Find Holiday Magic at America’s Historic Hotels

From festive decor to seasonal deals, these hotels fill your winter getaway with timeless charm and holiday fun

christmas trees and decorations in a hotel lobby

Historic hotels’ holiday events and decorations, like those in the lobby of The Plaza Hotel in New York, pictured here, draw visitors celebrating the season, whether they’re staying overnight or not.

Courtesy The Plaza New York

Berit Thorkelson,

AARP

Published November 21, 2025

It’s a comforting thing how decades of tradition help historic hotels naturally shift into full-on celebratory holiday mode.

The National Council on Aging says it’s important for older people to share in such seasonal delights, whether to combat seasonal sadness or build new holiday memories that bring joy and a fresh sense of meaning. These well-established hotels link the present to the past as part of the heritage tourism trend, driven by travelers ages 51 to 70, according to market research and consulting company Grand View Research.

These six hotels around the country offer decadent decorations, indulgent experience packages and plenty of fun events that all strike a festive mood for overnight guests and day-tripping non-guests alike. Prices listed are current as of publication, though subject to change, and all hotels have availability, too. If that changes, mark your calendar to make reservations earlier next year.

dancers pose in front of christmas trees in a hotel lobby

The Sarafinas precision dance troupe performs during holiday Tappy Hour at The Plaza Hotel in New York.

Courtesy The Plaza New York

The Plaza, New York

This grand, 118-year-old French Renaissance–style hotel sits in midtown Manhattan amid New York City’s iconic holiday bustle, where the luxury shops of Fifth Avenue meet the carriage rides of Central Park. During the holidays, decorated trees fill the hotel’s lobby, its classic Palm Court afternoon teas incorporate seasonal touches, and bubbles and caviar await at the Champagne Bar. (Bonus: The Sarafinas, a precision dance troupe founded by a former Rockette, will perform during Tappy Hour on select evenings.) One option for those spending the night is the “Suitest Season of All” package (starting at $3,494), which includes a 7-foot in-suite Christmas tree. Another lets Home Alone fans experience movie scenes with a four-hour limo ride, including a large cheese pizza and a 16-scoop ice cream sundae back in your suite (starting at $4,104).

Within blocks of the hotel, you can see the Radio City Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular, the 75-foot tree and ice skating rink at Rockefeller Plaza, and Saks Fifth Avenue’s holiday shop windows and nightly light shows. Rates start at $1,970 per night.

christmas trees and lights line the hallway of a hotel

During the holidays, 112,000 twinkling lights decorate the stunning block-sized lobby of New Orleans’ Roosevelt Hotel.

Courtesy The Roosevelt New Orleans, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel

The Roosevelt New Orleans

As one would expect from a late-1800s hotel a block from the French Quarter, the holidays at the Roosevelt New Orleans, a Waldorf Astoria Hotel, are a fantastic party. Starting on Dec. 2, 112,000 twinkling lights, as well as 1,600 feet of garland and 4,000 glass ornaments, decorate the hotel’s block-sized lobby.

Grab a holiday cocktail from the lobby’s Sazerac Bar or stick to its namesake drink. The bar is known for serving one of the best Sazeracs in the city, which is credited with inventing the rye- and bitters-based cocktail. Don’t miss the lobby’s walk-in gingerbread house, which is adorned with local treats such as beignet and crawfish cookies and houses a life-sized chocolate alligator.

Overnight guests can take part in the NOLA After Dark jazz crawl, a three-hour walking tour led by local jazz musicians through the French Quarter’s top jazz venues and other sites there. Cocktails are included. Rates start at $203 per night.

A beachside ice rink and rentable igloos are among the many holiday events unfolding at the Hotel Del Coronado on Coronado Island in San Diego.

