The best N.Y.C. hotels with over-the-top holiday decor

🎄 Best for: over the top festive decor

Lotte New York Palace is a legendary hotel year round, but they really step it up a notch each holiday season. Their grand lobby is already ornate, but come Christmastime it gets decked out even more so with ribbons of garland and twinkling lights. Their 35-foot Christmas tree in the Palace Courtyard is one of the most picture-perfect trees in the city, so don’t be surprised if you see some crowds here. Last year, they used over 1,000 feet of garland (that amount could cover 2.8 football fields), over 30,000 lights and have decked their Christmas tree with 4,500 lights and over 1,000 ornaments. It doesn’t stop there, though: They also had The Gingerbread Palace, a miniature replica of the hotel made completley with gingerbread along with a roof of 950 macarons. We’re excited to see what sweet treats have turned into Christmas decorations this year.

Time Out tip: Need something warm to sip while doing your holiday shopping and sightseeing? Check out Winter Bar in the Courtyard, open from Wednesday through Sunday. Go for a Mexican Mint Hot Chocolate, a spiked concoction made with Patron Silver Tequila, peppermint schnapps and Madagascar dark chocolate.

Address: 455 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022
Price per night: Double rooms from $470
Closest transport: Subway E, M to Fifth Ave/53rd St; 6 to 51st St

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🎄 Best for: a cozy holiday cocktail

With a nine-story Victorian atrium, The Beekman feels chic and classy, and its holiday decor brings that sense of elegance home. Set inside an 1881 building, The Beekman is a sought-after gathering spot every holiday season. For the best of its festive decor, head to The Bar Room, known as ‘the living room of Downtown Manhattan,’ which has a large display of vintage books and, during the holidays, an enchanting Christmas tree. Sip a cocktail under the twinkling lights, as it’s one of the most timeless, cozy festive spots in the city.

Time Out tip: If visiting holiday trees is on the agenda, The Beekman is less than a 10-minute walk from South Street Seaport, which has been home to a towering Christmas tree, lit up each night, in past years.

Address: 123 Nassau St, New York, NY 10038
Price per night: From $279
Closest transport: Fulton Street Station

➡️ Have a read of the best Downtown hotels in New York right now.

🎄 Best for: a festive pop-up bar

2026 details are to be confirmed, but last year Omni Berkshire Place hosted one of the most festive pop-ups in the city. Just steps from Rockefeller Center and Fifth Avenue shopping, the hotel’s Berk’s Bar was taken over by Blitzen’s Bar, fully decked out with ornaments, bright red and green decor, neon lights and various Christmas trees. There were even sleds lined with buffalo plaid pillows bearing sayings like ‘I’m Dreaming of a Wine Christmas.’ It made for great photo ops, but more importantly, the cocktails came from renowned mixologist, author and bar owner Julie Reiner, whose menu included The Blitzen, served inside an ornament.

Time Out tip: This area of New York is oversaturated, and it can be hard to find a legitimate place to grab a bite to eat. It’s all about knowing where to go. Head to Piccola Cucina Uptown for its tableside tiramisu, Pavé for a jambon beurre and Nerai for its ‘Pikilia,’ a trio of Greek spreads.

Address: 21 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022
Price per night: From around $294
Closest transport: Subway E, M to Fifth Ave/53rd St, two blocks away

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🎄 Best for: Elf fans

Hyatt Regency Times Square hasn’t revealed its holiday plans for 2026 just yet, but it went all out for its first Christmas last year. Taking inspiration from Elf, LEGO brick artist Sid Dinsay recreated New York’s biggest landmarks in more than 30,000 bricks, a play on Buddy the Elf’s display in the legendary Gimbels department store, and it was free for guests and passersby alike to swing by and see in the lobby. The hotel even threw a Holiday Sing-along led by Broadway icon Orfeh on ‘December the TwELFth.’ For a more traditional Christmas sighting, decor extraordinaire Jesse Cooper of Light the Lights turned the lobby into a ‘Botanical Holiday Garden,’ with five trees and hundreds of feet of garland mixed with fresh botanicals.

Time Out tip: The holidays are an expensive time to visit one of the world’s most expensive cities. Hyatt points will take you far, so if you have some you’ve been waiting to use, now is a great time.

