Get into the festive holiday spirit no matter where in the world you are with these magical and festive offerings. Read on for the best hotels for Christmas.
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Pennsylvania
Nemacolin, the family-friendly resort in Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands, goes all-out with a plethora of holiday festivities that it make it one of the best hotels for Christmas. Light Up Nemacolin, a weekly light show with over 2 million lights illuminating the property, kicks off the holiday season, while other festivities include a workshop with ornament decorating, crafts and gingerbread house decorating, holiday movie marathons and ‘Elf Tuck-Ins,’ complete with a bedtime story and toy-filled stocking.
Don’t miss the property’s walk-in gingerbread house, which is constructed entirely onsite by the culinary team with approximately 700 pounds of gingerbread and 1,800 candy canes. This year the gingerbread house will have a red-and-white color scheme (with lots of peppermint) and an attached greenhouse with a water feature and blooming plants.
The Plaza, New York City
Without a doubt, one of the best hotels for Christmas is The Plaza. The festive fan favorite is back with the newest version of The Plaza’s Home Alone 2 Package: Escape to New York. This year, families looking to get Lost in New York this holiday season will live all their Kevin dreams. Check into your room at The Plaza, and enjoy Home Alone 2 items upon arrival. Once you’re cozy, Kevin style, call down for your over-the-top ice cream sundae delivered right to your bed. After you’ve indulged in the deliciousness head over to the new FAO Schwarz at Rockefeller Center to live your ‘Duncan’s Toy Chest’ fantasy with $100 gift card including an express pass to the checkout.
The hotel also offers kids a special Eloise tea with Santa, where little guests can munch on pink treats, answer Eloise trivia and do a photoshoot with Santa. For a truly cozy getaway, The Plaza also has a Hallmark Holiday Package that comes with hot cocoa, popcorn and some of Hallmark’s best seasonal hits to watch.
Salamander Resort & Spa, Middleburg
Salamander Resort & Spa is located in Middleburg, Virginia, at the heart of the horse and wine country long associated with Washington, DC. Known for its fox hunts, lavish parties, elegant estates, and vineyards, Middleburg dates from pre-Revolutionary times and boasts more than 145 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. The resort hosts several events for its guests who come to celebrate the holiday spirit including Santa Brunch and Holiday Cookie Decorating. In addition, guests have the chance to meet the sweetest member of the team, Cupcake the miniature horse! This miniature horse is a huge hit with guests of all ages and hangs out in the Living Room to greet guests and welcome them to their home-away-from-home every Friday and Saturday.
The Milestone Hotel & Residences, London
The Milestone Hotel & Residences is offering some incredibly unique in-suite experiences to get guests into the holiday spirit this season. Parents can indulge in Christmas cocktail-making classes, while younger guests can enjoy gingerbread decorating. The whole family will love listening to a private recital of Christmas music from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and sampling a bespoke Christmas meal. Plus, families can also request a fully decorated Christmas tree in-suite.
Baur au Lac, Zurich
The Baur au Lac’s pop-up winter chalet in Zurich, Switzerland, provides an ultra-cozy atmosphere to enjoy the holidays together. Not only does the hotel boast the tallest Christmas tree in Zurich, adorned with more than 70,000 lights, but guests can also enjoy holiday treats including fondue, raclette and themed cocktails.
If all that’s not enough, the Baur au Lac is also right next door to one of Europe’s best Christmas markets, the Weihnachtsdorf. Join locals at the lively market to shop for artisanal crafts and bites.
The Box House Hotel Group, Brooklyn
For those looking for a holiday experience just outside of New York City, The Box House Hotel Group properties including The Box House Hotel, Franklin Guesthouse and Henry Norman Hotel, are helping to spread holiday cheer for guests this season with its new festive packages. Combining decadent treats, a cozy abode, and holiday decor, “The Ultimate Holiday in Brooklyn” package includes your choice or either a pre-lite mini Christmas tree, complimentary hot chocolate and unique decor, or a pre-lit 6 foot Christmas tree along with complimentary hot chocolate with coffee mugs, custom ornaments and unique festive furnishings.
