A holiday voucher from Hotelgift gives someone a hotel stay they get to choose themselves, from over 750,000 properties worldwide, powered by our Expedia partnership. This is a voucher that opens to your beloved ones, a lot of opportunities for experiencing city breaks, spa weekends, coastal retreats, mountain lodges, and a large etc: the destination, the dates and the hotel are entirely theirs to pick. You set the value. They do the rest.
Giving a gift is something that should be done with care. Very often, some gifts end up forgotten in a drawer at home or are returned just a few days later. It has to be done thoughtfully. A colleague who is retiring and has spent years wanting to travel to the Grand Canyon, a friend who is finally graduating and has been dreaming of backpacking through Cambodia but cannot afford it, or a girlfriend to whom you have promised a special trip for your anniversary. All of these are occasions where not only the gift matters, but also the message it conveys.
Vouchers are valid for two years from purchase and can be sent as a premium physical card by post, a printable PDF, or an instant digital eGift by email. Values start from £25 and go up to £10,000.
How a Hotelgift holiday voucher works
If you look for simplicity, these type of vouchers cover that necessity. Buying takes a few minutes. Choose a value, personalise the voucher with your own photo and message, and select how you want to send it.
The recipient redeems it directly on our platform, they search hotels, pick their dates and apply the voucher balance at checkout. If the stay costs more than the voucher, they pay the difference by card. Any leftover credit stays on the voucher for a future booking.
Every voucher covers the full Expedia network: Marriott, Hilton, Accor, Premier Inn, Ibis, Novotel, Mercure and thousands of independent boutique hotels across more than 190 countries.
Three ways to send a holiday voucher
| Format | Delivery | Best for | Personalisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical gift card | By post, 3–5 days | Handing over in person at a birthday or celebration | Your photo + message printed on the card |
| PDF to print at home | Instant download | Last-minute gifts or when posting isn't an option | Your photo + message on the printable design |
| Instant digital eGift | Email, under 5 minutes | Long-distance gifting or a same-day surprise | Your photo + message in the email |
Holiday vouchers for every occasion
A holiday voucher works for almost any milestone because travel is something people actually want. These are the occasions where a Hotelgift card lands well.
Birthday holiday vouchers
Milestone birthdays in particular suit this kind of gift. An 18th is a natural prompt for a first solo trip. A 30th or 40th deserves a weekend in a hotel they would not normally book for themselves. A 50th or 60th calls for something more considered than a bottle. A birthday holiday voucher gives them a stay to look forward to — on their terms, in their own time.
Anniversary and wedding gifts
A holiday voucher works for newlyweds as a honeymoon contribution, for long-term partners marking a wedding anniversary, and for anyone who has been together long enough to own everything they need. Our wedding gift card gives them a night away to mark the occasion properly they choose where.
Christmas gifts
A holiday voucher at Christmas gives them something real to plan in January. Choose the eGift format and it arrives in their inbox before the day is out, personalised with your own photo and message. No wrapping, no guessing, no returns. Browse our Christmas hotel gift cards to get started.
Mother's Day and Father's Day
Let her pick the hotel and the weekend. A spa break, a city trip, a quiet countryside stay — the choice is entirely hers. More useful than flowers, more personal than a voucher for a shop she may not use. See our Mother's Day vouchers and gift cards for Mum for ready-to-send options.
Graduation gifts
A trip is the natural reward for finishing a degree. Somewhere to go and actually celebrate before the next chapter begins — not a bottle, not a card, something they will use and remember. Need inspiration? Our guide to last-minute gifts for every budget covers more ideas if you are still deciding.
Holiday vouchers for her and for him
Not sure where to start? A holiday voucher for her tends to work well for spa escapes, wellness retreats and city breaks with time to explore. A holiday voucher for him suits city hotels, golf resorts and adventure stays. For couples, a shared hotel voucher gives both people something to plan together which, after a certain number of years, is harder to arrange than it sounds.
Why a holiday voucher is the right gift right now
The data behind UK travel spending has shifted significantly in the past two years, and it changes what a holiday voucher actually means to the person receiving it.
Travel has become a spending priority, not a treat
Mintel's 2025 data shows that 84% of British adults took at least one holiday in 2025 the highest figure since before the pandemic. Barclays research found that holidays now top the list of what UK consumers intend to spend their money on, ahead of home improvements, technology and dining out. One in five Britons admits to booking trips they had not budgeted for.
For whoever receives your holiday voucher, there is a good chance a trip is already in the plan. The voucher becomes a contribution toward something real, not a hypothetical future treat.
