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tl;dr – In many ways, the aura of the New Year is ripe with ‘tradition.’ I thought it worthwhile to highlight a unique tradition you can experience at many St. Regis hotels worldwide – the sabrage.
The St. Regis Hotel & Resorts is one of the top luxury brands within the Marriott portfolio. A post-merger holdover from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, the St. Regis brand still clings to many old-school styles and traditions. One such tradition is the sabrage – at roughly 6 pm local time at most St. Regis locations worldwide, guests are treated to a time-honored tradition – the sabering of a champagne bottle. And, of course, guests are invited to share in the wealth as glasses are filled with sparkling wine and dispersed to anyone willing and thirsty. I’ve enjoyed this tradition at several properties, most recently the St. Regis Kanai Riviera Maya and the St. Regis Rome. Let’s talk about it.
Origins of the Sabrage Tradition and Today’s History Lesson
Much in the way, you’ll walk past paintings of John Willard Marriott at any of the chain’s eponymous hotels, stay at a St. Regis hotel, and likely see the name ‘Astor’ get some good run. Astor is the last name of John Jacob Astor IV, the founder, and co-founder of two of the more notable luxury ‘points’ hotels today – the St. Regis and the Waldorf-ASTORia. Astor founded the original St. Regis Hotel in New York (yes, it’s the same building as the current St. Regis New York) as a sister property for the Waldorf-Astoria, which he owned in part with his cousin. (Note that the current Waldorf-Astoria hotel is NOT the same as Astor’s original). As the story goes, Astor would saber a bottle of champagne each night to celebrate day turning into night, taking inspiration from Napoleon Bonaparte’s tradition of swording a bottle of bubbles, post-victory, on the battlefield.
Known as one of the wealthiest men of his era, John Jacob Astor IV is most known for being the richest person to perish on the Titanic’s fateful voyage. Fun fact: In the 1997 movie Titanic, Astor is played by Eric Braeden, an actor who, as an infant, survived another fateful sea voyage during WWII.
By the way, if you are prone to deep internet rabbit holes, you can easily spend a few hours exploring the very intertwined history of the Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, and Waldorf Astoria brands. The brands are now neatly nestled at the top of the Hilton and Marriott luxury lines today, but in the past, there was quite a bit of rebranding and changing hands (and labels) of some of the more famous properties within each brand.
Though the St. Regis hotel would change hands, leaving and reentering the Astor family, the hotel would welcome many famous guests over the years. Ultimately, the property was acquired by Sheraton International, which Starwood then acquired. It is after the Starwood acquisition that we saw the birth of the St. Regis’ brand’ and the opening of several St. Regis hotels in other cities, such as Washington D.C. Years later, after the Starwood-Marriott merger, the brand’s expansion increased, given rise to the St. Regis Hotels & Resorts that we’ve come to know – now numbering 67 locations worldwide (and counting).
Enough history – let’s get back to the champagne.
What is the Sabrage Experience Like?
I’m glad you asked. Here are two sabrage presentations from my visit to the St. Regis Rome in 2018. I’d like first to introduce you to ‘the man of the hour’ – the St. Regis Rome’s resident sabrage specialist who, as you can see below, excels at crowd work and has a flare for the dramatic:
I purposely didn’t edit these videos so you can see the fanfare associated with the sabering:
Skip to :45 if you just want to see the bottle pop.
Skip to 1:13 if you just want to see the bottle pop:
I don’t have a video from the sabrage at the St. Regis Kanai Riviera Maya in 2023, but I did snap a few post-sabering photos.
St. Regis Kanai Riviera Maya Staff pouring champagne Source: You Are Travel
More champagne was available than guests around to drink it post-sabrage, so guess who had extra?
Conclusion
Sabrage at the St. Regis is a simple yet fun tradition. I’d love to hear which St. Regis locations you hope to visit for a 6 pm sabering and sundowners.
