My all nighter at Claridge’s – this is what it takes to create London’s most talked about tree

My alarm wakes me abruptly at 4am, and we’re back in the lobby – this time clutching sugary, caffeinated drinks. The operation is so gargantuan that the two towering Malles Vestiaire (Wardrobe Trunks) were installed the night before. Now, it’s all about the centrepiece – a ‘tree’ formed of 15 vertically-placed chrome repurposed trunks. The varying heights create the silhouette of a traditional Christmas tree and salute the building’s Art Deco architecture. It’s a 360-degree display, too; each trunk is adorned with a Louis Vuitton luggage tag and Claridge’s travel stickers of yesteryear. This is just one way Claridge’s Christmas tree honours the fashion house’s history – Gaston-Louis Vuitton’s extensive travels naturally made him amass a considerable collection of hotel stickers.

I catch some of the Louis Vuitton team between bouts of lobby loitering. We talk about the partnership’s inception in the summer, and how the lead visionaries devised a meticulous plan in their London studio once it was decided that a link to travel was a no-brainer. Trunks were called in from window displays across Europe, upcycled alongside freshly-crafted finishing touches. 21 Louis Vuitton Vivienne mascots sit on the silver trunks – playful pinks, varied greens and eye-catching oranges, among other shades. Also incorporated into the concept is a model of Asnières, the iconic Louis Vuitton family home and atelier, a short journey from Paris that’s home to the fashion house’s original wardrobe trunk.

A designer places a final Vivienne on the snowy base of Claridge’s 2023 Christmas tree as the hotel’s ballroom-dancer-in-residence, Marius Caluser, gets into character for a final rehearsal of the dance he’s due to perform to a selection of handpicked guests just as the sun rises over the city.

Stray specks of artificial snow are swept up, ladders are scurried away, and finally the imposing, mirrored complex of trunks and trinkets stands proud in all its glory. The mirrored design causes a few bounce-back camera flashes, but there’s one shimmery benefit to be had. As the music plays and Marius saunters down the stairs, I catch the eye of Marianne Claridge, co-founder of the original hotel, gazing down at the tree from her portrait. Her expression, albeit frozen in time, is approving, as she watches over the beginning of another festive extravaganza at the extraordinary hotel she established long, long ago.