Pop-up hotels are spreading across the UK as demand for good-value accommodation increases.
According to the World Travel Market Global Trends Report 2009 produced in association with Euromonitor and released today, the fall in consumer confidence is pushing hotel companies to look at more efficient ways to build new properties.
One method is to use modular construction, which has the advantage of reducing building time by 50%. It caters for a wide range of customer groups in both the business and leisure sectors, as well as being portable and ideal for exhibitions, sporting events and festivals.
A number of UK companies are already spearheading the use of pop-up hotels. Travelodge opened its first one in Uxbridge, west London last year. The budget chain plans to open 40 hotels a year between now and 2020, of which half will be pop-up builds.
Euromonitor International global travel and tourism research manager Caroline Bremner said: “Pop-up hotels are environmentally friendly and appeal to the younger generations who seek out green yet innovative travel options”.
World Travel Market chairman Fiona Jeffery said: “Pop-up hotels are a great concept. In such uncertain financial times, managing the overheads of a fixed place hotel can be difficult.
“However, pop-up hotels only have to fill the bedrooms for a set period of time. The buzz created by a pop-up hotels leads to positive PR and word-of-mouth marketing.”
While the UK is leading the world in the pop-up hotels concept, it is also taking off internationally with innovations such as Elqui Domos in Chile – space-age domes with a living room, bathroom and bed area, and Hotel Movil in Spain, a mobile hotel concept.