Many UK hotels have found renewed success in marketing themselves specifically as short break 'one-stop' destinations.

Brand familiarity is strong amongst the British public. Nearly two thirds of adults are aware of the top five hotel brand names.

It is estimated that 20 million foreign visitors come to the UK every year, with London being their main destination.

The UK hotel market is made up of around 11,500 businesses that offer hotel accommodation, with a current turnover of £11 billion. Despite an erosion in traditional demand from some quarters, hotels in the UK have been performing well. Millennium celebrations have boosted sales significantly over the past year, while corporate activity has maintained interest and investment in this sector. Many UK hotels have found renewed success in marketing themselves specifically as short break destinations for domestic leisure guests and for non-residents who come to enjoy the various clubs, bars, restaurants, and business facilities that the hotels have to offer. An important development for the sector has also been the widening involvement of British chains on a global level, which can only lead to renewed custom coming from abroad. Visitors from the US and France account for the majority of foreign guests, with Americans, perhaps unsurprisingly, by far accounting for the highest spend. Does the future lie in building global brands or should hotels concentrate on the domestic front?

In examining the UK hotel industry, this report concentrates on the leisure guest as opposed to the business traveller. Hotels reveals what UK guests are looking for in their hotel accommodation, which standard features they expect, and what will hasten their return. This report also questions whether consumers are actually less demanding of the features that many hotels are acquiring to attract them. Hotels analyses the performance of establishments in the UK in the light of increasingly unreliable sources of income, and highlights future marketing possibilities.

Other recent Mintel reports of relevance to hotels include:

- Special Report, Holidays - Destination Marketing, 2000

- Special Report, Health and Fitness Clubs, 1999

- Short Breaks Abroad, Leisure Intelligence, September 1999

- Holiday Centres, Leisure Intelligence, August 1999

- Hairdressing Salons and Barber Shops, Leisure Intelligence, June 1999

- Health and Beauty Treatments, Leisure Intelligence, March 1999

- Hotel Catering, Leisure Intelligence, August 1998

- The British on Holiday at Home, Leisure Intelligence, March 2000

- City Breaks, Leisure Intelligence, March 2000

- Short Breaks in the UK, Leisure Intelligence, April 2000.

If you want more details about this particular report, please contact the Mintel information team on +44 (0)20 7606 6000 or email them at info@mintel.com.