Valentine’s Day: Hotel bookings jump up to 175% as couples spend more on getaways

New Delhi: Indian couples are checking into hotels to spend a lot more on the day of love with hotels and travel companies reporting a considerable uptick in bookings for the Valentine's Day weekend. Hotel bookings have surged over 175% year on year for Valentine's day as per Cleartrip, signalling a clear shift towards experience led short getaways. Manjari Singhal, chief growth and business officer at Cleartrip said bookings have risen over 60% for Guwahati and over 65% for Colombo as travellers also opt for short international escapes.

"We are clearly seeing a distinct year-on-year uptick in Valentine's Day travel with bookings going 58% to 110% across our portfolio of resorts," said Amruda Nair, founder and CEO of Araiya Hotels & Resorts. Nair said industry data backs the demand spike.

"RateGain is reporting a 58% year-on-year increase in hotel bookings for Valentine's weekend, with sharp surges across leisure destinations signalling that couples are choosing 'destination style' breaks over single night celebrations," she said.


Companies said couples are spending more, planning to stay longer and are opting for greater customisation. Clarissa Group, which operates hotels and resorts across destinations such as Jim Corbett, Goa, and Mukteshwar is seeing a 70-80% jump in demand. Harshal Dilwali, director and CEO of the chain, said the trends are in line with the overall post pandemic spending shifts in travel, wellness and meaningful leisure experiences. ITC Hotels said it is seeing a strong uptick in demand for its properties in Agra, Jaipur, Gurugram and Goa.

International travel budgets are up 20-33% year-on-year on Pickyourtrail, said founder Hari Ganapathy. "Personalised Valentine's bookings have grown 12.5% year-on-year, while first time international Valentine's Day travellers increased by 7% and repeat travellers grew by 13%, indicating both market expansion and stronger repeat intent," he added. On Cox & Kings, valentine's related holiday bookings are up 50% year on year, said director Karan Agarwal.

In 2025, the average occupancy for the Valentine's Day weekend for Leisure Hotels Group was around 60%, whereas this year it is projecting upwards of 80% occupancy.

"Room rates are approximately 10% higher compared to last year, and guests are comfortable paying a premium for well-located, experiential stays. Leisure travel demand continues to remain strong, especially for quick, drive-to destinations," said Shahzad Aslam, head of sales at the chain.

At Mihir Garh, bookings for Valentine's Day are up 25% year-on-year. "While Mihir Garh has a small inventory, average spend per couple has increased by approximately 30% driven by experience-led choices," said Avijit Singh, director, House of Rohet. Singh said all Valentine's Day bookings now include at least one customised romantic experience compared to about 50% of the bookings last year, with guests opting for Shikar dinners out in the wilderness to rose petal baths and other personal touches.

For Rawla Narlai, a 17th century restored fortress in Pali, bookings are up 15% compared to last year, said hotel manager Kripalini Singh.

Nair said the broader market is running strong with Valentine's Day weekend occupancies in the 75-85% range and certain leisure properties already close to sell-out.

"There is a noticeable shift towards curated experiences, such as private dining in non-traditional venues and proposal setups" she added.