Shangri-la Hotel, at the Shard, London Presents an Elevated Festive Season

By Djridings @fivethingsnow

Festive Afternoon Tea, bespoke hampers, Christmas dining and New Year’s Eve

With the holiday season fast approaching, Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London announces its festive offerings, marking the hotel’s first holiday season in London. From delectable menus and in-room Christmas treats to marvelling 128 metres above the ground as the city lights up to welcome the New Year, the festive season at London’s first elevated luxury hotel promises a truly unique celebration.

Festive December
Throughout December, the hotel will be transformed into a ‘winter forest in the sky’, starting with a beautiful arrangement of elegant pine trees welcoming guests on the hotel’s ground floor entrance. Decorations of the public areas will continue this festive spirit, creating an overall atmosphere of wintery glow and warmth. Christmas wreaths will be adorned in fine ornamentations representing many of the Oriental motifs already placed around the hotel and ornamented Christmas trees will be pebbled throughout.

Ideal for Christmas shoppers requiring a much needed reprieve, from 1 to 26 December, TĪNG, the hotel’s signature restaurant and lounge on level 35 will feature a four-course festive lunch and a five-course festive dinner for £40 and £65, respectively, and include such seasonal highlights as Barkham Blue Cheese Salad, Slow-Cooked Denham Estate Venison Loin and a selection of the finest British artisan cheeses.

The lounge area will serve a delectable Festive Afternoon Tea featuring Christmas-themed tea pastries alongside delicious savouries made using mostly Borough Market produce. A champagne option will also be available and each Saturday’s seating will feature live carolling. The festive-inspired offering will be priced at £54 per person or £62 with a glass of champagne.

For those looking for the perfect festive gift, seasonal hampers will be available for purchase at LÁNG, the hotel’s artisan deli and patisserie on the ground floor. Custom-made, the festive varieties will be available in three sizes and include a charming selection of champagne truffles, Christmas pudding, Scottish smoked salmon and charcuterie from Borough Market.

GŎNG, the hotel’s destination cocktail and champagne bar on level 52, will open a few hours early throughout the festive month to offer the city’s highest Champagne Afternoon Tea in the clouds from 2 to 4 p.m. To revel in the occasion, each guest will be served a glass of vintage Bollinger La Grande Annee 2004 champagne as they sit back and soak in the city from a bird’s eye view. GŎNG’s Champagne Afternoon Tea is priced at £68 per person.

Inspired by the quintessential Christmas tale, The Nutcracker, GŎNG will also feature an exclusive Christmas cocktail of the same name, which will be infused with a delicious blend of Scotch whisky, Pedro Ximenez sherry, a hint of French herbal liqueur, Dom Benedictine and pimento dram to recreate the spices of a traditional mulled wine. Sprinkled with burnt Chinese cinnamon and priced at £17 a glass, it will be the perfect winter nightcap amongst the clouds.

Christmas Eve
The ideal culinary destination for any occasion, TĪNG will serve a special Christmas-themed five-course set menu with such favourites as Wild Cornish Sea Bass with Sautéed Spinach, Braised Baby Endive, Salsify Fritters, Seaweed Potato and Lobster Bisque. Guests staying overnight will find a delightful mini hamper gifted upon turndown to set the festive culinary mood for the day ahead.

Christmas Eve Dinner at TĪNG is priced at £65 per person.

Christmas Day
Come Christmas Day, TĪNG will be the perfect spot for a leisurely, yet glamorous family lunch. From noon to 2 p.m., guests will be able to savour festive dishes, including Slow-Cooked Denham Estate Venison Loin and Roasted Norfolk Turkey with Chestnut Stuffing, Goose Fat Roasted Potatoes, Brussels Tops, Crushed Carrots and Cranberry Compote. Wines will be paired, and an array of traditional Christmas puddings will be served alongside after-lunch tea and coffee. Children are in for a treat with Father Christmas making an appearance during service, Christmas cookie-making and other festive crafts.

Christmas Day Lunch at TĪNG is priced at £150 per person.

New Year’s Eve at Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London
Serviced by Shangri-La’s legendary hospitality, guests are invited to celebrate into the New Year amongst unsurpassable London views and an unforgettable overnight experience to match. Available for stays from 30 or 31 December 2014, New Year’s Eve at Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London includes a minimum two-night stay, a New Year’s Day brunch on 1 January 2015 and breakfast on the alternate morning.

New Year’s Eve Dinner at TĪNG
Served within an elegant and contemporary setting of chinoiserie design and overlooking iconic views, guests can welcome in the New Year with the best of British fare flavoured with an enticing Asian twist. The evening will start with a welcome drink on arrival and a refined selection of wines paired with each dish. Two separate seatings will be available on the night: the first from 6 to 8 p.m., priced at £250 per adult and £150 per child, and the second seating from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m., priced at £350 per person for both adults and children aged 13 and over. Guests of the second seating will be served a complimentary glass of champagne and invited to watch the city’s fireworks upon countdown by the reception area on level 35.

Lost Horizon New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner
Located on level 34 and with supreme vistas stretching across London’s skyline, the hotel’s ballroom, Ren, will be transformed into the mythical land of Shangri-La for this one special night.

Inspired by the legendary ‘Shangri-La’ featured in James Hilton’s 1933 novel, Lost Horizon, the evening will begin as guests descend the grand staircase to level 34 for a welcome drinks reception at the events lobby, which overlooks The City, St. Paul’s Cathedral and the meandering River Thames. A celebratory six-course menu of London Smoked Salmon, Wild Turbot and Prime British Tenderloin with Winter Truffles will then be served in Ren, complemented by a selection of expertly paired wines.

Live swing, jazz and a DJ will entertain the evening while dancing will take place throughout the night. Come midnight, a glass of champagne for each guest will be poured to toast the arrival of 2015. Tickets to the Lost Horizon New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner are priced at £400 per person and available for adults and children aged 13 and over.

New Year’s Day
Served at TĪNG on level 35 and in Ren, the hotel’s ballroom on level 34, on the morning of 1 January 2015, guests staying at the hotel will be invited to begin the New Year in style with a sumptuous variety of breakfast choices, including, eggs benedict made with local market produce, scrambled eggs with organic smoked salmon and Ting’s signature breakfast dim sums. Bloody Mary and Bucks Fizz stations also will be on hand alongside plentiful amounts of fresh fruit juices, coffee and teas.

New Years’ Eve at Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London starts at £725 per night for guestrooms, £3,750 per night for suites and includes New Year’s Day brunch, breakfast on the alternate morning and VAT. Reservations require a minimum of a two-night stay and must be booked for arrival on either 30 or 31 December 2014.

Guest room and suite reservations can be made by visiting http://www.shangri-la.com/london, by calling (44 20) 7234 8000 or by email to reservations.slln@shangri-la.com.

For TĪNG reservations, please call (44 20) 7234 8108 or email ting.slln@shangri-la.com.

For GŎNG reservations, please call (44 20) 7234 8208 or email gong.slln@shangri-la.com.