The 7 Most Over-the-Top Christmas Hotels in America

It’s not called “the most wonderful time of the year” for nothing. Christmas is quite the glittery season, and some hotels hold nothing back when it comes to amping up the tinsel and lights. If you’re seeking a picturesque and jolly atmosphere to match your love for all things Christmas, here are seven hotels with some of the most over-the-top festive decor.

Pembroke, Virginia might be a small town with a population of only about 1,000 people, but it’s home to a pretty famous hotel, Mountain Lake Lodge. Its claim to fame? Oh, just that Dirty Dancing was filmed here!

Movie appearances aside, Mountain Lake Lodge goes all out for the holiday season. Check out their Magical Christmas Village & Marketplace, where you can warm up at Marshmallow Way with s’mores and a firepit, go ice-skating at Water Bliss Ice Rink, and shop ‘til you drop with their onsite festive stores. For a proper tour of the marketplace in style, hop on the Pinecone Express train, and when your appetite comes calling, head to Harvest, where this year they’re offering Brunch with Santa and Christmas Dinner.

For a Christmas in lavish style, the St. Regis Atlanta is calling. This year, they’ve partnered with luxury fashion and accessory brand, MME.Mink, and designer Jan Haedrich to design the hotel’s 20-foot holiday tree. The tree’s theme is “A Partridge in a Plum Tree,” and it’s decked from base to crown with ornaments in shades of deep sugar plum and green moss, adorned with ice and crystal motifs. The tree’s color tones and trinkets are meant to complement the festive decor throughout the property.

It’s not just the sugar plum tree that makes The St. Regis Atlanta a jolly choice, however. Who needs milk and cookies when you can have Afternoon Tea with Santa? Or if a fairytale Christmas brunch is more your style, don’t worry—they offer that, too.

Traverse City is one of America’s best-kept secrets. The northern Michigan city is home to some of the country’s best wine, boasting more than 40 wineries, and is also the cherry capital of the world. While frolicking through vineyards and eating tart cherries sounds more like a summer thing, Traverse City is just as magical in the winter, and the Delamar Hotel Traverse City is the place to stay.

Located alongside the vibrant blue waters of Grand Traverse Bay, the views from the Delamar Hotel Traverse City are stunning. During the winter, the hotel offers Snow Days, where guests can warm up in various ways: by taking a dip in the 92-degree outdoor pool, sipping hot drinks at the dedicated hot cocoa bar, or by snuggling up in a Cozy Cabana where they can nosh on some dishes from Artisan, the on-site restaurant.

While tinsel and Christmas lights bring a certain magic to the holiday season, maybe you want something a little sweeter The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs (a winter wonderland in itself) hosts a life-size gingerbread display each year. This year’s theme is curated toward golf lovers in anticipation for the resort hosting the 2025 U.S. Senior Open Golf Championship in late June.

Executive Pastry Chef Franck Labasse and his 40-plus-member team curated several golf-themed sweet treats this year, from Santa riding a golf cart to penguins chilling on various-sized golf balls. And yes, all of it is edible and made of gingerbread. To give you an idea as to just how massive the display is, 958 pounds of powdered sugar, 1801 eggs, 164 pounds of dark chocolate, 128 pounds of molasses, and 19 pounds of holiday spices were used to make it.

If there’s one major U.S. city that’s highly underrated, it’s got to be Cleveland. And if you need an excuse to go, let the Mr. Kringle Suite at Hilton Cleveland Downtown be the driving factor. Donned with two sparkling Christmas trees, whimsical room decor, holiday-themed furniture, seasonal books, and even festive bedding and pillows, the Mr. Kringle Suite is ideal if you’re traveling during the holidays with kids—or for kids at heart.

It’s not just the decor in the suite, however; each holiday guest will receive a personalized note from Mr. Kringle, along with a special delivery of Santa’s favorite treat: milk and cookies. Plus, the location of HIlton Cleveland Downtown can’t be beat. It’s located only steps away from one of Cleveland’s best attractions, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

For a festive hotel that really doesn’t need any bells and whistles thanks to its immaculate surroundings, Eastwind Lake Placid in Upstate New York is the place to be. Tucked alongside the Chubb River and a short distance away from Lake Placid’s Main Street, this cozy hotel is comprised of just 25 rooms, each with Scandinavian design. Eastwind Lake Placid is the perfect combination of a remote escape that’s also close to activities: Whiteface Mountain Ski Resort is easily accessible from Eastwind.

During the holiday season, the property is adorned with custom-made wreaths from one of the hotel’s longstanding collaborators from the Catskills region of New York, Hort and Pott.

If you’re willing to brave New York during the busiest time of the year, you’ll want to do so in style. And while the city has plenty of Christmas tree pop-ups and over-the-top hotels, it’s hard to argue that any do it better than the Lotte New York Palace. Located close to Rockefeller Center, Central Park, and Times Square, Lotte New York Palace is an ideal destination year-round, and is especially charming during the holidays.

This year, the property teamed up with luxe Christmas tree purveyor Balsam Hill to design three holiday suites, each with its own color palette: fir, fraser fir, and noble fir. There’s also a fantastic seasonal bar, appropriately named Winter Bar at the Palace. There, you’ll find comforting drinks like Royal Hot Chocolate made with Madagascar dark chocolate and Hot New York Apple Cider. If you’re looking for something stiffer, the Hot Buttered Rum is a must-try tipple.