These delightful hotels bring the holiday cheer

The colorful Christmas-themed Blizen's Bar in San Antonio

Blitzen's Bar at the Omni La Mansión Del Rio is a Christmas dream come true

(Image credit: Omni Hotels & Resorts)

published 11 December 2024

Tinsel, twinkling lights, ribbons, garland: Come December, all the shiny accoutrements of the holiday season are up and sparkling at these seven hotels. Ready to see the transformation of each into a winter wonderland?

Charleston Place, Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston Place knows what the people want. With more than 100 wreaths, 5,000 ornamental balls and 10,000 ornaments decorating public spaces and the exterior, a holiday train chugging around the lobby, nightly "snow," a life-size gingerbread house and visits from Santa and Mrs. Claus, "there's good reason why it's considered the 'holiday headquarters' for both hotel guests and the community," the Charlotte Observer said. For an extra treat, book the Nutcracker tea, "where sugar plum fairies float through the Thoroughbred Club," the hotel's lounge.

The maximalist Greenbrier Resort, with its "antiques, floral fabrics and black-and-white marble floors," feels like "Christmas 365 days a year," Condé Nast Traveler said. It really dazzles in December, when wreaths go up in the windows, garlands and red bows hang from the archways and ornate trees dripping with ornaments appear around every corner. During the week of Christmas, guests can participate in a "full slate of events," from ornament and cookie decorating workshops to a traditional yule log ceremony.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

The historic Lotte New York Palace does the holidays right, starting with its courtyard Winter Bar. You can grab a hot chocolate or other sweet treat before entering the main lobby, where guests are surrounded by "ostentatious grandeur that isn't made anymore," Time Out said (think gold-leaf banisters and marble everywhere). The lobby is decked out with trees, garlands and a gingerbread palace, with Santa visiting on Sunday mornings. For even more cheer, book a Holiday Suite — each one is decorated with a Balsam Hill Christmas tree and festive accessories and stocked with homemade cookies. Guests also get to take home their very own Lotte New York Palace ornament.

More than just Christmas trees are lit at Omni La Mansión Del Rio. The hotel on San Antonio's River Walk is home to Blitzen's, a delightful pop-up Christmas bar where every square inch is covered with colorful ornaments, candy canes, Santa hats and tinsel. Mixologist Julie Reiner crafted a menu of 12 cocktails and mocktails, featuring "festive flavors like rosemary, cranberry, pumpkin and apple," My San Antonio said. For something sweeter, guests can sign up for gingerbread house workshops, which double as fundraisers for the SA Food Bank.

The Resort at Pelican Hill has perfected the Southern California Christmas. It starts with the decor, from tens of thousands of twinkle lights to a giant wreath over the lounge's roaring fireplace to the grand lobby tree covered in gold and silver ornaments, with "rolling green hills and crashing ocean waves" as the backdrop, Travel and Leisure said. Activities include workshops that allow guests to get creative, like a wreath making class using local flowers and filler from Daily Blooms, and gingerbread house decorating. Spend the night in a villa or bungalow and opt for the holiday decor (silk tree, garland and mantle wreath) to make your experience even more special, then drop by Hot Chocolate Happy Hour for a cup of cocoa.

It's the most wonderful time of the year at The Roosevelt, where the hotel's traditional lights display has "dazzled locals and tourists alike for years," NOLA.com said. Lined with "elegant, snow-dusted Christmas trees" illuminated by "112,000 sparkling lights," the lobby is a "holiday hotspot" and backdrop for many a Christmas card. Book a seat for the adorable Teddy Bear Tea, an annual event featuring singing, dancing, storytelling and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, or mosey over to the legendary Sazerac Bar for a strong holiday edge-remover.

Celebrate the season, island style. Royal Lahaina is a "grand property" on Maui's Kaanapali Beach, Fodors said, and goes all out with natural arrangements spread out across the resort. The focus is on native flora and fauna, courtesy of local third-generation farm Anuhea Flowers, and the showcase piece is a giant wreath that greets guests on arrival. Through the Tree for You and Me package, bungalows are decorated with an Alahe'e tree, which is then donated to wildfire recovery efforts after checkout.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.