Self-catering holiday brands, Hoseasons and cottages.com, enjoyed their best ever online sales days on June 23, after the Prime Minister gave the go ahead for domestic holidays to restart from July 4.
Luxury lodge specialist Hoseasons recorded one booking every 11 seconds in the hours after Boris Johnson?s announcement as customers scrambled to book holidays and secure their summer staycation. Year on year sales were up 270% for Hoseasons by the end of the day, with sister company cottages.com reported a 455% increase as both brands smashed their previous record sales days. Sales have not just been strong across the company?s own channels, with travel agents showing a 236% increase in Hoseasons holiday sales compared to the same day last year and the best trading day of 2020.
?We were expecting greater levels of interest, but the surge in demand was still surprising and we certainly hadn?t expected a record day,? said Simon Altham, Chief Commercial Officer of Awaze UK ? the parent company of both brands. ?Over the last few weeks we?ve seen volumes of enquires and bookings increase on a daily basis, as people begin to become more confident about booking a UK holiday. Government confirmation seems to have just given people an extra level of certainty.?
To ensure customer safety is maintained both brands have launched a new Safer Stays initiative where locations can sign up to confirm they have extra cleaning protocols and social distancing measures in place for guests.
