The period between or ‘betwixt’ Christmas and New Year – now dubbed Twixmas – is fast becoming a time when 50- and 60-somethings, caught between caring for children, grandchildren and their own ageing parents, can escape for a relaxed mini-break.
The latest data from airports and travel groups reveals Britons are prioritising holidays over other spending, and the rise of Twixmas shows that a brief Yuletide break is seen as an essential tonic for a growing number of this ‘sandwich generation’.
A new market is being created for the more affluent among this crowd, with chains such as Warner Leisure, which is owned by the US private equity giant Blackstone, gift wrapping getaway packages.
Warner reports that, on December 27, several thousands of the sandwich generation cohort will pack their bags – and their glad-rags – and head to one of its 16 adult-only hotels.
This chain used to cater almost exclusively for the silver set. Now it is leading the way in targeting the demographic that is still working, or have only recently retired, and want to live it up.
In 2019, just 52 per cent of Warner guests were under 65.
Festive: Warner Leisure’s Cotswolds hotel Heythrop Park
Now they represent 65 per cent of the clientele and Warner is trying to secure its advantage with an offer based on plenty of comfort, but also lots of entertainment.
The company has its own troupe of actors and musicians. It also stages shows and concerts in its hotels, featuring stars such as Katherine Jenkins, Gareth Malone, Russell Watson and tribute bands, including Bjorn Again. Some guests hit the dance floor.
Entertainment includes Strictly Come Dancing evenings where you can samba with the professionals. There are DJ sessions with stars such as Sara Cox and Vernon Kay on the decks.
For Paul Pomroy, Warner’s chief executive, Twixmas can be the most wonderful time of the year.
In mid-November bookings were 33 per cent higher than a year previously at Heythrop Park, Warner’s Cotswolds hotel which is housed in an 18th Century mansion. Twixmas stays there start at £519 per person for three nights with breakfast and dinner included.
However, as Pomroy emphasises, Twixmas for this clientele requires an interior decor on a par with London boutique hotels. This market wants elegance with a contemporary edge, as tastes nowadays are less age-related than before.
As Pomroy puts it: ‘People are younger in every way today.’
In the lounge of Warner’s Runnymede hotel at noon on a late November day, I watched a gaggle of guests who had slipped away to recharge their batteries even before the festive season.
From the windows, you could see the Thames idling past through this corner of Surrey.
Around the tables, guests were kicking back, having switched off to enjoy their pre-Christmas getaway.
Pomroy tells me many of his customers are so eager to get the party started that they turn up for lunch while waiting for their rooms to be ready.
There are some expensive vehicles parked outside, underscoring the savings and pension wealth of this baby boomer cohort. The average occupancy at Warner hotels is 90 per cent plus.
Pomroy, who stepped into the job in March this year, is the former boss of McDonald’s UK. In that role, he improved the look of the fast food chain’s restaurants, but also dealt with myths about the dishes (such as there being no chicken in chicken nuggets). At Warner he is masterminding £200 million of investment in the hotels and it is clear he has been involved in every detail of the bedrooms.
At Runnymede, the refurbishment cost about £20 million. The money has been spent on bars, dining rooms and lounges of various sizes to suit those who want to socialise and those who want some peace.
The blue of Warner’s logo is echoed in the upholstery and wallpaper, whose style is high-end chic, rather than dreary hotel minimalist beige.
The upmarket feel continues in the choice of champagnes and food and even in the glasses and tableware, supplying plenty of inspiration for guests embarking on a makeover of their own home in 2025.
Warner is but a small part of the Blackstone empire – the $148 billion (£120 billion) corporation manages $1.1 trillion of assets worldwide. But it embodies one of Blackstone’s bigger bets on post-Covid expenditure.
Holidays of all lengths are a must and new excuses – such as Twixmas – to get away from it all are a source of rejoicing, for hotels and their guests.
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