A recent trend in the U.S. finds luxury hotels partnering with local creameries for special flavors. These unique ice cream collaborations are commemorating special occasions and evoke each hotel’s sense of place.
Recently, the Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) hosted an interactive ice cream pop-up experience at Big Screen Plaza located at Kimpton Hotel Eventi in New York City, in celebration of its inaugural collaboration with the U.S. Open tennis tournament as the tournament’s official hotel partner.
New York City ice cream parlor Morgenstern’s provided four artisanal ice cream flavors for the event, each corresponding to one of IHG’s luxury lifestyle brands. These flavors included Lychee Raspberry Sorbet (InterContinental Hotels & Resorts), Green Tea Pistachio (Six Senses Hotel Resorts Spas), Bourbon Vanilla (Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants), and Tahini Caramel (Regent).
Another recent New York collaboration happened at Mohonk Mountain House, the iconic castle resort in Upstate New York. To mark its 150th anniversary, the hotel collaborated with Jane’s Ice Cream in Hudson Valley for an all-new flavor. Known as Mohonk Mountain Crunch, the ice cream creation draws its colors, flavors, and textures from the hotel’s outdoor trails and rocky paths with a rich vanilla base, chocolate-covered pretzels, dark chocolate fudge, and a salted caramel swirl.
Gurney’s Resorts recently teamed up with New York City artisanal ice cream company Van Leeuwen to open its first brick and mortar hotel store at the new Gurney’s Star Island Resort & Marina in Montauk, New York. To celebrate the opening, Van Leeuwen created a flavor for Gurney’s named Weekend at Gurney’s. The flavor is reminiscent of beachside campfire s’mores, with a peanut butter base with marshmallow bits, chocolate fudge swirl, and a house-made graham cracker crumble.
Finally, Southern California’s Rosewood Miramar Beach, a newly-opened ultra-luxury resort, partnered with Rori’s Artisanal Creamery to bring its small batch ice creams to the hotel’s Scoop Shop. Rori’s created a special Limoncello flavor exclusive to the Scoop Shop, with a citrusy and refreshing taste that represents the hotel’s breezy and sunny beachside location.