Are Christmas trends really that important?
Understanding Christmas trends and integrating them into your business strategy will get you on the right track to boost your revenue to new heights. In fact, 93% of respondents in the 2024 Beyond the Booking UK & IE Hospitality Industry Report plan to spend the same or more than they did in previous years during the festive period, with another 37% willing to pay premium prices for an unforgettable dining experience.
So, it goes without saying that getting your Christmas plan ready will help you catch the holiday diners with festive trends helping you map out customer expectations, operational planning and giving you that competitive edge.
1. Get to know the Christmas 2024 trends and predictions
By nature, Christmas is about celebrating traditions andthe way people choose to do so is constantly evolving. This year's trends are more diverse than ever so if you want to make your venue THE place for Christmas, you need to know what's coming in hot. Here are our top three Christmas trends that you should incorporate into your Christmas planning.
Key dates
Following a successful 2024 festive season where sales were up 2.6% over the five days compared to 2023, this year's Christmas period promises to be a financial success for hospitality venues especially as Christmas Day falls on a Thursday to create an extended four-day weekend.
While these dates may be popular, it's crucial to look at your historical data (unless this is your first year of operation) to track any patterns and ensure you are in the best position to make this Christmas a success. Analyse your bookings and POS data from the last few years over the festive period to prepare accordingly, recognise trends and adapt staffing.
Festive events
From scrumptious afternoon teas with a festive twist to sing-along evenings with Santa and silent disco nights with a DJ blasting yuletide hits, it's the season to be jolly and the only limit is your imagination. Whatever unforgettable event you're hosting, you can promote it to 3.9 million monthly users on DesignMyNight and watch your audience grow.
Decor trends
Deck your venue following the latest 2025 decor themes including:
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Be sustainable – Use materials that are cost effective and friendly to the environment such as wood, felt and glass to create a winter wonderland.
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Be bold – Make your Christmas stand out by using bold colours like red, green and blue to showcase your business.
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Be immersive – Let your creativity flow with designs and environments that help customers experience other worlds and eras that are perfect for that Instagram moment.
2. Make sure your venue and dishes are Instagrammable
In today's social media-driven world, capturing and sharing experiences is a key part of the dining experience for guests whether that is taking a mirror selfie in your beautifully decorated bathroom to a series of shots of their food (even if it is getting cold). In an era when every space and meal is a photoshoot, make sure your venue and dishes take the spotlight by plating it up like a Michelin-starred masterpiece. Include aesthetically curated pictures of your dishes and venue –on your social media feeds, email signatures and printed menus, especially if you're planning to launch your festive offerings early.
3. Offer festive build-your-own experiences
From cookie decorating sessions (and consuming them in the afternoon tea) to a build-your-own-festive cocktail bar, getting your guests involved is a great wat to attract more customers to your business.
However, providing festive experiences goes beyond simply serving food and drinks. It helps your guests connect with your space which in turn builds customer loyalty and repeat visits as well as being a great way to spread the word about your business social media. If you're planning on setting up some DIY Christmas experiences this year, consider ticketing your event with Access Tonic to manage capacity, streamline payments, and track attendance.
4. Secure your revenue with deposits
Although no-shows are inevitable in hospitality, there's too much at stake around Christmas to let them happen and affect your bottom line. Implementing a deposit process is a great way to help protect your business and eliminate the risk of losing future profits.
ResDiary reports that venues who have introduced booking deposits have seen up to a 75% reduction in no-shows which in turn has helped them retain their revenue targets. Depending on the demands of your business, consider asking for a deposit when it comes to larger groups and peak dates by using our reservation systems such as ResDiary and Access Collins to make booking easy and simple.
5. Maximise profits with Christmas upsells
Upselling is one of the best strategies, especially at Christmas, to boost your revenue and impact your sales. Create a tempting selection of premium options, add-ons and bundle deals to offer customers an enticing addition to any meal or dining experience.
If you're planning on introducing upselling in person or during the ordering process, make sure your staff feel comfortable and confident offering the upgrades but most importantly, they know how to make the guest feel special. Train your staff on the art of upselling and programme your POS system to display the upselling prompts during ordering. You can integrate your POS system with your CRM to track guests' preferences and purchase history so your staff will be able to offer more personalised recommendations to ultimately boosting your revenue.
6. Turn loyalty into profits
Your loyal customers are your most valuable asset, especially during the festive season as they're more likely to spend more, book early and spread the word. A survey from Deloitte found that 47% of restaurant loyalty programme members use their membership several times a month and a further 32% use it more during the week.
Rewarding loyalty can be a cherry on top of your Christmas revenue boost as you can offer exclusive benefits to those enrolled in your reward programme, like flash sales, early-bird access, limited-edition holiday rewards, bonus rewards or festive tiers and challengers.
7. Offer catering and take-home options
With many restaurants ready to boost their foot traffic during the festive season, it's important to expand your reach by providing catering services and tempting delivery options for those who prefer to celebrate at home. According to Toast, 2024 saw a massive spike in online ordering and delivery as 78% of UK customers found dining out too expensive to do regularly.
Catering corporate events can also be another revenue-boosting idea for the festive period. Holiday parties, office launches or client gatherings will be happening throughout November and December, so make sure your venue is on top of your local business mind when they're looking for their next caterer.
8. Embrace technology and the power of data-driven insights
Just as Santa relies on his trusty sleigh and elves to deliver Christmas presents, you can count on the power of data-driven insights to create a truly profitable festive season for your business. Analyse your past sales and understand customer behaviour to identify trends, optimise pricing and create targeted marketing campaigns that resonate with your audience. Free up your staff time by automating manual tasks such as handling bookings, reminders, waitlists, table allocation, payment processing or online ordering. Tthink of your hospitality tech as a little elf handling all the behind-the-scenes tasks and making your life a little bit easier.
Ready to be merry and bright this season?
In this article, we've looked at eight different strategies to help you capitalise on the festive cheer. We've explored how embracing current trends can set your venue up for success and how smart software solutions can streamline your hospitality operations.
With the festive season fast approaching, and your Christmas planning well underway, let hospitality technology help you further to maximise your bookings and events during the busiest time of the year.
Our helpful team is always on hand to discuss your needs and identify solutions to make your life easier. Check out our other hospitality software resources to get in the Christmas spirit and watch your revenue reach new heights.