Schloss Elamu, Bavaria
Dreaming of a white Christmas? Head to the German Alps for a picturesque winter wonderland and one of the best hotels for Christmas and the winter season. At Schloss Elmau, holiday events are endless fun for the whole family. Go for a sleigh ride in a winter wonderland, head out in search of wildlife on a ski-safari or attend holiday-themed performances (including the SIGNUM saxophone quartet’s rendition of “Starry Night). Pools are heated year-round, so at the end of a fun-filled day you can warm up with a swim. Did we mention there’s also ice art and igloo-making workshops?
The Rittenhouse, Philadelphia
Located on Philadelphia’s iconic Rittenhouse Square, The Rittenhouse is the perfect hotel to cozy up by the fire place or in their courtyard winter chalet. Just down the street, you’ll find the city’s iconic Rittenhouse Park, which gets decked out during the season with festive lights and decor, and offers local food and gift stalls for travelers to do some holiday shopping. Back at the hotel, follow your nose to the daily roasted chestnuts on the hotel’s driveway and the hot chocolate station. A family favorite, The Rittenhouse also displays several large and fun gingerbread houses — one is even of the hotel itself, and another is Philadelphia’s iconic Liberty Bell. On Christmas, guests of the hotel can warm up with a delightful afternoon tea, or a holiday meal at the restaurant Lacroix.
Hotel Chateau Chamonix, Colorado
Get a taste of Europe without leaving the US at the Hotel Chateau Chamonix, a boutique hotel is set along beautiful Clear Creek. The charming chalet lodging puts you in the Christmas spirit as soon as you check in. Plus, it’s ideally situated to maximize on winter fun. The nearby Georgetown Loop Railroad offers festive holiday experiences for travelers. Families can experience Santa’s North Pole Adventure on this train ride that includes Santa passing out presents, treats and goodies to the little ones.
And, each December the town of Georgetown transforms for two weekends into a bustling Christmas scene straight out of fairytale book. Here you’ll roasted chestnuts, holiday shopping, horse-drawn wagon rides through the historic district, St. Nicholas in his traditional dress and carolers in Victorian costume.
Arthouse Hotel, New York City
Movie buffs will love this Upper West Side hotel’s holiday decorations. Inspired by iconic holiday movie moments, the hotel’s lobby and lobby bar become completely transformed into a nostalgic trip down movie memory lane. Here guests will find recreations of Kevin McCaliister’s house from “Home Alone,” cutouts of Harry and Marv from “The Wet Bandits” and the living room setting from “A Christmas Story,” complete with 1980’s fireplace and radio, the Parker family’s blue couch and a box marked fragile. The infamous leg lamp is even a tap you can use to pour yourself a drink.
And there’s more! Guests warming themselves by the fire can sit by Uncle Lewis’ burnt Christmas tree from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” and the hotel’s grand red piano glows in an entanglement of Christmas lights, like in “Deck the Halls.” Meanwhile the piano lounge has been redesigned from to make a home for the Grinch amongst Buddy the elf’s gift-wrapped walls and copious white paper decorations from “Elf.” And while the debate rages on about whether “Die Hard” is truly a Christmas movie, this hotel says yes, and guests might even spot Bruce Willis escaping via if they look up.
Fairmont San Francisco
If just seeing larger-than-life gingerbread houses isn’t enough for your family, you can actually dine in one at the Fairmont San Francisco. Guests are enchanted with holiday festivities and spectacular decor at this Nob Hill landmark. The highlight of the hotel’s Christmas transformation is the two-story, life-sized Gingerbread House in the hotel’s lobby. Standing more that 25 feet high and featuring more than 3,300 pounds of icing, The Gingerbread House is available for private dining reservations for up to 10 guests.
Mandarin Oriental, Munich
Nobody does Christmas markets better than Germany. The Mandarin Oriental in Munich capitalizes on this and give guests an exclusive insider’s map to Munich’s best and most beautiful Christmas markets. But you don’t have to even venture out of the hotel to munch on traditional treats. The holiday package also comes with a hamper filled with Bavarian goodies. Guests can also take part in the tradition of seeing the beloved ballet the “Nutcracker,” followed by a late-night bento box at Matsuhisa Munich to round out the evening.