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Destinations
From in-room Christmas trees to a Home Alone limo tour, these Manhattan hotels make a holiday trip with kids a lot easier (and a lot more fun).
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Courtesy of The Peninsula New York
There's nothing quite like New York at Christmas. When I lived in the city with my family, December was always our favorite month. We'd bundle up to see the windows on Fifth Avenue, drink hot chocolate while watching the skaters at Bryant Park, and crane our necks at the tree in Rockefeller Center. The whole city feels magical this time of year, and kids pick up on it the second they step outside.
My family and I just moved to Barcelona, but we're heading back to NYC for the holidays. And since we'll be visitors this time, I started looking for hotels that would make the trip feel extra special for my kids. It turns out that many of the city's most popular properties go big for Christmas—and plenty have kids in mind when it comes to programming. Some will set up a decorated tree in your room before you check in; others will bring Santa to the lobby, pour free hot cocoa, or hide candy canes around your room for a scavenger hunt.
After a cold afternoon of skating and window shopping, it's nice to come back to a place that feels like Christmas too. Here are the seven hotels that make Christmas special in NYC, and what each one offers for families.
David Courbit / The Plaza, A Fairmont Hotel
The Plaza Hotel
Anyone who grew up on Home Alone 2 will want to know about this one. Check into The Plaza (don't worry, it's not closing for renovation until January 2027) for its Home Alone: Fun in New York package, which gets you a four-hour private limo tour of filming locations, a large cheese pizza to eat on the way, and a 16-scoop sundae sent up to your room (Kevin would approve). You can also request a seven-foot Christmas tree for your suite, which will come with holiday flowers and welcome treats. With younger kids, book Holiday Afternoon Tea at the Palm Court or Storytime with Santa, available to hotel guests only.
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Andrew Werner / Loews_Regency_New_York
Loews Regency New York
Picture this: You've spent the afternoon admiring the Fifth Avenue windows, everyone's cheeks are rosy from the winter air, and you step into a lobby glowing with holiday decor by Patrick J. Clayton Productions. On Fridays and Saturdays in December, things at the Regency get even sweeter: from 4 to 6 p.m., the hotel serves free hot cocoa for the kids, and Champagne for you. Kids can also join the Loews Little Legends program, which turns the whole stay into a citywide adventure. One minute they're high-fiving a bellman, the next they're hunting for squirrels in Central Park—the whole time earning stamps toward a special prize. Before you head home, stop by the concierge desk for the hotel's hand-painted ornament, a sweet souvenir to hang on your tree back home.
Mark Weinberg / The Conrad
Conrad New York Downtown
Most NYC holiday activities are in Midtown, so staying at the Conrad in Battery Park City makes for a nice change of scene. The hotel has done a big lobby display every year since 2013, and this year's centerpiece is a 20-foot red spruce with more than 300 blue, silver, and white ornaments, surrounded by 22 flocked trees and snowflake lights projected around the lobby (you can add an in-room tree, too). Santa comes every now and then, carolers stop by, and kids can write letters to the North Pole and hit the hot chocolate station. Bigger families can grab a two- or three-bedroom suite, or the suite with a Statue of Liberty view. What better gift than the ability to marvel at Lady Liberty from your room?
Courtesy of The Peninsula New York
The Peninsula New York
The Peninsula, on Fifth Avenue at 55th Street, has the most kid-centric holiday package I came across. Nights Before Christmas includes a candy cane scavenger hunt in your room, a gingerbread cookie decorating kit, a few extra surprises, and VIP access to The Peninsula Sweet Shoppe, a holiday candy pop-up. Parents get their turn with the Holly Jolly New York package, which covers the Fifth Avenue windows and Brooklyn's holiday lights, plus welcome cocktails at the Bar at Clement or the new Swiss chalet–inspired spot on the roof. There's also a Christmas Eve and Christmas Day buffet with visits from Santa, which takes care of the big holiday meal.
The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park
The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park
The Ritz-Carlton's Ultimate Rockefeller Holiday Experience is basically a classic New York Christmas checklist in one booking. You get VIP access to the Rockefeller Center rink with a private chalet to change and warm up in, a trip up to Top of the Rock, and an up-close family photo under that iconic tree. (If you've ever tried to get a decent picture there on a December weekend, you'll appreciate that last one.) The hotel sits on Central Park South, so the park is right across the street when the kids need room to run.
Courtesy of Park Lane Hotel
Park Lane New York
Park Lane is another Central Park South option, and the park views are the main draw—that, plus the decorations that go up the week before Thanksgiving. For families, there are connecting rooms and a new Central Park Panoramic Studio Suite with a sofa bed so that the kids can sleep in the same room as you. The perk I'm most excited about is a holiday shopping package with Bergdorf Goodman. Whatever you buy gets delivered to your room so that you can shop Fifth Avenue with a free hand for your kid.
Courtesy of the Knickerbocker
The Knickerbocker Hotel
The Knickerbocker, at 42nd and Broadway, has two holiday packages built around an in-room tree. The first, A Little Christmas Magic, gets you a four-foot, pre-lit tree with a skirt, set up before you arrive. A Little More Christmas Magic adds decorations around the room, holiday touches in the bathroom, and stockings you can fill for Christmas morning. (My son would love it.) Bryant Park's Christmas market and ice rink are a block away, which is handy when everyone needs to burn off some energy before bed and you need to do some last-minute shopping.
Jordi Lippe-McGraw is a contributing writer for Condé Nast Traveler. As a lifestyle reporter/editor for almost a decade, she's written for various outlets including the New York Post, Travel+ Leisure, and Ocean Drive, and appeared on TODAY, MSNBC, and E! for her expertise. In addition to being a travel writer, ... Read More
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