Address: 1605 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
Price per night: From around $192
Closest transport: Subway N, R, W to 49th St, a two-minute walk

🎄 Best for: skyline views

With its hulking concrete frame towering over N.Y.C.’s elevated park, The Standard, High Line is one hell of a building, and come Christmas, the action moves down to street level. We’ll update this once this year’s informations drops, but last December the hotel’s ground-floor plaza became The Holiday Plaza, an indoor-outdoor winter dreamscape. You could pick up a Christmas tree at The Standard Tree Farm, run with Brooklyn Tree Farm, then duck into the Gingerbread Room for warm drinks, hearty plates and sweet treats. Outside, there were chairs draped in faux fur pelts set between twinkling evergreens and house-made snow, with cocoa, apple cider donuts and classic Christmas tunes on the go. Picture an upstate winter market meets holiday block party, right in the Meatpacking District. 

Time Out tip: Stay to browse the stalls, then walk off the gingerbread. Little Island, Chelsea Market and the High Line itself are all steps away, and the High Line is especially pretty on a crisp winter evening.

Address: 848 Washington St, New York, NY 10014
Price per night: From $390
Closest transport: Subway A, C, E, L to 14th St/8th Ave

🎄 Best for: a classic Christmas display

Arguably the top Christmas display at any New York hotel, The Peninsula keeps it classic year after year. As soon as you walk in, you’re greeted by two towering Christmas trees, plus two smaller trees at the center of its dramatic staircases, with pops of gold and red ornaments dotted throughout. It’s quintessential Christmas in New York, but last winter the hotel also brought a taste of the Swiss Alps to the Big Apple. Its return is yet to be confirmed, but last season the rooftop became Chesa, four private, heated chalets set around a firepit (ideal for frigid New York temps). Each chalet came with alpine-inspired sofas and lounge chairs, chandeliers and plenty of pillows to snuggle into, and there was chocolate and cheese fondue on the menu for the full Swiss effect.

Time Out tip: The Peninsula has one of the most photo-worthy tree displays in New York and is only steps away from overcrowded Rockefeller Center. If you want to escape the herds and still get that iconic picture with a New York Christmas tree, head to The Peninsula’s lobby instead.

Address: 700 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10019
Price per night: From around $1,300
Closest transport: Subway E, M to Fifth Ave/53rd St, a four-minute walk

🎄 Best for: a pop-punk Christmas

If you’re feeling nostalgic this holiday season, take a stroll back to the 2000s. When hotels or restaurants do ‘throwbacks,’ it’s usually to the ’80s, ’60s or ’40s, but we simply cannot forget the emo pop-punk era, when our biggest concern was who would make our MySpace top eight. There’s no word yet on an encore, but last year Arlo Williamsburg partnered with Bucket Listers to cheekily host Emo Christmas, a monthlong pop-up experience where jingle bells were swapped for angst-filled lyrics. Guests could update their MySpace photo and change their AOL away message while headbanging to Taking Back Sunday, and there were pop-punk trivia nights, band-inspired parties and cocktails like the Welcome to the Black Parade, served inside an ornament.

Time Out tip: Arlo Williamsburg isn’t the only Arlo hotel that goes all out for the holidays. Arlo SoHo has hosted festive pop-ups in past years, including cozy cabins in its courtyard and a winter wonderland takeover of its Foxtail cocktail den.

Address: 96 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11249
Price per night: From around $250
Closest transport: Subway L to Bedford Ave, a seven-minute walk

🎄 Best for: a pet-friendly stay

Our furry friends deserve some holiday cheer, too. Kimpton Hotel Eventi knows how much traveling with pets matters, and its festive offering for four-legged guests is suitably over the top. This year’s package hasn’t been announced yet, but last year the hotel’s ‘Santa Paws: Holiday Shoot & Stay Package’ included a 60-minute pet-friendly photo session against Eventi’s decked-out holiday backdrop. It was ideal for Christmas cards, or just a fun memory with your pet. Guests were also greeted with a ‘Festive Welcome Basket’ of holiday-themed toys, gourmet treats and ‘Santa Paws’ surprises. And while many hotels charge an arm and a leg for traveling with pets, Kimpton Hotel Eventi has a no pet fee policy year round, and provides a cozy pet bed in all guest rooms on request, along with food and water bowls.

Time Out tip: Madison Square Park, home to Jemmy’s Dog Run, is just a seven-minute walk away. If your dog is feeling social, it’s a great place to let them run off-leash in an enclosed space and make friends with other pups.

Address: 851 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10001
Price per night: From around $220
Closest transport: Subway N, R to 28th St; B, D, F, M, N, Q, R to 34th St/Herald Sq