Two-thirds of Britons booking spa hotel breaks pay the standard rate even though discounts of up to 75 per cent are available, according to new research from Which?. The publication surveyed more than 1,700 people who had visited a UK spa hotel chain and found that 66 per cent booked directly with the hotel at full price.
Where the savings are
Trusted deal websites, hotel offers and loyalty schemes can all help reduce the cost of a spa break. However, travellers are advised to check the small print before booking, as cancellation terms on some discount packages can be restrictive, and to confirm whether spa access is included in the price.
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.
Examples of the best deals
At the Best Western Dartmouth Hotel and Spa, Which? found 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, while a bed-and-breakfast booking at £236.80 still allowed guests to use the facilities throughout their stay because standard room rates already included complimentary spa access. That represented a 56 per cent reduction, although the package's extras were not included.
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, offering a saving of £851, or 34 per cent, alongside the added extras.
At 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.
Loyalty schemes and direct booking offers
Bespoke Hotels 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. 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.
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.
