Pubs urged to add accommodation

Pubs are squandering thousands of pounds worth of business due to a lack of accommodation on their premises, according to tourism directory iknow-uk.

The group has apparently found that there is considerable demand for pub accommodation and not enough being supplied.

iknow-uk has seen searches for this kind of accommodation on its sites reach 1,500 hits a month, but only 371 pubs advertise rooms.

Marcus Simmons, managing director of iknow-uk, said: “Pub owners are investing so much time in running their establishment, yet they are missing out on extra business revenue by not offering extras such as accommodation, which is in high demand especially from the lucrative family market.
 
“These figures show that there is a significant amount of business there for the taking. Even if you open up just one room, it could be worth thousands of pounds of extra income each year.
 
“Furthermore, this week it was announced that there has been a sharp fall in beer sales due to hikes in prices in beer tax, and so it can’t hurt for pubs to diversify in an attempt to make-up their revenue elsewhere, whether it be extended opening hours, food or accommodation.”

Rupert Millar, 01.02.2011