While the holidays may need to be more intimate in the year of COVID-19, they don’t have to be less festive. Hotels all over the globe are curating inspired in-suite offerings for Thanksgiving, Christmas and other special occasions. These experiences go beyond anything you could find in ordinary room service — they include having a chef prepare an extraordinary seven-course dinner and having a philharmonic performance just for you, all within the confines of your own suite.
Whether you travel or take a staycation, avoid the crowds all while still having a one-of-a-kind celebration —without any of the work or cleanup — at these hotels:
Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London
The skyscraper is closed through December 2 for London’s lockdown. But before the shutdown, it introduced Dining in the Sky, dinner and dazzling city views from a specially reconfigured guest room with floor-to-ceiling windows. It includes glasses of champagne upon arrival, three courses from British-Asian TÎNG Restaurant and beverages.
Take over the 12th floor of the elegant Denver hotel with family and friends during the holidays. You’ll get a Luxury Suite, a One Bedroom Suite and 12 Deluxe Guest Rooms along with the 2,700-square-foot Club Lounge, which boasts three big-screen TVs, a powder room and lounge spaces. Gather in the Club Lounge for Thanksgiving dinner, partake in the open bar and receive breakfast the next day.
A stay in the Chao Phraya Suite grants exclusive access to one of the city’s top French restaurants. Le Normandie will set up a seven-course meal, including caviar and sea urchin floating in potato foam, in your river-facing accommodations. Fans of Lord Jim’s grill can get a similar experience in the one-bedroom suite, or partake in the Bangkok hotel’s famed afternoon tea in the Royal or Ambassador suites.
The Milestone Hotel & Residences, London
Despite London’s second quarantine, this boutique hotel remains open. And you will want to visit for a unique in-suite experience: a live (and socially distanced) private recital from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. RPO’s solo harpists or string trio will come to your accommodations and play your favorite songs.
The all-suite hotel debuted family-style room service meals for four. Order Party Time for Caesar salad, pizza, buffalo wings, vegetables, potato chips and dip, or the Rotisserie Chicken with baba ghanoush and Italian sausage crumble spreads, grilled bread, roasted vegetables, buttery mashed potatoes and bibb lettuce salad. Both options come with a decadent 16-layer chocolate fudge cake for dessert.
The Vale Garden Residence — the hotel’s art-filled, two-story penthouse that affords stunning skyline vistas — is the type of place you want to share with loved ones. The Guestlist package allows you to invite up to 10 for a memorable dinner by NoHo Hospitality, whose NYC restaurants include Little Park, Locanda Verde and The William Vale’s Leuca.
Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai
Throw a party in the Presidential or Oriental suites with a feast for 12 curated by a private chef along with libations and your choice of in-suite entertainment: a show from a renowned local magician or an afternoon tea ritual with sparkling wine. After the bash, revive yourself with a complimentary 90-minute recovery spa treatment.
One of the coveted perks at this Miami hotel can be all yours. The Private Club Lounge Package gives you the VIP lounge and a wing with 17 rooms. Visit the lounge for breakfast, lunch, snacks, hors d’oeuvres and drinks. If you want to get some sun, you’ll have reserved sections on the beach and the pool deck and a photography concierge to help capture the memories.
The Baltimore hotel is offering the new Spirit of Sagamore experience its Governor Harbor and Presidential suites. Gather up to eight guests for a VIP tasting of local Sagamore Whiskey along with bites. Equipped with terraces, living rooms and marble-topped bars, the spacious suites are just the place for entertaining.
Rosewood Miramar Beach, Montecito
It will look a lot like Christmas — minus the snow — at the oceanfront hotel. The Home Sweet Miramar Package includes a decorated signature suite, a full-sized tree and ornaments kit, an in-suite dinner, personalized stockings and pajamas for the family, a seasonal spa treatment and use of the house car for a driving tour of the area’s best holiday light displays.
Reunite with up to 10 of your nearest and dearest with the Park Suite Private Retreat Experience. The package gives you a dedicated wing of suites overlooking Rittenhouse Square Park, a $150 spa credit per person, a grand meal whipped up by Lacroix executive chef Jon Cichon and breakfast the following morning.
The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee, Greensboro, Georgia
Decamp to this lakefront getaway outside of Atlanta. Stay in the newly renovated two- and three-bedroom cottages or the three-floor Lake House, which will be decked out for the season with trees and all. Enjoy an in-room holiday dinner and your complimentary cottage concierge can plan any other festive activities, like a Christmas movie viewing party.
You will feel merry with a private cocktail reception with hors d’oeuvres, a holiday brunch from chef Daniel Bruce and a bar stocked with your favorite spirits and wine this holiday. All you have to do is book a stay in the four-bedroom John Adams Presidential Suite or three-bedroom Constitution Suite.
Acqualina Resort and Residences on the Beach, Miami
Have Thanksgiving dinner on your balcony overlooking the Atlantic Ocean at this South Florida hotel. The team at Il Mulino New York will cook up turkey and all of the trimmings in the kitchen of your oceanfront suite, while your party of four or more sips wine and soaks up the scenery.
Montage Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, South Carolina
For an in-suite holiday affair, stay in the Lowcountry hotel’s Village Homes (standalone houses) or Cottages (which have screened-in porches and sitting areas). Then join in Cole’s takeout dinner series (options include Italian, Chinese and Mexican) leading up to December 25, and order River House’s Christmas Day brunch to go.
Taj Campton Place, San Francisco
To ensure the utmost privacy for your family get-together, opt for the Floor is Yours package at the Union Square hotel. Reserve at least four rooms and you’ll receive 20 percent off the best available rate as well as an entire floor to yourself. Celebrate as you wish among the classic accommodations.
Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa
Give thanks over a dinner prepared and served in the comfort of one of the beachfront cottages or residences in Montauk. A whole roasted turkey will be carved tableside and be accompanied by Thanksgiving staples like stuffing, cranberries, sweet potatoes and warm pumpkin pie.
Spend the holidays luxuriating in a waterfront casita or villa at this contemporary Los Cabos oasis. You’ll receive a four-course Thanksgiving or Christmas meal for six to eight guests, along with a private chef, waitstaff and table décor. A lifestyle assistant will take care of any other requests.
When slow-roasted turkey breast, seared snapper, sweet mashed potatoes, green beans amandine and a dessert trio of pumpkin pie, pecan pie and Earl Grey pot de crème from the Thanksgiving in-residence delivery menu appears, you might momentarily forget the palm trees and lapping waves right outside your room.
Fairmont Mayakoba, Riviera Maya
Savor Thanksgiving from your bright, airy room in Mexico’s Riviera Maya with a special delivery of Tuscan roasted turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, gravy, cranberry sauce and a small pumpkin pie that feeds four. Once the tryptophan kicks in, you won’t have to go far to reach your bed.
