A British hotel chain is getting into the Christmas spirit by offering free rooms to any couples called Mary and Joseph. (Featured image is by Ben Husmann)
The Travelodge hotel chain says the offer of one night’s free accommodation for Marys and Josephs is to make up for the hotel industry not having any rooms left around about this time 2,000 years ago.
While the “original” Mary and Joseph had to make do with a stable, modern-day couples can choose to stay in one of more than 500 Travelodge hotels around the UK.
The one-night free stay will be in a large family room with enough space for a baby in a manger and a free parking space “for the couple’s donkey”.
The offer runs for the 12 days of Christmas, from Christmas Eve until Saturday, January 5 2013.
“To help evoke the true spirit of Christmas we will once again be opening our doors to couples called Mary and Joseph and offering them a free night stay during the 12 days of Christmas,” said Travelodge’s Shakila Ahmed.
This isn’t the first time Travelodge has run this offer – it is fast becoming a Christmas tradition and the hotel chain is getting enquiries far in advance.
“For the last five years we have run this offer to make up for the hotel industry not having any rooms left on Christmas Eve,” added Ms Ahmed.
“This year we have had couples emailing us as early as August asking if they can take up the seasonal offer this year. In the past we have had an average of 30 couples called Mary and Joseph stay with us during the festive season.”
To claim a free festive room for the night, couples need to register their details at christmas@travelodge.co.uk by December 21 and yes, ID will be required!
The Travelodge offer continues a growing trend for named-based deals. During the Jubilee celebrations, couples with Royal names could take advantage of discounts and free champagne.
Ski holiday company Directski.com is currently offering a whopping 30 per cent off ski breaks for anyone called Sharon or Kevin – in a bid to change the image of skiing from a sport reserved for the posh.
If your name is Sharon or Kevin, take advantage of the deal by visiting directski.com/shazandkev, but you’ll need to hurry – the deal expires today (November 30)!
