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The Atlantic Brief - Issue 3
- Jasper van der Zalm
- Jun 12
- 5 min read
June 2026 Edition
The summer is here. Is your pricing working as hard as your team?
Practical insight for South West hospitality operators — straight to your inbox.
Dear Subscriber,
Welcome to The Atlantic Brief — a monthly newsletter for hospitality business owners and operators across the South West who want to stay ahead, not just keep up.
The first weeks of June set the tone for the season. Bookings are firming up, weekends are filling, and operational pressure is building daily. The questions worth asking are no longer about readiness — they are about performance. Is your business converting demand into the margin it should be, or is it simply staying busy? There is a meaningful difference between the two, and the businesses that recognise it tend to finish the season in noticeably better shape.
This issue:
Pricing that earns its keep
For most hospitality operators, pricing is set once at the start of the season and then quietly left alone. That is a missed opportunity. In a year where guest spend is more cautious and booking windows are shorter, pricing should be one of the most active levers in your business — not one of the most static.
Look at your shoulder periods, not just your peaks
Peak weeks tend to take care of themselves. The real margin opportunity sits in the shoulders — late June, the first half of July, September. Small movements in rate, length-of-stay rules and minimum-night requirements meaningfully change the outcome of the season. Operators who actively manage these periods, even informally, consistently outperform those who do not.
Understand what your direct channel is actually doing
Online travel agencies (OTAs) remain useful, but their commission structure is unforgiving. A direct booking is worth materially more than the same booking via an OTA, yet many operators have not reviewed their direct conversion rate, their booking engine, or their on-site call-to-action in over a year. A short audit of your own booking journey — ideally on a phone, ideally as a guest would experience it — is one of the highest-return exercises available to you this month.
Price for value, not for fear
The instinct in a softer market is to discount. Guests respond more strongly to clearly communicated value than to price reductions. A well-positioned package, a thoughtful inclusion, or a genuine reason to book direct will almost always outperform a straight discount — and protect your rate integrity into next season.
A Practical Update: HMRC mileage rate rises to 55p
The approved mileage rate has increased for the first time since 2011. The Chancellor announced in May 2026 that the rate for cars and vans rises from 45p to 55p per mile for the first 10,000 business miles, backdated to 6 April 2026. Above 10,000 miles the rate remains at 25p, and the motorcycle (24p) and bicycle (20p) rates are unchanged.
For hospitality operators — particularly those running multi-site operations, suppliers travelling between properties, or owners covering ground across Devon and Cornwall — this is a welcome adjustment. It will not cover the full cost of running a vehicle, but it goes some way to closing the gap that has widened steadily over fifteen years of frozen rates.
Two quick actions worth taking this month:
Update your expense policy and any mileage claim forms to reflect 55p
If staff have already submitted claims for the 2026/27 tax year at the old rate, agree how you will handle the backdating
Legislation watch
The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
The most significant change to UK data protection in nearly a decade comes into force on 19 June 2026, and it directly affects every hospitality business that holds guest data. Booking systems, marketing lists, CCTV footage, loyalty schemes, Wi-Fi sign-ups and employee records all sit within scope.
A new regulator. The Information Commissioner's Office is being reconstituted as the Information Commission, with a board structure rather than a single Commissioner. Existing guidance remains in force during the transition.
A strengthened complaint right. This is the change most operators are underprepared for. Individuals now have a statutory right to complain directly to you about how their personal data is handled, and you must acknowledge that complaint within 30 days of receipt — with the clock starting the day after the complaint arrives, including weekends and bank holidays. You must then take appropriate steps to respond without undue delay, keep the complainant informed of progress, and communicate the outcome.
In practice, every hospitality business needs:
A clearly published route for data complaints — on your website and in your privacy notice
A named person responsible for handling them
A simple internal log recording receipt date, acknowledgement, investigation and outcome
A team briefing — most complaints will arrive verbally at reception or by email
An auto-acknowledgement email is sufficient to meet the 30-day requirement for electronically received complaints — so the bar for compliance is not high, but it does need to be met.
A short note: Atlantic Consultant has updated its own privacy and complaints process in line with the new rules. If you would like a copy of the wording we are using as a starting point for your own site, reply to this email and I will send it across.
Third-party harassment — October 2026
From October 2026, employers can be held liable if a customer, contractor or supplier harasses a member of staff and the employer failed to take all reasonable steps to prevent it. For hospitality — with its volume of customer-facing interactions and late-night environments — this is a significant exposure. Review your harassment policy now, ensure it covers third-party conduct, and brief your managers. October is closer than it seems.
Looking ahead
Zero-hours contract and flexible working provisions remain on track for 2027. We will bring you the detail — with practical actions — well ahead of each commencement date.
South West spotlight
Early indicators across Devon and Cornwall suggest a steady but cautious start to the season. Forward bookings for July and August are tracking close to last year, but June is softer — reflecting later booking behaviour rather than weaker demand.
Operators reporting the strongest performance are those who have invested visibly in quality this spring: refreshed rooms, sharpened menus, better-trained teams. The South West's hospitality market continues to reward operators who lead on experience.
A thought to close with
Pricing, like service, is ultimately an expression of how clearly a business understands its own value. Operators who price with confidence — and back that price with genuine quality — tend to weather difficult years better than those who chase volume. The summer ahead will reward clarity.
As always, if anything in this issue prompts a question or a conversation, reply directly to this email.
I read every one.
If this is useful, please pass it on to a colleague in the industry.
If you would like to see how we work before getting in touch, visit atlanticconsultant.co.uk
Until next time,
Jasper Atlantic Consultant | North Devon
📞 +44 (0)7772 528 958
The Atlantic Brief is published for general informational purposes only. Nothing in this newsletter constitutes legal, financial or professional advice. Readers should seek independent advice tailored to their specific circumstances before taking or refraining from any action.
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