Ocean Hotel boosts Butlins figures
Tuesday, 02 Dec, 2009
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Butlins reported a 10% increase in revenue and a two per cent increase in bookings to its three holiday resorts in 2009 compared with the previous year.
The UK holiday operator put the rise down to the popularity of its £20 million Ocean Hotel, which opened in Bognor Regis in August and has been running at 89 per cent capacity for the past four months.
The rise in bookings at the south coast resort more than offset a slight drop in visitors to the Minehead and Skegness holiday parks.
Some 70 per cent of people staying in the Ocean Hotel were first time visitors to Butlins, so the property was attracting a new market, said managing director Richard Bates.
Earlier this week Thomas Cook revealed a 13% increase in profits to £414.9m in the year to October and chief executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa claimed the so-called ‘staycation’ was merely a story put about by UK holiday companies.
Bates admitted that the company had to put in a lot of effort to increase its sales in 2009.
“With the new hotel, I think we would have had an increase in bookings anyway, but we’ve had to work hard to get more customers in," said Bates.
He added he was particularly confident about next year and that advance bookings were up 11 per cent on the same time last year.
Butlins is thought to be considering further investment, including a new £20 million water park in Bognor Regis, but Bates said he could not confirm anything at this stage.
Next year, Butlins will be hosting the Sky One show ‘Braniac Live’ and live coverage of the 2010 World Cup in each resort.
by Jeremy Skidmore
Jeremy Skidmore
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