I always wonder if it truly makes sense for hoteliers to create a dedicated Valentine’s Day offer. Let’s be honest, the theme is often treated with great banality: the offers usually consist of a package with a dinner, a room, and a toast. And that’s it? Can love really be reduced to a standard package, the same for every hotel from Trentino to Sicily?
Approaching such an overused theme with originality is not easy and, above all, it cannot be limited to a “love for two” package with an add-on value or a discounted offer with a “minimum length of stay” requirement, which often doesn’t align with the rates for that period. I like to think that Valentine’s Day lies somewhere between Revenue and Marketing. To put it romantically, marketing has a revenue that revenue doesn’t want to hear. Let’s start with the “when.”
When should a Valentine’s Day rate go on sale? Certainly not on February 1st! That would be too late, and if the package isn’t super romantic, it’s pointless to position it. The sad “room with breakfast in bed, a bottle of sparkling wine, and a chocolate” can be skipped. I’m not saying it won’t help you sell, but I wonder if it really benefits your revenue. It certainly won’t help increase your brand’s value.
Timing is important: it should be ready by December and start gaining visibility immediately after New Year’s. SEO keywords need time to settle for visibility gains. Time also helps in organizing better: contacts, suppliers, ideas, and special touches all require an investment in creativity.
And who is it for?
It might seem like a simple question, yet it allows us to shake up the typical approach: we could create a special package for “those in love with their work” if our property isn’t strictly leisure-focused. “Business love” may make some smile, but it could surprise a guest who is traveling on those dates and away from their partner. We could broaden the target: a Valentine’s Day offer for “Him&Her” or “Him&Him” or “Her&Her” could mix things up and make our property stand out with a message that should have been normalized long ago.
Don’t forget friends of lovers—especially dogs, who often accompany couples. It’s known that it’s not just about accepting pets but welcoming them; let’s consider offers that are more inclusive.
But what about price?
Statistically, people spend more on Valentine’s Day than on New Year’s Eve. Love likes to invest in the outcome. So, I wouldn’t lower prices; instead, I’d create rates with substantial inclusions. Great if you have in-house resources, even better if you select local partners.
Before diving in, let’s take a look at the data: are we a hotel that’s suitable for Valentine’s Day? Can we play with this element even if we’re not? Answering these questions is among the most important first steps.
I’ve always believed that Valentine’s Day is a huge marketing opportunity rather than a revenue one, and we need to think outside the box—maybe by using external partners to pair the stay with an experience: garden rooms in large heated bubbles, romantic boat rides on rivers and lakes, toasts under the stars, love trails, songs, movies, and more. Let yourself be inspired. In the famous film Sex and the City, Carrie, the protagonist, mentioned a book, Love Letters of Great Men, a book that didn’t exist at the time but, once published, is now available in many bookstores and on Amazon. Why not leave one of these love declarations in every room or offer a coupon to gift it to a loved one?
Create Instagrammable spaces for your guests or a guide to Instagrammable spots in your location.
Having a good product that’s photogenic and fitting for the occasion—certainly. But that’s not enough. Aside from website pages, which I already mentioned, don’t forget about social media: don’t just repost the same news without considering the specifics of each platform.
Social media, however, aren’t the only way: online magazines often include “romantic” offers or locations in their February issues, and influencers, which doesn’t always mean paying someone, can also help. Sometimes, it’s about identifying the right people to promote our Valentine’s Day to the right audience.
Time taken can also be used to create a well-done landing page, a direct email marketing (DEM) campaign to loyal customers, targeted posts, and data collection that can be used throughout the year. The only issue is that the couple may have broken up by then, but that’s out of our control.
Lastly, send out a DEM in the final week: it will be helpful to last-minute planners, those who hadn’t thought about it, those who say, “They don’t care about Valentine’s Day.” Let’s give them a hand and save a relationship from disaster.
Tina Ingaldi