Guide
Christmas and New Year 2026: when should hill hotels start selling the long weekends?
Start now. Christmas 2026 and New Year's Day 2027 both fall on a Friday, so hill hotels get two three-day weekends in a row. Fix packages and listings by mid-November, shoot by 20 November, message past guests by late November, run ads from early December, and keep the last week for road details.
Look at the calendar this year. 25 December 2026 is a Friday. 1 January 2027 is also a Friday. For a hotel, homestay or resort in Nainital, Bhimtal, Mukteshwar or Ramnagar, that means two long weekends one after the other, with school holidays in between for many families.
Guests driving up from Delhi NCR and the plains usually compare rooms weeks ahead, and the place that shows up clearly gets the call. This plan works backwards from those dates. For the party-night side of 31 December, see our separate plan at New Year's Eve 2026: when should restaurants and banquet halls start selling the night?.
01Who is this plan for?
It is written for businesses whose rooms and tables fill up with holiday traffic:
- Hotels and resorts in Nainital, Bhimtal, Bhowali, Mukteshwar, Kausani and Ramnagar.
- Homestays that fill mainly on long weekends.
- Cafes and restaurants on the road up, where families stop for a break.
- Hotels in Haldwani and Rudrapur that catch travellers breaking the journey or starting early.
- Taxi and tour operators who sell a stay along with the travel.
If your property shuts for heavy winter, the same plan still helps. Simply make your message your reopening date, and collect WhatsApp numbers for it.
02What should I do now, by 15 November?
Decide what you are selling before you decide what to post:
- Fix your packages: Christmas weekend, New Year weekend, and the days between.
- Set your minimum stay and advance rule, and write them down where all staff can find them.
- If you list on booking apps, decide how many rooms you will keep for direct bookings.
- Check your Google Business Profile: phone number, WhatsApp, photos and timings.
- Update your website with rooms, dates and a clear way to enquire.
- List what is new since last winter, such as a room, a heater, a bonfire or a menu.
Homestay owners should read our post on How do I get more direct bookings for my homestay in Nainital? first. It covers how to handle booking apps and past guests, so this plan does not repeat it.
03What should a hotel shoot for the Christmas season, and when?
Shoot by about 20 November, on a clear day. November light in the hills is usually good, and you will have the reels ready before the rush. These are the shots guests look for:
| Shot | The guest's question | How to shoot it |
|---|---|---|
| Room in morning light | Will we be warm? | Show the heater working and hot water running |
| Bonfire or terrace at dusk | Is this the holiday I picture? | Shoot just after sunset, not in full dark |
| Breakfast with the view | Is the view real? | Real food on real plates, no filters |
| The road and parking | Can I get my car there? | Film the last turn and the parking on a phone |
| Owner or manager on camera | Who will look after us? | One minute, in plain Hindi |
Shoot vertical, and add captions. Do not add fake snow or AI-made views. Guests compare your reel with what they find, and a disappointed guest writes a review.
We built Kartar's Haveli to 7,000+ followers from a standing start on this kind of real food, interiors and venue content. Hospitality sells best when guests can see what they will actually get.
04What is the week-by-week plan from here?
Dates are a guide. Adjust them to how early your own guests usually book:
| When | What to do | What to post |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 15 November | Packages, listings and website fixed | Normal posts, nothing big yet |
| 16 to 30 November | Finish the shoot by about 20 November, then send past guests a personal WhatsApp note | Room and view reels, with weekend dates |
| 1 to 10 December | Start ads, reply to enquiries the same day | Your best reel, the package, and the owner on camera |
| 11 to 20 December | Update staff daily on what is left | 'Rooms left for 25 December', only if true |
| 21 to 24 December | Send guests the road and parking details | The how-to-reach reel and a weather update |
| 25 December to 3 January | Shoot guests with their permission | Stories and short moments from the property |
| 4 to 10 January | Ask for reviews, and thank guests by name | Quiet January and February weekend stays |
05How early should a hill hotel start ads for Christmas?
For most small properties, early December is a sensible start. By then your reels and package details are ready, so the ad has something to show. If your rooms usually sell out well ahead, or you are a larger resort, start in late November.
Aim at the cities your guests actually drive from. Check last year's register or bookings and see where they came from. It is often Delhi NCR and nearby towns in the plains, plus families in Haldwani and Rudrapur for short trips.
Use a real reel as the ad, and send it to WhatsApp or a call. Mention the weekend, not just 'winter offer'. Stop the ad when those dates are full, and move the money to the dates still open. That sounds obvious, but many ads keep running for rooms that are already sold.
06What should I tell guests about snow, traffic and parking?
Be honest about snow. Nobody can promise it on a date, so never make it the promise in your ad. Say 'chance of snow nearby' only if it is true for your location, and sell what you can actually deliver: the fire, the food and the view.
Be useful about traffic, because that is where hill trips go wrong. On one busy weekend reported in April 2025, Nainital police stopped vehicles without hotel bookings at the Rusi bypass and sent them to parking areas. Only tourists with confirmed bookings were allowed into town from that point. Rules change each season, so check before you post.
This makes a good reason to book direct and early, and a helpful message for those who have:
- Keep your booking confirmation handy on your phone.
- Start early, and download the route, because data can drop on the hill road.
- Save our number and the location pin before you leave Haldwani.
- Tell us your arrival time, so we can help you park.
07What happens after the long weekends?
The week after New Year is when reviews get written. Send a short thank-you on WhatsApp with your Google review link while the trip is still fresh. Then save the guest's name and what they enjoyed, because next winter's first message goes to them.
January and February weekends are quieter, and families who could not get rooms over Christmas may still come. Offer them those dates rather than a discount on peak days.
Advance Media Solution shoots and runs content for hospitality brands from our Rudrapur studio, and our crew drives up for the season. Our work with hotels is at Hotel Marketing Agency in Uttarakhand for Resorts. If you want to talk about your winter rooms, call +91 91059 43909. Even without us, fix your packages and photos this week.
08Questions people ask
Should I ask for a full advance for Christmas and New Year?
That is your decision, and many properties ask for an advance on peak dates. What matters is that the rule is clear before money moves: how much, by when, and what happens on cancellation. Send it in writing on WhatsApp along with the confirmation, so nobody argues at the front desk later.
Should I drop my rates to fill the rooms?
On peak weekends, usually not. Add something instead, such as a bonfire evening, a late checkout or a good breakfast. Keep any discounts for quieter weekdays between the two weekends and for January. A deep cut close to the date also upsets the guests who paid full price early.
Is it too late to start if my photos are old?
No. One good shoot day in November gives you enough reels and photos for the season. Start with the rooms guests book most, plus the road and parking. If you have time for only a little, film it on a phone in daylight rather than posting pictures from years ago.
Do hotels in Haldwani and Rudrapur gain anything from this?
Yes, if you say so clearly. Families with older parents or small children often break the journey, and groups starting early like a clean room near the highway. Post about parking, early breakfast and how far you are from the hill road, and name the weekends in your posts.
Sources
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Advance Media Solution, Metropolis City, Rudrapur, Uttarakhand · +91 91059 43909 · nishant@advancemediasolution.com
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