may be benefiting from the ‘staycation’ phenomenon this year, but will struggle to maintain repeat business when the economy recovers if they don’t take the wellbeing of their guests seriously.”
The survey found that poor hotel accommodation is the thing that would spoil a holiday for most consumers (58%), followed closely by bad weather. When asked to rank their reasons, 43% of survey respondents pinpointed food poisoning.
More than half of respondents also admitted they don’t fully understand what the star system covers when booking their holiday accommodation.
“It’s worrying that many tourists are still confused about what the star system measures. Hoteliers should bear this in mind so they don’t drive away repeat business because guests don’t get the kind of experience they expected at their chosen hotel,” said Harrington.
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By Janie Stamford
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