Lock the house and pull the suitcase. What began as a release in the winter of the pandemic is now consolidated as a trend. More than half of Spaniards (55%) plan to give up traditional family gatherings at home, according to the market research platform Appinio. When it comes to choosing a type of accommodation, the hotel wins (56%), followed by the rural establishment (13%) and the tourist house (10%). There is also no shortage of more unique spaces, such as warehouses or conditioned lofts, where families and groups of friends escape to toast Christmas or say goodbye to the year and where a chef prepares lunch or dinner. The Christmas property reservation thus begins to gain prominence, with a 5% increase in purchases, according to the Destinia portal, which confirms “a trend towards longer getaways on these dates.” Another study by the hotel and flight search portal Jetcost estimates travel spending at 768 euros on average for stays of three days (40%), three to five days (28%), one week (14%) and 8 to 15 days (12%).The protagonists of this home infidelity usually opt for big cities. Its thousands and thousands of light bulbs, decorations and markets compete to seduce the visitor. A race that Madrid leads, according to Booking.com, as the first destination among the top 10 most sought after by Spaniards. Its hotel occupancy now exceeds 90% (despite the 15.9% year-on-year increase in prices). And vacation rentals, which are carried out in private homes, are not far behind either, and from Mad Rentals they estimate occupancy in the capital for the holidays at 85%. Its CEO, Jorge Sánchez, explains the reasons: “These rents increase because they offer common spaces, almost like a home, for families,” and reports an increase in prices “as the dates fall. If it is during the week, like this year, the increase is 20% on Christmas and 100% on New Year's Eve compared to the usual price on those days in December, which is low season. After the capital, Seville follows behind. , Granada, Barcelona and Vigo, according to the Booking.com listing. “Families are looking for vacation rentals to cook together and enjoy the experience,” says Paula Martínez, director for Iberia of Holidu, a platform that estimates occupancy at 88% and points out a 4% increase in the week of New Year's Eve. In the case of the Airbnb platform, families opt, among its more than two million accommodations, for “mountain destinations or with historical tradition” and La Cerdanya (Girona), Granada, Vielha stand out as the most sought after. (Lleida) and Vigo. In this dance of homes, there are also those who change the fireplace for the bikini and the experience of eating grapes at 20 degrees. The Canary Islands are sweeping and Booking.com ranks the islands in ninth place for solo getaways, with a 23% increase in searches compared to 2023. For nature lovers, the rural house is the perfect destination for Christmas. The Rural Escape portal estimates an average occupancy of 50% on that date and 65% on New Year's Eve, with a duration of one to two nights. “The cost per reservation (per night) increases from 30%, although it can be higher,” they explain. In the case of rural houses, those that offer something special win, and the tree cabins stand out for their originality. Cabañitas del Bosque, in Outes, belonging to the region of Noya (Galicia), are shelters built six meters above the ground, a real architectural challenge, just over an hour from Vigo. There are 56 of them and they have an open and common space for between two and five people, a kitchen, bathroom, jacuzzi and fireplace. Its price ranges from 96 euros one night to 510 euros for three nights. If what you are looking for is to enjoy the aroma of jarcha and pine, among others, there are options in Peguerinos (Ávila). The recently built Las Damas house has three floors and five bedrooms with bathrooms, two living rooms, kitchen, terrace and large garden. “On New Year's Eve we raised the price to 1,200 euros because we decorated it like a Christmas movie immersion,” highlights its owner Marta Granizo.Casa Naut, in Baqueira Beret. Ski tourism is an Advent classic. Many choose iconic destinations such as Baqueira Beret, in the Aran Valley, where the town of Bagergue is a true Christmas story. Enjoying a luxury home there, Casa Naut, as the owner of a part of it, is the proposal of Vivla, a platform that has 27 holiday residences in Spain under the concept of co-ownership. A system that allows you to acquire one eighth of a residence at a price of 115,000 euros and that guarantees more than 42 days of use per year. Other different options that families and groups of friends choose these days are alternative spaces. “Their reserve has grown by 37%,” says the founder of Kuarere, Belén Sola. And among the most in demand, he points out the “lofts with an open kitchen, where a chef prepares dinner; New York-style warehouses, small apartments for quiet meetings with a large terrace or other types of multipurpose spaces, with bar counters.”
Ship adapted to celebrate Christmas.
At the table laid
Also from Venus Place, its marketing director, Blanca de Orbe, assures that «people want to leave home and celebrate Christmas in spaces where they bring the cooked dinner or hire it through catering.» And he exemplifies: “Garages, industrial spaces or creative studios, which already total 3,000 reservations, with an increase of more than 41% for Christmas Eve and Christmas.” Singular spaces among which there is no shortage of a castle like Curiel, in the province of Valladolid, witness to the deeds of the Reconquista, of which it is said that the price does not increase on these dates. “It is a family castle that welcomes families, couples and groups of friends. We are full. People are looking to have fun and do new things. Staying at home and watching TV is getting worse,” concludes his manager, Jesús Ramos.