Top Hotel Activities & Experiences to Enhance the 2026 Festive Season

As the festive season - Christmas, New Year, and Lunar New Year - draws near, the air is filled with joy and anticipation. This is the perfect time for hotels to create memorable, emotionally rich experiences that go far beyond just a comfortable stay. A festive-season hotel should become a destination of emotions, connection, and celebration. In this Hotel Link feature, we’ll explore the top recommended activities and stay experiences for the 2026 festive season, ideas your hotel can implement to enhance guest satisfaction, boost brand visibility, and drive stronger revenue.

Festive-Themed Room Décor: Spark Emotions & Social Buzz

Decorating rooms around a holiday theme is one of the most powerful ways to connect emotionally with guests. It transforms an ordinary room into a personalized, photo-worthy experience - increasing satisfaction while generating free, viral exposure through guest social media posts.

• Create the mood: Add small yet meaningful details, such as mini sticky rice cakes, red ribbons, lanterns, safe LED candles, warm winter rugs, or essential oil diffusers - to evoke the festive spirit.
• Special gifts & drinks: Surprise guests with small welcome packages or seasonal beverage sets like hot chocolate, herbal tea, or festive treats. These gestures make guests feel genuinely cared for.
• Early-bird personalization: Offer an optional “Pre-book Your Festive Room” service, where guests can choose between romantic, family, or traditional décor packages. This gives guests a sense of exclusivity and delight.

A thoughtfully themed room can easily become the highlight of the stay - a perfect “check-in moment” guests are eager to share.

Festive Gala Dinners & Themed Buffets: Create Magic and Drive Revenue

During the holidays, a festive gala dinner or themed buffet is an integrated stay experience that guests love. They’re not just paying for accommodation, they’re paying for convenience, atmosphere, and connection.

• Concept Design: Craft gala themes such as “Winter Wonderland”, “Traditional Tet Celebration”, or “Holiday Sparkle.” Synchronize décor, lighting, music, and menu design for a cohesive experience.
• Festive Menu Upgrade: Enrich your offerings with signature dishes like modernized Tet sticky rice cakes, festive sushi rolls, or holiday-inspired desserts.
• Upselling Strategy: Use gala events as an upsell opportunity. Offer bundled packages such as “Room + Gala” or “Family Holiday Package” to encourage larger purchases and improve guest convenience.

These seasonal events not only generate additional F&B revenue but also strengthen guest retention, keeping guests within your property for the entire evening while building long-lasting brand memories.

Cultural & Local Experiences: Bring the Festive Spirit to Life

Smart hotels go beyond décor and dining by adding local cultural experiences to turn their property into a true celebration of place and tradition.

Examples include:

• Hosting workshops such as Tet calligraphy, sticky rice cake making, or candle-lighting ceremonies.

• Organizing live acoustic or traditional performances in the lobby.

• Creating “Instagrammable” festive corners - giant Christmas trees, traditional Tet markets, or Santa photo backdrops.

These experiences help guests feel emotionally connected and immersed - transforming the hotel into a vibrant cultural storyteller and a magnet for social sharing.

Read more: 7 Ways To Use Local Traditions During The Holiday Season For Hotels

Festive Packages & Flexible Stay Offers

The holiday season is the ideal time to introduce special stay packages that balance value, flexibility, and emotion, driving both advance bookings and higher average booking value (ABV).

Tailor packages by traveler type:

• Early-Bird Offers: 15–20% off for bookings made 60–90 days in advance. This secures early revenue and improves occupancy forecasting.

• Family Reunion Package: Designed for multi-generational travelers, featuring connecting rooms, free kids’ breakfast, play area vouchers, and holiday gifts.

• Couples’ Holiday Escape: Romantic deluxe room, dinner for two, mini spa session, welcome wine, and late check-out.

• Work & Relax Package: For bleisure travelers - includes workspace upgrades, fast Wi-Fi, and 24/7 room service discounts.

Add flexibility:

• Offer tiered cancellation policies, from non-refundable to fully flexible options.

• Enable “Book Now, Pay Later” for added booking confidence.

Optimize distribution:

Use Hotel Link’s Channel Manager to synchronize your festive offers across all channels (Booking.com, Expedia, and your hotel website), ensuring consistency in pricing, images, and descriptions.

Read more: How to Optimize Hotel Sales Channels Before the Year-End Peak Season?

Operational Excellence: Preparing for Peak Season Success

Holiday periods bring both opportunity and pressure: more guests, higher expectations, and tighter operations. To deliver a seamless experience:

• Boost staffing & training: Prepare front-office, housekeeping, and F&B teams with festive service protocols and upselling training.

• Secure supply chains: Stock up on seasonal décor, ingredients, and special menu items in advance to avoid shortages or cost spikes.

• Digitize check-in/out: Implement mobile or kiosk check-in to minimize queues.

• Standardize quality: Maintain consistency in décor, sound, lighting, and staff service.

• Monitor performance in real time: Track KPIs such as daily bookings, F&B revenue, and online feedback for timely adjustments.

Flawless operations during this period not only impress guests but also convert first-time visitors into loyal repeat customers.

Marketing Channels & Communication Tips

Even the best festive packages need the right communication strategy to reach guests.

• Dedicated landing page: Create a “Holiday Stay & Experience 2026” section with visuals, detailed offers, and strong CTAs.

• Email marketing: Reconnect with past guests using warm subject lines like “Celebrate the Holidays with a Magical Family Stay at [Your Hotel Name]”.

• Social media & UGC: Encourage guests to share festive moments with branded hashtags, boosting organic reach.

• OTA collaboration: Publish limited festive offers on global booking channels to create urgency.

• Paid ads: Target family, group, and international travelers searching for “holiday stays” or “festive hotel packages.”

Real Case Study: Marion Hotel, Australia

Marion Hotel introduced “Christmas-themed family rooms”, complete with a Christmas tree for guests to decorate, letters to Santa, cookies, and hot chocolate. The result? Fully booked rooms and viral social buzz.

Key takeaways:

• Clear festive theme + tangible experience = emotional connection.

• Limited availability drives early booking.

• Guest-generated content = organic marketing.

Emerging Trends to Watch

• Lingering Experiences & UGC: Guests want emotional, shareable moments. Create Instagram-friendly festive corners for organic exposure.

• Bleisure Growth: Holiday seasons attract travelers combining work and leisure, offer “Bleisure Holiday” packages.

• Authentic Localization: Blend local food, art, and décor for a more immersive stay.

• Contactless & Safe Services: Pre-booking, online check-in, and seamless in-room experiences remain key satisfaction factors.

• Value-driven Communication: Focus your marketing on experience and emotion, not just discounts.

Conclusion

The festive season is more than a time to fill rooms, it’s the golden opportunity to craft unforgettable emotional journeys for your guests. By combining themed rooms, gala events, local experiences, flexible offers, and effective marketing, your hotel can transform this season into a story worth sharing, one that builds loyalty and drives long-term growth.

Ready to make your festive season unforgettable? Let Hotel Link help you showcase your most unique offers across every channel. With our Website, Channel Manager, and Booking Engine, you can easily promote special holiday packages and experiences directly to global travelers, making it easy for them to find and book within just a few clicks. Discover Hotel Link’s integrated solutions and contact us today to turn this festive season into a fully booked success!