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.
Here’s where you can get into the holiday spirit with festive trees, magical decor and even mini gingerbread house replicas.
Lotte New York Palace
455 Madison Ave.
- The Gingerbread Palace took 200 hours to assemble, with 53 pounds of sugar, 40 pounds of flour, 16 pounds of butter, six jars of molasses and several scoops of ginger.
There’s a lot to take in at the Lotte New York Palace (455 Madison Ave.), from lights to gingerbread houses — and even more if you stay at the special Balsam Hill Holiday Suite.
The decorators 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 Shenman 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 — with around 53 pounds of sugar, 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 Shenman, “but also classic and traditional.”
The Peninsula New York
700 Fifth Ave.
- Over 38,000 baubles and 58,000 LED lights were used.
Earlier this week, guests at the Peninsula New York (700 Fifth Ave.) were welcomed into a festive lobby that even Scrooge himself wouldn’t scoff at.
The hotel said 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.
Park Terrace Hotel
18 W. 40th St.
- “Guests say they could sit and watch this tree all day,” professional holiday decorator Jesse Cooper told The Post.
At the Park Terrace Hotel (18 W. 40th St.), guests are known to cozy up at the hotel bar to get into the festive spirit.
“I’ve heard guests say they could sit and watch this tree all day: it glows like a fireplace. Not to get sappy,” professional holiday decorator Jesse Cooper told The Post, accidentally adding a tree pun, “but I put my heart into this.”
By mid-November, the spectacular Christmas tree and holiday wreaths were fully installed at the hotel — and toasted with champagne.
“Putting things up early gives more bang for your buck,” Cooper said.
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.
Baccarat Hotel New York
28 W. 53rd St.
- The Baccarat Hotel created a three-tiered Baccarat Chandelier Christmas Tree from two styles of Baccarat Le Roi Soleil crystal chandeliers.
Look up for the merriest addition at the Baccarat Hotel New York (28 W. 53rd St.). The luxury hotel went nontraditional and this season added 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.
The Carlyle
35 E. 76th St.
- The Carlyle has a troupe of traditional tra-la-la-ing carolers at the hotel.
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.
