Tourism Profile in the South East

Hotel Supply

Canterbury has 25 hotels with a total of 678 bedrooms. 15 of these hotels, representing 62% of the supply, are in the town itself, the rest in Whitstable, Herne bay and the surrounding rural area. There is only one 4 star hotel — the County, which at 74 rooms is medium-sized. There are four 3 star hotels that average 39 rooms. 3 and 4 star supply together represent only a third of the rooms in Canterbury. Budget hotels account for 20% of the rooms, made up of one larger hotel — the Express by Holiday Inn on the A2 (89 rooms), and two smaller hotels (a Premier Travel Inn and an Innkeeper’s Lodge). Canterbury has a large supply of lower grade hotels, 9 in all that represent 27% of the rooms, averaging 20 rooms in size.

The results of a more recent analysis can be downloaded here

Canterbury Hotel Supply — by Standard — 2003
Standard Estabs Rooms % of Rooms Av. Size (Rooms)
4 star 1 74 11 74
3 star 4 154 23 39
2 star 4 84 12 21
Budget 3 138 20 46
Country Inns 4 47 7 12
Lower Grade 9 181 27 20
Total Supply 25 678 100.0 27
Canterbury Hotels — 2003
Hotel Location Rooms Grading
County (MacDonald) Canterbury 74 4 Star
Chaucer (MacDonald) Canterbury 43 3 Star
Falstaff (Corus) Canterbury 48 3 Star
Abbots Barton (Best Western) Canterbury 48 3 Star
Ebury Canterbury 15 2 Star
Canterbury Canterbury 23 2 Star
Victoria Canterbury 34 2 Star
Innkeepers Lodge Canterbury 9 Budget
Dickens Inn Canterbury 10 Lower Grade
Cathedral Gate Canterbury 27 Lower Grade
Ersham Lodge Canterbury 13 Lower Grade
Pilgrims Canterbury 14 Lower Grade
Slatters Canterbury 29 Lower Grade
Abba Canterbury 19 Lower Grade
Premier Travel Inn Whitstable 40 Budget
Continental Whitstable 30 Lower Grade
Marine Whitstable 26 Lower Grade
St George Whitstable 14 Lower Grade
Howfield Manor Chartham Hatch 15 3 Star
Bow Window Inn Littlebourne 11 2 Star
Evenhill Littlebourne 16 Country Inn
Express by Holiday Inn Upper Harbledown 89 Budget
Woolpack Inn Chilham 14 Country Inn
Grove Folly Inn Upstreet 6 Country Inn

Hotel Demand

Average occupancy for Canterbury’s 3 and 4 star hotels in 2002 was 75.2%, with a range of 70-78%. Weekday occupancies average 70-100%; Friday and Saturdays are generally 90-100%. Occupancies peak between April and September. Achieved room rates averaged £60 in 2002. The market is typically 40-50% business and 50-60% leisure. Business use is from local companies but also the wider area particularly Thanet and Swale businesses including Pfizer. Leisure breaks are the main leisure market, supplemented by US tour groups and weddings. 3 and 4 star hotels in Canterbury regularly deny business on Saturdays throughout the year, and also deny mid-week business especially between June and October.

Canterbury’s budget hotels perform on a par with the average for East Kent. They are declining significant levels of business at weekends during the summer. The leisure market dominates the market mix in budget hotels here.

Hotel Development Opportunities

The performance of existing hotels, evidence of denials, and the anticipated growth resulting from major investment at Whitefriars, Kingsmead and other regeneration sites, all indicate further growth in the Canterbury hotel market and potential for new hotel development.

In terms of the type and standard, there is potential for the development of:

There could also be scope for some new hotel development in Whitstable, given the strength of the town as a leisure break destination and the strong performance of the budget and better quality hotels here. The key opportunities are for:

 Potential Hotel Devlopment Sites

A recent study conducted by Locate in Kent identified the following potential sites :

  1. Wincheap
  2. Canterbury West Regeneration Zone
  3. Kingsmead (Phase 2)
  4. Herne Bay Golf Club

More information for hotel developers in Canterbury can be found on the Canterbury page of the Locate in Kent website's 'Hotel Sites' pages