Flying solo? Kayak and OpenTable have joined forces on the creation of a travel and dining guide dedicated to parties of one. Olivia Palamountain reports
Kayak and OpenTable are teaming up to launch a solo travel and dining guide this September, so travellers can make the most of going it alone.
This go-to resource promises to reveal the hottest solo travel destinations, must-visit restaurants and expert tips.
Survey data from Kayak and OpenTable shows a strong appetite for solo adventures (81 per cent of Americans have dined solo and 70 per cent have traveled solo), and aims to help travellers determine where to embark on their next solo trip.
With average hotel prices, flight costs, meal expenses, safety considerations, local attractions and the share of solo dining in mind, the guide includes a dynamic ranking of the top destinations for solo travellers.
Washington, D.C. is the number one destination for solo travel and dining in the US, followed by Boston, Chicago, Atlanta and Salt Lake City (find the full Top 15 ranking here).
For anyone eyeing solo adventures outside of the US (which over one in five Americans (22 per cent) say they are considering), Berlin, Vancouver, Montreal, Paris and Milan capture the top spots for international destinations (find the full Top 10 ranking here).
“Search share for solo hotel rooms are up 38 per cent since 2019, making solo travel one of this year’s hottest trends,” says Matt Clarke, the VP of NA marketing at Kayak. “And if you’re flying solo, chances are you’re dining solo too. With one third (33 per cent) of Americans trusting fellow travellers and experts for their solo adventures, we tapped Kayak travel experts and the dining pros at OpenTable for their best solo travel and dining hacks and tips.”
Survey data also shows that 52 per cent of Americans plan to dine solo this year, however, 37 per cent report that feeling stuck when it comes to finding inspiration is their biggest barrier to dining solo.
To accompany Kayak’s top solo travel picks, OpenTable is dishing out the top 5 solo dining spots in every destination, based on its popularity among solo diners, plus a selection of restaurants loved by the OpenTable team for solo dining.
“Solo dining is one of the standout trends of 2024, up eight per cent from last year,” says Robin Chiang, SVP of growth for OpenTable. “Our data also shows solo diners tend to be big spenders, splurging 48 per cent more per person compared to the average diner.”
The data-driven list features 75 restaurants across America including: Bistro Du Jour in Washington, D.C., Little Whale in Boston, Tre Dita in Chicago, Ecco Buckhead in Atlanta and Current Fish & Oyster in Salt Lake City. Internationally, the list highlights 50 restaurants: Funky Fisch in Berlin, Tableau Bar Bistro in Vancouver, Brasserie 701 in Montreal, Tracé in Paris and Ristorante Torre in Milan.
Check out the full list of “Top Restaurants for Solo Dining” here.
In addition, OpenTable has recently launched Icons, a destination guide featuring the best of the best restaurants in select cities, to help locals and travellers score a hot table.
“Between Icons and our solo dining and travel guide – which features restaurants for solo travellers, by solo travellers – we have dining covered for your next trip,” Chiang says.