Winter Wonderland: IHG Hotels & Resorts Celebrates Cozy Season

Building on its annual winter tradition, IHG Hotels & Resorts has announced that its seasonal Winter Chalet experience is returning across properties in its Luxury & Lifestyle portfolio November 1, 2024 through January 31, 2025. Highlighted in this season’s activations, guests at participating hotels can immerse themselves in Chalet Day experiences, designed to make the most of the Winter Solstice on December 21, along with seasonal programming, creative culinary and cocktail menus, and a perfectly curated IHG Winter Chalet playlist to celebrate the magic of winter travel.

Statement

“At IHG, we’ve always believed the magic of the holidays lies in bringing people together. Whether it’s family, friends, or newfound connections, our intimate spaces are designed to create those meaningful moments through curated, experiential programming that brings the season to life,” said Vicki Poulos, head of Luxury & Lifestyle Brands Americas and Global Kimpton. “Our Winter Chalet campaign gives travelers the chance to make extra special holiday moments while staying with us, enjoying festive offerings and events available across our Luxury & Lifestyle brands.”

IHG Chalet Day

Timed to the shortest day of the year, participating IHG Luxury & Lifestyle hotels will make the most of the daylight hours on December 21 with a Chalet Day offering on the Winter Solstice. Guests will enjoy complimentary access to early check-in and late check-out, based upon request and availability, to help make the most of the shortest day and longest night. As the saying goes, it’s “5 o’clock somewhere,” and happy hour will be moved up to a Winter Hour starting at 4:30 pm so guests can enjoy their first sips at sunset. Brands across IHG's Luxury & Lifestyle portfolio in the region will feature specialty libations during Winter Hour, including:

• Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants: All properties will offer an extended Kimpton Social from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m., featuring the Singapore Sling cocktail and a retro snack mix to bring cozy vibes to life on Chalet Day.
• InterContinental Hotels & Resorts: All participating InterContinental hotels will offer guests a complimentary signature Freezer Martini during their Winter Hour from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.
• Hotel Indigo: Participating Hotel Indigo properties will offer guests light bites and beverages, showcasing a Bourbon and Bean cocktail, along with a Just the Bean zero-proof cocktail during Winter Hour from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.
• Vignette Collection: Yours Truly DC, Vignette Collection will offer a Cranberry Margarita and Membrillo Toddy especially for Chalet Day.

With Chalet Day so close to year’s end, IHG will encourage intention-setting for the start of the New Year. Guests can write their intentions for the year ahead on Chalet Day-themed postcards, which participating hotels can mail to guests’ homes as a reminder of the thoughtful goals they’ve set for themselves. The Chalet Day-themed postcards will also feature a link to access the Winter Solstice playlist to set the mood for purposeful visioning.

Holiday Programming

Select properties across IHG's Luxury & Lifestyle Americas portfolio will offer seasonal programming this winter, starting November 1, featuring creative amenities to enhance the guest experience.

Kimpton Hotels & Resorts

• Secret Social Password: The bi-annual secret social password returns globally from November 1, 2024 to January 31, 2025. Guests who say "It's Giving" at the front desk will unlock special amenities, such as Pendleton Woolen Mills socks at Kimpton RiverPlace Hotel in Portland; a vintage-style mug with hot chocolate fixings and Cutler's Artisan Spirits at Kimpton Canary Hotel in Santa Barbara and a “winter wheel” at Kimpton Vero Beach’s where guests can spin to win gifts ranging from resort credit to an in-room movie and popcorn credit.
• Winter-Themed Packages: Kimpton Hotel Palomar South Beach will launch a Sunset Suite Chalet with in-room Reiki sessions; Kimpton Hotel Monaco Philadelphia will debut the Wrap & Recharge Package with a gift-wrapping station and $100 dining credit; Kimpton Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City will offer the "Room to Ride" Ski/Snowboard Package with ski passes, rental discounts, and après-ski bites.
• Coquito Cocktail Hotline: For an international twist on the Winter Chalet, Miami’s Kimpton EPIC Hotel will feature a Coquito Cart serving up the traditional Puerto Rican holiday drink on-demand to guests who text the property’s Coquito Cart hotline, available daily throughout December.
• Chalet in the Capital: Kimpton Hotel Monaco in Washington DC, will bring back its Winter Chalet pop-up at Dirty Habit where guests can cozy up by fire pits with après ski cocktails, European-inspired bites, and enjoy snowy vibes with a ski lift chair and snow cannon in a chic alpine-inspired courtyard setting starting November 15, 2024.
• Cozy Winter Globes: The Katharine Brasserie & Bar at the Kimpton Cardinal Hotel will bring the magic of après ski to Winston-Salem with its Winter Globes, offering private, festive spaces for groups to enjoy curated vinyl selects, a cheese & charcuterie board and miniature desserts, perfect for intimate holiday gatherings.
• Avant Chalet: Nashville’s award-winning Kimpton Aertson will partner with local upscale thrift store, TenThirtyFive, to showcase the latest vintage finds for guests ahead of the holidays. On Saturday, December 21, the hotel will host an “Avant Ski Pop-Up” with coastal cowboy threads, western accessories, complimentary beverages and more.

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts

• Festive Lounge Additions: InterContinental Hotels & Resorts' Club InterContinental lounges will celebrate the winter season with festive offerings, including a holiday cocktail bar at InterContinental Miami, mulled wine and holiday jazz at InterContinental Boston, and spiked caramel apple cider with seasonal treats including spiced candied almonds and chocolate bark at InterContinental Mark Hopkins in San Francisco.
• Mind, Body & Soul: This winter, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts will invite guests to enrich their souls and embrace the season with unique flavor-pairing workshops at select properties including Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown and InterContinental Montreal, and rejuvenating wellness retreats at InterContinental New York Times Square and InterContinental San Antonio.
• Larger-than-life Chalet: InterContinental Cleveland will embody the winter chalet spirit with swirling life-size snow globes, an elaborate gingerbread house display and global holiday decor and ornaments inspired by the six continents, while hosting festive events like a Unity Tree lighting ceremony, toy assembly for charity, Breakfast with Santa and special Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners at on-property restaurant, Table 45.

Hotel Indigo

• Cozy Season Fun: Hotel Indigo will bring a chalet-inspired winter experience to guests with specialty cocktails, board games, and postcards at Hotel Indigo San Diego Del Mar; in-room winter cocktails and gourmet snacks at Hotel Indigo Denver Downtown-Union Station; and seasonal snacks, candle making, and wreath making at Hotel Indigo Minneapolis Downtown.
• Holiday Bonus (Points!): As an incentive for guests this winter season, Hotel Indigo Denver Downtown-Union Station will feature a winter package with extra IHG Points for stays between 12/21 and 12/31.

Vignette Collection

• Winter Chalet Menu: For a second year, Yours Truly DC will invite guests and locals to savor “sorta South American” cuisine at Mercy Me El Chalet, Yours Truly DC’s specialty winter menu, featuring expertly crafted starters, main courses, desserts, and cocktails, all enjoyed within a cozy, modern European mountain chalet on the patio.

For those looking to gather in larger groups, the spirit of Winter Chalet comes to life at Kimpton Hotel Palomar Philadelphia and InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile through welcoming furnishings and seasonal decor that bring the essence of cozy season into the hotels’ meetings and events spaces. Guests can  enjoy vinyl listening stations, interactive art and pop-up beverage carts while curated catering menus enhance gathering spaces for a truly unforgettable event.