Four days. £5.11 million in hotel voucher sales. Plenty for hoteliers to think about.
Across Journey’s voucher platform, Black Friday to Cyber Monday 2025 generated 21% more sales value than the same four days in 2024. More than 32,600 vouchers were sold, bringing everything from spa days to overnight escapes into someone’s gifting plans.
Those four days accounted for 9.4% of annual hotel voucher sales value. So, what can hoteliers take from the data when planning for 2026?
Start before everyone else does
Black Friday demand is arriving earlier. In 2025, 32% of identified campaign sales took place before Black Friday itself.
Across all three years analysed, campaigns launching at least 14 days early generated the most sales relative to their hotels’ usual daily levels.
For 2026, consider starting around 13 November, while keeping Black Friday on 27 November as the main event. Early access for past guests or subscribers could help build momentum – but give people something to act on, rather than simply teasing that a sale is coming.
Early launches were associated with stronger sales, rather than guaranteeing them. Your offer, audience and marketing still matter.
Win the 8am scroll
Black Friday itself generated £2.18 million; almost 43% of the four-day total. Buyers were up early too: 43% of Friday orders arrived before midday, with sales value peaking between 8am and 9am.
And mobile matters. Three quarters of Black Friday sales in Journey’s 2025 campaign data came from mobile users.
Have your offers ready from midnight and your morning marketing lined up. Before launch, test the entire journey on your phone: can someone quickly understand the offer, see the saving and complete their purchase?
Don't forget the other end of the day. Around a third of orders on both Sunday and Cyber Monday came after 7pm, making evening reminders worth considering too.
Sell the escape, not just the saving
Overnight stays and spa accounted for 58% of voucher value during the four-day period, compared with 38% across the rest of 2025.
Put those experiences in the spotlight. Strong imagery and simple descriptions should help someone imagine the night away, spa day or dinner they're gifting, not just the percentage they're saving.
It can also pay to give different products different jobs. A higher-value experience might drive revenue, while a more accessible offer helps generate volume.
And think about when you want guests to visit. Carefully chosen redemption dates can help generate demand during quieter periods instead of discounting dates likely to sell anyway.
Give shoppers a reason to spend more
The average basket reached £214 during Black Friday to Cyber Monday, versus £156 across the rest of the year. Think about the natural next step: a stay with dinner, a spa experience for two or a monetary voucher offering more choice.
Minimum-spend promotions are another option. Orders using minimum-spend promo codes averaged £436, versus £354 for codes without one. But the threshold itself explains some of that difference, so judge success on sales and margin as well as basket size.
Make the offer worth acting on
Across the three years analysed, campaigns with discounts below 15% had the lowest median uplift over usual daily sales. A headline offer of 20-30% is worth considering where margins support it.
Then give the customer a reason to act. Limited availability, selected redemption dates, early access or a clear end date can all create genuine urgency.
The analysis measures sales rather than profitability, so the right offer still needs to work for your costs, capacity and brand.
One email isn't a campaign
Journey campaign data found email revenue more than doubled around Black Friday compared with the weeks before and after, with peaks around Early Access, launch, Black Friday and Cyber Monday emails.
Plan a sequence rather than a single send. Early access can build anticipation, Black Friday captures peak demand and Cyber Monday gives you another reason to re-engage shoppers.
Think beyond the inbox too. Make the offer prominent on your website using clear campaign messaging, banners or pop-ups, then support it with organic social and paid activity.
The aim is simple: wherever someone discovers the offer, give them a quick, consistent route to purchase.
Make 2026 count
The opportunity starts well before Black Friday itself.
Start early. Put your strongest experiences forward. Give people a compelling reason to buy. And make the digital journey as easy as possible when demand arrives.
Then use your own results to learn what works for your property, and make the next campaign even stronger.
Ready to make more of Black Friday? Talk to Journey about your voucher and digital strategy for 2026.
