UK hotels are heading into the summer season with steadier demand and more committed guests than this time last year, according to new data from hotel commerce platform SiteMinder, with September shaping up as the clearest opportunity for the country’s hoteliers.
The mid-year edition of SiteMinder’s Hotel Booking Trends report, drawn from more than 1.5 million reservations at the same UK hotels across June to September in 2025 and 2026, shows bookings up 0.7 per cent year on year, while the average daily rate has held firm at £254, a 0.3 per cent rise on last summer.
The most striking finding, however, concerns cancellations. While cancellation rates are climbing across most of the European markets SiteMinder analysed, the UK is moving the other way, with rates falling from 19.9 per cent to 19 per cent. For hoteliers, and for corporate travel buyers negotiating rates, that points to firmer, more committed demand at a time when global travel conditions are increasingly difficult to predict.
September is set to be the UK’s strongest month, with bookings and room nights both up 2.7 per cent, the average daily rate climbing 3.1 per cent to £251, and cancellations down 1.75 percentage points year on year to 16.7 per cent.
The late-summer surge coincides with a higher share of international travellers, who account for 46 per cent of September bookings this year, up from 42 per cent in 2025, a pattern consistent with VisitBritain’s forecast of 45.5 million inbound visits to the UK in 2026, worth £35.7 billion in visitor spending.
Rates remain ahead of last year in June and July too, at £250 and £261 respectively, while cancellations are down in three of the four months analysed: July by 1.72 percentage points and August by 2.28, alongside September’s decline. The resilience of UK room rates will be closely watched by travel managers, with London already ranked the 10th most expensive location in the world for business trips.
The UK remains a majority-domestic market, with home-grown travellers accounting for 56.68 per cent of check-in bookings across the summer. Domestic share peaks at 59 per cent in July, while international visitors reach their highest share, 47 per cent, in August.
The country also remains one of the world’s most short-stay-heavy hotel markets. Average length of stay has edged down to 1.71 nights from 1.74 last year, mirroring the wider European trend, where stays have shortened to 2.2 nights from 2.3. The figures underline why extended-stay products are attracting growing attention from operators chasing longer, higher-value bookings.
James Bishop, SiteMinder’s vice-president of ecosystem and strategic partnerships, said the outlook for UK hoteliers was “one of stability and confidence”.
“Bookings are ahead compared to last year, rates are steady, and, importantly, cancellations are falling despite less predictability in many other markets. This gives hotels a stronger foundation to plan from, especially as demand becomes more selective globally,” he said.
“With short stays continuing to drive the UK market, growth isn’t just about more bookings, but using real-time market intelligence to increase the value of each night booked, while enticing guests to stay that extra night where possible. Hotels that are able to promote the right offers, upgrades and experiences before and during a guest’s visit will be best placed to turn steady demand into stronger revenue.”
The steadier hotel picture lands as UK corporate travel demand strengthens more broadly, with the country ranking second globally for the sharpest rise in business travel spending in 2025.
SiteMinder’s report analyses forward bookings for stays between June and September 2026 across 22 key tourism markets in the Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe, drawing on a platform that generates 135 million hotel bookings each year.
