A few things about me: I love family time and I love to cook, but I don’t enjoy hosting holiday gatherings at home. Some people revel in preparing a big festive dinner and welcoming guests; I find the cooking, cleaning, and constant hovering exhausting. Over the years I discovered an easy alternative: check into a hotel for the holidays. We spent Thanksgiving at Gaylord Palms in Orlando last year, and it changed how I experience the season. Here are the main reasons to consider doing the same.
1) You don’t have to cook, clean, or play host(ess)
With three young kids, getting the house ready for guests feels like a second job. At a hotel, you walk into a tidy room and housekeeping handles beds, trash, and general tidying. That alone removed a huge chunk of my holiday stress and left more time to relax with family. Of course it’s kind to tip hotel staff and restaurant servers during the holidays, but you can still save money and convenience by bringing breakfast staples and snacks into the room while enjoying a few meals at hotel restaurants. Many hotels offer celebratory Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day meals, so you can indulge in a traditional holiday dinner without the prep or cleanup.
2) Hotels stage special meals and activities
You often don’t even need to leave the property for a full holiday experience. In Orlando, several Universal on-site hotels serve festive buffets on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and other properties do similar things: Big Cypress Lodge in Memphis leans into Southern Thanksgiving classics, the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman serves a traditional turkey dinner (and even Thanksgiving-to-Go), and Nickelodeon Hotels and Resorts in Riviera Maya and Punta Cana host special Christmas brunches. Beyond food, many hotels roll out holiday programming such as 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 offered complimentary treats and surprise character appearances. For active families, destinations like Big Cedar Lodge hold events such as a Thanksgiving 5K the day after the holiday.
3) You can build new traditions and memories
Hotels provide experiences that are hard to replicate at home: immersive displays like Gaylord Hotels’ annual ICE! event, water-park lunches, themed programming, and seasonal shows. My family now visits a Gaylord property during the holidays specifically to see ICE!. Stepping out of our usual routine and filling the day with activities made the holiday feel special without forcing me to constantly entertain or referee the kids. Doing something different can easily become its own beloved tradition and create lasting memories for everyone.
4) It’s a smart time to use points, certificates, and credits
If you collect hotel points or credit card benefits, holiday stays can be a strategic way to use free-night certificates, trigger elite-status nights, or burn expiring credits. I’ve enjoyed perks like room upgrades, late checkout, and bonus points thanks to card benefits; for example, some premium cards can grant automatic status or offer annual free-night certificates. Prepaid bookings through programs like Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection can also help you unlock statement credits on certain cards. If you have nights or certificates to burn, or hotel credits that are about to expire, a holiday stay can both maximize those benefits and give your family a memorable experience.
Bottom line
I still enjoy hosting small get-togethers — I’m happiest with appetizers, drinks, and board games — but staying in a hotel for the holidays has freed me from the stress of full-scale hosting while preserving all the festive parts of the season. Whether you want to avoid cooking and cleaning, take advantage of special hotel programming, start new traditions, or use points and credits wisely, a hotel holiday is a refreshing alternative to staying home. However you celebrate, I hope you have a very merry holiday season.