As the days are slowly getting colder, you can start feeling a magical chill in the air: The holiday season is coming! While your potential guests start wrapping gifts and decorating their trees, it is time to infuse your hotel’s website with the festive spirit. Beyond the gifts, Christmas is also an opportunity to get creative on your direct channel and increase conversions.  

Check out these seven innovative ways to make your website a seasonal delight for visitors. Incorporating festive touches will not only capture the attention of your audience but also create a sense of excitement and anticipation. Are you ready to give those direct bookings a boost for the Christmas season? 

1. It’s never too early to start

Give your website a head start in catching the attention of visitors! As the holiday season is a period that most people are looking forward to as soon as those first cold days arrive, launching your campaign in advance is a good way to take advantage of every direct booking opportunity. Displaying your offers ahead of time generates a sense of excitement around your property that can last all the way through Christmas Day and into the New Year. 

The sooner those perks are available, the greater the chance to reach a broader audience! The Hotel Paris Bastille nailed it by displaying a Christmas countdown, complete with a complimentary breakfast offer, months in advance. 

Hotel Paris Bastille’s Christmas layer 

2. Build your holiday offers … with an advent calendar twist!

An effective and creative way to engage visitors is to design an advent calendar campaign. Not only is this format eye-catching, but it also drives higher conversions on your website.

Guoman Hotel created a Christmas competition with an advent calendar structure, offering a different direct booking perk every day. By displaying a countdown clock as a Layer, the London-based property encourages its visitors to take part before the end of the day, ultimately incentivizing them to continue to engage with its direct channel. 

Guoman Hotel’s advent calendar

3. Team up with charities

Get your property into the spirit of giving! Christmas is a time when people are particularly sensitive to good causes, so make sure you align with your website visitors’ mindset. Amerikalinjen Hotel did just that by collecting Christmas gifts for children in need. The hotel created the Lonely Christmas Tree initiative in partnership with The Salvation Army. 

This project is not only a good way to give back during this special season, but also creates more engagement from potential guests, builds a sense of community, and enhances the property’s brand image.

Amerikalinjen’s Lonely Christmas Tree initiative

4. Elevate your direct bookings with a Christmas Eve dinner bonus

Be it tourists who are planning to spend Christmas Eve abroad or locals planning a staycation, they are likely going to search for a venue to spend that special evening.  

This is why Relais de l’Hermitage includes a Christmas Eve dinner when guests book their stay during the 24th of December. This offer not only enhances the guest's experience by fostering a sense of belonging but also gives them an incentive to book directly on the hotel website while ensuring a higher booking value.

Relais de l’Hermitage’s Christmas Eve dinner offer

5. Deck the halls!

What are the holidays without garlands and Christmas tree baubles? Get your website visitors into the festive spirit by incorporating complimentary in-room decorations into your direct booking perks.

This is exactly what La Lanterne proposed as part of its holiday package. Spending the holidays away from home doesn’t have to mean there’s any lack of Christmas spirit! Making your property your guests’ home away from home is the perfect way to encourage reservations during this festive season.

La Lanterne’s Christmas offers

6. Gift giving made easy

We all know the struggles that come with Christmas gifts: Whether it’s the lack of ideas on what to give to your loved ones, or time is running out in your shopping schedule, having the perfect gift available in just one click is a dream come true!

Follow the lead of the Grand Hotel du Lac and offer a variety of gift vouchers on your website. Whether it’s for a spa treatment, a dinner at your restaurant, or a night at your property, make sure you have options available for all tastes and price ranges!

Grand Hotel du Lac’s Christmas Layer

7. Stay in touch before they leave

Sensing that your website visitor may not be ready to book just yet? Be sure to showcase an Exit message to collect their contact information. Triggering the message to display when a user is about to abandon the website is crucial for maximizing every interaction with potential guests. Gathering their email is a good way to grow your marketing database and heighten the likelihood of more direct bookings in the future!

Hotel Erwin tailored its Exit message for the end of the year festivities, aiming to grab attention and ensure that every user knows about its upcoming holiday offers.

Hotel Erwin’s Christmas Exit message

Embracing the holiday season on your hotel's website is a strategic move that can significantly boost direct bookings. Starting early, adopting advent calendar-style campaigns, partnering with charities, proposing gift cards, and other creative tactics you come up with can all add value to your online visitors’ experiences and drive additional direct revenue. Don’t wait to kick start the festive preparations!