London hospitality bookings plunge 67% during tube strikes

London’s bars and restaurants have seen trade collapse as nearly a week of tube strikes kept customers at home. New data shows bookings fell by two-thirds during the disruption, with cancellations spiking and footfall evaporating across the capital’s venues.

London’s hospitality sector ground to a halt alongside its transport network last week, as five consecutive days of London Underground and Docklands Light Railway strikes brought the city to a standstill. With nearly 3.7 million daily Tube journeys disrupted by the walkouts, as per Reuters , many Londoners simply stayed home, while those who ventured out found it much harder to reach the capital’s bars and restaurants.

Online searches for “when is the tube strike finishing” surged by 450% during the travel chaos, according to Google Trends UK data, with commuters eager for normal service to resume.

Bookings plunge by two-thirds during strikes

As the week progressed, the impact on hospitality bookings became increasingly stark. According to Access Hospitality’s analysis of its DesignMyNight platform, reservations at London venues from 8 to 11 September plummeted by 67% compared to the previous week. The sharpest fall came on Monday, 8 September, the first strike day, when bookings dropped 62% overnight, roughly 50% below the typical level for that point in the week.

Spontaneous trade also dried up: walk-in customer numbers were down nearly 69% during the strike period. Meanwhile, cancellation rates surged by more than 50% as Londoners opted to stay local rather than risk no-shows in town. As a result, the number of no-shows fell by 54% compared to the prior week.

Leighanne Bent, marketing manager at Access Hospitality, said: “The data paints a clear picture: when London’s transport network grinds to a halt, so does its social scene. Bars and restaurants rely heavily on footfall and last-minute bookings, both of which were severely impacted”.

Pubs count cost in pints and pounds

Industry groups have been quick to put a number on the losses. UKHospitality warned that the week of Tube walkouts could cost London’s hospitality businesses up to £110 million in lost trade.

Payment processor Dojo reported that total hospitality spending across the city was down about 5% compared to normal levels, amounting to roughly £4.6 million in missing sales.

The downturn was especially pronounced on what should have been a bustling Thursday night. Central London hospitality sales that evening were nearly 20% lower than usual, a shortfall equivalent to roughly 250,000 pints of beer going unsold, as per Dojo data.

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