With Valentine’s Day around the corner, many couples and partners are planning ways to celebrate. While the classic list of romantic gestures includes flowers, cards, and candy, decorated hotel rooms have also become a trendy addition. Recently, this intimate setup has sparked debate within the Black community on social media, especially on TikTok. Some users view a decorated hotel room as the ultimate romantic gesture, while others are questioning whether there’s a deeper, less romantic meaning behind the act.
Decorated Hotel Rooms on Social Media
Couples content continues to be a trending topic on social media, especially TikTok. In 2024, account @bigwestern5 posted a video of a Black woman surprised with a decorated hotel room for her 29th birthday. The video showcased roses decorating the floor, flameless candles sprawled across the bed, and “Happy Birthday” balloons in the background. On the bed, roses spelled out a message. The video gained lots of attention, including over 3 million views.
“This man has probably never done anything like this and been this vulnerable. I love it,” one user commented.
The Blowback
Decorated hotel rooms are one of the most popular romantic gestures on social media, but not without backlash. People often get these specially decorated rooms to celebrate anniversaries, birthdays and even ask proposed questions like, “Will You Be My Girlfriend?” Despite some of the positive response, @bigwestern5’s video also sparked a lot of backlash and commentary. People commented “May this kind of love never find me,” and “ Was that the birthday gift?” Users stitched the video and debated whether or not decorated hotel rooms are inherently romantic or self-serving.
The Varying Opinions
When it comes to decorated hotel rooms for your romantic interest, the internet is pretty divided. Some are in support of the gesture, while others are strongly against it unless under certain circumstances. Many users on social media say decorated hotel rooms are an underwhelming gift. This is especially for couples in their late 20s, married couples, and couples who share children. Some heterosexual women shared that a decorated hotel room is a “cop out” gesture for men to secure intimacy. Shielded under the guise of a romantic gift, men will decorate a hotel room to get a gift for themselves as well. Others don’t like decorated hotel rooms, especially when it comes to asking heterosexual women to be in a relationship. Some say it’s inherently lustful to use a decorated hotel room to ask someone to be your girlfriend. This is because some people wait to be intimate until they are in a relationship, and the nature of a private hotel room feels overwhelming. According to these users, there are more low-pressure, romantic ways to pop the question.
What’s The Verdict?
There is no right or wrong way to surprise someone with a romantic gesture. It depends on your relationship and your partner’s interests. If you’re looking to get prepared for Valentine’s Day, or another romantic event, figure out what your partner would like. Learning their love languages and personal desires will help you pick out the perfect romantic act.