I would have liked to have been able to report jubilant scenes of waving flags, Union Jack waistcoats and hats, smiling children at street tea parties full of trifle and fruit cake and millions of people lining the streets of The Mall as a newly coronated King Charles III waved — regally, of course — from the ornate ceremonial carriage used on such occasions.
I could not, though, as I was attending the Future Hospitality Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, learning more about the country’s Vision2030 tourism program and its related giga-project rollout.
Did I have related FOMO, fear of missing out?
No, not really. Yes, we have not had such a ceremony of pomp and circumstance in 70 years, and it is a rare chance of late to feel some cheer, but I will watch some of the day from afar and still enjoy the wonderful nature of it all and the peculiar British-ness that is always part of anything this country does of that type.
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy, and the monarch swears an oath as part of his or her coronation, some of its wording dating to 1688.
The monarch signs all legislation passed by Parliament, but he or she cannot refuse to sign it.
There are many interesting linguistic parts of that oath, and relating to the monarch’s role, and they can be seen here if one is suitably interested.
What is interesting to hoteliers is that the coronation has provided a boost in demand and average daily rate, as rooms close to the coronation site of Westminster and rooms in general across the capital have been snapped up.
Many people from across the world wanted to be in London to feel part of this historic occasion.
Hotel News Now wrote two articles on the coronation — one on the hotel-performance numbers, another, more light-hearted and sweet-toothed in a nature, on how hotels are celebrating with tasty coronation treats, cocktails and experiences.
There are anti-monarchists, and they are being allowed to voice their disapproval of the cost of the celebrations and at what they see as an institution that has lost its legitimacy.
Probably, hoteliers will not be among them.
The U.K. has had little to smile about in recent years, from the global pandemic to the energy crisis, from the increases in the cost of living to a political landscape that has been very chaotic, with governments falling a little more than a month into their tenure, government resignations, which one assumes is the polite way of saying resign or you will be fired, and even criminal proceedings stemming from what were adjudged to have been illegally held parties during COVID-19.
The coronation will be a time of national unity, I am sure, and hoteliers can rejoice at glasses being raised in toasts.
Kate Nicholls, CEO of UKHospitality, is sharing the joy.
She writes, “we know the British public turn out in their droves for big events, and we expect the coronation … to be no different.”
In a statement, the organization said “The King’s coronation bank holiday weekend alone is set to deliver an individual boost of 350 million pounds sterling ($438 million) to the sector.
“[It comes] at a crucial time for a sector that is contending with a significant increase in energy costs, record food and drink inflation, continued staffing shortages and a fresh set of rail strikes.”
Oh, yes, amid the misery I’d forgotten about the rail strikes.
Nicholls’ number also includes spending predicted around the Eurovision Song Contest, which this year being held in Liverpool, on May 13, the week after the coronation.
Ros Morgan, CEO of Heart of London Business Alliance, added his coronation numbers, stating “from hospitality venues to retailers and cultural institutions, businesses will be hoping for a boom in the number of domestic and international visitors to the area and a much-needed boost as a result. Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year brought in an extra 2.6 million visitors to London and an additional spend of 80 million pounds sterling ($100 million).
“This year, we’re expecting 2.3 million people to descend on the capital from across the U.K., and another 125,000 visitors coming from abroad to watch the coronation procession. The hospitality sector in London is expected to see a 200 million pounds sterling boost in spending. Across Britain, the tourism sector will see an increase of 250 million pounds sterling. and consumers will spend an extra 1.8 billion pounds sterling in shops.”
We can all raise a toast for that.
The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Hotel News Now or CoStar Group and its affiliated companies. Bloggers published on this site are given the freedom to express views that may be controversial, but our goal is to provoke thought and constructive discussion within our reader community. Please feel free to contact an editor with any questions or concern.