The FAR Forecast: Promoting your Cotswold hotel during shoulder season
The post-Christmas winter period doesn’t have to be a scary moment for your hotel or restaurant in the Cotswolds - it’s an opportunity to dig into your PR and marketing strategy. With summer crowds out of sight and gardens lying dormant, the focus shifts from bucolic scenery to quiet sanctuary.
For travel and hospitality businesses, this is the time to delve into your creative PR and marketing mindset and enhance your indoor offering, add value, and reinforce your brand appeal.
Here you’ll find some tips to action when the booking engine slows down.
1. Shift the narrative: from touring to 'cocooning'
In January and February, the Cotswolds' charm lies in its cosy, rather than its usual bustle. Your PR and marketing toolkit should promote the idea of a deliberate, indulgent escape from the post-holiday grind. Lean on annual travel trend reports, like Booking.com, Skyscanner and Hilton, for ideas that align with your business.
The "hygge" effect: Pitch your hotel as the ultimate retreat. Highlight roaring log fires, heavy linens, deep-soaking bathtubs, and the quiet comfort of your reading nooks. Use high-quality photography and video content that focuses on texture, warmth, and intimate spaces.
Weather-proof it: Acknowledge the inevitable winter weather... Create a package that makes rain and cold a benefit, not a deterrent.
For example: The Literary Lockdown: Includes a new hardback book from a local author, a bottle of locally sourced wine or kombucha in-room, and a guaranteed late check-out.
2. Choose added value over discounts: consider all-inclusive
Everyone knows customers are particularly price-sensitive in Q1. To keep them coming, the most effective strategy isn't slashing room rates - it’s adding demonstrable value to a longer two- or three-night stay.
Consider:
Winter rejuvenation - include a complimentary 30-minute massage treatment (using a remote therapist like Lucie if required), a bottle of wine in-room, some luxury bath salts and even a silk eye mask to aid nourishing sleep.
A flavourful stay - include dinner and a bottle on the first night for guests with no intention to cut back this year.
Promote these as exclusive direct booking offers in your email newsletters and on your social media bios to drive traffic away from OTAs.
3. Events & experiences: lean into the destination
The Cotswolds may be quieter in Q1, but your hotel doesn't have to be. Create niche, weekend-filler events to generate social media buzz and a continued stream of press coverage.
Creative workshoping: Partner with local Cotswold artisans (potters, candle makers, florists) to host weekend courses. This generates press interest in local news and niche lifestyle blogs.
Example: A "winter floristry & herbal apothecary" weekend.
Pop-up dining: Host a one-off supper club with a respected national chef. Get guests excited about the chance to sample some of Britain’s best flavours.
Highlight local events: Research local village markets, garden openings, festivals, or theatre productions happening in January/February 2026. Pitch your hotel as the perfect base for their weekend. Reminder: Cheltenham Gold Cup in March will see an influx of tourists to capture.
4. PR outreach: giving journalists the easy story
Journalists are looking for easy, compelling stories in the slow Q1 news cycle. Make your hotel the obvious choice.
Target niche media: Focus on adventure, food and UK travel writers, rather than general news. They are keen to feature new menus, beautifully designed rooms, outdoor activities or unique cosy stays.
The "expert" Pitch: Have your Head Chef offer a Q1-relevant tip to a publication (e.g., "how to spice up your winter veggies"). Include high-resolution images that will entice their readers.
Visual content: Maintain consistency on social media - even without sunny garden shots. Focus on interiors, food plating, and guest-facing details - and exterior shots of a chilly garden and icy walking routes. Though it’s trickier, it is just as important to keep momentum during the shoulder season to tempt your followers.
By positioning your hotel as the essential, value-rich escape during the quietest months, you could transform the "shoulder season" into your most strategically sound PR period.
If you’d like us to help protect your business from the winter lull, get in touch.
