Usher in the holiday season at New World Millennium Hong Kong Hotel

Your phone’s great for everyday photos, but there’s something magical about having professional pictures done during special occasions. This year, skip the blurry group shots – someone will inevitably blink or look in the wrong direction anyway – and celebrate the holidays with something a little more bespoke. For the perfect memento, head to The Lounge from 6.30pm to 9.30pm on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, when a professional artist will be available to draw complimentary individual or family portraits for hotel guests.

Make the most of New World Millennium’s location by having dinner at Bar on 15, where diners can enjoy a five-course set dinner ($628 per person) and festive cocktails ($98) against the backdrop of Victoria Harbour on Christmas Eve. The stylish surrounds and stunning panoramic views also make Bar on 15 a great venue for a countdown dinner.

For a modern, sophisticated take on festive meals, head to New World Millennium’s resident brasserie, where two special five-course menus will be served on Christmas Eve ($918 per person with prepayment required) and New Year’s Eve ($898 per person). Enjoy fine French fare such as foie gras terrine, cèpes in truffle froth, roasted wagyu beef, slow-cooked turkey, and raspberry chocolate crème brûlée cake in the relaxed, chic ambience of La Table French Brasserie.

Nothing says holiday cheer like a hearty meal with your nearest and dearest, but anyone who’s hosted family gatherings knows the pain of having to cater to everyone’s tastes. Avoid the hassle at Café East, where a buffet ($218-$798 per person with prepayment required) of over 90 delicacies including roast meats, classic buffet favourites and Asian dishes will be served on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. Santa will even drop by over the Christmas period to give presents to young diners – and if strangers bearing gifts don’t impress them, there’s always the dessert bar.

Embrace traditional Japanese holiday customs at Sagano, where patrons can partake in a seven-course kaiseki dinner of seasonal dishes on Christmas Eve, Day and New Year’s Eve ($1,580 per person, with complimentary glass of champagne). From 10.30pm to midnight on New Year’s Eve, the restaurant will also serve traditional Japanese toshikoshi soba noodles ($238 per person), which symbolise longevity. To start 2019 on an auspicious note, Sagano’s chef will perform a mochi pounding ceremony in the hotel lobby on New Year’s Day, after which the restaurant will serve a range of small osechi dishes – made with ingredients that carry auspicious meanings – for lunch ($650 per per person) or dinner ($1,500 per person) to bring good fortune and health to its diners.