As countries are slowly reopening, hotels are preparing to open their doors to guests and Brits reveal what they miss the most in hotel stays.

A  new study of 2,000 British adults conducted by hotel group Accor reveals as many as 47% of Brits simply miss the break from ordinary life and long to be back in a hotel for a break from normality. According to the poll, a base from which to explore (40%), the full English breakfast (38%) and sleeping in freshly made beds (27%) top the list of what Brits has missed as they eagerly prepare to return to hotels for the first time in more than three months.

Almost two in five (38%) of the respondents say that breakfast buffet is one of their favourite things about a hotel stay, however as hotels prepare to reopen Brits are seeking reassurance that hotels will be safe spaces, with half (47%) of Brits worrying about cleanliness. In fact, almost three-quarters of Britons (72%) say that a hotel’s protocol and health and safety measures will be considered before making a booking.

Thomas Dubaere, chief operating officer, Accor Northern Europe says: “We have developed and implemented comprehensive health, safety and wellbeing procedures through our global ALLSAFE standards and prioritised independent health & safety audits in all our hotels because we understand people want and deserve reassurance. The health and safety of our staff and guests was our priority prior to Covid-19 and remains so today.

“We know our British guests love their buffet breakfast, but safety is our main priority when it comes to reopening our doors. But even with social distancing and hospital-grade cleanliness in place we will still be able to create great experiences and be the perfect base for Brits and tourists to explore the country and reconnect with friends, family and colleagues.”

Whilst hotel cleanliness is rightly cited as a top consideration by half (47%) of Brits a third (34%) would still happily indulge in a busy breakfast buffet, whilst taking things from hotel rooms may now be a thing of the past as 25% of the Brits who used to be light-fingered would now think twice about it!

After a third (34%) of Brits had to cancel holiday plans as a result of coronavirus the nation’s thoughts are turning to make new travel plans for the summer. It will come as no surprise that 2020 is expected to be the year of the staycation. In fact, more than half of the country (51%) is only willing to book a UK holiday post lockdown, with one in five (21%) happy to expand horizons into Europe and just one in ten (12 %) willing to consider travel beyond Europe.

More than half of Brits (54%) can’t wait to get out and explore the UK this summer, seeing the crisis as the best reason ever to discover new parts of the British Isles. 22% of Brits are so desperate to get away they would ‘go anywhere right now’, and a quarter of Brits (25%) are more inclined than ever to explore the UK. In fact one in one (25%) are so keen to get away they expect to check in to a hotel within the first month of reopening.