In a city renowned for its Lunar New Year celebrations, San Francisco’s Hotel Nikko will stand out from the crowd this year with offerings that meld its eastern roots with its western home.
“Hotel Nikko San Francisco leverages its Japanese heritage, Asian hospitality roots, and proximity to Chinatown to honor Lunar New Year through cultural storytelling,” said Jason Ngo, Hotel Nikko’s director of commercial strategy.
With its Union Square-adjacent location and established expertise with innovative cultural offerings, Hotel Nikko will offer guests the perfect location to bring in the Year of the Horse in style and with a kick of cognac, thanks to a collaboration with LVMH-Hennessy.
Innovative Drinks and Dining
For a hotel that already bridges the gap between modern luxury and Asian heritage, offering Lunar New Year experiences was a natural next step.
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“The hotel emphasizes its Japanese heritage throughout, including in its guestrooms and public spaces, which aligns with the cultural appreciation often celebrated during the Lunar New Year,” Ngo said.
How does a Japanese-inspired hotel and cocktail lounge celebrate San Francisco’s Lunar New Year? With an interactive Year of the Horse-inspired ice luge experience, of course.
Guests will watch traditional Chinese teas flow down the ice luge to blend with other cocktail ingredients, including Hennessy, at the bottom. The installation emphasizes craftsmanship, ritual, and Lunar New Year symbolism with an unexpected twist.
“We are celebrating Chinese heritage by blending tea and Hennessy, a sort of east-meets-west-style experience,” Ngo said. “The Ice Luge has no ceremonial purpose per se, except as a means to engage and activate our space and provide an elevated experience.”
Beyond the unforgettable ice luge, Hotel Nikko’s mainstay bar and dining options will offer standout experiences for guests this season. At the onsite Kanpai Lounge and Restaurant Anzu, Hotel Nikko’s innovative chefs have used the Lunar New Year as a jumping-off point for new featured offerings.
Kanpai Lounge is featuring festive-themed cocktails in partnership with LVMH-Hennessy. Guests can sample these delicious Lunar New Year drinks to experience Hennessy blended with classic tea flavors in combinations like:
Hennessy VSOP, Earl Grey tea syrup, and lemon bittersHennessy VSOP, passion fruit, honey ginger tea, Liqueur 43, and bittersHennessy VSOP, blueberry lemongrass tea, lychee, lime, and Moët & Chandon
If Kanpai’s festive drink lineup whets your appetite, you’re in luck: Ngo recommended that you try a bite of the lounge’s classic crab rangoon, “a Bay Area-born Chinese favorite tying local history into the celebration.”
Along with these innovative featured cocktails, Hotel Nikko’s onsite Restaurant Anzu will offer a special dim sum menu on the weekends of February 21 through March 7 to complement San Francisco’s Lunar New Year celebration and parade.
The dim sum menu — featuring small dishes traditionally served at brunch in restaurants — will complement both the traditional and modern elements of Chinese New Year festivities, allowing locals and tourists to enjoy the spirit of the city-wide celebration happening just blocks away from Hotel Nikko.
From the dim sum to the ice luge, each piece of Hotel Nikko’s Lunar New Year menu is an intentional ode to its culture and community.
“As part of a chain with roots in Asian hospitality, the Hotel Nikko San Francisco reinforces its connection to the local community through thoughtful, culturally aware service,” Ngo said.
Central to the Celebration
While onsite drinks and dining will bring the Lunar New Year to Hotel Nikko, the hotel also makes it easy to join the iconic festivities happening just a few blocks away.
Hotel Nikko’s downtown San Francisco location is only 0.75 miles from Chinatown, making it the perfect spot to enjoy Lunar New Year festivities all month long.
“Its location allows guests to experience the sights and sounds of one of the largest and oldest Chinatowns in the world,” Ngo said.
The city’s Chinese New Year Festival and Parade is touted as the largest of its kind in the world, and traces its roots back to the mid-1800s. With street fairs and demonstrations happening only minutes away, Hotel Nikko visitors have a front-row seat to important annual traditions.
Beyond the official celebration, San Francisco offers countless other opportunities to connect with Chinese culture and ring in the Year of the Horse alongside the city’s vibrant communities.
San Francisco celebrates Lunar New Year like no other city in the world. For tourists and locals alike, a visit to Hotel Nikko during the weeks of celebration offers the chance to experience innovative offerings with meaningful cultural roots.
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“We want to surprise and delight new customers who are unaware of the Nikko luxury brand and the service we provide,” Ngo said. “We are a hidden gem in the heart of the city with an energy, vibe, and serene elegance like no other.”
To experience this unique luxury and cultural immersion for yourself this Lunar New Year, head to Hotel Nikko to book your visit today.
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