9 Ways Hotels Can Sleigh Their Holiday PR Game

Careening toward the end of the year means big opportunities for hotel PR efforts looking to capture holiday travelers. Nerdwallet reports that travel prices have remained fairly steady this fall, which suggests travelers won’t be facing as much sticker shock while planning a festive escape.

It’s a competitive time for hotel PR to make their holiday offers stand out, and to attract media who are clamoring to tell the best stories. Fortunately, the right PR strategies can earn headlines, attract bookings and create memorable guest moments.

Engage in some—or all—of these nine hospitality PR tactics to shine brighter than the holiday lights this season.

1. Lead With Newsworthy Themes

Hotel PR efforts that make a big deal out of standard décor are missing the mark. Instead, hotels should create an Instagram-worthy seasonal installation or lobby experience that grabs more than just visitors’ attention. Feature your most interesting assets to get the media looking twice.

Check out the Plaza Hotel’s iconic holiday tree or Ritz-Carlton’s life-size gingerbread houses to see what these sorts of moments should look like.

2. Package Up Holiday Getaways

Even if prices aren’t skyrocketing, travelers aren’t all feeling great about their purses and wallets. Hotels need to lean into economic headlines and bundle seasonal experiences into one convenient package. Make it clear how your hotel offers access and deals for local holiday markets, ice skating, spa escapes or New Year’s Eve dining.

Ultimately, it’s about focusing on the value your hotel provides. This creates a media-friendly approach where journalists can share the “one-stop holiday package” and help encourage bookings.

3. Trim Social Media With Festive Content

It’s the time of the year to shake things up, so hotel PR teams must lean into Reels/TikTok if they haven’t yet. Get creative with a decorating timelapse or feature a chef making seasonal treats. Leverage any behind-the-scenes staff traditions that make your hotel even more interesting.

If nothing else, the season invites hotels to launch a branded hashtag to encourage UGC and boost their brands.

4. Host Themed Media & Influencer Events

Use that end-of-year budget to create an event that spreads your hotel’s message far and wide. Invite local journalists and influencers to experience the hotel’s holiday setup at a curated experience to create effective buzz.

Consider a media preview night with festive cocktails and photo ops or a cooking class with your in-house chef. However you engage them, be sure to debrief on messaging before and after, but leave them the requisite creativity to engage their audiences as they know best.

5. Give Back With Purpose-Driven PR

Align with the spirit of giving this season by sponsoring charity toy drives, offering meals for those in need and promoting partnerships with local nonprofits. Hotels can do some real good while also generating positive holiday PR.

Too many properties are Scrooges when it comes to the holidays, but the media loves spotlighting brands that give back.

6. Spotlight Culinary Experiences

Travelers love a holiday menu, and the media wants to deliver that to them. The next few weeks are your chance to stand out through the festive cocktails and dinner specials that visitors can expect.

But that doesn’t mean you should only be thinking about dining. Some innovative hotel PR approaches include pitching recipes to food editors and lifestyle outlets as holiday content, breaking free from the normal travel media that is already flooded with menus and brunches.

7. Promote Pet-Friendly Holiday Fun

There are travelers who won’t even look at your hotel if it’s not pet-accessible. And there’s a whole slew of media catering to them. This year, publicize pet photos with Santa, pup-friendly menus or donation drives for animal shelters. It’s a prime way to engage niche audiences of animal lovers.

These PR angles also play well with lifestyle and local press, offering yet another way for hotels to differentiate themselves.

8. Create Shareable Holiday Experiences for Guests

Travelers are increasingly on the lookout for experiences that distinguish their stays. Help the media showcase what you’re offering by pitching holiday-only workshops, cookie decorating, caroling nights or spirited mixology classes that are filling your calendar this December.

Be audacious and get creative. Build activations that give the media a reason to cover the property beyond your comfortable beds. It’s the time of the year to unwrap your inhibitions and think outside the box.

9. Extend the Festivities Into the New Year

Keep your hotel holiday PR momentum going into 2026 with travel packages and winter discounts that can be purchased during specific windows in December. 

Build a gift strategy, for example, by encouraging travelers to book ahead and reserve rooms for January and February dates. Position January as “holiday recovery” or “wellness reset” with packages tied to resolutions.

Maximizing your holiday hotel PR efforts bridges the gaps when the parties end on New Year’s Day and travelers hibernate until the spring season wakes them up again.

Hotels need to do more than spread cheer during the holiday season. They need to stand out and give the media something irresistible to share. By combining festive experiences, social-ready content, culinary storytelling and community impact, hotels can secure coverage and bookings that last well into 2026.Ready to deck out your holiday hotel PR strategy? Get in touch with Elizabeth Bortsting at Elizabeth.Borsting@aboutdci.com to learn more about DCI’s hotel and hospitality PR team.