Stefano Giovannini
Saks Fifth Avenue may have gone dark on its traditional lavish holiday light show this year, but these Manhattan hotels have gone into sparkle overdrive to brighten the festive season.
By mid-November, the spectacular Christmas tree and holiday wreaths were fully installed at the Park Terrace Hotel (18 W. 40th St.) and toasted with champagne.
“Putting things up early gives more bang for your buck,” professional holiday decorator Jesse Cooper told The Post.
Park Terrace Hotel
- 1,800 custom warm white lights
- 1,000 shimmer lights
- 1,000 feet of strung fairy lights
- 130 yards of ribbon
- 750 ornaments
Cooper installed a 12-foot faux “real touch” Elizabeth pine tree with 6,026 evergreen tips — this means the tree is nice and bushy, not straggly looking.
First, he blends the tree’s custom 1,800 warm white lights (Cooper prefers trees with built-in lights) with another 1,000 shimmer lights and 1,000 feet of strung fairy lights. Then come 130 yards of ribbon and 750 ornaments.
“I like to work with companies willing to do an epic installation and get wild at Christmas. That’s the Park Terrace.”
Wild, but tasteful, that is. The finishing touch is two special ornaments ingeniously marked Park and Terrace, which Cooper hand-coated in 24-karat gold. The combination of the lighting and the gold ornaments creates an effect that makes the tree look all gold and the hotel staff named it the 24-karat gold tree.
“I’ve heard guests say they could sit and watch this tree all day: it glows like a fireplace. Not to get sappy,” Cooper said, accidentally adding a tree pun, “but I put my heart into this.”
The Carlyle
- Over 100 feet of garland
- Hundreds of ornaments and baubles
- Bales of golden willow
- Thousands of lights
When it comes to a nostalgic holiday atmosphere, the Carlyle (35 E. 76th St.) goes for an overabundance of seasonal cheer with sparkling wreaths and garlands strung about its halls, and trees aglow with lights and shiny baubles.
It’s designed to fit the Carlyle’s classy, classic style and the finishing Holiday touch is a troupe of traditional tra-la-la-ing carolers.
Peninsula New York
- 38,000 baubles
- 58,000 LED lights
At the Peninsula New York (700 Fifth Ave.), around 38,000 dazzling baubles and 58,000 LED lights sparkle throughout the indoor and outdoor spaces.
The grand Christmas trees in the lobby and the Palm Court are elegantly adorned with garlands, ribbons, and big glittery bows; and there are hundreds of ornaments hung throughout the Gotham Lounge and Clement restaurant to carry on the festive look.
Baccarat Hotel New York
- 108 crystal tiles in chandeliers
- 64 lights in two Le Roi Soleil chandeliers
On the other hand, the Baccarat Hotel New York (28 W. 53rd St.) goes nontraditional and this season adds a new and individual modernist spin on sparkle with a 16-foot tall “tree” honoring the famed Baccarat Chandelier.
The three-tiered Baccarat Chandelier Christmas Tree is created from two styles of Baccarat Le Roi Soleil (which translates as the Sun King) crystal chandeliers and uses 108 crystal tiles.
Those two sparklers are topped with the signature Baccarat red rose ball on the third tier, all strategically lit for maximum dazzle.
Lotte New York Palace
- 1,000 feet of garland — stretching nearly 2.8 football fields
- 30,000 twinkling lights
- 4,500 lights and over 1,000 ornaments on the Christmas tree
- Gingerbread Palace: 200 hours to assemble. 53 pounds of sugar, 40 pounds of flour, 16 pounds of butter, six jars of molasses and several scoops of ginger
The decorators at the Lotte New York Palace (455 Madison Ave.) wove over 1,000 feet of shiny garlands — stretching nearly 2.8 football fields — and over 30,000 twinkling lights all around this former enclave of late 19th-century Italian Renaissance townhouses.
The 30-foot courtyard Christmas tree alone is decorated with around 4,500 lights and over 1,000 ornaments.
“It was a lot to install, but the decorations seemed to appear like magic,” Director of Sales David Sherman told The Post. “We like to put them up as soon as is practical so guests can feel in the festive mood.”
After Thanksgiving comes the Gingerbread Palace, a copy of the hotel in miniature — and in sugar, around 53 pounds of sugar, along with 40 pounds of flour, 16 pounds of butter, six jars of molasses and several scoops of ginger.
That takes the Lotte pastry team more than 200 hours to assemble.
“Guests love to watch the final installation go up in the lobby,” said executive chef Cedric Tovar. “And it smells really good too.”
“The vibe we want is ‘best Christmas ever,’ ” added Sherman, “but also classic and traditional.”