11 of the best hotels to book for Christmas 

2 Portrait Milano, Milan, Italy

Located in Europe’s oldest – and the world’s second‑largest – seminary in Milan’s fashion district, Portrait Milano, part of the Lungarno Collection, positions its central square, Piazza del Quadrilatero, as a hub for shopping, dining and seasonal events over the Christmas period. Transformed into a winter destination, the piazza is home to a large open‑air ice rink, where guests can skate, enjoy ice shows with ‘special’ guests or feast on hot chocolate and roasted chestnuts beside the rink. 

 

Lining the square are four elegant glass greenhouses, each hosting high‑end brands for last‑minute Christmas shopping and seasonal treats, including a Lindt chocolate house and a Ferragamo boutique. Festive menus and a celebratory brunch on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day feature throughout the hotel’s venues, including at Beefbar, an outpost of the Monte Carlo hotspot, and Rumore, known for its Champagne cocktails and refined street‑food bites.
portrait-milano-hotel

3 The Peninsula, Hong Kong

Consistently ranked among the world’s most luxurious hotels, with Rolls‑Royce transfers and world‑class dining, Hong Kong’s ‘Grande Dame’ ushers in the festive season with its neoclassical façade illuminated in partnership with Chanel, a display that is now part of the city’s holiday skyline. Inside the lobby, a towering tree dressed in gold and glass ornaments takes centre stage, while the much‑loved Alpine Village and miniature train return as a nod to the hotel’s 1920s heritage.

 

Festive dining spans the property’s leading venues, including Michelin‑starred Gaddi’s, where dishes such as pan‑seared langoustine and lobster with Kristal caviar headline the seasonal menu. Felix on the 28th floor pairs Victoria Harbour views with seasonal tasting menus and inventive cocktails, while Chesa channels an Alpine lodge atmosphere with cheese fondue, raclette and house‑made pigeon pie. In the Lobby, afternoon tea takes a festive turn with patisserie built around seasonal flavours – from salmon and trout roe éclair to white chocolate mousse – accompanied by live strings and carol performances. peninsula.com/en/hong-kong

4 Claridge’s, London, UK

Claridge’s, the legendary Mayfair hotel long synonymous with London’s festive season, has anchored its Christmas around a collaboration with Burberry, centred on a 16‑foot statement tree in the Art Deco lobby designed by Burberry’s Chief Creative Officer. Dressed with wild foliage and thistles, the tree is festooned with hundreds of bows cut from surplus Burberry fabrics, brass bells and hand‑blown glass baubles, topped with a gold crown. Burberry sweets are offered from trolleys throughout the hotel, while Claridge’s Bar serves a specially crafted Burberry cocktail.

 

The hotel’s iconic afternoon tea in the Foyer and Reading Room has been given a festive twist, pairing seasonal sandwiches and patisserie with Champagne, live music and weekend children’s choir performances through Christmas Eve. Guests arriving on 24 December receive a welcome of Billecart‑Salmon Champagne, while a solo pianist and classical ensemble provide musical accompaniment across all venues. Multi‑course festive menus feature throughout the hotel, with Claridge’s Restaurant x Dante offering toffee apple Manhattans alongside Norfolk turkey and Claridge’s Christmas pudding. claridges.co.uk

 

Burberry-designed tree in the lobby of Claridge’s, London

 

5 Hotel Bayerischer Hof, Munich

In Munich’s old town, Hotel Bayerischer Hof becomes a Christmas stage from lobby to rooftop, with roasted chestnuts handed out at the entrance, a lavish gingerbread house in residence and festive details threaded throughout. The highlight is the Polar Bar, a heated winter terrace perched above the city’s rooftops, where guests can wrap themselves in blankets beside fire pits, sip hot Mai Tais and watch Munich’s skyline glow under the December sky. Below, the in‑house cinema runs festive movie nights, while the atrium hosts a specially curated afternoon tea.

 

Dining centres on Garden, the hotel’s award‑winning brasserie, where a heated winter garden and illuminated Christmas tree forest frame a Bavarian festive menu built on seasonal produce, from guinea fowl ravioli and local lake trout tartare to the ceremonial Christmas goose. The Champagne breakfast buffet in the Roof Garden overlooks festive Munich, while multi‑course dinners across the property’s restaurants, including two‑Michelin‑starred Atelier, complete the celebrations.​ 

bayerischerhof.de

 

Christmas decorations, dining and events take centre stage at Hotel Bayerischer Hof

 

6 Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai, UAE

As one of Dubai’s largest integrated resorts, Atlantis The Palm delivers a suitably expansive festive season, with large‑scale decorative displays, a grand Christmas tree in the main lobby and themed dining programmes spanning its Michelin‑starred venues and casual outlets. Many venues introduce festive menus and family‑focused brunches with dedicated kids’ activities and Santa meet‑and‑greets. Highlights include brunches at Nobu Dubai, where Peruvian‑Japanese signatures are served to a backdrop of DJ sets, and at Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen & Bar, which presents a traditional British Christmas spread of roast beef, smoked salmon and Christmas pudding alongside live music and seasonal games. 

