Brits booking a spa hotel break could save hundreds of pounds by comparing deals before reserving a room, according to new research from Which?. The publication surveyed more than 1,700 people who had visited a UK spa hotel chain. It found that two-thirds (66%) paid the standard rate when booking directly with the hotel, despite discounts of up to 75 per cent being available.
Trusted deal websites, hotel offers and loyalty schemes can all help bring down the cost. But travellers should check the small print before booking, as cancellation terms on some discount packages can be restrictive. It is also worth checking whether spa access is included. More than a third of guests surveyed said they had been charged extra to use spa facilities.
Some Hilton hotels charge separately for access to the spa and pool. At the Hilton Cardiff, a £5 charge per person for 90 minutes is listed on the hotel’s spa page. Which? also found that the DoubleTree in Liverpool charged £25 an hour for spa access.
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The best deals
Best Western Dartmouth Hotel and Spa: Which? found that guests could save more than £300 on a two-night stay by choosing a bed-and-breakfast rate rather than a spa package. The package, which included dinners and treatments, cost £544.97. But standard room rates already included complimentary spa access, so a bed-and-breakfast booking at £236.80 still allowed guests to use the facilities throughout their stay. That represented a 56 per cent reduction, although the package’s extras were not included.
Raffles London at The OWO: A two-night break for two booked directly with Raffles London at The OWO cost £2,480, without afternoon tea or welcome drinks. Which? found a stay for the same dates on Luxury Escapes for £1,629, including breakfast, afternoon tea and champagne on arrival. The deal offered a saving of £851, or 34 per cent, alongside the added extras.
Brend Saunton Sands spa hotel: A two-night stay with breakfast and dinners cost £642. Through Travelzoo, a two-night break with breakfast, dinner and a bottle of wine was available for £495 – a saving of £147, or 23 per cent. Despite the discounts available, 84 per cent of Brend guests surveyed paid the full rate.
Bespoke Hotels: Bespoke offered discounts of up to 25 per cent through its own website, showing that booking directly can also deliver savings if guests check for offers.
Champneys: Vitality Insurance customers could get 75 per cent off one-to-three-day Champneys breaks. In one example, an overnight Original Spa Break in Tring on 19 December, including meals and spa access, normally cost £357.50. The Vitality discount brought the price down to £89.38 – a saving of £268.12. Customers needed an active Vitality plan and a completed health review to use the offer, with bookings required at least four weeks ahead.
Hotel loyalty scheme: Free hotel loyalty memberships can also help cut costs. Hilton offers spa discounts at certain membership tiers, while Marriott Bonvoy allows members to use points towards spa bookings through ‘instant redemption’. An ALL Accor account offered 10 per cent off, bringing the direct booking price for the Raffles stay down to £2,232.
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