Bitten by the love bug, Indians splurge on Valentine's Day travel, hotel bookings up over 20%

High travel demand during Valentine's Day.

Private dinners under the stars, scenic road trips, a trip to Bali or a luxury stay -  couples are ready to splurge this Valentine's Day and many hotels are already fully booked to celebrate the day of love.

Room bookings for many hotels are up by 15-20 percent versus last year.

Higher bookings, sold out hotels

Noormahal Palace in Karnal which is a 5-star property has recorded a 25 percent increase in bookings compared to last year. "We are completely sold out for Valentine’s Day as compared to last month," said Roop Partap Choudhary, Executive Director of Noormahal Group.

Demand is higher this year for Valentine's Day as it falls on a Friday, resulting in extended weekend getaways, pointed out Nipun Vig, senior Vice President, Operations, Sarovar Hotels. "Our hotels in leisure destinations are about 15 percent ahead in pace (bookings) compared to last year. This Valentine's Day is seeing stronger demand, with occupancy levels expected to be 20 percent higher than last year when Valentine's Day fell on a Wednesday, which had a different booking pattern," he said.

Valentine’s Day overlapping with a weekend is driving a spike in last-minute bookings, noted Dharamveer Singh Chouhan, Co-founder & CEO, Zostel. "Demand is surging and reservations are around 20 percent higher than last year. Couples and travellers are opting for spontaneous getaways, stepping away from their work routines to embrace an unplanned escape. The occupancy rate has risen by 8-10 percent versus the previous month," he added.

Radisson Blu in Kaushambi is fully booked on Valentine's Day and the property also has more events lined up this year versus 2024 in its banquets. "Our banquets have 11 events lined up, up from nine events last year. Our restaurants are seeing a higher number of queries compared to the previous year, indicating a strong demand for romantic dining experiences," said Navneet Jain, CEO, Radisson Blu, Kaushambi, Delhi NCR.

All the hotels are working at around 75 - 85 percent average occupancy for this Valentine's weekend, according to Karen Mulla, co-founder of travel firm TravelK. "The restaurants within these hotels have also experienced 75 percent reservations ahead of the upcoming weekend. Some of the luxury properties have noticed a 25 percent increase in queries ahead of Valentine's Day for their pool side bookings and dinner reservations."

SaffronStays, which offers luxury villas and homestays usually sees 10 percent contribution in terms of bookings coming from couples but for this year's Valentine’s season the number has doubled to 19 percent. "We’ve noticed a 12-15 percent jump in occupancy over the previous week, as couples and even friend groups plan for extended weekend celebrations, said Devendra Parulekar - Founder of SaffronStays.

Splurging on love

Love comes with a price tag, and travellers are willing to splurge, said Hari Ganapathy, Co-Founder, Pickyourtrail, an international holiday platform. The average spend per couple for a trip to Bali for Valentine's celebrations is Rs 1.4 lakh while Male will cost Rs 2.5 lakh and Vietnam, Rs 1.6 lakh.

Most couples are opting for a 4-5 day stay, making the most of their intimate escapes, as per Pickyourtrail.

Parulekar pointed out that room rates are 10-15 percent higher as compared to the previous weekend, driven by increased demand for premium experiences.

India’s couples are exploring unique accommodation from tree-top stays, to forts, havelis-palaces, plantation bungalows in verdant tea/coffee estates and cave hotels and private villas with a private chef and concierge services, said Kale.

Sarovar Hotels' Vig noted that hotel room rates are around 10 percent higher than last year.

For Valentine's Day weekend, standard rooms on an average will cost a traveller Rs 15,000–Rs 18,000 per night as compared to Rs 8,000–Rs 12,000 recorded in the previous week, Mulla pointed out.

Prices for premium rooms are 20-35 percent higher at Rs 18,000–Rs 30,000 per night, up from Rs 12,000–Rs 18,000 last week.

Luxury rooms and suites have seen price jumps of 30-50 percent with exclusive experiences like private villas or overwater bungalows commanding premium rates of Rs 30,000 upwards per night, up from Rs 20,000 last week, she said adding that Goa, Udaipur, Maldives and hill stations are experiencing the highest demand.

Top travel choices 

Travel platform Agoda has registered an 83 percent increase in searches for domestic destinations while it is up by 31 percent for international holiday spots.

Goa retained its position as the top domestic choice, but interestingly, emerging spiritual destinations like Allahabad and Varanasi are gaining interest among Indian travellers. New Delhi and Mumbai are among the top 5 domestic destinations for Valentine's Day celebrations.

Phuket has overtaken Dubai as the most sought-after international destination, followed by Bangkok, Pattaya and Bali, said Krishna Rathi, Senior Country Director India Subcontinent and MEA (Middle East and Africa) at Agoda.

Travel sentiment is at an all-time high, said Rajeev Kale - President & Country Head, Holidays, MICE, Visa - Thomas Cook (India) Limited.

"Manali, Dalhousie, Auli, Nainital, Coorg, Ooty, Munnar, Pondicherry, Darjeeling, the North East, Jaipur-Udaipur, Agra and Alleppey are trending destinations. Beach destinations like the Andamans and Goa have also featured well. While given the duration of merely a four-day break, short hauls with visa on arrival/e visas are seeing brisk demand to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Maldives, Singapore, Mauritius, Abu Dhabi and Dubai," Kale added.

Saurabh Gahoi, Senior Vice president of Ramee group of hotels is seeing a significant increase in Valentine's Day bookings across their properties, particularly in key locations such as Khar, Juhu, and Dadar in Mumbai, Pune, Udaipur, Surat, Indore, and Bengaluru.

There's also demand for longer stays to top international locales like Europe’s Switzerland, France, Austria; New Zealand, Australia, Japan and South Korea for travel during Valentine’s Day, Kale noted.

Drivecations to nearby offbeat destinations are also witnessing an uptick, said SD Nandakumar, President and Country Head - Holidays and Corporate Tours, SOTC Travel. "Customers in/around Delhi are keen on short, drivable holidays to Naukuchiatal, Munsiyari, Kangra, Kanatal, Kausani," he added.

Travel trends

Mulla also said that this year women are taking initiatives for enquiries and bookings.

Parulekar has also observed a new trend of girl groups booking villas for a 'Galentine’s' celebration.

On the other hand, Pickyourtrail data suggests that with the wedding season in full swing, the majority of Valentine’s Day travellers are honeymooners. Many newlyweds are choosing 'mini-moons'—short, lavish getaways now, followed by a grand international trip later in the year.

Instagram-worthy spots like The Edge’s Sky Pool, Nusa Penida’s cliffside views, and the Bali Swing are seeing a surge in romantic proposals and pre-wedding shoots.

In addition to romantic escapades, millennial couples are opting for outdoor-adventures like yachting, kite-sailing, scuba diving, camping, trekking, hot air ballooning, biking trips to scenic terrains; safari drives and jungle experiences, Kale said.

"Couples embracing spirituality are also showcasing strong demand for the ongoing Mahakumbh mela," he added.