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Hotels with designer Christmas trees
Claridge’s, London
Brook Street, Mayfair, claridges.co.uk
John Galliano and Alber Elbaz have both designed Christmas trees for Claridge’s and this year the hotel carried on the tradition by commissioning a tree by Kathy Ellis of McQueens florists. The company created floral designs for Vanity Fair’s post-Oscar party and the Wimbledon finalists’ ball. Ellis’ tree is draped with jewel eggs. Doubles from £350 (€431).
Intercontinental Paris Le Grand
2 Rue Scribe , intercontinental.com
The hotel has run its Sapins Fashion – or Fashion Christmas Trees – event for six years, commissioning yuletide arboreal creations from fashion designers. This year it is has moved into pastry and is displaying six golden macaron trees from the 150-year-old company Ladurée which has just revamped its own store/cafe on the Champs-Élysées. Doubles from €285.
The Plaza, New York
Fifth Avenue at Central Park South,
[ fairmont.com ]
Catherine Martin, the Oscar-winning production designer of the upcoming film The Great Gatsby created this Gatsby-inspired tree in the hotel frequented by the book’s author F Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda. The sumptuous pine rotates and is swathed in 660ft of garlands. Doubles from $600 (€459).