The Belfry Hotel and Resort has reported a spike in demand for in-person meetings in June and July and said that from 17 May its meeting rooms are at 90% occupancy.
Katie Niland, sales director at the venue told Conference News: “Since Boris launched his roadmap our enquiry levels for new bookings have been consistently high, with the demand mostly for Q4. However, in the last month alone we have seen a massive spike in demand for face-to-face meetings and events to take place in June and July.
“On our first week of opening (17 May), our meeting room occupancy is already over 90%, albeit at the reduced social distancing capacity levels. It shows how excited our clients are to get back to face-to-face meetings and events.”
Niland added that bookings between August to October are pacing ahead of 2019 which she described as “just incredible”.
“It is amazing to see corporate confidence returning. As well as returning customers, we have received bookings from a lot of new clients as needs for events have changed, especially as we have been apart from our colleagues and clients for such a long period, and new customers are entering the market.”
Booking trends
Niland said that the venue is seeing a quicker conversion for new bookings as customers understand that due to the high levels of demand, they need to secure their booking promptly. “We are very fortunate to be able to offer a lot of space at the resort including 550 acres of countryside surrounding the property for outdoor events, and 22 conference, meetings, and event spaces, meaning we can fulfil multiple meetings and events at once,” Niland said. “However, despite this the quick turnaround means that our turndowns are growing, as demand for peak dates from September onwards is continuing to increase by the day.”
Niland added there is also a high demand for bookings in 2022, with over 65% of contracted business coming from existing clients.
When asked what type of events are being booked, Niland said the majority of enquiries for the next quarter are in excess of 30 people and they are seeing the delegate numbers increase as we go into June/July.
“We are seeing the switch from day delegate to residential events with requests for two-to-three-night stays increasing,” she said.
“It is encouraging that we are seeing bookings for a range of different events and functions, including meetings and events, banqueting, social catering. Christmas parties are already being arranged as our clients are keen to make up for lost time.
“Corporate customers are confident that events will be back to their usual capacity as from September onwards we are seeing the majority of bookings for over 150 delegates. Businesses are also hosting family weekend events to reengage with teams.”
Niland added at that outdoor hospitality was proving popular, with BBQs a common request.
