The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay
Photo Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company LLC
Married couples often celebrate anniversaries by giving each other presents associated with the year in discussion: crystal for 15 years, china or platinum for 20, silver for 25; and so on. Fortunately for us, when hotels recognize landmark years, it’s their guests who get the gifts. In fact, many properties around the country get creative with special packages and privileges around their special day. And the bigger the anniversary, the bigger the perks.
The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco
This Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star favorite will herald its 25th anniversary with five $25,000 experiences inspired by San Francisco. The first experience, Ultimate Food & Wine, launched in April, the hotel’s official anniversary month. The package honors the Bay Area as a culinary powerhouse: Spend two nights in the Presidential Suite and create your own custom wine label made in collaboration with winemaker Jean-Charles Boisset. You will take a private helicopter to Raymond Vineyards in Napa to create the wine label with Boisset himself.
Other over-the-top anniversary experiences include a private hot-air balloon ride in Napa and an exclusive wine flight in the hotel’s JCB Tasting Lounge paired with an amuse-bouche tasting from Parallel 37, along with an abalone diving excursion off the Pacific Coast, followed by a private dinner with chef Michael Rotondo of Parallel 37 featuring your fresh catch.
The Brazilian Court Hotel, Photo Courtesy of The Brazilian Court Hotel
The San Francisco hotel also will provide a less extravagant celebratory package in April. The Silver Anniversary deal includes accommodations, a silver fortune cookie box keepsake, a $25 hotel credit per night, a pair of one-day cable car passes for unlimited rides and a custom-curated city guide by chief concierge Ric Lee.
The Brazilian Court Hotel
Since 1926, Palm Beach’s The Brazilian Court Hotel has been a luxurious getaway. To celebrate its 90th anniversary, the hotel has rolled out the outrageously decadent 90th Anniversary Package ($90,000; through December 31). The unique offering, designed for you and 11 of your friends, includes round-trip transportation on a private jet and accommodations in the hotel’s Vintage Collection suites, four celebrity-inspired units with a combined total of six bedrooms and more than 6,000 square feet of potential fun.
Among the more over-the-top items included in the celebratory promotion are diamond-and-emerald cufflinks and earrings for each couple. In addition, a private nine-hour yacht excursion and a chauffeured Rolls-Royce are available to help you explore the charms of Palm Beach. As for dining, a nine-course, speakeasy-style dinner and wine pairing at newly renovated Café Boulud — endless caviar, Godiva chocolate and Dom Pérignon — is as about indulgent as it gets.
The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay
Four-Star The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay, one of the San Francisco area’s most luxurious properties, is honoring its 15th anniversary with a Celebrate You package (through December 31). Amenities include a coastal-view room, a crystal anniversary gift, daily breakfast for two at Four-Star Navio, overnight valet parking and much more. If you book for three nights, the last night is complimentary.
But the excitement doesn’t stop there. Ninety-minute crystal-themed treatments in the Four-Star spa — a 16,000-square-foot palace all in itself — are also available throughout the year. With the Crystal Radiance Massage, you’re taken on an aromatherapy-enhanced journey to relieve tension and balance energy. The Eminence Crystal Purity Facial uses NuFace technology to ensure skin looks its most radiant. The Tatcha Crystal Luminous Facial promises to brighten smiles with a combination of powders, masks and Japanese acupressure techniques.
The Somerset on Grace Bay
This Turks and Caicos oasis will mark its 10th anniversary by giving out free stays. To enter the hotel’s “10 Years of Treasured Times” contest, past guests have to write about their favorite Somerset memory, while others can share a story about how they would create a special experience at the resort. On the 10th of each month, a winner will be chosen to receive a four-day, three-night stay for two.
After all of the winners are announced, The Somerset will let fans vote for their favorite story from the bunch. The grand-prize winner will get an upgrade to the hotel’s five-bedroom Penthouse Estate.
Peninsula’s Commemorative China Tea Set, Photo Courtesy of The Peninsula Hotels
If you aren’t lucky enough to land one of the contest trips, the hotel will give you a great deal: Book four nights in a villa at the Forbes Travel Guide Recommended hotel and you’ll receive your fifth evening for only $10. The spacious villas have full kitchens with Viking appliances, a washer and dryer, and a master bedroom with a Jacuzzi.
The Peninsula Beverly Hills
Staying relevant in Southern California’s brutally competitive hospitality market for 25 years is worthy of acknowledgement, and that’s precisely what this Five-Star gem is doing. With an array of themed goodies that range from cocktails (the Silver Mule) and fine china (a special 12-piece set is being sold) to spa treats (complimentary gifts on the 25th of every month) and overnight specials (the Silver Celebration Package comes with champagne, a $125 dining credit and parking), the property plans on keeping its upscale party going all year long.
Still, the fondest memories might be made in the recently unveiled Grand Deluxe Suite, a 1,500-square-foot escape done in rich grays, mirrored walls, silver accents and other touches inspired by the precious metal.