 

At the fine‑dining end, ÅF FZN by Björn Frantzén, one of only two three‑Michelin‑starred restaurants in Dubai, serves a nine‑course festive tasting menu with optional wine pairing, while Carbone, the resort’s newest dining outpost, channels a New York‑Italian trattoria with rotating Christmas dishes. Plato’s lounge rounds out the line‑up with a festive afternoon tea featuring Mont Blanc tart and a gingerbread chocolate sphere. atlantis.com/atlantis-the-palm

 

At Atlantis, The Palm, expect elevated dining with a dash of festive glamour

 

7 Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London

Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park has partnered with De Beers to transform the lobby into a Champagne‑and‑caviar salon through New Year. A brand-new bar serves top‑tier bubbles paired with King’s Caviar, while the hotel’s ’12 Days of Craftmas’ programme threads evening craft‑focused events throughout the season, each echoing the De Beers narrative of artistry and seasonal creativity. The Mandarin Bar takes the theme further, offering a signature sparkling cocktail infused with fragrant botanicals, a sparkling prelude to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal’s festive showcase of historic British dishes.

 

Over at The Rosebery, afternoon tea tilts toward De Beers’ sparkle, with seasonal sandwiches and patisserie – think Smoked Salmon & Rooibos Mackerel Pâté and Warm Christmas Malva Pudding – paired with the lounge’s roster of more than 30 loose‑leaf teas. For families staying over the holidays, the Little Festive Rangers scheme dresses kids as Santa’s little helpers, alongside in‑room treats and themed gifts. mandarinoriental.com/en/london/hyde-park 

 

De Beers is adding sparkle to Christmas 2025 at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London

 

8 Hotel d’Angleterre, Copenhagen

This December, Copenhagen’s landmark Hotel d’Angleterre brings festive theatre to Kongens Nytorv as its Baroque façade glows with thousands of lights and towering nutcrackers flank the entrance. The square outside becomes a festive village with a skating rink and market stalls, including the hotel’s own chalet serving Danish delicacies. Inside, the heritage property celebrates old‑world Nordic warmth and family‑focused traditions. Kids can enjoy in‑room Christmas film screenings with hot cocoa and gingerbread, or spend time in the holiday playroom, while on Christmas Eve, Santa delivers gifts to rooms or leaves stockings for the next morning.

 

At Balthazar, bartenders serve festive cocktails topped with gingerbread foam, and on the heated terrace, guests can sample Queen’s White Gløgg, the hotel’s signature spiced mulled white wine, served with snowball treats. Michelin‑starred Marchal reinterprets French classics through a Danish lens, from turbot with caviar and Champagne to saffron‑spiced lobster bisque, while Maison d’Angleterre patisserie offers hampers of festive sweets and a pop‑up boutique for last‑minute gifts. copenhagen/christmas-at-d-angleterre 

 

Oversized nutcrackers stand guard at the entrance of Copenhagen’s Hotel d’Angleterre

 

9 Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, Florence, Italy

Just a short stroll from the Duomo, Four Seasons Hotel Firenze turns its twin Renaissance palaces and 15th‑century walled garden into a Florentine Christmas stage, with statues, fountains and centuries‑old trees glowing softly, while frescoed salons and vaulted ceilings display lavish festive décor inside. From mid‑December, the property opens like a festive village, with gourmet food stations, local producers, live performances and seasonal activities scattered across the grounds and historic halls. 

 

Atrium Bar becomes the hotel’s festive living room, with afternoon tea taking on a distinctly Florentine accent – delicate pastries and aromatic teas set to soft jazz – while Panettone della Gherardesca paired with spirits awaits at Bar Berni in Palazzo del Nero. Dining is suitably theatrical across the holiday period, with a seafood‑focused feast and dessert room at Onde, and lavish brunches at Michelin-starred Il Palagio, featuring generous buffets, live dessert stations and open‑kitchen service accompanied by seasonal melodies. fourseasons.com/florence

 

Set within two Renaissance palaces, Four Seasons Hotel Firenze is doubling down on festivities

 

10 British Pullman, A Belmond Train, UK

While not a hotel, festive journeys aboard British Pullman, A Belmond Train, can be paired with overnight stays at partner properties in London and Oxfordshire, from The Cadogan to Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, turning a day‑trip by rail into a festive short break. On board, restored Art Deco carriages become a travelling Christmas salon, departing London Victoria for a wintry trip through the English countryside.

 

Five‑course menus showcase British winter produce, from richly sauced roasts to traditional puddings and British cheeseboards, while a wider programme of seasonal itineraries includes day trips to historic cities such as Bath, for Georgian streets and Christmas markets, and Canterbury, for medieval lanes and cathedral carols. Brunch with Bellinis and multi‑course dinners extend the celebrations into the evening, and the headline Blenheim Palace at Christmas itinerary pairs a Champagne‑fuelled ride through Oxfordshire with timed entry to the Illuminated Light Trail. belmond-british-pullman

 

Guests can enjoy festive journeys aboard British Pullman, A Belmond Train, with stays at partner hotels

 

11 Aman New York, United States

At Aman New York, the festive season is framed as a retreat above the city, where guests can move from Fifth Avenue’s bustle to an elevated haven of calm just off Central Park. Inside, a dedicated Winter Wonderland programme brings the holidays into the property with seasonal workshops, family‑friendly activities, treats such as hot chocolate and the option for in‑suite festive décor, while stays can also be tailored outward with concierge‑led access to Fifth Avenue’s window displays, ice‑skating and seasonal performances.

 

Celebratory menus at Italian restaurant Arva and Japanese concept Nama, together with a festive take on afternoon tea in the Lounge Bar, anchor the hotel’s holiday dining offerings. For guests looking to reset, the Aman Spa’s two private Banya and Hammam Spa Houses offer heat‑based rituals, and a Circadian wellness workshop timed to the Winter Solstice uses guided movement and meditation to support sleep and recalibrate daily rhythms. aman-new-york