People are choosing trips by feeling, not by destination
Hilton's 2026 Trends Report, which surveyed over 14,000 travellers across 14 countries, identified what it calls the "whycation" a trip driven by emotional purpose rather than destination. Travellers in 2026 are starting with a feeling: the need to rest properly, to reconnect with a partner, to celebrate a milestone in a way that feels like a real celebration. The destination comes second.
A Hotelgift card valid at over 750,000 hotels, with two years to use it lets the recipient wait until that need is clear and then act on it. Hilton's research also found that 46% of Brits have already booked at least one trip for the next 12 months, more than any other country surveyed.
Wellness travel has gone mainstream
PoB Hotels research found that 81% of affluent UK travellers are now actively seeking health-focused escapes and that demand has spread well beyond traditional spa breaks. The Global Wellness Summit declared a full "sauna renaissance" in 2025, with saunacations becoming one of the fastest-growing booking categories among younger UK adults. National Geographic reported a 25% rise in bookings for off-grid digital detox stays in 2025, with Google searches for "digital detox retreats" jumping 120% in a single three-month window.
A Hotelgift card covers wellness-focused hotels across the Expedia network: from spa resorts and countryside retreats to urban hotels with dedicated thermal suites. For more ideas in this space, see our blog on how to gift a hotel stay.
The hotel has become the destination
Skyscanner's 2026 Travel Trends Report, compiled from over 22,000 travellers globally, found that people are increasingly choosing where to go based on the hotel they want to stay in not the other way around. These "destination hotels" are worth travelling to in their own right. With 750,000 properties available through Hotelgift, the recipient has the range to find theirs whether that is a converted lighthouse on the Scottish coast or a design hotel in central Tokyo.
Experiences now outrank objects as gifts
The shift from physical gifts to experiences is documented and accelerating. The 2026 AmEx Global Travel Trends Report found that 82% of travellers now say skill-based memories are more valuable than physical objects, an 11-point jump since 2022. A holiday voucher funds an experience, not an object, and gives the recipient the freedom to choose which experience that will be. Our piece on gifting experiences over things goes deeper on this shift if you want to read more.
Bleisure: when work travel becomes an excuse for a weekend
A structural shift in how Britons work is changing how they travel. Bleisure, extending a business trip with personal time, has moved from a perk to a standard expectation. Research from the American Hotel and Lodging Association found that 83% of business travellers have taken a bleisure trip in the past year. Among workers under 40, adding a leisure extension to a work trip is now the norm.
A Hotelgift holiday voucher works for all of this. It might fund two extra nights after a conference in Amsterdam, a weekend extension in Edinburgh after a client meeting, or a standalone break when the right window appears, because the recipient simply books when the moment arrives.
Holiday voucher FAQs
What is a holiday voucher from Hotelgift?
A Hotelgift holiday voucher is a prepaid travel gift card redeemable against hotel stays at over 750,000 properties worldwide via Expedia. The recipient visits our redeem page, enters their voucher code, and applies the balance toward any hotel booking of their choice.
How do holiday vouchers work?
Choose a value between £25 and £10,000, personalise the voucher with a photo and message, and select your delivery format. The recipient redeems it online — the balance covers the hotel booking in full or in part, with any remaining credit staying on the card for a future trip within the validity period.
How long is a holiday voucher valid?
Every Hotelgift holiday voucher is valid for two years from the purchase date. There is no pressure to book immediately, the recipient has time to plan the right trip.
Can I send a holiday voucher by email?
Yes. Our digital eGift option sends the voucher straight to the recipient's inbox in under five minutes, fully personalised with your own message and photo.
What hotels can be booked with a Hotelgift holiday voucher?
The voucher works at over 750,000 hotels in 190+ countries through our Expedia partnership chains like Marriott, Accor, Premier Inn, Hilton and Ibis, as well as thousands of independent boutique properties. From the Maldives to Glasgow, we have your dreamed holidays covered.
What if the hotel stay costs more than the voucher value?
The recipient pays the difference using a separate payment method at checkout. Any leftover credit stays on the card and can be used toward a future booking within the two-year validity period.
Can I get a refund on an unused holiday voucher?
Unused Hotelgift vouchers can be returned for a full refund within 14 days of purchase. Contact our team for details.
What occasions work well for a holiday voucher?
A holiday voucher suits almost any milestone: birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, graduations and retirement. According to the latest AmEx Global Travel Trends data, 82% of people now say experiences are more valuable than physical gifts — which makes a hotel stay one of the safer bets in gifting.