Asia: Peninsula Hotels prepare to celebrate Year of the Snake

In Shanghai, guests at the Peninsula Hotel will greet the Chinese New Year by snaking through the lobby doing a lion dance. In Bangkok and Beijing, they will celebrate at the Peninsula’s afternoon tea. And in Hong Kong, they will watch the city’s colorful holiday fireworks show explode over Victoria Harbour while sipping Champagne on the Sun Terrace.

Most of the events are taking place Feb. 10, when the Chinese New Year kicks off in Asia and around the world.

Peninsula Hotels, whose history in China dates to 1866, is welcoming the Year of the Snake with special events and rates at its nine properties.

“We are proud to honor Peninsula’s heritage as Asia’s oldest luxury hotel brand with our Chinese New Year celebrations,” said Robert Cheng, vice president of marketing, adding that guests at the various hotels “will be able to celebrate the start of the Year of the Snake in style and sophistication.”

Chinese New Year, the most important festival on the Chinese calendar, dates back centuries and is a time for family and friends to welcome a new year of good luck, health and prosperity.

Among the preparations the Peninsula is making for the event, each lobby will be decorated with red flowers, pink-blossomed plum trees and kumquat bushes, signifying prosperity. Guest rooms will contain amenities such as tangerines, melon seeds, dumplings and chocolate coins, also representing prosperity.

The traditional lion dance will be performed at many of the group’s overseas hotels, including those in Tokyo, Manila, Bangkok and Shanghai. Other events are planned for U.S. hotels, including an afternoon tea and a Chinese New Year celebration party at the Peninsula Beverly Hills.

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