Tag: christmas hotels

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There's Turducken On The Christmas Menu At Dukes London

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  Site Where: St James' Place, London, United Kingdom, SW1A 1NY
December 23, 2011 at 3:07 PM | by | Comments (0)

If you’re in London today, you’ll have noticed that not many other people are. You may also have noticed that most of the shops have sold out of food like we’re about to have an apocalypse. Two things that might make you venture over to Dukes for Christmas dinner.

Because this isn’t just any Christmas dinner. The restaurant, 36, is doing an eight bird roast - in the words of the hotel:

a turkey stuffed with a goose, stuffed with a pheasant, stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a guinea fowl and so on!

Or as we outside of the five star hotel business say, a turducken.

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W New York's Christmas Tree Spells It Out

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  Site Where: 541 Lexington Avenue [map], New York, NY, United States, 10022
December 23, 2011 at 3:05 PM | by | Comments (0)

...And the award for most literal Christmas decorations in a hotel goes to the W New York. Walking into the lobby, it's a little tinsel tree and a few metallic mosaic tchotchkes all around, but go straight ahead and you'll see it: a TREE. No, really.

Their faux Christmas tree vertically spells out "T R E E." Sure, at first we just thought it was an awkwardly cube-shaped tree as W's attempt to be edgy, but it's so much more than that. It's...letters. Hmm.

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Hotels in Asia Do Traditional Christmas with a Twist

December 22, 2011 at 4:40 PM | by | Comment (1)

Christmas merriment isn't reserved for countries in the global west, though Europe and North America certainly have cornered the market on gingerbread houses and chintzy decorations.

In far reaches of the world, hotels cater to a clientele of locals, expats, and tourists alike who enjoy their fair heaping of tinsel and egg nog. Today we're focusing on three Asian hotels spreading yule tide joy in spades, some sticking to tradition, some contributing their unique cultural touch to the holiday.

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The Waldorf-Astoria Lights Their Lobby Menorah

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  Site Where: 301 Park Avenue [map], New York, NY, United States, 10022
December 21, 2011 at 5:00 PM | by | Comments (0)

Although there's still several more days to go until you can rip through the presents underneath the Christmas tree, Hanukkah started last time, meaning gifts are already being opened as the candles of the menorah are lit, day-by-day. And although almost every hotel lobby wouldn't be caught without a massive Christmas tree, it's actually pretty rare to find a hotel menorah.

One standby for finding a menorah is the Waldorf-Astoria—the original on Park Avenue in New York City. Enter through the Park Ave doors and head up the stairs, past the Christmas trees and underneath the chandelier. Keep going and just before you hit the main reception area with its classic art deco details, you'll see this 5' tall gold menorah.

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Click-Clack-Clomp Your Way Through Paris On a Horse-Drawn Carriage

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  Site Where: 10 Avenue d'Iéna, Paris, France, 75116
December 15, 2011 at 4:00 PM | by | Comment (1)

Thanks to the Shangri-La, Paris can add more reserves to its romantic cache. If strolling the City of Lights' snowy streets this holiday isn't enough to sate your taste for the maudlin, guests of the hotel can book a horse drawn carriage ride from December 23-27.

The tour will take you and your S.O. to the Trocadero, located across the Seine and providing prime views of the Eiffel Tower for you and your sweetheart to "ooh" and "aah" over with delight. Shangri-La's old-fashioned carriage—a white stunner complete with top hat-clad driver—is perhaps the closest some may get to feeling like Cinderella, without fear of the equine-led ride turning into a pumpkin at midnight.

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Three NYC Hotel Cafes for a Winter Hot Chocolate Fix

December 13, 2011 at 5:06 PM | by | Comments (0)


Our hot chocolate at Stumptown

Despite all the weird weather of late, it's finally cold enough in New York City to warrant sitting down and ordering a hot chocolate. Luckily for you, we're kind of pros at this, as we frequently turn the cafes of NYC hotels into our makeshift drawing rooms. Here's three of our favorite hotel spots for a hot chocolate:

Ace Hotel — Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Don't expect to snag a free seat in scenester lobby, but rather take your tall glass of hot chocolate (ever so perfectly whip cream-topped) to the window and stand, idly gazing out and enjoying these ten minutes of pure nothingness. Take a tiny, shiny pastry to go.

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Guess The Weight Of The Langham's Gingerbread House To Win A Tea

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  Site Where: 1C Portland Place, London, United Kingdom, W1B 1JA
December 9, 2011 at 4:18 PM | by | Comments (0)

4.5ft high. Four days to make. Hundreds of sweets stuck onto it: those are the stats for the incredible gingerbread house at the Langham London.

The house has been set up in Palm Court (the tea room), in order to coincide with the Festive Afternoon Tea that the hotel is offering as well as the sconegasmic Bijoux Tea. We popped by last week and - wow. It's incredible. Little wonder everyone is queuing to get their photo taken in front of it.

