Summer Update: Summer Demand, Sport and New Opportunities for Hotels
Summer in the UK means one thing above all else: sport. From Wimbledon and The Open to cricket at Lord’s, sailing regattas around our coastline, and Premier League pre-season fixtures filling hotels across the country, the summer months bring a very particular kind of guest through the door. One who has had a brilliant day, stayed well past the final whistle, and is arriving at your front desk at tired and expecting to get to their room quickly, quietly, and without any fuss.
This creates a clear opportunity for hotels: summer should not simply be about filling rooms, but about making every booking work harder. With guests continuing to seek convenience, value and memorable experiences, hotels have a strong opportunity to package rooms with dining, drinks, event spaces, leisure facilities, late check-outs, sports screenings, private dining, corporate hospitality and local experiences.
Recent booking trends continue to show the importance of being proactive. Guests are planning ahead, looking for flexibility and expecting a smooth experience from booking through to check-in and beyond. For hotels, this reinforces the value of strong direct booking strategies, targeted offers and connected systems that help teams respond quickly to demand and deliver a consistent guest experience.
For hotel managers, the Summer of Sport is both a brilliant opportunity and brings genuine operational challenge. Occupancy is high, arrivals are unpredictable, and your guests are tired, often travelling in groups, and in no mood for queuing at reception. The question is: is your access control system ready for them?
Industry Events and Hospitality Conversations
This quarter, we were pleased to have attend several industry events, creating valuable opportunities to connect with hoteliers, industry peers and hospitality technology professionals.
We sponsored the Hospitality Roundtable Roadshow at Kings Court Hotel, part of the Hoteliers’ Voice Hospitality Roadshow. This exclusive half-day roundtable brought hoteliers together for an intimate and interactive session designed to spark conversation, share experiences and explore the pressing challenges facing the industry.
The roundtable also featured live podcast recordings as part of the Hoteliers’ Voice Hospitality Discussions series, giving participants a platform to share their insights with a wider audience. It was a valuable opportunity to hear first-hand from hoteliers about the real challenges and opportunities they are facing, particularly as regional and countryside properties prepare for the summer season.
In addition, we attended the inaugural HFTP London Chapter event, another valuable opportunity to connect with industry professionals and discuss the trends shaping hospitality technology. Across all of these events, many of the conversations reflected the same key themes: improving operational efficiency, using data more effectively, supporting revenue growth and creating better connected guest experiences.
Sustainability on the Agenda
We were also pleased to attend The Great Green Balloon Debate, hosted by HOSPA and the Global Sustainability Index (GSI). The event brings sustainability professionals together to debate the importance of key focus areas such as carbon, waste, biodiversity and wider environmental responsibility. Each participant makes the case for why their area is essential to helping “save the planet” and why it deserves to remain in the metaphorical balloon.
For hoteliers, sustainability is no longer a side conversation. It is increasingly linked to guest expectations, operational efficiency, brand reputation and long-term commercial resilience. The debate was a timely reminder that while each area of sustainability matters, collaboration across the industry will be essential if meaningful progress is to be made.
Proud to Sponsor the BH Area Hospitality Association
We are also proud to announce that we now sponsor the BH Area Hospitality Association, an organisation representing some of the finest hotels and accommodation providers in the country.
The Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole areas are well known for their fantastic hospitality and ever-growing tourism industry, with the Association playing an important role in improving services and supporting the continued development of hospitality across the BH area.
We are delighted to support an association that champions local accommodation providers, raises standards and helps strengthen one of the UK’s most vibrant coastal hospitality communities. As tourism continues to evolve, partnerships like this play an important role in bringing hoteliers, suppliers and industry professionals together to share ideas, address challenges and support future growth.
New Site Installations and Customer Growth
We have continued to support new sites with our Opendoor Lock System this quarter, including Newton Park Country House Hotel and another site within the OYO portfolio.
A Grade II-listed manor, Newton Park Country House Hotel has been lovingly updated while retaining the charm and character of its historic setting. Located just a 15-minute drive from both Burton-upon-Trent and Derby, the hotel offers a peaceful countryside escape with excellent access to the surrounding region.