Courtesy Hotel del Coronado

Hotel del Coronado, Coronado Island, San Diego

Ice-skating by the sea, Christmas movies on the beach and private beachside igloo rentals are back at the Del, a sprawling, white-and-red Queen Anne jewel that opened in 1888 on the Southern California coastline. An array of “A Holiday in Oz” events join the lineup through Jan. 4, honoring author L. Frank Baum, who wrote some of the books in his Wizard of Oz series here in the early 1900s.

Oz-themed trees and events on the 28-acre property help show off the Del’s recent large-scale restoration. A yellow brick road lined in giant, glowing dandelions and electric poppies winds through the Victorian Garden Courtyard, rebranded as the Tinsel Trail to Oz. The nightly Oz-themed light shows on the Founders Lawn end in a flurry of snow. Rates start at $431 per night.

a girl throws her hands up while decorating gingerbread houses

More than 200 gingerbread houses fill The Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, during the National Gingerbread House Competition, a tradition since 1992.

Courtesy The Omni Grove Park Inn

The Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa, Asheville, North Carolina

When the holidays hit Asheville, so does the National Gingerbread House Competition, a tradition that began as a community celebration at the Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa in 1992. The event has grown to include competitive entries and nationally known judges.

Overnight visitors and day-trippers alike travel to this 112-year-old stacked-stone beauty overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains, which is decorated with more than 80 illuminated trees. Visitors can also view the houses created by more than 200 amateur and professional pastry chefs. In the 120-foot Great Hall, visitors can enjoy the large-scale gingerbread house modeled after the hotel — and maybe some house-made hot chocolate in front of one of the twin 14-foot granite boulder fireplaces.

Viewing is open to the public through Jan. 4, with limited hours for non-guests, who should expect to pay for parking. Check the hotel’s website for hours. Potential overnighters, take note: The Gingerbread Holiday Package comes with a gingerbread cookie as well as the daily seasonal breakfast buffet. It’s available through Dec. 30 with rates starting at $488 per night.

three women wearing festive pajamas sitting and talking on a hotel patio

The holidays are celebrated with mid-century flair at Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, Arizona. New this year: The pool is transformed into a twinkle-lit roller rink.

Courtesy Hotel Valley Ho

Hotel Valley Ho, Scottsdale, Arizona

A swanky mid-century gem, the Hotel Valley Ho, is debuting its Ho Holidays celebration in downtown Scottsdale from Nov. 24 through Jan. 4.

At its heart is the hotel-pool-turned-roller-rink, featuring holiday lights and theme nights like Desert Disco and Jingle + Jammies. Add-ons include rink-side cabanas with firepits; a menu of treats featuring cocoa, s’mores and specialty cocktails; and festive activities for old and young, including cookie decorating and giant Jenga.

The event is free for overnight guests, including those taking advantage of the $199 per night Fun + Festive Stays package during the last half of December. Non-guest admission is $25; complimentary for 5 and under.

a hotel lobby with christmas decorations

Garlands and seasonal bouquets decorate the elegant lobby of the 115-year-old Saint Paul Hotel in St. Paul, Minnesota, setting a festive tone for overnight guests as well as those stopping in for a holiday performance.

Courtesy The Saint Paul Hotel

The Saint Paul Hotel, St. Paul, Minnesota

Holidays have a timeless elegance at the 115-year-old Saint Paul Hotel, where garlands and holiday bouquets in the lobby supplement the marble Italian Renaissance–inspired pillars and twinkling Waterford crystal chandeliers. On select Fridays and Saturdays throughout December, carolers add to the ambience, filling the space with holiday songs.

A radio-style performance of It’s a Wonderful Life has been a tradition at the hotel for nearly 20 years. It’s a 1940s-style live show filled with vintage sound effects and music, all taking place during a three-course holiday meal. Performances run Dec. 12 to 24; tickets start at $130 per person. Stays start at $149 per night.

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Berit Thorkelson is a travel writer and editor for aarp.org. She has also written for publications such as National Geographic Traveler, Better Homes & Gardens and The Minnesota Star Tribune’s travel section.