Celebrate the season at one of these dazzling hotels that go all-out for the holidays.
The Willard Intercontinental Hotel
All dolled up in brilliant shades of blue and gold, The Willard is the perfect place to warm up after a stroll through President’s Park to see the National Christmas Tree. Hues of silver and gold ornaments complement the lobby’s distinctive Corinthian columns, while wreaths made of fresh pine further enhance the festive atmosphere. Students at Frederick Community College created a grand gingerbread display, and families can drop off letters to Santa at the hotel’s Postcard Station. The entryway is wrapped in garlands, with glittering silver trees lining Peacock Alley. Nothing says regal like this iconic hotel. 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC
The Jefferson, Washington DC
Insiders adore this jewel box of a historic hotel, which is lovely year-round but during the holidays puts on the ritz. The Jefferson’s decorating team transforms the Beaux-Arts lobby with garlands of Christmas greens accented with ornaments inspired by flora and fauna. The signature restaurant housed in an exquisite conservatory becomes the “Red and Greenhouse” adorned in hues of crimson and pearl ornaments, flowers, and greenery. The black and white marble floor with a glittering Christmas tree at the entrance makes a stunning background for a sharable holiday photo. 1200 16th St. NW, Washington, DC
MGM National Harbor
This dynamic resort and casino in Maryland’s National Harbor turns its conservatory into a magical toyland during the holidays. This modern luxury resort ushers in the holiday season with style. Suspended from the ceiling are gold and silver ornaments that sparkle in the sunlight. Below are “snow-covered” trees, a 20-foot snowman, a 30-foot-tall toy soldier, a rocking horse, and a snow globe with Santa and his reindeer. Book a table at Ginger, an Asian fusion restaurant, where you’ll have a front row table at this holiday tableau, Mannheim Steamroller Christmas or Leslie Odom Jr. The Christmas Tour. 101 MGM National Ave., Oxon Hill, Maryland
Gaylord National Resort
Gaylord National Harbor goes all out for the holidays beginning with ICE!, the awe-inspiring larger-than-life interactive displays carved by 40 artisans. This year’s theme is A Charlie Brown Christmas, with Snoopy and the gang portrayed in 14 storybook montages. With ice slides, snow tubing, tunnels of ice, an ice rink, and a marketplace of toys and holiday décor, you can spend all day exploring. Inside the soaring atrium is a Christmas tree sculpture poised above a village of decorated shops and restaurants. It’s a striking backdrop for the nightly “Here We Glow A-Caroling” light show, along with Cirque-styled acrobatic performances. These distinct and memorable experiences make the Gaylord the “Christmasy-ist” of destinations. 201 Waterfront St., Oxon Hill, Maryland
Lansdowne Resort
The expansive acreage overlooking the Potomac River Valley is a perfect palette for enjoying the beauty of the season. Lansdowne has silver and white Christmas trees strung with tea lights bedecking the lobby, hallways, terraces, and ballroom. You can stroll the grounds to take in the 25-foot tree glowing in the entryway. Afterward, cozy up in a terrace igloo eating freshly made s’mores. It’s such a festive place, you’ll forget you’re close to home. 44050 Woodridge Pkwy., Leesburg
Omni Homestead Resort
Find your way to the mountains this year to see the Omni Homestead Resort’s spectacular tree-lined hallways sparkling with silver and white ornaments. There are five live trees including the magnificent 24-foot evergreen festooned with holly berries and tiny Santa Claus gloves. The focal point is a grand fir that grazes the ceiling of the Great Hall. Throughout the hotel are joyful spaces, like Blitzen’s, a kitschy holiday pop-up bar decorated with hundreds of lights and ornaments. The resort strings an additional 100,000 lights on the estate’s outdoor trees and shrubs, and guests can stroll down Candy Cane Lane beside illuminated lollipops, gingerbread figures, and a Victorian Village with skaters and carolers. 7696 Sam Sneed Hwy., Hot Springs
Boar’s Head Resort
Head to Charlottesville to traverse the Boar’s Head Resort’s Winter Wander, a trail of illuminations lighting up the hills and meadows of this bucolic landscape. New this year is Heron’s Nest, a 14-foot LED display honoring a bird that lives at the hotel’s Heritage Lake. On designated evenings, Winter Wander has added a new Enchantment District featuring fireworks, live music, the Elevation Illumination drone shows, and a pageantry of dancers with gossamer wings. The Winter Wander trail passes beneath a phosphorescent tunnel leading to firepits, heated tents, and vendors selling BBQ and doughnuts. Holiday tea is served daily, and there are 23 individually decorated trees on the property. Add a stop at “Magic on the Mall” in Downtown Charlottesville, and it’s a drive worth taking. 200 Ednam Dr., Charlottesville
The Jefferson Hotel
Lit by strands of white tea lights, The Jefferson Hotel’s fountain glows, beckoning you to view the impressive décor inside. During the holidays, this grand dame is transformed with evergreen garlands and red and green satin bows. The wow factor continues as you enter the stained glass atrium of a two-story rotunda to behold the 30-foot tall Christmas tree decorated with hundreds of oversize ornaments and thousands of twinkling lights. Scores of live poinsettias, dozens of wreaths, and the hotel’s revered gingerbread display makes visiting this hotel an unforgettable experience. Don’t leave without adding a 2024 Jefferson Hotel ornament to your collection. 101 W. Franklin St., Richmond
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Feature image courtesy Omni Homestead Resort
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