Guide
Festival gift sets for hotels
Festivals are the busiest gifting weeks of the year in India, and hotels are well placed to sell a good set. The work is mostly in planning early and keeping the range small.
Plan backwards from the festival
Count back from the date. For a main festival, a realistic plan runs like this: choose the range 12 weeks before, confirm quantities and packaging 10 weeks before, receive stock 4 weeks before, start taking corporate orders 6 weeks before, and open retail sales 3 weeks before.
Short lead times fail first. Packaging, printing and delivery all take longer in festival season than you expect. Confirm dates in writing with your supplier.
Build three price tiers
- Small: a single product with a card, suitable for staff and neighbours.
- Medium: two or three items in a box, the main seller.
- Large: a premium set for key clients and family.
Name tiers by what they contain, not by price. Aim to have one clear best option per tier. More than three options per tier slows a buyer down.
Think about who gives gifts at festivals: families, companies, friends. Each wants a different tier. The family wants something warm, the company wants an even set of many, the friend wants a small token. Name the tiers so buyers can find themselves quickly.
What goes in
Festival gifts should feel celebratory without being generic. Use your own bath range as the base, add a local sweet or dry fruit if you have a safe source and allergen information, and finish with a card. Check what is available in hotel retail formats and what can be assembled in-house.
Avoid perishable items that need cold storage unless you are sure of your logistics.
Where you add food, keep it simple and sealed. Check for nuts and dairy, put ingredients on a card and note the best-before date. A bath-only set avoids these concerns and lasts longer on the shelf, which is useful if stock is left over.
Packaging that suits the season
Festival boxes need to look festive but also fit your brand. A simple approach is to keep the box constant and change only a sleeve, ribbon or card for each festival. This saves cost, simplifies storage and gives you consistent stock for the following year.
See the separate guide on packaging a gift set for details. For custom prints, the bespoke page describes options.
Order a few more sleeves than boxes. Sleeves are cheap and are the first thing to be damaged in handling. Store them flat in a labelled folder.
Selling channels
Festival sets can be sold at reception, through a corporate order form, via your website or message orders, and through event or banquet sales. Pick two channels and do them well. A staffed table in the lobby during the peak week often outsells a web page for properties with local foot traffic.
Prepare a one-page order form with tiers, prices and a delivery date. Corporate buyers like to forward a single page to colleagues. Make sure the page states the last date for orders, and stick to it so you can plan packing.
Worked example
Illustrative only. A 60-room hotel plans 150 sets: 70 small, 60 medium and 20 large. If it also expects around 30 corporate orders in multiples, the larger tier needs to be reserved first. Leave a margin of ten per cent for late orders, and a plan for leftover stock, such as sell as year-round gifts or use as VIP sets.
Prepare for a last-week rush. Many buyers decide late, so hold some finished sets in each tier, and keep extra boxes and cards. Staff should know how to take an order and where to find stock.
Photograph each tier on a plain background for your order form, so buyers can choose at a glance.
After the festival
Record what sold, what did not, what customers asked for and what went wrong. Keep leftover sets in a cool, dry place. If the sleeve is dated, remove it. Next year you will be grateful for the notes. When you are ready to plan, ask for samples of box and contents well ahead of the season.
Finally, note the dates the supplier and courier were busiest, so next year you can order before the rush starts.
Questions on this topic
When should we start taking orders?
Corporate orders can open about six weeks before, retail about three. Confirm stock and delivery dates first.
Can leftover sets be reused?
Yes, as VIP sets, welcome gifts or year-round gifts if the packaging is not date-specific.
Do festival sets need food items?
No. A well-chosen bath set with a card is enough. If food is added, check allergens and shelf life.
Keep reading
- Selling your amenity range in the hotel boutique
- Welcome gift ideas that cost little and get noticed
- Building a VIP amenity set
- Corporate gifting through your hotel
- How to stock an Airbnb bathroom
- Hospital and clinic bathroom amenities: what to consider
- Gym locker room amenities: a practical checklist
Looking for supply? See Hotels & resorts, browse the product range or request samples.