Buckinghamshire (2001 Southern Tourist Board research)
As with Berkshire, the hotel market in Buckinghamshire is very business-driven, particularly in the main towns, though clearly there are rural products such as country house hotels which are attracting more leisure and wedding-related business. Occupancies typically exceed national averages, and achieved room rates are strong. The pressure on land, and the Green Belt, particularly in South Buckinghamshire has constrained supply here, in itself contributing to the strong performance of hotels.
- Milton Keynes hotels are recording very high occupancies (74-82%) which have grown in the past 2 years. ARR ranges from £54-£75 in 3/4 star hotels, with little recent growth. All hotels are declining business Monday-Wednesday, up to 20-30 rooms per night. Budget hotel occupancies are 80-90%, particularly strong in the week when denials of up to 40 rooms per night are common.
- Buckinghamshire towns — occupancies are typically 70-80% and growing, with average room rates for 3/4 star hotels varying from £45-£85. Hotels in the south of the county are achieving higher rates, and 4 star deluxe hotels in the Marlow area are achieving very high room rates, exceeding £100. The corporate market is strong, and the residential conference market particularly strong in the south of the county, and for 4 star deluxe hotels. There are significant levels of denials in High Wycombe and South Buckinghamshire, and to a lesser extent in Aylesbury, Amersham and Marlow. Budget hotels are achieving very high occupancies and declining significant levels of business on mid-week nights.
Characteristics in Buckinghamshire
- Buckinghamshire has 52 hotels with 2,739 rooms.
- Supply is predominantly in 3 star hotels (44% of stock), plus 4 star provision in Milton Keynes and the southern part of the county, and budget hotels concentrated on Milton Keynes. There is one 5 star hotel, Cliveden at Taplow, and 3 de luxe 4 star hotels (Hartwell House, Aylesbury; Danesfield House, Marlow; and the Compleat Angler, Marlow).
- The main concentrations of hotel stock are Milton Keynes, Aylesbury, High Wycombe, and the south of the county (Beaconsfield, Marlow, Burnham, Gerrards Cross). There is very little hotel accommodation servicing Amersham.
There has been a significant growth in budget hotel provision, primarily in Milton Keynes, with 4 new hotels and 380 additional budget rooms in the county since 1998, a 121% increase in supply. There have been extensions to a number of 3 star hotels, but none of any size, other than the extension to the Aylesbury Post House. There is a 4 star hotel under construction at Marlow (Holiday Inn).
Identified sites in Buckinghamshire:
Milton Keynes, Aylesbury, High Wycombe.
Buckinghamshire
- There is potential for new 3/4 star development in High Wycombe, South Buckinghamshire (Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza under construction in Marlow), Aylesbury and possibly Amersham. Green Belt restrictions have limited the potential to expand existing premises.
- Milton Keynes offers potential for both 3/ 4 star and budget hotel development.
- There is scope for further budget development in High Wycombe (Travel Inn adding 30 rooms in 2001) and elsewhere in the county where the hotel market generally is buoyant, including Aylesbury (Travel Inn under construction), Buckingham, Amersham, Beaconsfield and Gerrard’s Cross.
Please note that this research was conducted in 2001. There has not been any data update for this county since that time.