Should Hospitality Businesses Take Part in Black Friday?
Why Black Friday is a risk moment
Black Friday creeps into hospitality every year. Some businesses generate smart cash flow. Others fill diaries with low-margin bookings and spend January wondering what went wrong.
Black Friday exposes how well you understand your numbers.
The common trap
Discounts bring volume, not always value:
Lower average spend
More complaints
Higher pressure on teams
Guests who don’t return at full price
What works better
1. Sell value, not price
Think:
Set menu plus welcome drink
Room plus late checkout
Vouchers with a bonus (buy £100, get £120)
2. Put boundaries around the offer
Quieter days only
Exclude peak dates
Require pre-booking or deposits
Cap availability
3. Sell future demand
Use Black Friday to fill:
January and February
Midweek services
Experiences, not just meals
4. Tell the team in advance
Surprises mid-service kill morale.
A simple Black Friday framework
Decide your goal (cash flow, demand, data)
Create one clear offer
Add limits
Brief the team
Track profit, not just revenue
Useful resources
Hospitality revenue management webinars (various UK providers)
POS and booking system analytics dashboards
Independent finance advisors specialising in hospitality
Takeaway
Black Friday can be strategic — but only if you lead it, rather than react to it.
Host & Founder
Timothy R. Andrews has spent over two decades in hospitality. He founded and led a successful recruitment and training business for luxury four- and five-star markets before moving into senior talent leadership roles. Through the podcast Timothy focuses on credible voices, lived experience, and learning that can be applied immediately, giving back to the industry.
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