Magnificent Gingerbread & Holiday Traditions

Delicious treats, beautiful lights, and reasons to gather together are just some of the hallmarks of the season.

Let our hotels inspire your holiday spirit with their incredible beauty, creativity, and history.

The 2023 Top 25 Historic Hotels of America Most Magnificent Gingerbread Displays

Across the country, culinary dream teams have been cooking up some seriously amazing creations. It's been a season of mixing, baking, building, and of course, a whole lot of decorating.

Rancho Bernardo Inn (1963) San Diego, California

These displays aren't your average gingerbread houses. We're talking thousands of pounds of sugar, eggs, and flour, loads of spices, over 10,000 candies, and enough molasses and honey to sweeten the deal.

Dive into the sugary wonderland and treat your eyes to some seriously sweet creations. Get ready to be impressed!

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Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa (1901)

Honolulu, Hawaii

Celebrate the holidays at the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa, the first hotel in Waikiki, as it unveils the enchanting "Christmas in Hawai'i" life-sized gingerbread house, adorned with iconic island motifs, vibrant candy decor, and constructed with thousands of gingerbread bricks, gallons of egg whites, and hundreds of pounds of candy and icing by a skilled culinary team led by Pastry Chef Carmen Montejo.

Omni Bedford Springs Resort (1806) Bedford, Pennsylvania

The sweet smell of gingerbread surrounds guests who enter the lobby of the Omni Bedford Springs Resort, as the concierge desk has become part of this year's larger-than-life gingerbread village. This massive creation was crafted with 240 pounds of gingerbread dough shaped into bricks. Click the picture to learn how many bricks were used.

Watch this time-lapse video showing creation of the Lightning Bug Canopy Boat Gingerbread Display

at The Broadmoor (1918) Colorado Springs, Colorado

The 2023 Top 25 Historic Hotels Worldwide Holiday Traditions and Spectacular Displays

Bonne Année! Frohes neues Jahr! Veselý Silvestr! Bliadhna Mhath Ùr! Srećna Nova godina! Happy New Year!

Fairmont Le Château Montebello (1930) Montebello, Quebec, Canada

The historic hotels featured in the 2023 Top 25 Historic Hotels Worldwide Holiday Traditions and Spectacular Displays host extraordinary parties, family art activities, one-of-a-kind cultural performances, religious services, charitable campaigns, and festive afternoon teas for the Winter Solstice, Hannukah, Christmas season, and New Year. View the entire list and take inspiration from the three introduced here.

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Gamlebyen Hotell Fredrikstad (1835)

Fredrikstad, Norway

Established in 1835, Gamlebyen Hotell Fredrikstad decorates for the season in a traditional Norwegian style, using candles, pine trees, hay balls, and red bows. The fortified town has a strong military background. It was built during times of war, and for many years, it served as a training ground for mandatory army recruits. The army moved out, but the town still retains a tiny nod to its military past. The local Santa Claus now drives around in his Christmas-themed army jeep!

Hotel New Grand (1927)

Yokohama, Japan

Holiday decor traditions at Hotel New Grand include Kadomatsu, traditional bamboo or pine wood displays intended to welcome the ancestors and are popular between December 24 and January 7. The hotel installs these displays in front of the Tower Hall to celebrate the New Year.

There are two holiday trees on display as well: A real fir tree in the lobby of the Tower Hall, and another in the second-floor lobby of the main building along with a Santa Claus display.

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