- New research from Cairn Hotel Group reveals the changing attitudes to set celebration dates, with 14% considering seeing friends instead of celebrating Valentine’s Day this Saturday*.
- The data shows that 15% now choose to celebrate Valentine’s on a different day as they want something more personal to them.
- 13% skip out on the 14th February celebrations to avoid crowded venues and increased pricing on Valentine’s Day.
- To offer more freedom, Cairn Group has launched a Valentine’s Day campaign, giving couples the flexibility to celebrate on a date that suits them.
AHEAD of Valentine’s Day this weekend, Cairn Hotel Group is revealing the changing attitudes to big romantic gestures and set celebration days, with 14% of Brits saying they would consider seeing friends to skip out on the pressures of Valentine’s Day and 6% actively doing so in the past.
The poll, which surveyed over 1,000 UK adults currently in a romantic couple, revealed that 15% of respondents now choose to celebrate their love on a different day to 14th February as they want something more personal than a set date to be romantic, with 13% also wanting to avoid crowded venues and increased prices over Valentine’s week. A tenth also do so because they feel there is much better restaurant availability on alternative dates.
The new research comes as Cairn Group launches its ‘Where Love Checks In’ campaign which seeks to offer couples more freedom and flexibility, with up to 20% off gift vouchers across its hotels for couples to plan a romantic getaway, spa day or dine out when it suits them. Not only that, but the gift vouchers are available for friends and families too, ideal for those wanting to mark Galentine’s Day or make the celebration more inclusive with loved ones.
The research reveals that those in the South East and North West are the most likely to celebrate on their own chosen date (15%), compared to South West which are most set on celebrating on 14th February (35%). Couples in the South East are also most likely to consider making plans with their friends to avoid the expectation of a big romantic gesture (20%), while the North West are most conscious of the costs associated with Valentine’s week (17%).
Looking at trends by age groups, Gen Z are rethinking Valentine’s Day traditions the most, with 19% saying that they prefer to celebrate on a different date, compared to 16% of millennials and 14% of boomers.
A massive 52% of couples choose not to celebrate at all, with over 75s being the least likely to make a day or night of it. 6% of those surveyed also find celebrating on Valentine’s Day to be impractical due to work and childcare commitments.
Tina O’Hara at Cairn Hotel Group said:
“It’s interesting to see how attitudes to Valentine’s Day are changing among consumers, with such a large proportion now opting to make the day more personal to them and choose their own date to celebrate. There has always been the expectation to do something special, but who says this needs to be on 14th February? This is why we have launched our ‘Where Love Checks In’ campaign, giving our guests the ultimate flexibility and freedom to choose when they want to be romantic at our hotels, spas and restaurants.”
Guests wanting to save up to 20% off gift vouchers at Cairn Group hotels across key locations including Newcastle, York, Harrogate and Edinburgh, can use the code ‘LOVE’ when purchasing via Cairn Group’s venues online by 15th February 2026.
For more information and to explore Cairn Group’s full list of hotels and restaurants across the UK, visit www.cairnhotelgroup.com.
*National representative survey of 1,000 UK adults conducted by Cairn Hotel Group in February 2026.