Livebookings secures two major pub group accounts

Whitbread will roll out the system at all sites nationwide while Fuller’s will be using it in around half of its managed sites.

Both companies are looking to move away from email request booking systems as a response to customers’ increasingly mobile and last-minute booking habits.

Fuller’s has developed new websites that incorporate the Livebookings reservations tool. The group will also use the Livebookings partner network to promote its pubs on more than 300 dining out websites including SquareMeal and Bookatable.com.

“Livebookings puts the customer at the heart of their experience, and recognises that a mobile optimised approach is paramount,” said Fuller’s group digital manager John Skinner. “It is an outlook that we share, and their keenness to integrate with our existing systems made Livebookings an ideal partner.”

Olivia FitzGerald, regional director of UK and Ireland for Livebookings, said: “With online bookings rising fast on desktop and mobile devices, the big pub and restaurant groups are leading the way in making sure customers can make reservations and see offers whichever way they wish.

"Research by Google shows that 67% of people expect to be able to book a restaurant online, and our own data has shown mobile bookings increasing by a massive 236% year on year. With the bespoke packages we have created for Fuller’s and Whitbread, we hope to contribute to their continued success by delivering incremental revenue as a result of these growing trends.”

Livebookings is now used by four major pub companies including Mitchells & Butlers and Young’s.