How to Get a Head Start on the Holidays with Early Direct Channel Campaigns

Key takeaways

• Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas and New Year’s Eve land within about six weeks, so planning each one as it arrives leaves hotels a step behind

• Hotels running dedicated website campaigns around Black Friday 2025 grew direct revenue by 60.5%, against 4.4% for hotels without one

• Travel, the season of giving and the holiday peaks all build well before the holidays actually arrive

• Each window calls for its own approach: teasers and countdowns for Black Friday, a one day flash sale for Cyber Monday, host targeting for Thanksgiving, offers specific to the property for Christmas and a scheduled Annual Sale for January

Black Friday is still a month away, which is exactly why now is the time to plan. Cyber Monday follows three days later, Christmas arrives four weeks after Black Friday and New Year’s Eve closes out the peak. January’s booking window opens before the decorations come down.

The data shows what that preparation can mean. Lighthouse analyzed 1,982 hotels around Black Friday 2025, comparing the two weeks surrounding it with the same stretch a month earlier. Hotels running dedicated website campaigns grew direct revenue by 60.5%. Hotels without one grew it by 4.4%.

This article looks at how each window of the holiday season works, from Black Friday and Cyber Monday through New Year’s and the January sales, and why each one rewards hotels that are ready early.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Black Friday remains one of the strongest moments of the year for the direct channel. A Lighthouse 2025 analysis found that hotels with dedicated campaigns saw 30.8% more direct bookings, against 2.8% for hotels without one. Website conversion rose 21.3% and booking engine conversion rose 56.6%. Average revenue per user climbed 56.3%, which matters for anyone who worries that deals erode value. Among these hotels, revenue per user went up.

The campaigns behind those numbers share a few traits. Some start with a teaser, like the hotel that gave its database an early look at deals with a custom letter opening design, building sign ups before the sale began. Others make time visible: one paired limited availability with a countdown clock, and another used a Black Week price tag graphic with a clear savings message. Animated GIFs helped one property promote newsletter sign ups ahead of its deals, and another extended its offer by 24 hours for guests who needed longer to decide.

Cyber Monday tends to work differently. It suits a one day flash sale, where an Exit message reminds catches the eye of departing visitors with a reminder of the offer. A Layer that appears after a short period of inactivity can draw wandering visitors back to the deal, and early access for loyal guests and newsletter subscribers rewards the audience most likely to book. If the best dates sell out, a message promoting a nearby sister property keeps the booking in the group.

Thanksgiving: the host and the visitor

For US properties, Thanksgiving week holds a smaller opportunity that’s easy to miss. Hosts want space for family who are coming to stay, and visitors want somewhere quiet to retreat to after a long day together.

Search behavior helps tell the two apart. Someone looking at Wednesday and Thursday stays near the hotel, well ahead of the holiday, is probably a host housing guests. Someone searching from further away is probably the visitor. A host might respond to early check in, late checkout and pet friendly rooms, while a visitor might prefer a peaceful place to recharge. Visitors who decide at the last minute that they need a break could see a message inside the booking engine saying the hotel is there when they need it.

Crafting the ideal festive package for the occasion and showcasing the offer to website visitors searching dates over the Thanksgiving period ensures your offer is reaching the right visitor with the right message.

Christmas: offers that feel specific to the property

Christmas campaigns work best when the offer fits the property and what its guests want. The range is wide. From building an advent calendar offering a different direct booking perk each day, to including Christmas Eve dinner with stays booked on the 24th, get creative with offers that lift booking value and gives travelers a reason to book direct.

The festive season is also a chance to show what your location has to offer. Guests planning a winter holiday are choosing a destination as much as a room, so the strongest offers sell the whole experience. One mountain property built a package around Christmas markets, pairing homemade cookies and mulled wine on arrival with its own market and a trip to the most popular markets nearby. Offers like this show visitors why that property, in that place, is the right choice for their winter break.

New Year’s Eve and the January window

New Year’s Eve is a countdown by nature, and campaigns that use one tend to feel natural. A clear visual and an interactive clock encourage guests to book before the celebration begins, and pairing the campaign with targeting for visitors searching late December stays keeps it relevant. Details such as live music, festive dining or a dedicated New Year’s Eve dinner offer help guests picture the night.

The first days of January offer a different kind of opportunity. People returning from a break often want something to look forward to, and the new year suits a “treat yourself” message such as a wellness getaway. Running this Annual Sale from January 1 to 10, creates a sense of urgency and flexible cancellation to make booking feel easy. The campaign can be created before the holidays and scheduled to go live, so the team can enjoy the break while it runs.

Beyond Christmas

The season doesn’t end in January, and cultural moments give hotels a way to reach specific markets with relevant messages. One Lunar New Year campaign targeted visitors in China, Korea and Singapore with culturally inspired visuals, offering dining discounts, flexible check in and checkout times and a complimentary breakfast.

Valentine’s Day, Hanukkah and any celebration that matters to a destination or its source markets can work the same way. These moments signal a hotel that understands its guests.

Where Lighthouse Direct fits

Seasonal campaigns multiply quickly. Messages, audiences, countdown clocks and scheduling add up, and each needs to appear for the right visitor at the right moment. Lighthouse Direct’s Layers and Smart Notes handle countdowns and urgency, Exits capture visitors before they leave and Content Swaps adapt the homepage to who’s visiting. Campaigns can be scheduled in advance, with A/B testing to show which offers perform.

The sooner planning starts, the more the next few months look like a calendar of opportunities rather than a scramble.

Frequently asked questionsWhen should hotels start planning holiday campaigns?

About a month before Black Friday is a good point to begin. That gives hotels time to choose offers, build campaigns and test them on desktop and mobile. A teaser can go live before the sale to start collecting sign ups. Starting early also makes it easier to plan Cyber Monday, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and the January sales together.

Why do holiday campaigns matter for a hotel’s direct channel?

Holiday demand peaks fast, and hotels with campaigns live on their own website are ready when it does. In Lighthouse Direct’s analysis of 1,982 hotels around Black Friday 2025, hotels running dedicated website campaigns grew direct revenue by 60.5%. Hotels without one grew it by 4.4%.

Can hotels schedule holiday campaigns in advance?

Yes. With Lighthouse Direct, campaigns can be created ahead of time and scheduled to go live on set dates, including Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and the January sales. A/B Testing then shows which offers perform best, so teams can adjust while the season runs.

Paige Lopez

Paige is a content marketer with a passion for storytelling and helping hotel brands grow their direct channel. With a background in hospitality marketing, she explores how personalized messaging, guest-centric content, and AI-driven tools can boost direct bookings by optimizing every stage of the user journey.

About Lighthouse

Lighthouse (formerly OTA Insight) is the leading commercial platform for the travel & hospitality industry. We transform complexity into confidence by providing actionable market insights, business intelligence, and pricing tools that maximize revenue growth. We continually innovate to deliver the best platform for hospitality professionals to price more effectively, measure performance more efficiently, and understand the market in new ways.

Trusted by over 65,000 hotels in 185 countries, Lighthouse is the only solution that provides real-time hotel and short-term rental data in a single platform. We strive to deliver the best possible experience with unmatched customer service. We consider our clients as true partners – their success is our success.

Source: View the original article at Lighthouse.