But it's not just a pretty face - you can actually win an afternoon tea for two if you guess the weight of the gingerbread house. Or rather, the amount of gingerbread used in its construction.

Entries should be rounded to the nearest kg and entered on the Langham's Facebook page by 23 December - so you have a little time.

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Seeking Out the Lobby Christmas Tree at the Fairmont Chicago

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  Site Where: 200 North Columbus [map], Chicago, IL, United States, 60601
December 8, 2011 at 4:41 PM | by | Comments (0)

Getting in the Christmas spirit may be easy for those who love wearing kitschy knit vests, or going shopping amid crowds, or baking in general, but we pretty much rely on hotel lobbies to jolt us from our pre-winter malaise. When the trees go up and the garlands come down the staircases, it's pretty hard to resist the warm fuzzies that rise in our gut, and thus we typically go seeking out hotel lobbies with classic scenes.

A few days ago in Chicago, we popped into The Fairmont for this very reason.

The Fairmont is a hotel we tend to forget exists, since it's behind the stocky business buildings of Michigan Avenue and covered from the south by the monolithic Aon Center. Oddly it's been the presence of the new Radisson Blu Chicago that's drawn us back to the area. Guess what, though—the Blu doesn't have a tree! So across the street it is.

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A Classic Tree for Public Chicago's First Christmas

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  Site Where: 1301 North State Parkway [map], Chicago, IL, United States, 60610
December 7, 2011 at 5:01 PM | by | Comments (0)

The Public Chicago may still be quite the newbie on the hotel scene in Chicago, but it's already got the Gold Coast glamor down pat, as evidenced by the classic, non-fussy look of their very first lobby Christmas tree.

It's a simple affair to compliment the low-key lobby, and it's surprisingly placed a bit off to the side. Why? Because even the tree knows that the real highlight of the lobby—during cold Chicago winters—will be the Library Bar's fireplace and the way it beckons guests up into cozier surrounds.

Having experienced the Public and its Pump Room when it was still the old Ambassador East, we can say that the Public at least carries on the building's tradition of being the place in the neighborhood for a bit of white-gloved hot toddy service, though these days those white gloves have morphed to little black dresses.

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Hop in the Holiday Fray at These London Hotels

November 30, 2011 at 3:10 PM | by | Comments (0)

Make it a very British holiday at the Zetter Townhouse

Those twinkling fairy lights (that's "Christmas lights" to you Yanks) around central London don't lie: the holiday season is most definitely in full swing. So much so that last Saturday, a portion of Oxford Street was shut down, leading to what can only be described as gridlock hell around some of the city's most trafficked shopping areas.

Monstrous as crowds of slow-strutting tourists and rabid holiday shoppers may be, London is still a magical place to spend a winter holiday, especially upon first snow. (Curiously, none has fallen yet.) With news of designer Christmas trees hitting swanky lobbies, we thought it an appropriate time to survey the local hotel scene: the digs, the availability, and the prices. Find out what we found after the jump.

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The Plaza Has Possibly the Pinkest Christmas Tree Ever

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  Site Where: 5th Avenue and 59th Street, New York, United States
November 29, 2011 at 5:15 PM | by | Comments (0)

First there was the Betsey Johnson-designed Eloise suite, then came the Betsey Johnson pop-up shop and now The Plaza in New York has a whole Betsey Johnson Christmas tree as well.

Just completed and lit during a tea service yesterday, the Betsey Johnson/Eloise tree is perhaps the hottest pink tree you'll ever see; it's 18 feet high and some of the ornaments are stuffed with Betsey goodies (like jewelry and underwear).

It's free to stop in and see the tree, which is not in the lobby but nearer the Palm Court, but it'll only be shining that fuchsia glow through January 4. Meanwhile if you'd like to buy a few things off the tree, the pop-up in The Plaza's downstairs shops will be open longer—until January 9.

For a whole slew of photos of the tree's decorating and Betsey striking poses, hit up the Facebook gallery.

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Skate The London Fog Away With Myhotels This Winter

November 22, 2011 at 3:00 PM | by | Comments (0)


It may be more foggy than chilly in London right now, but that won’t stop us getting into the Christmas spirit with some ice skating. Last night, the Somerset House rink (sponsored by Tiffany, no less) opened up with the overexposed ubiquitous delightful P Middy christening it for the rest of us.

Turns out we’re not the only ones who like Pippa Middleton skating, because myHotels have teamed up with the rink to offer a skating package.

For your money, you get a night at either myhotel Bloomsbury or myhotel Chelsea, cocktail on arrival, breakfast, a late check out and two skating tickets. According to the hotel:

Guests will also be able to choose from one of the many Club Nights available at Skate this year – including names such as Joey Negro, Winterwell Festival feat The Next Men, Ministry of Sound Radio, Time Out presents Nite Sessions and many more.

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