The festive season may be a winter dream for luxury and boutique hotels as Christmas parties, New Year getaways and family reunions keep the rooms full and the lights on. But come January, things can get very quiet.
If you’re feeling that post-festive booking dip, don’t stress. The start of the year is actually the perfect time to refine your digital strategy, strengthen your SEO and attract travellers who are itching for a fresh escape in 2026.
Here are seven proven tactics we’re employing to ensure hotels can keep those bookings coming — even after the tinsel comes down.
1. Target Off-Season Keywords
When search demand shifts, so should your keywords. Instead of chasing “Christmas hotel deals in Dublin,” focus on evergreen, intent-driven phrases like “winter weekend breaks Ireland”, “romantic getaways Galway”, or “midweek hotel offers Cork.”
These long-tail keywords are less competitive and better aligned with early-year search intent meaning more qualified visitors landing on your site.
2. Refresh Your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile is often the first touchpoint for potential guests. January is a great time to update your photos, add off-season packages and post about local events.
Travellers searching “hotels near me” or “spa breaks Ireland” will see your fresh content and, crucially, trust that your business is active and welcoming in 2026.
3. Build Content Around Experiences, Not Just Rooms
Guests don’t book a bed; they book an experience.
Create blog or landing page content about what to do in your area during the off-season: coastal walks in Kerry, whiskey tours in Dublin or wild Atlantic retreats in Clare.
Optimise these posts with internal links to your booking pages to keep SEO and conversions flowing.
4. Speed Up and Streamline Your Website
In 2026, slow websites don’t just annoy guests — they kill conversions.
Run your site through PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix and fix the usual suspects: oversized images, slow plugins and unoptimised booking widgets. A fast, mobile-friendly site can make the difference between a bounce and a booking.
Check which audiences or regions performed best over the holidays and which dropped off. Maybe your UK traffic dipped, or domestic searches grew. Use these insights to tailor content and campaigns toward high-intent audiences for Q1.
6. Strengthen Local Links
Backlinks from local tourism boards, blogs, and event sites are gold for SEO.
Get your hotel listed on “things to do” guides, collaborate with local attractions, or write guest posts for travel blogs. These links not only improve search visibility but also reinforce your hotel’s local authority.
7. Reconnect With Past Guests
Your existing guests are your lowest-hanging yet potentially very lucrative fruit.
Set up segmented email campaigns or retargeting ads for people who stayed with you in 2025. Offer exclusive winter discounts, Valentine’s packages, or “return guest” perks. They already know you, they just need a reason to come back.
January might be slow for hotel footfall, but it doesn’t have to be slow online. By investing in smart SEO, local partnerships, and performance insights luxury hotels can turn the post-festive lull into an opportunity to get ahead.
If you’re ready to boost your hotel’s online performance in 2026, our team at Aró Digital can help you craft a data-driven strategy that keeps bookings consistent all year round. Get in touch - we'd love to hear from you.