Celebrate the season with loved ones, be they near or far away. Hotels offer a great meeting point for everyone to enjoy holiday soirees as a group, before retreating to individual rooms for the evening. And with daily housekeeping and someone else to prepare (and clean up) those merry meals, you can partake in a stress-free season.
Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest
Sitting along the banks of the Danube, this historic Five-Star hotel helps you make the most of the season in Hungary’s capital with its Festive Package. In addition to a two-night stay in one of its 179 stylishly contemporary rooms, you’ll be gifted with daily breakfast at KOLLÁZS Brasserie & Bar, a four-course dinner on Christmas Eve and brunch with a glass of bubbles on Christmas Day.
If you prefer a New Year’s visit instead, the package also gives you access to the property’s black-tie ball (with a champagne reception, six-course dinner and live music) on December 31 and a lavish brunch the next morning.
An elegant escape on the south side of Hong Kong, this Forbes Travel Guide Recommended hotel dishes out plenty of good cheer with its decadent holiday buffet at LIS Café, starting December 14. Pile your plate high with eight different oyster delicacies (including Florentine and congee preparations), and East and West favorites like seared satsuma waygu, fresh sashimi and roasted rack of lamb with rosemary sauce.
Book your feast before December 11 and receive 20 percent off the bountiful buffet and a serving of double-boiled bird’s nest and egg white soup on the house.
Palace Hotel, A Luxury Collection Hotel
“The Palace,” as it’s affectionately known to San Francisco locals, is an elegant place to spend the holidays with its blend of turn-of-the-century décor (check out the opulent Garden Court) and sleek, modern accommodations.
This December, book the Forbes Travel Guide Recommended hotel’s Season of Giving package to receive a spacious Deluxe Room and a seasonal sugar- and spice-themed holiday amenity. Rest easy knowing that $10 of every offer booked is given to the Children’s Miracle Network local beneficiary, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.
Just outside Quebec City proper, this Four-Star getaway encourages you unwind this season. We suggest checking into one of the Urbania Suites for private lounge access featuring continental breakfast, evening drinks and canapes, as well as nightly chocolate and champagne turndown.
Bring the whole family for a magical Christmas Eve buffet with live music and a visit from Santa Claus, or opt for an adults-only four- or five-course Christmas Day dinner accompanied by live music. Either way, be sure to treat yourself to the gift of relaxation at Amerispa La Bonne Entente. If you’ve got tots in tow, simply drop them off at the complimentary Fun Club.
Sleep in the same place that greats like jazz legend Louis Armstrong, singer Cher and actor John Malkovich have bedded down in Prague when you check into this Forbes Travel Guide Recommended property for your holiday visit.
Don your elegant apparel and celebrate in style with a seven-course Christmas Gala dinner at Alcron Restaurant on December 24. Dine on traditional dishes ranging from carp tartare to veal tenderloin with morel mushrooms, carrots and shiso. Both pre- and post-Christmas brunches are also available at La Rotonde for the whole family.
By day, ask the hotel concierge to book a city orientation tour, complimentary for first-time guests to the Czech Republic capital.
There’s no better place to spend the holiday than Scotland, where end-of-year Hogmanay celebrations are the stuff of legend.
Revel in style at this historic estate, where the halls are decked with a Letters to Santa station, a reindeer food collection area to stockpile treats for Old Saint Nick’s hardest workers and a special Santa’s Grotto setup for holiday photos and a meet-and-greet with the big man himself.
Up the festive factor when you book the hotel’s Christmas at Fairmont St Andrews package. In addition to a two-night stay, you’ll get gourmet goodies like mince pies, a full Scottish breakfast and a bountiful buffet with live cooking stations and a decadent dessert display on December 25.
Like something straight out of A Christmas Carol, this Victorian-era hotel makes for a cozy perch to hole up during your London break. In fact, its classic brick façade is getting a face-lift this December with a Dickensian Christmas display.
To complete the scene, the Four-Star property provides a Musical Christmas Celebration Package that includes a welcome glass of champagne, Festive Afternoon Tea for two and a pair of tickets to a Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Christmas performance.
If you can’t bear to part with your pooch over the holiday, the pet-friendly hotel serves a seasonally inspired afternoon tea for four-legged friends, too.
