Data from Zonal showed 52% of these bookings were for Christmas Day itself – a rise from 44% compared to this time last year.
Meanwhile, Saturday 14 December is the most popular day for bookings over the holiday season following by the first Saturday of the month (7 December).
Furthermore, bookings of 10 or more people are also up with reservations having risen 38% compared to this time in 2023. Group bookings currently account for a quarter (26%) of the total bookings for December.
Reason to celebrate
Last Christmas, managed pubs saw like-for-like growth of 9.6% in the last month of the year, according to the CGA RSM Hospitality Business Tracker.
Moreover, insight from Oxford Partnership found 290m pints were sold in December 2023 – 619 extra pints sold against 2022 – with draught beer and cider sales up 8.8%.
On bookings for this year, Zonal chief commercial officer Tim Chapman said: “Our insights show Christmas 2024 is already looking positive for hospitality – with bookings up on this time last year.
“With group bookings looking to be particularly popular, there is even more reason for operators to celebrate but to also get prepared."
Booking system
He added: “Operators will therefore benefit from having a booking system in place, which is able to facilitate large party bookings, enquiries and pre-order functionalities.
“This will reduce any admin headaches while giving operators full visibility and control at the busiest time of year.”
Earlier this year (May), Zonal reported the top five reasons for no-shows including a change of plans, other group members cancelling and forgetting about the booking.
The tech firm estimated no-shows cost the sector £17.59bn a year in lost revenue and advised one way to mitigate the risk was ensuring the booking journey was easy-to-use.
