The History of Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day in the UK didn’t always look like it does now.

These days it’s everything: couple’s retreats, spa weekends, tasting menus, themed afternoon teas, city breaks, cocktail packages, rooftop igloos, immersive experiences, “Galentine’s”, “Palentine’s”, and basically any excuse to turn romance into an itinerary.

But if you wind the clock back through the 1900s, Valentine’s in the UK was way simpler, and in some ways, way more intense. Less about the “experience package” … more about the gesture.

At the start of the 20th century, Valentine’s was still heavily tied to cards, notes and small tokens. In Britain, sending Valentines had already become popular in the 1800s, and by the early 1900s it was a normal thing: romantic postcards, handwritten messages, pressed flowers, little keepsakes. People weren’t booking “a Valentine’s experience” as a concept. They were showing someone they cared, often quietly, sometimes secretly, and usually with a lot more restraint than we’re used to now.

Hospitality, at that point, wasn’t built around Valentine’s the way it is today.

Yes, there were hotels and restaurants, and yes, people went out, especially in cities, but dining out wasn’t as everyday as it is now, and for many it was a luxury. A special meal might mean a local hotel dining room, a formal restaurant, or a nice tea room. You’re talking fixed courses, table manners, and a much more “occasion” feel. Not the casual, scroll-and-book vibe we’ve got now.

Mid-century Britain shifted the vibe again. After the war years, celebration often became about comfort and “treat” moments. If you were going out, it might be for an evening meal somewhere smart, a dance hall, a cinema night, or a hotel dinner where dressing up was part of it. Romance looked like effort: pressed clothes, polished shoes, a table booked well in advance, and making a night of it.

And then the late 20th century is where hospitality really starts to grab Valentine’s properly.

As eating out became more common and travel became more accessible, Valentine’s stopped being just a card-and-flowers day and started turning into a full blown occasion to sell into. Restaurants leaned into special menus. Hotels pushed one-night packages. Bars brought in “Valentine’s cocktails”. The whole thing gradually moved from “I’ve written you a note” to “I’ve planned you an evening”.

Here’s the bit I love: even now, the “old-school” tradition hasn’t gone anywhere — it’s just sitting alongside everything else. Estimates put the UK at around 25 million Valentine’s cards sent each year, which is wild when you remember how digital everything is.

Fast forward to now and it’s not even one lane anymore, it’s a whole motorway.

Couples are celebrating in every style imaginable. Classic dinner dates still exist, but they sit alongside spa breaks, countryside escapes, city stays, activity dates, cooking classes, bottomless brunches, and experiences that are less “romantic table for two” and more “let’s do something together”. And that’s the real change: modern Valentine’s is less about the performance of romance and more about the range of relationships people are in, and how they want to spend time.

Because hospitality has changed too.

We’re no longer just selling food and beds, we’re selling moments. People want stories. They want choice. They want something that fits them, not a one-size-fits-all version of romance. Some couples want candles and violins. Some want a night away with room service and no one talking to them. Some want a gig and a kebab. Some want a sunrise walk and a pub roast. And all of it counts.

So if you look at Valentine’s in UK hospitality across the 1900s to now, it’s basically the same thing wearing different outfits.

It started as simple gestures and quiet romance. It became a “proper night out”. Then it turned into packages and promotions. And now it’s an entire menu of ways to celebrate connection, romantic, friendship, self-love, whatever that looks like for you.

And honestly? That’s probably the best part.

Because the heart of it hasn’t changed: people just want to feel close to someone. Hospitality simply got better at creating more ways to make that happen.