InterContinental Miami does more than deck the halls for the holiday season. The resort also debuted its Christmas-themed InterContinental Suite this winter that’s decorated to the nines—stockings hung on a mantle, oversized red bows on the headboards, themed throw pillows and evergreen tree blankets, gold reindeers, and even a full-sized Christmas tree in the living area. Those who stay in the suite, or even rent it out for a small meeting or event, can enjoy a hot cocoa bar, too, and play classic holiday movies.
Located on Biscayne Bay in the cosmopolitan Brickell neighborhood in sunny south Florida, InterContinental is giving new meaning to a merry and bright holiday season. The festive programming here is part of IHG’s Winter Chalet programming that brings chic, iconic experiences to properties. But the special holiday touches—a holiday pop-up in the hotel’s speakeasy bar and a digital light show in the lobby—demonstrates InterContinental Miami’s creativity and attention to detail when it comes to putting on special programming, something meeting and events planners can orchestrate beyond the holidays.
“We have a variety of activation themes from wellness to art,” says Philippe Parodi, Director of Sales and Marketing at InterContinental Miami. The themes carry through into the Club InterContinental Lounge, where guests, Parodi says, can always enjoy a “surprise and delight factor.”
Luxury offerings in the Club InterContinental Lounge include a daily breakfast curated by the hotel’s executive chef, an afternoon teatime with tea and small bites, an evening happy hour with wine, beer and tapas, and even a hot cocoa bar during the month of December.
When you walk into the lobby at InterContinental Miami, one of the first things that will catch your eye is the “Spindle.” Created by sculptor Henry Moore, the 18-foot, 70-ton sculpture is made of travertine marble and it’s a commanding focal point of the hotel’s lobby. This year, the Spindle gets the holiday treatment, too, as it’s colored with digital lights for a special holiday show each evening throughout the Christmas season. Guests can cozy up in the lobby with a holiday cocktail and enjoy the show.
Holiday-themed movie showings, a breakfast with Santa, a Christmas carol concert, and Christmas meals at Toro Toro, the property’s signature restaurant, with dessert offerings like Noir de Noel, dark chocolate cake with espresso ganache, are a few more ways that the property is celebrating the festive season.
Small groups can host executives at Frosty’s Hideaway, a subterranean Christmas pop-up bar that’s been transformed into a hidden winter wonderland. The intimate holiday bar is decorated with twinkling lights and holiday ornaments and the soundtrack ranges from classic carols to contemporary holiday hits. Expect surprises in store, like Frosty the Snowman cameos.
The welcome cocktail in the bar is rum-based coconut drink: “Coquito is a traditional Latin cocktail, and a family favorite on Christmas,” Parodi says. Meaning “little coconut,” the cocktail is a Puerto Rican holiday tradition made with coconut cream, coconut milk, and baking spices, and, of course,Puerto Rican rum.
Other cocktails on the holiday menu include a Yule Mule with vodka, a cranberry-rosemary simple syrup, and ginger beer, and Santa’s Smoky Pecan Old Fashioned.
Freddy’s Speakeasy Makes for a Unique Gathering Space
InterContinental Miami has more than 101,000 square feet of meeting space and a few dozen meeting rooms. Unique spaces for meetings and events include the 5th floor SkyLawn that features outdoor events space with views of the Miami skyline and a large projector wall.
But small groups can also meet in Freddy’s for more informal gatherings. The hotel’s speakeasy (which hosts the holiday Frosty’s pop-up on select Friday and Saturday nights) is an intimate drinking den tucked away in the hotel that lends to a unique guest experience, Parodi says. With a vintage feel, it sits behind the Chopin Ballroom, which plays into its storyline.
“Frederique Chopin, aka Freddy's, has an exclusive cocktail list named after some of Chopin's music like ‘Four Ballades,’” Parodi says.
The Prohibition-style lounge can accommodate up to 12 people.
Local Flavors Year-Round at InterContinental Miami
While coquito is a tradition specific to the holidays, those traveling to Miami and staying at InterContinental Miami can enjoy local traditions and flavors year-round.
“We have a variety of Latin flavors throughout the hotel—starting with your arrival when you’re greeted with Latin sounds in the lobby to Toro Toro, our signature Pan-Latin steakhouses that offers a variety of dishes from around Latin America,” Parodi says. (Think: dishes like short rib and bone marrow arepas, ceviches, and a Peruvian beef filet with an herbaceous chimichurri sauce and a charred corn salad).
The hotel also hosts Miami’s hottest salsa night, and hotel guests get free admission and can partake in free salsa-dancing lessons at the start of the evening.
Even the hotel’s Meeting Breaks menu gives guests a feel of the neighborhood, like the “305 Latin Break” that includes local pastries with guava, Cuban coffee and more.