Fairmont unveils ‘Wrapped in the Moment’ festive programme for 2026

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, part of Accor, has announced its festive campaign for 2026. Wrapped in the Moment is a season of craft workshops, fireside storytelling, lobby gatherings and unplugged wellness, staged at Fairmont properties from Cheshire to Singapore. Announced on 20 October, it is tied to the brand’s multi-year global partnership with Make-A-Wish.

The campaign rests on four pillars: Mindful Craft Sessions, Fireside Story Time, Lobby Lounge Moments and Unplugged Wellness. Each hotel interprets them in its own way, so the programme reads as a collection of local traditions under one festive banner. For travellers planning where to spend the holidays, this framework is useful. It shows which hotels have built their December around slow, shared experiences, and when each one takes place.

The craft sessions are the most hands-on part of the season. At Fairmont Cheshire, The Mere, Festive Wreath Making takes place on 26 November. A florist leads the session, and guests are welcomed with mulled wine and mince pies on arrival. In Japan, Fairmont Tokyo is running a Christmas Workshop with florists. In Quebec, Fairmont Le Château Montebello hosts Santa’s Workshop on the weekends of 6 and 13 December, which makes it a natural choice for families who want to build a pre-Christmas weekend around the activity.

Fireside Story Time leans into the oldest of festive rituals. Fairmont Grand Del Mar, in California, offers Santa visits and a Christmas Eve reading. Fairmont Chateau Whistler, high in British Columbia’s Coast Mountains, has two dates to note: a fireside Bear Talk on 19 December, and Bedtime Stories with Mrs. Claus on 24 December. Families who want to be in the mountains for Christmas Eve itself should plan around these two evenings.

The lobby has always been the social centre of a grand hotel, and Lobby Lounge Moments makes the most of it. In Toronto, Fairmont Royal York serves a Festive Afternoon Tea at CLOCKWORK in its grand lobby from 21 November to 3 January, the longest window in the programme. Fairmont Rio de Janeiro Copacabana holds a Christmas Afternoon Tea on 19 December. In Louisiana, Fairmont New Orleans presents Martinis, Marys & Mistletoe at Café by Emeril, timed to the hotel’s opening on 2 November. That makes the festive season the property’s first. Fairmont Singapore offers Sip & Play at ANTI:DOTE.

The charity strand runs through several properties. In Abu Dhabi, Fairmont Bab Al Bahr serves Wishworthy Hot Cocoa in its Lobby Lounge from 1 to 31 December, at AED 55 per cup, and proceeds go to Make-A-Wish UAE. At select properties, including Fairmont Austin, guests can buy holiday postcards with artwork designed by Make-A-Wish children. The postcards are a small, tangible way to take part in the partnership, and a thoughtful thing to send from a holiday stay.

The Unplugged Wellness pillar gives the season its quieter side. On Mexico’s Riviera Maya, Fairmont Mayakoba offers the Celebration Glow Vinotherapy Ritual and a New Year Awakening Temazcal ceremony, a traditional sweat-lodge rite that makes a considered way to mark the turn of the year. Fairmont El San Juan Hotel, in Puerto Rico, holds Sound Therapy: Moonlight Meditation. At Fairmont Chateau Whistler, guided cross-country skiing takes guests out onto the snow. Fairmont Singapore adds the 12 Days of Festive Pause, a series of in-room wellness prompts for guests who want a few moments of calm without leaving their suite.

Taken together, the programme suits travellers who want a festive stay with a clear rhythm: an afternoon tea one day, a workshop or fireside reading the next, and time set aside for rest. Some events have fixed dates and others run across the season, so the dates are worth checking before you book. Toronto’s afternoon tea covers the whole holiday period. Whistler’s storytelling evenings and Rio’s Christmas tea each fall on a single night, and those are best secured when the room is booked. Programming differs from hotel to hotel, so confirm details directly with the property you have in mind.

Source: Accor