Why “For Two” should become the new default in spa gifting

The way most hotels sell spa vouchers hasn't changed much over the years. Products are typically organised around treatments, package types or creative names that make perfect sense to the teams who created them. But that's not how customers shop.

When someone buys a spa voucher, they're rarely looking for a 60-minute massage or two hours of spa access. They're looking for a gift that feels thoughtful, generous and memorable. They're often browsing on a mobile phone, comparing several options and making a decision in just a few minutes. The question they're really asking isn't which treatment should I buy? It's will this feel like a special enough gift for someone I care about?

As consumer expectations evolve, hotels and spas have an opportunity to rethink how they package and present their experiences. Journey's data shows that 61% of hotel gift vouchers are now purchased on mobile devices, while digital vouchers now account for more than half of all sales, compared with around 30% in 2019. Today's buyers expect clarity. They want to understand exactly what they're purchasing, who it's for and what it includes without having to interpret long descriptions or compare multiple products.

The hotels that see the greatest success won't necessarily be those with the biggest treatment menus. They'll be the ones that merchandise their experiences in a way that reflects how people actually buy.

Gift buyers are looking for experiences, not treatments

Gifted's sales data provides a clear indication of where demand is heading.

Across our customer base, Celebration, Ultimate, Twilight and Mum-to-Be packages consistently rank among the strongest-selling spa products. At the same time, "Spa Packages for Two" has emerged as one of the most popular ways for customers to browse.

What links these products isn't a particular massage or facial. It's the promise of a complete experience that can be shared.

For many gift buyers, that's exactly what makes a spa voucher feel worthwhile. They're imagining the recipient spending quality time with a partner, friend, parent or sibling - not enjoying the experience alone. A voucher for one person can leave questions about who they'll go with and whether they'll need to pay for someone else to join them. A monetary voucher creates similar uncertainty by asking the recipient to decide how far their gift will stretch.

A clearly packaged experience for two removes that uncertainty. It gives buyers confidence that they're purchasing a complete gift rather than contributing towards one.

Make it obvious what's included

One of the biggest opportunities for hotels isn't creating new spa packages—it's presenting existing ones more clearly.

When customers browse a voucher shop, particularly on mobile, they shouldn't need to open multiple product pages to understand what's included. The most successful products answer the obvious questions immediately:

• Is this for one guest or two?

• Does each guest receive a treatment?

• Is spa access included?

• Is food or drink included?

• Is the price for both guests?

If those answers aren't immediately clear, customers are forced to do the work themselves. Every extra question creates friction, and every piece of friction increases the likelihood that they'll abandon their purchase or choose a simpler alternative.

That's why we believe "for two" should become a standard product attribute rather than something hidden in the description. It should appear in product titles, imagery and category pages, making it immediately obvious what the experience offers.

Rather than relying on a creative name like Blissful Escape, a title such as "Ultimate Spa Escape for Two – Overnight Stay, Treatments and Dinner" tells customers exactly what they're buying before they've even opened the product page.

Sell the outcome, not just the itinerary

The strongest spa vouchers don't just describe treatments, they sell an occasion.

Whether it's a birthday, anniversary, Mother's Day or simply an opportunity to reconnect, people buy spa vouchers because of how they expect the experience to make someone feel. The treatments are important, but they're rarely the reason the purchase is made.

That means product copy should lead with the emotional benefit before supporting it with the practical detail.

Instead of simply listing facilities and treatment durations, hotels should communicate what the experience represents: time together, relaxation, celebration or a chance to pause. Details about treatments, dining and spa access should reinforce that story, not replace it.

The same principle applies to imagery. If a package has been designed for two people, the photography should reflect that. Images of couples enjoying lunch, friends relaxing by the pool or two glasses waiting in a spa lounge help customers picture themselves giving - and their recipient enjoying - the experience.

Better merchandising is a commercial opportunity

It's easy to think of product naming, photography and descriptions as marketing tasks. In reality, they're commercial decisions.

Small changes in the way experiences are presented can make products easier to discover, easier to understand and easier to buy. They reduce uncertainty during the purchase journey, encourage customers towards higher-value packages and help premium experiences stand out from standard spa access or treatment vouchers.

Research from the Baymard Institute has consistently shown that customers abandon purchases when product information isn't clear enough to make confident decisions. The same principle applies to spa gifting. When customers immediately understand what they're getting, they're far more likely to complete their purchase.

This is particularly important as wellness continues to become a larger part of hotel revenue. Spa experiences are no longer simply ancillary services; they're valuable commercial products that deserve the same level of merchandising and optimisation as rooms.

Retail spa experiences the way customers buy them

One of the themes we see across hospitality is that hotels often organise products around how the business operates, rather than how customers shop.

Guests don't think in terms of treatment categories, operational schedules or package structures. They think in occasions, emotions and shared experiences.

That's why "for two" feels so powerful. It aligns the product with the customer's mindset from the very beginning.

At Gifted, we're passionate about helping hotels and spas turn exceptional experiences into stronger commercial performance. Sometimes that means introducing new functionality or improving the online buying journey. Increasingly, though, it means helping hotels package and merchandise the experiences they already offer in a way that's clearer, more relevant and more compelling.

As mobile purchasing continues to grow and customers increasingly seek memorable experiences over material gifts, hotels don't necessarily need to create more products. They need to present their best experiences in the way customers already want to buy them.

For many spas, that could start with one simple change: making "for two" the default, rather than the exception.