The following five reasons top the list:

• Having a change of plans (27%)
• Others in the group cancelling (21%)
• People booking multiple venues to ensure they would get in somewhere (20%)
• One member of the group falling ill (20%)
• Forgetting about a booking (15%)

The survey of more than 1,000 UK adults, shines a light on the ongoing issue of no-shows and the importance of educating customers on the impact this has on hospitality businesses.

New research also revealed that Sunday is the day in the week when no-shows are most likely to occur and that on average Autumn (September – November) tends to be the worst season when it comes to people not honouring bookings.

Figures from a recent GO Technology report from Zonal and CGA by NIQ has also found that 77% of people find not being able to amend or cancel bookings online, a key frustration in the pre-visit customer journey. A further 34% stated that if they experience frustrations pre-visit, such as being unable to amend or cancel bookings online, they would find somewhere else to go.

This all underlines the need for operators to tackle no-shows, which cost the industry £17.59bn per year in lost revenue. One way to mitigate the risk of no-shows occurring is by ensuring the booking journey is easy-to-use for customers – enabling them to book, amend or cancel bookings within a few clicks.