Hotel and conference venues set for festive boost for first time in three years

Hotel and conference venues across Coventry and Warwickshire are preparing for a festive business boost for the first time in three years, with venues experiencing high levels of demand for Christmas parties despite the cost-of-living crisis.

It is set to be the first festive season since 2019 that venues will not have been impacted by pandemic restrictions.

Due to improved confidence, 2022 has seen a huge increase in corporate bookings, private parties and tables being booked for party nights.

Village Hotel Coventry’s festive season is nearly fully booked – with only four days left with availability.

Frank Leo, director of sales at Village Hotel Coventry, says the period is important commercially, as the conference industry decreases in the lead up to Christmas.

“It is very important for us as venue to make the most of the Christmas period. We host a lot of business events during the year and this always lessens in December in line with industry trends, but the private parties not only fill our event space but also contribute to high occupancy levels in the hotel.

“We are certainly still worried about the cost-of-living impact and whether that will lead to people changing plans, but ultimately everyone at the hotel is very excited now.”

Paula Moran, group hotel sales manager, Best Western Plus Manor Hotel & Best Western Plus Windmill Village Hotel, says demand is very high at both hotels.

“We are really busy for Christmas this year and we have seen a lot of corporate business come back after what was a difficult season last year.

“It is a great time to work in hotels in terms of the festive feeling, but it doesn’t necessarily provide a huge boost to our bottom line – particularly with costs continuing to rise.”

Warwick Conferences, one of the region’s premier conferencing venues, will still be delivering its schedule of conferences and business events throughout the festive period, but is also set to receive a boost from corporate party bookings.

Gail Tomlinson-Short, head of business development at Warwick Conferences, said that there is still “some nervousness” among buyers for Christmas events, but they have seen bookings increase at The Slate, one of its venues.

“In recent years we have launched a corporate offer and private, exclusive party packages, as we think it’s really important as an industry to host festive celebration events, giving people the opportunity to come together and celebrate at Christmas time.

“We are looking forward to a diary full of events this Christmas. We are experiencing some quite short lead enquiries and expecting those to continue and ramp-up over the coming weeks.”

Paul Jones, managing director of Conference Coventry and Warwickshire, said: “Last year was really tough for hospitality businesses, which had all of their plans lined up, only for bookings to be cancelled and vital revenue lost.

“We have some incredible party venues across Coventry and Warwickshire that provide a magnificent backdrop for festive celebrations, and it’s fantastic to hear that venues are set for a busy Christmas for the first time since 2019.

“More than ever before, it is vital we show our support for local businesses, and we are continuing to urge people to host their Christmas parties at a local venue rather than travelling outside the area.”