Over Half of The Nation Feel Nostalgic For a 1980s Christmas - Relive The Magic With Booking.com in a Tinsel-Tastic London Home
- Over half (65%) of the nation feel nostalgic for the festive magic of Christmas in the 1980s.
- The classic Christmas music (60%), lack of social media (58%), the old-school festive movies (57%) and the Christmas decorations (53%) top the list of the best things about an 80s Christmas.
- With nearly half (48%) of those surveyed feeling it's important to share their 80s Christmas experiences with younger generations and 27% wishing to relive their 80s Christmas, nostalgia is proving to be BIG this year, influencing everything from home decorations to travel.
- For the 44% who say that Christmas isn’t what it used to be, Booking.com is offering a one-off ‘Home of Christmas Past’, a 1980s-themed homestay in London – Europe’s top searched destination for Christmas.*
London - Known for helping people experience the world, this December, Booking.com is offering the chance to travel back in time, as it opens the doors to the ultimate 1980s Christmas home, bookable for a one-off stay.
From foil ceiling decorations to vintage baubles, this exclusive home stay will transport travellers back to the era that nearly 2 in 5 (39%) have declared as the best decade for Christmas and 27% say they want to relive - all hosted in one of the top searched destinations this holiday season, London, with searches up over 10% vs 2023, and up 20% with families.**
With Christmas typically already a sentimental time of year, nostalgia is more prominent than ever, with retro decorations declared one of the hottest Christmas trends. It’s also influencing the trips people take, as 35% say they want to recreate nostalgic moments from childhood through their travels, from the places they visit to the people they travel with.***
The drive to re-live a favourite moment from the past, also has a quarter (25%) yearning for their children to experience the 80s Christmas they enjoyed as a youngster, with the simplicity of life back then (43%), lack of digital distractions (34%), and watching classic Christmas TV specials (33%) topping the list as the things Brits miss most about Christmas in the 80s.
The exclusive ‘Home of Christmas Past’ on Booking.com, allows guests to dive back into a nostalgic time; recreating the over-the-top 80s decorations and décor - from a lavishly decorated living room, complete with an 80s Christmas tree, coloured lights and shimmery tinsel, to a child’s bedroom decked with vintage toys, glowing fairy lights, and classic posters from that era.
Stepping into the home, guests will be welcomed with festive 80s tunes and a hamper filled with 80s Christmas buffet classics, including Advocaat, Vienetta and Vol-au-vent as 48% admit festive food from this decade made it the best. There will also be a stack of VHS featuring family favourites still on repeat every Christmas, including Brits’ top three favourite movies, The Snowman (33%), Die Hard, (27%) and Gremlins (23%) to watch, gathered around the chunky square TV.
And of course it wouldn't be Christmas without a tree, and scattered around its base guests will find the top gifts and toys from the 80s to take away with them. The homestay experience will also include tickets to some of London’s most popular modern day attractions, including a tour of the city’s magical Christmas lights, ice skating at an iconic outdoor ice rink, afternoon tea on the Thames, and champagne at the top of the Shard, with some free time for last minute shopping.
Nostalgia is a big trend, not only in entertainment, fashion and home decor, but also travel. For some that means revisiting places from childhood holidays, and for others, travelling to reunite with family and friends to reminisce. But for 1 in 10, travel is also about the chance to feel like a kid again***, and what better time to do that than at Christmas and in this, the ultimate 80s festive home. Ryan Pearson, Regional Manager for UK & Ireland at Booking.com
As just one of the nearly eight million homes, apartments and other unique places to stay available on Booking.com, searches for home stays continue to prove popular for Christmas, with apartments and homes the second and third most popular types of accommodation booked for the week of 25 December****.
The Home of Christmas Past will be available to book on a first come first serve basis on Tuesday 10 December 2024 on the Booking.com app or website, for up to four guests checking-in for two nights on 13 December at a cost of £19.80 only.
Methodology
Data is two-fold – a nationwide poll alongside Booking.com data.
Nationwide poll
Research was conducted by OnePoll by 2,000 UK respondents over 35 who celebrate Christmas, in November 2024
Booking.com data
*Top searched destination in Europe by travellers globally between 01.08.2024 to 21.10.24 for stays taking place 20 to 27 December 2024
**Searches for accommodation in London between 01.08.24 to 21.10.24 for stays taking place between 20.12.24 and 27.12.24 and compared to the year before.
***Research was commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a sample of adults who took a leisure trip with an overnight stay in the last 12 months, plan to travel in 2024, and are involved in trip planning. The sample comprises 32,300 respondents across 32 markets surveyed in January or February 2024, including 1,800 from the UK.
****Top booked types of accommodation in the UK by travellers globally for stays between 20.12.24 to 27.12.24
About Booking.com
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