This Home Alone-Inspired Hotel Experience Is A McCallister-Worthy Staycation
Enjoy the suite, you filthy animal.
The start of the holiday season ushers in extra cheer and, let’s be honest, a whole lot of stress. There’s the shopping, wrapping, decorating, and cooking, to worry about, and sometimes, Kevin McCallister’s impromptu staycation in Home Alone actually seems kind of nice. What’s not to love about a luxe hotel stay that delivers the best (and most relaxing) parts of the beloved Christmas movie? If you want to tap into your inner child for the holidays, Deer Path Inn’s Home Alone hotel experience in the Chicago suburbs will help you do that.
Some of the best scenes in Home Alone are early on in the movie when Kevin’s navigating his newfound freedom inside the ritzy McCallister home. Kevin does all the things he’s never been allowed to do, like jump on his parents’ bed and order the pizza he likes. He basks in the warm glow of the Christmas tree while watching TV and relaxing without interruption from his annoying older brother, Buzz. Sure, it’s not ideal that an eight-year-old was left alone, especially with the Wet Bandits on the prowl, but Kevin had the right idea about making the most of the experience. So, why not take a reprieve during the holiday hustle to have your own Home Alone hotel stay?
To start, you’ll need to travel 40 minutes from Chicago to Lake Forest, Illinois to stay at the swanky Deer Path Inn, which Travel & Leisure recently named the top resort hotel in the Midwest for the third year in a row as well as the seventh best resort hotel in the continental U.S. It turns out the actual Home Alone house from the movie is also located in another Chicago suburb, Winnetka, so you can be sure to have an authentic McCallister Christmas during your visit.
Once you arrive, you’ll head to the Cornwall Suite, a luxury suite at the Deer Path Inn that’s hosting this Home Alone experience only for the holidays. Upon check in, you’ll receive two plush Deer Path Inn bathrobes that you can slip into right away. As a bonus, you can even take them home with you as souvenirs.
Next, get cozy in front of the stone fireplace for your in-room screening of Home Alone. While you’re watching, room service will deliver your very own homemade pizza to enjoy without anyone stealing it from you. And that’s not the only snack this hotel stay offers. You also get a box of gourmet sweets from a local shop, Sweet’s of Lake Forest, as well as late-night room service including elevated childhood treats like boozy milkshakes and gourmet popcorn. In the words of Kevin McCallister, it’s no “highly nutritious, microwavable macaroni and cheese dinner,” but it’ll do.
If you feel like leaving your suite for a little holiday shopping, this experience also comes with gift cards to the Lake Forest Bookstore and other boutiques, as well as a round-trip Range Rover ride to the Chicago Botanic Garden’s holiday lightscape event. Of course, it’s also just 40 minutes from Chicago, making a visit to the Windy City a perfect day trip. If you aren’t a local, you’ll want to double check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s travel regulations. The CDC recommends you delay any travel plans until you’re fully vaccinated, and you’ll want to follow any local health guidelines.
That said, no one would blame you if you decided to hang out in the luxurious suite all day, which Travel & Leisure readers raved is “a class above the rest.” The suite boasts a full living room with cozy couches and fireplace, as well as a freestanding stone bath tub and a bed that looks like a dream. With so many snacks, sweets, and a Home Alone screening to watch, there’s plenty to experience right at the Inn, and you can do it while wearing your bathrobe.
This limited-time Home Alone hotel stay is available upon request from Nov. 26, 2021 through Jan. 2, 2022 starting at $800. Make your reservation by calling the Deer Path Inn directly, and be sure to ask for the “Lost in Lake Forest Suite Experience.”
Take a page from Kevin’s book and slip away for a few days to relax before the stress of the holidays or decompress post-Christmas ahead of New Year’s. Plus, you don’t have to worry about any Wet Bandits attempting to hijack your stay.
The CDC recommends traveling only after you’re fully vaccinated and your vaccine has become fully effective. If you’re not fully vaccinated and must travel, check the CDC guidelines before you book. Check your destination’s vaccination and testing requirements before you depart.
