Top 5 reasons for no-shows

21-May-2024 - Last updated on 21-May-2024 at 08:38 GMT

Excuses made: often a change of plans will see a booking cancelled or result in a no-show (credit: Getty/SolStock)

One in five hospitality guests fail to turn up for a reservation because they booked multiple venues to ensure they would get in somewhere.

However, a change of plans has been cited as the main reason with more than a quarter of survey respondents for a non-arrival or a no-show.

Research from insight expert CGA by NIQ and hospitality technology partner Zonal found Sunday is the day in the week when no-shows are most likely to occur and that, on average, autumn (September to November) tends to be the worst season when it comes to people not honouring bookings.

Online failures

The top five reasons were found to be:

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%)

Figures from a recent GO Technology report found 77% of people find not being able to amend or cancel bookings online, a key frustration in the pre-visit customer journey while a further 34% stated 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, Zonal said and added 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.

Educate customers

Zonal chief commercial officer Tim Chapman 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.”