7 reasons to book a hotel this Christmas

Say ‘bye’ to pigs in blankets and ‘hello’ to the best bed you’ll sleep in all year. It’s time to seriously consider ditching the sofa and booking a hotel when visiting the family this Christmas.

And here’s why…

1. A king size double is always more comfortable than a sofa bed 

Forget pulling out the sofa bed or squeezing on to the settee for a good night’s sleep. When you book a hotel room, you know there’s a perfectly good bed waiting for you. Don’t worry about everyone clearing out from the living room before you start rearranging the pillows, you can slink off to sleep in your hotel at a time that suits you. The whole family can finish their annual, animated game of charades, while you get some much-needed shut eye.

2. Hotel staff won’t scoff at your new dietary preferences 

Nut roast? Cauliflower Wellington? Spare yourself from the judgemental looks and your mum from the shock to the system, by asking a trained chef to prepare your vegetarian Christmas dinner instead. Your taste buds might have changed but your dad’s dedication to turkey hasn’t. Why not ask for seconds to take home and give the family the gift of a new festive food favourite.

3. To avoid arguments over the remote 

Is Die Hard a Christmas film? Will the Eastenders special ruin the festive cheer? Who cares! Watch whatever you want without worrying about pleasing everyone. With smart TVs and high-speed internet in your room, you can jump from streaming a series to swiping through Tik Tok for your viewing pleasure. Stream King Charles’ speech on the big screen and The King’s Speech on your phone screen, there are no rules.

4. There's not a pool in the back garden (unfortunately)

Don’t deny yourself a little bit of luxury, it’s Christmas. Splash out (that one’s intended) on a hotel with a pool to keep your festive feels afloat. People have odd traditions at this time of year; a swim in the Serpentine, a dip in the sea, we’re not asking you to go to great lengths (that one too) to make the season feel special, just to paddle in a heated pool instead.

5. Leave the milk and cookies to someone else 

Has Kris Kringle gone Keto? Perhaps Papa Noel went Paleo? Maybe Rudolph has cut down on dairy to fix that inflamed nose? Forget the latest Lapland diet trends and the best nutrition for working reindeers and leave the friendly people at the front desk to take care of December’s busiest delivery service. Father Christmas may be generous but he’s a messy guest, at least if you book a room in a hotel, you can leave sweeping up snowy footprints to our lovely housekeeping teams too.

6. To escape gift-shaming 

There’s always one family member who ‘does presents’ better than you. That handsewn jumper for grandad that he never takes off, tickets to the comedy night that your sister won’t stop talking about. You put thought into those gift cards and last-minute petrol station buys, it’s not your fault if the family doesn’t appreciate them. When it gets too much you can always take shelter from judgement in a warm hotel room.

7. Father Christmas will still find you 

You might not get a fireplace in your room, but St Nick always finds a way of delivering gifts where they need to be. We can’t promise a stocking with your name on but something tells us you’ll get the presents you deserve, even if you don’t wake up in a sleeping bag on the spare room floor on Christmas day.