This holiday season make it extra special for your guests by preparing a meal that will make them feel at home. It is important to understand that although holidays are fun and a time to spend with family and friends it can sometimes be stressful. Anywhere from buying gifts, getting home decorations up, shop for all the ingredients for the meals, etc. This is why in later years a lot of people have opted to travel and have a festive dinner at a hotel or venue instead of cooking and hosting people at their homes. Families fly from all over to meet to enjoy a meal in a destination of choice. Make your hotel that destination by putting together a holiday dinner they will never forget.
The Little Snacks
Start off the holiday spirit since they walk in! It is important that everything from the lobby greetings to the meal and the stay, of course, revolve around warmth, family and holiday cheer. Set the holiday tone by adding decorations such as the tree with fake snow and gifts. This display is great for family pictures. Around the hotel, you can hang ornaments and mistletoes as well. Get the vibe into guests’ rooms by surprising them with candy canes and chocolate. It’s all about adding reds, golds, greens and everything in between!
Check out our board for more decoration ideas!
Keep the surprises going by setting up pop up carts around your hotel with special holiday snacks. In your hotel lobby have a smore and hot chocolate station. A warm and delicious snack is exactly what they need as they walk in through your doors. You can also set up an eggnog and apple cider service cart with an additional shot of brandy or rye whiskey and for the little ones curly straws and whipped cream. This will really get the mood going. These displays using the service cart allows you to mobilize it throughout your hotel to different locations as you see fit.
Christmassy Spirit Meal
The most important part of their stay is the big holiday meal. Families have been looking forward to this day for weeks. Make it worth their while and have them wanting to come back every year after that. Making a buffet that includes all the homemade favorites will set your hotel apart from the rest. While adding your touch you will keep the authenticity of the holidays roaming around your halls.
Check out our board for holiday catering ideas!
The Dinner Starters
Preparing authentic tastes and textures for the holidays is essential to the overall guest experience. But it’s a great idea to think outside the box and give all meals a bit of a twist while not losing its essence. A salad bar with all traditional Christmas salads like winter chopped greens with cranberries, sweet potato-and-cauliflower salad and roasted carrots with tarragon dressing. Additionally, you can think of adding lighter salad toppings on the side such as nuts, berries, and fresh herbs. Here you incorporate a mix between traditional and modern.
Another great starter is soup. Have creamy and savory soups available to open up the appetite. Some are Roasted Butternut Squash, French Onion Soup, and cauliflower with chestnut soup. Make sure you have a delicious selection of bread to go with both your soups and salads as well.
The Main Dish
Everyone’s favorite! You can create different buffet tables with a variety of food. You can pick different themes per station such as “The Meat” where you have different kind of stews and slow cooks for that homey feeling. And of course include the classics like the turkey with stuffing, ham and brisket. But, bring it up a notch and stay modern by adding all kind of side dishes. Mashed potatoes with pumpkin, turnip, carrots and green bins with garlic are just some fresh ideas. And don’t forget to include the favorite sauces cranberry, savory stuffing, etc. By using modular and mobile buffet stations you can create the configurations that you see fit while adjusting for size.
Dessert
Contrary to trying to modernize and give a different angle to the meal when it comes to dessert the traditional route is the way to go. Take a classic approach with the menu but spice up the presentation. Take your guests down memory lane by adding Christmas favorites like caramel apple pie, reindeer sugar cookies, peppermint bark and chocolate fudge. By using the S configuration you can create a journey through all the sweets. Also, incorporate tiered display tables with gingerbread houses and sugar cookies with a choice of all chocolate or colored sprinkles. Also, you can use the service carts to offer other kinds of smaller desserts and spread them around the venue.
Home is where the heart is so this holiday season make your guests’ experiences at your hotel one to remember. This is the best time to make them feel at home away from home. Everything from when they walk in, to the meal and walking around the hotel should scream holidays. Make this holiday season one they will never forget.
