Understanding guest loyalty in 2026

With consumer spending squeezed and visit frequency down, finding ways to keep guests returning is a top priority for many hospitality businesses. Rising costs, increased competition, and tightened margins mean that these loyal customers – those that do visit repeatedly, and spend more when they do – are an incredibly valuable source of revenue.

But consumer loyalty is ever-shifting, and what guests want (and expect) is something that operators may not be able to easily keep track of.

Drawing on our quarterly research of over 5,000 British hospitality guests, here are four loyalty insights to help you better understand the hospitality loyalty landscape, and boost guest loyalty inside, and outside, your venues.

Connection is a key loyalty driver

Loyalty is about so much more than just collecting points on purchases, or exclusive deals. It’s also building connections with customers, and making them feel valued. In fact, 54% of consumers we’ve spoken to told us that they’d be more likely to return to a venue again when they feel personally valued by a brand during their visit.

This emphasis on connection is further backed by our recent GO Technology research People vs Tech in 2026, where human interaction has become increasingly important for guests during their visits to hospitality venues. Just under half of respondents (48%) said that human interactions are the most critical factor during their visits to hospitality – a rise of 19% since we last asked this question in 2023.

But how do venues deliver this connection that makes consumers feel personally valued? It’s the small touches that resonate the most – a birthday treat, personalised messages and offers on items guests like the most, giving them a choice in where to sit, or even just remembering them when they visit.

All of these little touches come together to help deliver a more memorable experience for guests which, ultimately, drive brand advocacy and keep them coming back for more.

Consistency is key!

Loyalty is hard earned, but even once it’s established, it can be fickle. 61% of consumers say that encountering problems during a visit would lead them to visit less (or even never visit again), meaning that it’s important to get the fundamentals of good hospitality right every time, alongside delivering memorable experiences.

This is especially true during the current cost-of-living crisis. Previous research has uncovered that since the start of the cost-of-living crisis, 16% of guests are less loyal to hospitality brands, however 52% have higher expectations of the brands they are loyal to.

Greater emphasis should therefore be placed on staff training, helping to ensure that your teams are delivering a consistent level of service that matches guest expectations.

Competition can trump loyalty

Whilst guests may love what you do, they are shopping around for a better offer. 1-in-3 guests told us that they are likely to switch their loyalty to another hospitality brand if they spot something better. This propensity to switch is slightly higher for restaurants, with 34% of guests likely to switch to a different restaurant brand compared to 29% for pubs and 30% for bars.

What’s particularly important to note here, is that more frequent users of hospitality are also the most likely to switch up who they’re loyal to. 41% of those that eat and drink out weekly say they are very or somewhat likely to choose a different venue, 17 percentage points higher than the 24% of those who go out less frequently.

These frequent users of hospitality are also the most lucrative, so securing their loyalty through a combination of delivering on hospitality fundamentals, and giving them memorable experiences, will be key.

Loyalty schemes are a powerful loyalty lever to pull, but beware of barriers…

47% of guests say that value for money is a key factor in their loyalty to hospitality brands, and with 90% of consumers open to joining a loyalty scheme, a loyalty scheme can be a great way of helping to enhance the value of your offering.

Currently, 58% of guests believe that loyalty schemes represent good value for money, and 47% have joined more loyalty schemes to save money since the cost-of-living crisis began.

But what types of loyalty schemes are popular with guests? Unsurprisingly, schemes focused on monetary rewards are the most popular, however there is demand for additional benefits that can increase engagement:

Which of these loyalty schemes do you find most appealing?

1. Member-only prices (49%)
2. Collecting points for purchases (39%)
3. Cashback (37%)
4. Deals on regularly-bought products (29%)
5. Stamp cards (14%)
6. Chance to win prizes (13%)
7. Personalised offers (12%)
8. Deals on products in a different sector (9%)
9. Digital receipts (8%)
10. Subscription schemes (8%)

Despite consumers’ willingness to engage with loyalty schemes, barriers to entry do still exist for many.

A not insignificant 38% are put off by upfront membership costs, whilst a further 29% don’t want to be locked into subscriptions, and 22% feel that they wouldn’t get enough value out of signing up to a scheme. This apprehension around upfront costs can be a barrier for many operators where running an associated scheme will have costs associated with it, so it’s important to ensure that communications around the value any loyalty schemes offer are clear and compelling.

What loyalty offers to your venue in 2026

So, now that we’ve seen the insights, what are the main benefits a focus on guest loyalty can bring to your business?

Increased customer retention – Loyalty programmes encourage repeat business.

Increased share of wallet – Loyal guests spend more with you over time compared to the occasional visitor!

Valuable customer insights – Customer loyalty is also a great way to feed further marketing activity, providing valuable insights into customer preferences and behaviours, and helping you to tailor your offering to further build and enhance loyalty.

Click here to learn more about Zonal’s loyalty platform and how it could help you increase repeat visits and drive revenue!