Deck The Halls

Maybe we’re getting sentimental in our old age. There have been years when we’d have been happy to spend the holidays on some beach in Southeast Asia, with nary a bough of holly to be found. This year, though, we’re feeling particularly festive — join us, won’t you, for a look at ten hotels that are taking their Christmas decorations to new heights.

Peninsula Hong Kong
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Chances of natural snowfall are slim, but that hasn’t stopped the Peninsula from going full winter wonderland — and yes, that’s Santa and his entourage, strung up in the air between the hotel’s two wings.

Plaza Athénée
Paris, France
Never the sort of hotel to toss up a string of lights and call it a holiday, the Plaza Athénée has truly exceeded itself this season — they’ve gone and turned the garden courtyard into an ice rink, and it’ll stay frozen through February.

The Dylan
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Atmosphere is the Dylan’s strong suit in any season, but they kick it up a notch at Christmas, with an intricate display created by the hotel’s in-house florist — a handy person to have on staff at this time of year.

Palacio Duhau
Buenos Aires, Argentina
A Park Hyatt would never settle for a typical Christmas tree — at Palacio Duhau they’ve commissioned a massive multimedia installation from goldsmith Julio Perez Sanz and architect Enrique H. Dieguez.

Langham Place
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
With roast turkey in the restaurant and Christmas-themed dim sum, you couldn’t accuse Langham Place of overlooking the holiday. What tops it for us, though, is the scale model of the hotel itself, made from 75 pounds of gingerbread.

The Berkeley
London, England
The Berkeley’s rooftop terrace has upped the coziness quotient with pine trees, Moncler blankets, house-made hot chocolate, mince pies and a selection of classic Christmas movies from Miracle on 34th Street to Bridget Jones’s Diary.

Claridge’s
London, England
The grand staircase is perfect for a tree, and for this year’s tableau they’ve enlisted a guest’s help — longtime Claridge’s regular Alber Elbaz just happens to be Lanvin’s creative director (and the designer of Claridge’s staff uniforms).

Hotel Fouquet’s Barrière
Paris, France
Paris at Christmas is legendary — you wouldn’t expect the City of Lights to fare too poorly — and the Hotel Fouquet’s Barrière gets in the spirit, with a light show illuminating the facade and a dusting of snow in the dining room.

The Fairmont
San Francisco, California
This classic hotel atop Nob Hill already looks like something out of a picture book, but this year the pastry department has upped the ante considerably with their massive two-story indoor gingerbread house.

Opposite House
Beijing, China
The soaring atrium is the perfect place for some large-scale sculpture — in this case a two-story “Solar Tree” made from decommissioned solar thermal vacuum tubes, some strong green symbolism in a city that could use the inspiration.