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Over-the-top holiday decorating is increasingly becoming an essential element for hotels and resorts. Sure, economic woes are affecting some properties’ bottom lines, but it’s in no way hindering the over-sized decorations prevalent this holiday season.
Take the Four Seasons New York located in midtown Manhattan. The I.M. Pei-designed hotel has a three-story tall lobby and this year has a tree skyscraping the ceiling. And management has made sure to deck the tree with oodles of lights and ornaments to ensure it’s one of the most sought-after Christmas experiences in town.
But oversized tress is just one of the outsized ways hotels are celebrating the holiday.
Trends this year include enormous and edible gingerbread houses, a festive playground made entirely of ice, and a suite filled with a sleuth of teddy bears.
For the hotels that chose gingerbread houses as a centerpiece of their display of Christmas spirit, these oversized edible displays needed to be extra large and comprised of a large variety of ingredients. The Rosewood Crescent Hotel in Dallas, TX is very downright ebullient about their gingerbread creation. Vineetha Pathrose, Public Relations Coordinator for the Rosewood Crescent Hotel, says, “Eric Perelli, a pastry chef, has designed an incredible gingerbread house that will stand nearly 10 feet tall and will be adorned with everything from sugar wreaths and candy canes to a chocolate North Pole mailbox.” Pathrose and Perelli said the large scale cake-like masterpiece required 20 pounds of modeling chocolate and 100 pounds of icing. “In total, there are over 350 pounds of ingredients!” Pathrose exclaimed.
Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT, which features a 1,200 room hotel, has taken the over-sized trend to another level with a gingerbread house measuring an incredible 24 feet tall. “As part of Mohegan Sun’s World of Holiday Marvels, holiday décor is set up throughout the property, including oversized ornaments and wreaths measuring over ten feet tall and 24-foot gingerbread house,” says Don Beatrice, Director of VIP Services at Mohegan Sun. The gingerbread creation was designed by Executive Pastry Chef Lynn Mansel, and consists of over 4,500 pounds of icing, 150 pounds of white chocolate, forty pounds of dark chocolate, and 120 pounds of milk chocolate. Approximately 6,525 gingerbread bricks, inscribed with the names of children from local schools and after-school programs, make up the gingerbread house. Guests are able to walk through the gingerbread house to view the tiny rooms inside filled with an edible fireplace, stockings, a tree, a chocolate rocking chair and a chocolate glass with assorted cookies for Santa.
The Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle, WA has one of the most unique decorations - a Teddy Bear Suite filled to the brim with a collection of the aforementioned plush toys. The room was designed by Kevin Bradford, a Seattle-based interior and event designer, and is elaborately adorned with trees resembling a forest. Overflowing with cuddly teddy bears - which younger guests can take pictures with or just hug - and teddy bear-themed children’s books, the suite is every child’s fantasy come to life. In the true spirit of the season, the donations received at the Teddy Bear Suite go to the Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Another attention-grabbing trend is the use of extra large ice sculptures. The Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, FL (just outside the gates of Disney World) used two million pounds of ice to create a life-size village. It’s a great way to bring that Christmas chill to normally sunny Florida. The ice village is complete with igloo homes and playgrounds made entirely of sculpted ice. Keith Salwoski, the Public Relations Director at Gaylord Palms, who also refers to himself as “Chief Storyteller”, describes ICE! as a “special event at the hotel where nearly all of the two million pounds of ice is hand-carved into an exhibit featuring three-dimensional ice sculptures and ice slides, and a life-size nativity scene.”
A crucial element of the ICE! display is the freezing temperature needed to maintain the exhibit. A point to consider is that many Floridians do not own the necessary clothing to be comfortable in such a climate. When asked how to get around this obstacle and make the experience safe and enjoyable for guests, Salwoski explained that “everyone is given an oversized parka to stay comfortable inside the attraction, which is kept at a blustery 9 degrees.” He assures that the freezing temperature has yet to be a distraction from the incredible exhibition.
With all of these unique decorations and events, travelers have become fascinated with holiday decorations at hotels. Colonial Williamsburg has capitalized on this trend by producing a package that embraces this enthusiasm for decorations. Barbara Rust Brown, Public Affairs Manager of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, explains that the Holiday Decorations Package includes two nights’ accommodations, a Colonial Williamsburg Hotel Guest Pass good for the length of stay, a lunch in one of the historic dining taverns, a ticket to the Christmas Decorations Walking Tour, and a copy of the book Christmas Decorations from Williamsburg. Brown describes how the walking tour includes demonstrations by the Williamsburg landscape team and lessons on wreath-creating. The historic area also showcases an event called “Decorating the Private Homes in the Historic Area”. “This fun-filled celebration demonstrates the seasonal efforts of the staff and Historic Area residents who decorate the private homes using innovative, natural ingredients,” says Penna Rogers, Director of Public Affairs at The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Awards are given to the most festive home.
A package like this confirms how popular the trend of holiday decorating at hotels has become. Hotels are going over the top with holiday decorations because they see it as a great way to get guests involved and leave them with memorable experiences this holiday season.
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