Hakan Ozel, Vice President Operations & General Manager, Shangri-La Dubai
Think about your favorite Hollywood movie: Average length of Hollywood movie to watch today is around 105-120 minutes. Despite this length, you can only remember the scenes and events in the movie, which leave a lasting emotional, visual, or intellectual impact on you. Remembering and sharing those memorable and impactful scenes and events with others would take around 4-5 minutes. At the end, those are what you will precisely remember.
In theory, there is no difference between a Hollywood movie and your experience in a luxury hotel from a journey point of view: both should leave a lasting, emotional, visual and intellectual memory and impact with you. When you check-out and leave the premises, you only remember your memories and who created those memories, not every second and minute of couple of days of your stay.
Having said that, it is almost impossible to think of special periods like festive seasons without experiencing special moments and memories together with our loved ones. For many travelers, the magic of a getaway is often defined by where they stay and the experiences that surround them. Luxury hotels, with their impeccable service and lavish amenities, are masters at curating unforgettable moments, especially during the most meaningful times of the year.
Beyond the plush bedding, creative drinks and gourmet cuisine, what truly sets these establishments different than the others are their seasonal offers and marketing gimmicks, designed to make each stay not just a vacation, but a cherished memory as explained above. This article also reminds all readers the meaning of creating memorable experiences for guests and getting ready way in advance while keeping the differentiation in mind all the time.
The Appeal of Seasonal Offers
Luxury hotels have the great understanding and experience that scheduling and timing for special seasons and periods are everything. Whether it is a snowy winter escape, a sun and sand-soaked summer retreat, or a romantic Valentine’s Day getaway, the most prestigious properties around the world develop exclusive offers that tap into the spirit of the season and meaningful periods.
These offers and packages often include special rates, inclusive services, and unique experiences tailored to the special period and time. During the winter holidays, many luxury resorts prepare and present Festive Season Packages that certainly include spectacular decorations, tasty and memorable afternoon tea accompanied by specially crafted hot chocolate, gourmet Christmas Eve dinners, personalized gifts left in guest rooms, entertainment, and so on.
In the spring, hotels entice guests with flower arranging workshops, Easter egg hunts for children, or exclusive access to local festivals according to the location of the properties. Summer stays might promise rooftop pool experiences, sunset cruises, and curated wellness programs in and out of the hotels. These offers are carefully crafted to heighten the sense of occasion and encourage guests to associate their happiest seasonal memories with the hotel itself.
Crafting Memorable Experiences
What makes these seasonal offers truly memorable is the attention to details. These details focus on type of guests, their obvious and potential preferences and requirements, and most importantly objective of their visits. Luxury hotels often go above and beyond in personalizing experiences for their guests once they identify the preferences and needs of each guest. Monogrammed bathrobes, welcome notes featuring family names, dietary requirements, locally produced welcome and stay treats, tailor-made in-room amenities that reflect the season like pumpkin-spiced treats in autumn or peppermint-scented additional toiletries in December, kids’ amenities, and so on.
Furthermore, many properties organize exclusive events as part of their seasonal packages. A New Year’s Eve gala with a spectacular fireworks or laser shows, an intimate gourmet tasting menu over the countdown, breathtaking entertainment to accompany you and loved ones throughout the night are the kinds of moments that not only set a hotel apart from its competitors but also become the scenes and events of lifelong memories for guests.
Luxury hotels also partner with local artisans and cultural institutions to provide authentic, destination-specific experiences, such as local artisans shop visits, dessert safari, guided city tours, marine activities including fishing and scuba diving, sailing, or art workshops during specific months. These collaborations deepen the sense of place and make each stay feel genuinely unique.
Unless the hotels offer different and become competitive, all efforts will be standard and not unique, hence it will not be effective to attract the clientele. Differentiation is key to success.
Creating Seasonal Traditions
A growing trend among luxury hotels is the cultivation of seasonal traditions that keep guests returning year after year if possible. Whether it is a legendary New Year’s Eve roof top bar gala dinner and entertainment accompanied by breathtaking fireworks, or a summer solstice celebration by the Nile River (like in Luxor, Egypt), events become anticipated rituals for families and couples alike.
Hotels often encourage repeat visits by offering loyalty perks or invitations to exclusive gatherings for returning guests. Over the time, these traditions become a meaningful part of a family’s own holiday rituals or single traveler’s must-do activity, with the hotel playing an integral role in their seasonal memories.
The Emotional Quality of Luxury Hospitality
If the objective is to create a gimmick and execute it as part of the sales and business tactic rather than ensuring that every gimmick and offer feels like a natural extension of the brand itself, it is possible that business intention might be successful, but soon brand will fail.
Therefore, hotels are encouraged to create purposes through the gimmicks and offers to strengthen the positioning of the brand. At its core, the appeal of luxury hotels during the holiday and break season is more than just physical comfort or opulent surroundings along with business tactics. It is about the brand’s emotional connection that is fostered through thoughtful touches, personalized services and experiences designed to evoke joy, wonder, and togetherness.
Memorable Moments
Luxury hotels excel at turning seasonal offers and creative gimmicks into genuine and lasting memories. Through a combination of strategic marketing, personalized service, and an unwavering commitment to guest satisfaction, these properties ensure that every stay is special, no matter the time of year. For guests, the result is a collection of cherished moments that linger long after check-out, a testament to the enduring magic of luxury hospitality. Thinking of the most memorable Hollywood movies that I watched, I recall the ones which offered me the most defining and a-ha moments.
