UK rates hit a record June peak. Supply hit a record June peak. And occupancy is still the pressure point. 📊
Two UK datasets landed this month. Both worth your time, and they measure different things.
Lighthouse, published by VisitBritain/VisitEngland (June 2026):
→ Supply at a new June peak
→ ADR at a new June peak, exceeding 2025 and 2024
→ Average revenue per property also at a new June peak
→ Nights reserved and occupancy stable year-on-year
→ Strongest supply growth: Yorkshire and the Humber, North East, North West, Wales
Worth knowing: Lighthouse changed its listing de-duplication method in July 2026, and VisitBritain revised its occupancy calculation in the same month. Their own published caveats.
KeyData UK Summer Index (on the books as at 20 July):
→ August ADR £218, pacing +3%
→ September ADR £146, pacing +5%
→ Forward occupancy 5% behind last year, both months
→ RevPAR pacing just 2% behind in August, 1% in September
Different universes. Lighthouse covers the whole listed market. KeyData covers 92,000+ professionally managed properties.
The operator point:
Occupancy is off 5%. RevPAR is off 2%. That gap is pricing discipline, and right now it is doing almost all the work of protecting revenue.
Regionally, KeyData has South East England as the only region with Q2 occupancy growth at +2%, and the North West weakest at 7% occupancy decline and 5% RevPAR decline. Lighthouse separately names the North West among the fastest-growing regions for supply. The datasets don't formally connect, but it's a pattern I'd be watching.
One more. Direct is still 58% of UK reservations and 66% of revenue, down from 67% of reservations two years ago.
In KeyData's US index, same quarter, direct is 21%.
UK operators still own the guest relationship in a way US operators no longer do. That's an asset, and it's eroding slowly rather than suddenly.
These are forward bookings, not final performance. But the shape of the summer is clear.
How's your August pacing against last year?
