PoB Hotels: Luxury guests more likely to book last-minute stays

Affluent travellers are more likely to make last-minute bookings, according to a survey from PoB Hotels, the consortium for luxury, independent hotels.

The findings come from the group’s 2026 Luxury Travel Trends and Insights report, produced in partnership with market research company Altiant.

The survey was conducted in August 2025 among a sample size of over 1,600 respondents, a quarter of whom were high net worth individuals.

It showed that over a quarter of those surveyed (27%) booked stays less than four weeks in advance, while nearly half (47%) of respondents booked stays one to three months in advance. Only 5% of respondents would reserve a hotel more than six months ahead.

For many properties, around three quarters of reservations occurred at short notice, often “within days or even hours of arrival”, making this trend a new status symbol among the wealthy.

Kalindi Juneja, chief executive of PoB Hotels, said in the report: “Last-minute bookings are no longer a quirk of behaviour; they are a new form of indulgence, the freedom to decide today and depart tomorrow.”

Speaking at the launch of the research, Juneja said that “AI is a disruptor” in the luxury hospitality space, especially when it comes to the mechanics of hotel bookings.

While a typical guest journey previously involved “20 touch points” until a hotel reservation, Kalindi said this could be significantly reduced with the advent of generative AI booking tools and AI scraping eating into hotel website traffic.

Meanwhile, 42% of respondents to the 2026 White Paper said they expected to spend more on UK holidays compared to last year, while 53% said they would spend a similar amount.

The report also suggested the staycation market will remain resilient to global events compared to long-haul travel, where a third of respondents revealed plans to cut back on spending.

In terms of F&B, the majority of guests (70%) preferred local pubs and casual dining options at hotels. Fine dining was listed as a dining preference among 41% of respondents, though this was noticeably higher (56%) among high net worth individuals.

PoB Hotels was founded in 1982 and now represents over 50 independent, luxury hotels across the UK in return for an annual membership fee.

Last week, it added Mar Hall Hotel, Golf & Spa Resort in Scotland and Bishopstrowe Hotel & Spa in Wiltshire to its portfolio.