Consumers favour pub accommodation over branded hotels, report claims

The image of pub accommodation is improving, with more consumers claiming they would want to stay in a pub than in a branded hotel.

That's one of the findings from a new research report by RPBI Reports on pubs with accommodation.

The report found that with 41% of consumers surveyed said they would prefer to stay in a pub, as opposed to 23% in a branded hotel.

Meanwhile, the report also found that the pub sector offers more than 50,000 rooms in 5,700 pubs, making its combined turnover from accommodation worth £750m.

If "pub with accommodation" were a single brand, that would make it the second largest in the UK, behind Premier Inn, according to the report.

Almost two-thirds of pubs owners surveyed said they expected accommodation revenue to grow over the next 12 months, while one-third anticipated income from rooms to be similar to the previous year. Just over half of all pubs are planning to refurbish their rooms within the next year.