The sale of gift certificates in the hotel industry is undergoing a lasting transformation. This is shown by a recent analysis by incert eTourismus based on data from approximately 1,000 hotel installations in the DACH region: The period surrounding Black Friday Week is increasingly becoming the most important digital sales period for hotel gift certificates.
For the first time since the incert data collection began more than 16 years ago, the day with the highest sales of hotel gift certificates in 2025 was not the day before Christmas, but Black Friday.
November is also becoming significantly more important for digital gift card sales. More than 16 percent of total annual gift card sales are now generated in November. This makes November one of the strongest sales periods of the year.
The results show that voucher sales in the tourism industry are increasingly reflecting changing consumer behavior, and hotels are gaining an additional important sales opportunity.
Christmas Shopping in Flux: Gift Card Buyers Are Making Their Decisions Earlier and Earlier
While in the past, the days leading up to the holiday were particularly strong for sales, today—much like in retail—people start looking for gifts much earlier. Inspiration comes from digital sources, offers are compared online, and purchasing decisions are made as early as November. Overall, 40% of all hotel gift certificates are sold through incert systems in the fourth quarter.
For hotels, this trend means that those who don’t become visible until December will no longer reach many potential customers at the crucial moment.
The period surrounding Black Friday thus becomes an additional opportunity to showcase emotional hotel offers digitally and drive direct revenue.
We take a nuanced view of Black Friday in the hospitality industry. However, our experience with hotel clients shows that targeted “on-top” campaigns can be very successful during this period without compromising the value of their offerings.
Günther Praher
Co-founder of incert eTourismus
This doesn’t necessarily mean traditional discount promotions. Many hotels use this time strategically to create special added value —for example, through exclusive packages, additional services, or limited-time offers.
Place coupon offers strategically on your own website
A key factor for success is visibility within your own digital channels, and this should ideally be achieved by the end of October or early November.
With the incert Teaser Widget , hotels can flexibly integrate coupon offers into their own websites and place them where guests are already interacting with the hotel’s offerings—for example, on the homepage, seasonal landing pages, or special offers sections.
This way, suitable gift ideas appear right when guests are actively looking for inspiration.
Leveraging Black Friday as a Digital Marketing Opportunity
If the timing of the purchase changes, marketing efforts must also begin earlier. Targeted digital campaigns help hotels reach relevant audiences at the right time—such as regional guests, regular customers, or potential new customers.
The incert Meta Ads Wizard helps hotels prepare and deliver targeted voucher promotions for digital campaigns.
Possible applications:
- Promote Christmas gifts early
- Promote seasonal offers
- Re-engage Regular Customers
- Expand the reach of coupon promotions
Added Value Instead of Discounts:
How Hotels Can Make the Most of Black Friday
High-end hotel brands, in particular, often focus on providing additional experiences and added value:
In the hospitality industry, Black Friday doesn’t necessarily have to mean discounts.
- Bonus benefits equal to the value of the gift certificate
- including additional offers
- Exclusive Winter Packages
- special moments of discovery
The free incert Couponing module.
This allows hotels to easily implement digital voucher promotions and codes and to target specific, customized “on-top” campaigns.
Direct sales through our own channels continue to grow in importance
Developments surrounding Black Friday also show that selling gift certificates, experiences, and products directly through their own websites is becoming increasingly important for hotels.
Having your own online store means:
- direct contact with the buyer
- Full control over the brand and product offerings
- independent communication
- better ways to customer retention
Gift certificates are thus evolving from a traditional gift item into a strategic sales channel.
Conclusion
Black Friday is becoming a new staple in hotel gift certificate sales.
The latest incert survey clearly shows that digital gift certificate sales in the hotel industry are also changing. The peak sales period for Christmas gift certificates is increasingly shifting from the traditional December sales season to November. This creates a new sales window for hotels, similar to what has been standard practice in the retail sector for years.