It is a fantastic example of a property where heritage, hospitality and modern guest expectations come together, and we are delighted to support the team as they continue to make the most of their systems.
Our latest OYO project in Coventry where a closed hotel has been brought back to life and is an exciting milestone as we are pleased that another OYO site is now operating the OpenDoor lock system by Keystep Solutions, bringing the total to five OYO sites using Opendoor.
It has been fantastic to see these projects go live, and we look forward to continuing to support the teams as they build on the benefits of the lock system.
Looking Ahead to a Busy Summer
As hotels prepare for the busy summer months ahead, the focus will be on more than occupancy alone. The strongest performers will be those that can respond quickly to demand, create compelling offers, manage availability effectively and connect every revenue opportunity across the business.
From rooms and restaurants to meetings, events, bars, leisure and guest services, joined-up systems and clear reporting can make a real difference. Hotels that are able to move quickly, understand guest behaviour and support their teams with the right technology will be best placed to maximise the opportunities ahead.
We are excited to continue working with our customers as they prepare for the summer season, helping them capitalise on increased demand, strengthen sales opportunities and deliver excellent experiences for their guests.
With a positive tourism outlook, a packed sporting calendar, new partnerships, sustainability firmly on the agenda and continued momentum across the sector, there is plenty for hospitality to look forward to this summer.
Customer Focus: Daniel Thwaites
This quarter, we are pleased to shine a spotlight on Daniel Thwaites, a long-established name in British hospitality and a valued customer of Keystep Solutions.
With a history dating back to 1807, Daniel Thwaites has grown from its brewing roots in Blackburn into a modern hospitality business with a distinctive collection of pubs, inns, hotels, spa hotels and lodges. Today, the brand continues to place character, individuality and warm hospitality at the heart of its guest experience.
We are proud to supply our OpenDoor lock system by Keystep Solutions to Daniel Thwaites across their hotels and Inns of Character portfolio, supporting properties where heritage, comfort and modern guest expectations come together. For a collection with such a strong focus on individuality, it is important that technology works quietly in the background: reliable, easy for teams to manage and simple for guests to use.
Our first site with Daniel Thwaites was The Royal Oak in Keswick, a historic inn at the heart of the Lake District. The Royal Oak has now been using our system for 15 years, marking a long-standing relationship that we are incredibly proud of. This continued partnership is a real testament to the strength of our support, service and commitment to helping our customers get the very best from their systems year after year.
The Royal Oak is a great example of the Daniel Thwaites approach in action: a property with history, personality and a strong sense of place, updated for today’s guests while retaining its charm. It brings together traditional hospitality, characterful accommodation and a warm welcome, making it a natural fit for a lock system that supports both operational efficiency and the guest journey.
The wider Daniel Thwaites collection includes a number of well-known hotels, spas and inns across the UK. Their hotel portfolio features properties such as Langdale Chase in the Lake District, Aztec Hotel & Spa in Bristol, Cottons Hotel & Spa in Cheshire, Kettering Park Hotel & Spa, North Lakes Hotel & Spa in Penrith, Solent Hotel & Spa in Hampshire, Thorpe Park Hotel & Spa in Leeds and Middletons Hotel in York. Their Inns of Character collection also includes destinations such as The Beverley Arms, The Lister Arms, The Red Lion, The Buck Inn, The Fleece, The Judge’s Lodging, The Royal Heysham, The Golden Lion, The Crown Inn, The Bull’s Head and Toll House Inn.
For Keystep Solutions, working with Daniel Thwaites is an opportunity to support a hospitality group that understands the balance between tradition and innovation. Their properties are full of character, but they also need dependable systems that help teams work efficiently, protect access and deliver a smooth experience from arrival through to departure.
As the relationship continues to develop, we are delighted to support Daniel Thwaites with a lock system that complements the needs of their hotels and inns. From countryside escapes and historic coaching inns to busy destination properties, OpenDoor is designed to give teams confidence, flexibility and control, while helping guests enjoy a seamless and secure stay.
The Royal Oak in Keswick marked the beginning of our work together, and 15 years later, we are proud that our relationship with Daniel Thwaites continues to grow. It is a partnership built on trust, reliability and service — values that remain at the heart of everything we do
