Christmas and New Year packages and AI agents (UK)
UKUpdated By Akkrev
Festive packages run on fixed dates, set menus and minimum stays. If they live in a PDF or need a phone call, AI agents can't book them.
For many UK hotels, Christmas and New Year are among the busiest and most profitable nights of the year. Guests book festive packages: three nights over Christmas, Hogmanay with a gala dinner, a Boxing Day walk and a log fire. These are wonderful to sell and, in their usual form, hard for an AI agent to book.
How festive packages usually work
- Fixed dates. Arrive 24 December, leave 27 December.
- Fixed length. Three nights, not one.
- Per-person prices. Often quoted per person, sometimes with single supplements.
- A programme. Christmas Eve drinks, Christmas lunch, Boxing Day buffet, a ceilidh.
- Deposit terms. Often stricter than usual, sometimes non-refundable.
Many hotels sell these from a PDF brochure and a phone number.
What an agent does with that
Picture a request: “Book a three-night Christmas break in the Peak District for two, all meals included, under £1,500.” The agent will look for hotels with packages it can read and book.
If your package is:
- In the booking engine as a rate with set dates, the agent can book it.
- In a PDF with a phone number, the agent can read it, maybe, but can’t book. It may tell the guest to call, or move on.
- Only on a news page, it may not find it at all.
When regular rooms on those dates are closed to arrival, an agent searching one night on 24 December may see no availability without knowing why.
Per person or per room?
Prices quoted per person confuse comparisons. An agent comparing a £695 per person package with a £1,200 per room package needs to notice the difference. Good agents will; it’s still worth making both figures clear. The UK’s price transparency rules also require mandatory charges to be included.
What a package page should say in text
- Exact dates and number of nights.
- Total price per room and per person.
- Every meal and event included, and anything not included.
- Dress codes, children’s policies and whether dogs are welcome.
- Deposit and cancellation terms.
- Whether it’s bookable online, and where.
Late bookers
In December, guests whose plans change ask assistants to find what’s left. A hotel with a few rooms still available, bookable online, may pick up those late bookings. A hotel that needs a phone call during the busiest week of the year may not.
What this means for AI recommendations
Festive questions start early: “hotel with Christmas lunch in the Lake District”. AI names hotels with dated, clearly described packages. Publish them well before the season so assistants have time to find them.
How to check
Ask an agent: “Book your three-night Christmas package for two at [your hotel], arriving 24 December, on the hotel’s own website. Tell me the total price, what’s included and the cancellation terms. Stop before paying.” If it can’t find the package, or can only give you a phone number, you know what guests’ agents see. Our free agent check can run this.
Questions
Why are festive packages hard for agents?
They usually have fixed arrival dates, a set number of nights, a programme of meals and events, and a price per person rather than per room. Each is something the agent must read correctly.
When do guests start booking Christmas?
Many book months ahead, and some return every year. Late bookers in December often ask assistants to find what's left.
Can an agent book a Christmas package that's only in a brochure?
No. It can read a web page or PDF if it's accessible, but it can only book what's in the booking engine.
Should regular rooms show as unavailable over Christmas?
If you only sell packages on those dates, yes, but a short explanation helps. Otherwise an agent searching one night may tell the guest you're full, when a package is available.
Do returning guests book through agents?
Some will keep phoning, especially if they know the team. Others, or their children booking for them, may use an assistant. Having both routes open covers both.