Over half of the bookings (52%) that have already been made for this coming December are for Christmas Day itself, compared to 44% this time last year. Saturday 14th December 2024 is currently the most popular day for bookings in the festive period, followed by Saturday 7th December.

When it comes to group bookings (covers of ten people or more) reservations are up 38% in comparison to this time in 2023 and group bookings currently account for 26% of the total bookings for this December. Zonal says all of which points to a potential ‘cracker of a Christmas’ for the hospitality industry this year.

Tim Chapman, chief commercial officer at Zonal, said: “Our insights show that Christmas 2024 is already looking positive for hospitality – with bookings up on this time last year. With group bookings looking to be particularly popular, there is even more reason for operators to celebrate, but to also get prepared.

“Operators will therefore benefit from having a booking system in place which is able to facilitate large party bookings, enquiries, and pre-order functionalities. This will reduce any admin headaches while giving operators full visibility and control at the busiest time of year.”