There are a few things you should know about me: I love spending time with friends and family and I love to cook. But I do not love hosting at home during the holidays. Some people thrive on preparing a big festive dinner and inviting loved ones into their home. I’m not one of them — I dislike the amount of cooking, cleaning and hovering it takes to make sure everyone is having a good time.
A great alternative I’ve discovered is to skip hosting duties and check into a hotel. Last year we spent Thanksgiving at Gaylord Palms in Orlando, and it was the perfect way to start the holiday season. Here’s why you might consider doing the same.
1) You don’t have to cook, clean or play host(ess)
With three young kids, keeping our house presentable for guests is a huge undertaking. At a hotel, a pristine room is waiting for you, and housekeeping takes care of beds, trash and tidying. That alone removed a lot of my holiday stress and let me enjoy extra family time.
Tipping hotel staff and restaurant servers is a nice way to show appreciation, especially during the holidays. We also saved money by bringing breakfast essentials and snacks into the room but still enjoyed meals at hotel restaurants. Many hotels serve celebratory meals on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so you can indulge without the work.
2) Most hotels plan special meals and activities
You often don’t even have to leave the property for a traditional holiday meal. In Orlando, several Universal on-site hotels — Loews Portofino Bay, Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific and Loews Sapphire Falls — serve festive buffets on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Other properties elsewhere do the same: Big Cypress Lodge in Memphis offers Southern-inspired Thanksgiving classics; the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman serves a traditional turkey dinner (and even Thanksgiving-to-Go); Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts in Riviera Maya and Punta Cana host special Christmas brunches.
Beyond food, hotels roll out holiday programming: carolers, lobby Santas, tree-lighting ceremonies with hot cocoa and cookies, character meet-and-greets, cookie decorating and more. At Universal Orlando’s Cabana Bay, for example, a post-Thanksgiving tree-lighting included complimentary treats and surprise character appearances. For active families, places like Big Cedar Lodge hold events such as the annual “Gobble Wobble 5K” the day after Thanksgiving.
3) You’ll create new traditions and memories
Hotels offer experiences you can’t easily replicate at home, from immersive displays like Gaylord Hotels’ annual ICE! event to water-park lunches and themed activities. My family now visits a Gaylord property during the holidays to see ICE! — getting out of our routine and filling the day with fun made the holiday feel special without forcing me to constantly entertain or referee the kids. Doing something different can become its own holiday tradition and create lasting memories.
4) You can earn status nights or use expiring certificates
If you collect points and miles, holidays are a great time to use free-night certificates or stack stays to reach elite status tiers before year-end. I’ve benefited from perks like room upgrades, late checkout and bonus points thanks to credit card benefits — for example, the Amex Platinum can grant automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status (enrollment required), and the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card offers an annual free-night certificate (up to 35,000 points).
Holiday travel can be a smart way to burn expiring benefits: prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings may trigger hotel statement credits on cards like the Amex Platinum (up to $600 annually, paid biannually up to $300). If you have nights to bank for status, free-night certificates to use or hotel credits about to expire, a holiday hotel stay can both create a special family experience and maximize your membership and card benefits.
Bottom line
I enjoy hosting small gatherings — I’m more of an appetizers, drinks and board games hostess — but I’ve found that staying at a hotel for the holidays eliminates the stress of hosting while letting my family enjoy all the festive parts of the season. Whether you’re avoiding the cooking and cleaning, chasing special hotel programming, creating new traditions, or using points and credits, a hotel holiday can be a refreshing alternative to hosting at home. However you celebrate, I hope you have a very merry holiday season.