Welcome Drinks Are Our Favorite New Hotel Trend

“Do you like tequila or mezcal?” My driver asked halfway between the Cancun airport and my destination of Rosewood Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen. I was already sipping a Coronita from the cooler of the hotel’s transportation so I hesitantly answered, “It depends on the occasion.” Relieved he didn’t pass back a shot of either, he elaborated that the choice was for my welcome cocktail. I’m accustomed to the apropos rum punch that is offered during check-in at Caribbean resorts and the occasional sparkling wine at upscale urban properties, but this felt more special. I learned that the Chaya cocktail has been Rosewood Mayakoba’s signature welcome beverage since its opening in 2008. Named after its primary ingredient and leafy green native to the Yucatan, the drink combines fresh-pressed orange juice, lemon, peppermint, and the guest’s preference of mezcal or tequila; it’s also available in a nonalcoholic format. 

After checking out, I began noticing how hotels were increasingly flaunting creative libations; it seems as cocktail culture’s evolved, it’s proliferated the hospitality scene. “There's only one chance to make a good first impression and this begins with a warm welcome, which is enhanced by a custom cocktail upon arrival,” says Dant Hirsch, president and managing director of Ocean House Collection in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. The Relais & Chateaux property debuted their welcome drink at the start of 2024. The Miss Clavel cocktail (named after the eponymous character in Ludwig Bemelmans’ Madeline, of which the hotel's proprietors own and display the largest private collection of the celebrated illustrator and authors’ work) features pears marinated in Rothman & Winter Orchard pear liqueur topped with Ferrari Trento sparkling wine.

The growing trend has prompted some brands to present a cocktail that reflects their destination visually, like Sheldon Chalet in Denali National Park, where guests are served a cocktail that mimics the icy blue hues of the hotel’s Alaskan surrounds, featuring vodka, Le Bleu combier, lime juice, simple syrup, and fresh mint leaves. 

Other properties make drinks showcasing local ingredients to create a more immersive experience. “Acerola is a local sour cherry indigenous to Puerto Rico, and can only be found on the island,” says Glorimil Forty, director of restaurants at St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort. Their Pachola welcome cocktail calls for silver rum, passionfruit and Acerola, and highlights rum as a key player in the island’s economic and cultural development.

In Houston, Hotel Vesper surprises guests at check-in with a Vesper Paloma, a combination of Espolon tequila, grapefruit juice, a dehydrated lemon wheel, and fresh mint leaves; The hotel chose tequila as a nod to their Texan roots and undeniable connection to Mexican heritage. The newly opened Silvestre Nosara in Costa Rica fuses their locale into a boozy greeting by using the native Naranjilla fruit; its amalgamation of flavors (pineapple, kiwi and lime) mingles with mezcal, triple sec, spicy syrup and lime juice to produce the Mezcalita de Naranjilla. In Bali, Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape serves up a Negroni riff called “the Baligroni”, which uses arak, rosella tea, homemade tangerine liquor, star anise, and cardamom. “It serves as more than just a welcome amenity; the Baligroni encapsulates the unexplored paths of taste, combining rich Indonesian spices, vibrant local ingredients, and the enchanting magic of Buahan,” says resort manager Puspa Anggareni. 

A signature cocktail can also connect travelers to a brand, as is the case with Raffles’ Singapore Sling. The now-classic cocktail was created at the brand’s flagship hotel in 1915 — the hotel’s Long Bar shakes up about 1,000 Slings a day. After a complete renovation in 2019, Raffles Singapore decided to offer the Singapore Sling as a welcome amenity.

In addition to welcome cocktails, hotels are also surprising guests with canned cocktails and beers. The Miami Beach EDITION offers a spritz from Miami Cocktail Co. The Hilton Niseko Village in Hokkaido, Japan, serves Sapporo Classic to guests upon check-in; though Sapporo Black Label beer can be found internationally, Sapporo Classic is only distributed on the island.

Hotels are also keeping their welcome gestures inclusive by taking advantage of new and improved nonalcoholic spirits, wines, and aperitifs. Lotte Hotel Seattle just launched a traditional Korean welcome beverage called the Maesil, a sweet beverage made with Korean green plums marinated with honey for an antioxidant-packed sip that’s revitalizing after a long travel day. The new welcome beverage at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach is an iced tea that calls for Māmaki,a prized medicinal leaf used for centuries by Hawaiians in healing. The tea is brewed for six hours, chilled, then poured into a glass with fresh pineapple juice that is served to guests at check-in along with a cold towel.

Regardless of what you’re sipping, it’s the act of being handed a welcome drink that really sets the tone for a vacation – an evocative way to embrace guests into a destination and create a memorable first taste of what’s to come.