Planning anything is difficult and it’s easy to make quick decisions, without doing research, particularly when you have a large group of people to organise. It can also be difficult to know how to gain the most from your hen weekend whilst saving money financially. Fizzbox feels a lot of potential customers are left not knowing when to book or are apprehensive about doing so. So, we have decided to share some hot pointers on how to maximise the benefits of your special break and advise you on your booking encouraging you to save some of your hard-earned pennies!
We’ve quizzed our head of sales in order to provide you with the best advice. Our head of sales and our head of customer services have also looked at previous, customer buying-patterns to give you the truest knowledge possible, before you book.
To answer the pending question in a single sentence, it’s best to book as far in advance as possible, particularly if you are looking to travel abroad. This means you and the girls can benefit from the cheapest rates, and you’ll have more cash to flash to go towards the hen weekend. Even UK destinations get booked up in peak times, so many hotels and B&Bs bump up prices closer to peak times, taking advantage of those of you who are looking for that last minute, quick booking.
Our research has found that ladies who are a little apprehensive about booking in advance are largely concerned about payment. This is because booking early may mean you haven’t necessarily had the opportunity to save up or put money aside. Secondly, we notice that many of you are concerned that your group quantity may change, so you wait to book when a group is affirmed when this doesn’t have to be the case.
For those of you travelling abroad, it is a little more difficult and we know you don’t want to be faffing around with name changes. However, if unfortunately, this does occur, most airlines will allow the name change on a flight and it’s not as dear as one may think. The difference between purchasing that flight early as opposed to late, even with a name change, is usually, considerably less than booking a flight last minute. Just to provide you with a rough idea, Easy Jet charge around £15 for an online name change, 60 days or more, prior to your flight.
If you are worried about yourself or some of the ladies on your hen group being able to pay in advance, then you can take full advantage of our part-payment scheme which is interest free! This would benefit you hugely as you’ll be able to book the hotel you want, and the activities you want without worrying about them being unavailable. You’ll have more time to save some extra money for those boozy nights, wherever you decide to go. Furthermore, with all the admin sorted, there’s ample time to organise what your hen is really about… fancy dress, themes, outfits, where you’re going out… so the pressure is off!
When do most of our customers book hen dos?
Whether you’re going abroad or you’re staying in the glorious UK, the majority of hen’s book early in the year! Our peak booking periods are January, February and March. Commonly, hens have decided to book trips abroad slightly further in advance in comparison to the UK, largely for financial reasons, as it gives the rest of their group time to manage the funding for their holiday.
We know it’s not always as easy to be prepared and book early and that sometimes, it’s simply unfeasible. So, of course we still cater for and manage an influx of last minuet bookings. We will always be able to tailor a hen do for the beautiful bride-to-be that is in-keeping with what you had in mind, options may just be a little more limited.
When do we have the least bookings?
Generally speaking, most ladies book in the early month of the year so we do not have as many bookings in the Autumn and Winter periods. Many businesses are quiet in the weeks approaching Christmas, and it’s no different with ours, people still book, but less so. We also notice that many of you ladies want a summer wedding, so are more inclined to celebrate the hen do close to the date to mark the romantic milestone.
Is It better to book in certain months for different destinations? Do some UK destinations vary to others? Do abroad destinations vary?
It’s not really dependent on the month in which you book, as long as it’s in advance, particularly if you have select venues and activities in mind. The seaside getaway locations within the UK, such as Brighton and Bournemouth are obviously popular in the summer months. If you’re interested in visiting one of these destinations in the peak of summer… many others are too. Make sure you book in advance to avoid any disappointment.
If you and the girls are looking to go abroad in the summer, the same rules apply. However, if you are looking to book a destination abroad, outside of peak holiday time, be sure to keep in mind that many locations are seasonal, so venues and activities are unavailable during colder months. Secondly, if you’re going for lively nights, take into consideration that an out of season booking will mean there is less of a buzz in tourist locations.
We still would recommend some locations in colder months though, for example, Tenerife, in March time will be quiet, but will offer some relaxing, winter sun at a good price!
If you’re going abroad, when is the best time to book flights?
Flights are cheapest when they are first released, so booking early will certainly save you money. If you know where you want to go, and aren’t looking for last minuet offers, then you can also take the leg work out of trawling through flights regularly to see when flying is cheap by visiting your preferred airlines’ websites and signing up to newsletters and receive emails for flash sales. Booking early will also encourage your group of friends to commit to the weekend, so you will minimise the stress in the long term.
These newsletters will also have information about last minute deals, and offers. So, if you and the girls are not as organised as you once hoped to be, then it’s also worth signing up. You can still get great late deals that save you money in peak times!
If you’re not bothered about your hen weekend taking place on the ‘weekend’, then Tuesday afternoon offers consistently cheap flights with many of the budget airlines. So keep your eyes peeled!
Is there a period of time when you can receive offers that allow you to have the best deal?
As we book your hen activities through multiple companies, dependent on what you and the girls decide to do, we don’t have offers as such. Though we can provide offers on certain holiday periods, for example Easter, St Patrick's Day and Christmas.
When shall I book the Hen Houses?
If you’ve been on our website, you may understand that we offer hen houses. This is an opportunity for you and the girls to stay in luxury and have the freedom of cooking for yourselves, or getting a chef to come in and cook for you, get pampered in the home and even get entertainment delivered to your door. If this is something you and the girls are interested in, you are not alone! Our portfolio of houses gets snapped up very quickly so, if you want to book, it’s better to do it sooner rather than later so you can reserve your first choice of property!
Does the quantity of people affect when it’s best to book?
We know that group sizes invariably change throughout the booking journey as people drop out, or new guests want to join so, many venues and activities we offer are flexible to fluctuations in people quantity. Some of the hen houses do have a ‘maximum persons’ limit, so make sure you keep within the maximum quantity. If you are booking at really short notice, you will need to be more sure of your numbers as with little time limit, there is less time to mess around with plans!
Is when you book dependent on what activities you want to do?
As some activities are more popular than others, chances for availability decrease, particularly ones available in our more popular destinations such as Brighton and London. Cocktail making is one of our most popular activities with you hens and we tend to have no availability for last minute bookings.
If you are booking late, then comprises will have to be made for example, you perhaps have to book an AM start time instead of PM start time. However, our party planners will try to get you exactly what you want, when you want it. Cancelations do occur, so you could be in luck.
We have a great network of suppliers and get relationships with them, which usually allows us to find something fun for your group to do, even if it’s last minute!
What should be prioritised accommodation or activities?
We have an extensive selection of activities therefore, we can find you something amazing to experience even if it’s not what you first had in mind. However, if you are traveling to a city for a particular activity, then it best to book as soon as possible.
Flights and accommodation should be prioritised if you are going abroad, largely because they get booked up, but most importantly, the earlier you book, the more money you could save. With late bookings compromises have to be considered – you may not get your first choice!
What is the largest deterrent we face, from you guys booking early?
The only deterrent we face is that flights are yet to be released and people have a strict budget for the flights and for the rest of their package in mind. We can change group size in many instances without any impact on the rest of the group, and most amendments, including name changes can be done with a small admin fee. There’s nothing we can do with regards to flights, but as mentioned earlier any member of your group will be able to name change tickets on the flight company website.
