Hotels are happy as over 50s need a break between Christmas and New Year for new holidays

The period between or between Christmas and New Years – now known as Twixmas – has quickly become a 50- to 60-year-old period, caught between caring for children, grandchildren and their own parents are getting old and escape for a little rest. .

Recent reports from airports and travel groups show that Britons are prioritizing holidays over other spending, and the rise of Twixmas shows that the short Yuletide season has proved to be a vital tonic for the growth of this ‘sandy generation’.

A new market is being created for the affluent in this crowd, with chains such as Warner Leisure, owned by US private equity firm Blackstone, offering gift wrapping.

Warner says that on December 27, thousands of the sandwich-growing group will pack their bags – and their rags – and head to one of his 16 adults-only hotels.

This chain was used almost exclusively for the silver set. It is now leading the way in targeting the working and recently retired population with a desire to live.

In 2019, only 52 percent of Warner guests were under the age of 65.

Now that they represent about 65 percent of customers, Warner is trying to establish its advantage and offer a lot of comfort, but a lot of entertainment.

The company has its own group of actors and musicians. It also hosts shows and concerts in its hotels, featuring stars such as Katherine Jenkins, Gareth Malone, Russell Watson and tribute bands, including Bjorn Again. Some of the guests hit the dance floor.

Entertainment includes Dance Dance evenings where you can samba with professionals. A DJ session with stars like Sara Cox and Vernon Kay on the decks.

For Paul Pomroy, the CEO of Warner, Twixmas is the most wonderful time of the year.

Mid-November was 33 per cent higher than last year at Heythrop Park, Warner’s Cotswolds hotel in a 19th-century manor house. Twixmas takes place there from £519 per person for three nights including breakfast and dinner.

However, according to Pomroy, Twixmas is for this customer who wants an interior decoration similar to London’s boutique hotels. This market wants something stylish and modern, because today’s tastes are less sophisticated than in the past.

Pomroy says: ‘People are young today.’

In the lobby of Warner’s Runnymede Hotel at midday on a late November day, I watched as many guests had slipped away to recharge their batteries earlier. than during the holidays.

From the windows, you can see the Thames lazing in this corner of Surrey.

Around the tables, the guests are kicking back and off to enjoy their pre-Christmas getaways.

Pomroy tells me that many of his clients want to get the party started when they arrive for lunch while waiting for their rooms to be ready.

An expensive car parked outside represents the savings and pension of this baby boomer group. Warner hotels are 90 percent occupied.

Pomroy, who joined the role in March this year, is the former boss of McDonald’s UK. In that role, he improved the image of the fast food chain’s restaurants, but there were stories about the dishes (like the lack of chicken in the chicken cakes). At Warner he oversees £200 million of investment in hotels and is obviously involved in every detail of the bedrooms.

In Runnymede, the renovation will cost around £20 million. Money has been spent on bars, dining rooms and rooms of various sizes to suit those who want to be together and those who want peace.

Warner’s signature blue is reflected in the upholstery and wallpaper, giving it the feel of a high-end setting rather than the low-key gray of a dark hotel.

The trend continues in the selection of champagne and food as well as glassware and tableware, offering inspiration for guests who are starting to transform their own home in the year 2025.

Warner is only a small part of the Blackstone empire – the $148 billion (£120 billion) corporation that controls $1.1 billion of global assets. But it includes one of Blackstone’s biggest budgets for post-Covid spending.

Holidays are always a necessity and new excuses – like Twixmas – to get away from it all are a source of joy, both for hotels and their guests.