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00:00Merry Christmas!
00:05At this first glimpse of Christmas at Four Seasons Park Lane,
00:09there are 12,000 lights of twinkling.
00:12Definitely very impressive.
00:141,100 cocktails smoking.
00:1710 men are heaving.
00:19Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop!
00:209,000 pastries baking.
00:23Oh, my goodness.
00:2580 wreaths are weaving.
00:27These are green and orange slices.
00:297,000 baubles hanging.
00:32I'm so tired.
00:3316 houses icing.
00:36A 25-foot spruce fir tree.
00:40Stress level's a little bit higher.
00:42400 staff, wow.
00:44Three French bites.
00:46Voila!
00:47Two jingly shoes.
00:51And one invitation to Christmas at Four Seasons Park Lane.
00:56Christmas has begun.
00:58Welcome back to Four Seasons Park Lane.
01:09Four Seasons Park Lane reception.
01:11This is Thomas Hammers, Jim.
01:13The most glittering hotel in Mayfair with a dedicated team of over 400 staff,
01:18serving up five-star hospitality 24-7.
01:22Have you got availability for a three this evening?
01:24To distinguished guests from all over the world.
01:27Thank you for staying with us.
01:28Have a nice day.
01:29And today, as the weather cools and the leaves start to turn,
01:33the team begin to think about their busiest time of the year.
01:37Can I get a thousand baubles?
01:40Christmas.
01:41Merry Christmas, Tim.
01:44Christmas at Four Seasons isn't simply a holiday.
01:47It's a grand production.
01:49Wow, it looks so Christmassy.
01:51Look at that tree.
01:53Trees rise like evergreen emperors.
01:56Baubles sparkle and golden pastries crisp to perfection.
02:00Oh, wow.
02:01Look.
02:02Across the hotel, an army of smartly dressed elves,
02:06otherwise known as concierge, housekeepers and florists,
02:09ensure every snowflake is centred, every light is positioned just so.
02:14I've just got to the end of a thousand lights.
02:17And every guest is wrapped in comfort and joy.
02:20That's really good. Well done.
02:22And before the first cork is popped,
02:25this dedicated cast are already rehearsing.
02:30Seventeen people squeezed into an igloo.
02:33Preparing to deliver a season that promises to be nothing short of tree-mendous.
02:41Overseeing all plans for Four Seasons festivities
02:44is Regional Vice President and General Manager, Lynn Brutman.
02:48The holiday time is so special here in the hotel.
02:52Everybody is just celebrating and just enjoying time together.
02:55Lynn will sign off on everything from the fairy lights to the flowers.
03:00The theme of the hotel changes year to year,
03:03and we tailor all of the amenities, the entire guest experience,
03:07to what that theme is.
03:11This year's theme is the heart of Christmas,
03:14and in charge of delivering it is event designer, Ruth.
03:19Who has been giving the hotel its Christmas makeover for the last five years.
03:24She's created everything from a giant snow globe
03:27to a three-tiered sparkly snowman.
03:30I feel nervous, but it'll be fine.
03:32We have a strong design concept and a lovely story, so I'm excited.
03:36Ruth's design this year features a winter scene in the lobby
03:40which signposts the way to a floor-to-ceiling tree in the hotel's lounge.
03:47With a month to go before the Christmas install,
03:50Ruth needs to check logistics with the hotel's operations team.
03:54The gate itself will go right up into there.
03:58The coffer.
03:59Yeah.
04:00And this is around...
04:01How wide is the...
04:03It's about four metres.
04:05So the central gate is one metre here, one point is like a metre,
04:09but then you have, like, either side and either side,
04:11and a bit of dressing around.
04:13You have to make sure that we're not obstructing the sprinkler head.
04:16It's director of engineering Gary's job to keep an eye on health and safety.
04:21The things that we have to think about is,
04:22do we have the right power there?
04:23Do we have, you know, is everything safe?
04:26Is it in the right location?
04:27Are we impacting on any of the fire escape routes?
04:31Also in attendance is assistant director of communications Jess,
04:34who has her eye on the visuals.
04:37Will it be like a metallic gold or will it be...?
04:40Yeah, it would be metallic,
04:41but we could kind of have it like a burnished gold.
04:44Yeah, exactly, something similar to that.
04:48With the lobby decorations discussed,
04:50the meeting moves to the hotel lounge,
04:53which will house Park Lane's show-stopping tree.
04:56It fills this whole space.
04:59Because we have one of the tallest trees inside in London,
05:02we are going to make that our main focal point
05:04and create a story from the lobby to the show-stopper,
05:08which is the huge tree in here.
05:10So last year we had the slight issue with the tree.
05:13It was the wrong one, it was delivered.
05:14Yeah.
05:15Are we taking any precautions
05:17to make sure we get the right one this year?
05:18Yeah, so that was one of the worst nights of my life,
05:23but we solved it.
05:24Every year Park Lane boasts
05:26one of the tallest indoor trees in London,
05:29but last year it felt quite a few inches short.
05:32I'm just concerned that it's not big enough.
05:35This kind of pathetic little thing turned down,
05:38which was just very embarrassing and not our tree.
05:40It's about a metre short of what it should be
05:42and it's way skinnier.
05:44We made the bold decision to change it in the middle of the night.
05:48At 4am we are literally going to be like,
05:51trying to get the stuff as quick as we can,
05:53which we did and then we had a beauty and it looked amazing.
05:56We'll just make sure that it's large, as large as possible,
06:02super fluffy, a lovely Scottish spruce
06:05and that we don't get given the wrong tree.
06:08There's a lot of pressure to make sure that Lynn's impressed with this.
06:11You know, it's a big thing that we're trying to achieve
06:13and with Lynn leading the hotel,
06:15it's important we make sure that she's impressed with this one, yeah.
06:19This year, my biggest worry, it's always the tree.
06:22It's got to be the tree my heart cannot take
06:25another night like last year.
06:27While Ruth leads the front of house Sparkle,
06:29head of purchasing Ian,
06:31is in charge of decking the halls downstairs.
06:35Why is this so difficult?
06:37I'm telling you!
06:38Why is this so difficult?
06:39It's a gingerbread man!
06:43Let's put the lights on.
06:45One, two, three.
06:47Wow!
06:51Oh, hi.
06:53Where are we going to keep it?
06:55Whilst Ian ponders where to put his light-up gingerbread man,
06:59assistant director of communications Jess is presenting Ruth's designs for the hotel
07:04to general manager Lynn.
07:06So we have Christmas decorations here!
07:09It's that time of year again!
07:11Lynn obviously comes with such a wealth of experience.
07:14She's Four Seasons through and through.
07:16She really understands what the Four Seasons guest wants
07:19when they come for a Four Seasons stay,
07:21so it's so important that we get her seal of approval on it.
07:24This is kind of what she's envisaging for the lobby,
07:29so when you first walk in.
07:31Oh, such an arrival gate.
07:33Yeah.
07:34Oh, I love it.
07:35She has an incredible eye for detail,
07:37and sometimes where other people might just miss something
07:40or not necessarily think of the tiny little details,
07:43Lynn is so fine-tuned into them.
07:46I just want to make sure that we have enough gold access,
07:48because I think gold is what Christmas is about.
07:51Yeah.
07:52I think that adds a sparkle.
07:54So as long as they major on gold,
07:56Lynn's happy with the designs.
07:58And that tree, wow, that's quite amazing.
08:00But having seen the size of the tree,
08:02she has some words of warning.
08:04When we're talking about a large tree going into the lounge,
08:08we have the whole lobby that needs to be done,
08:11and all of that has to happen on the overnights.
08:13So we need the overnight team,
08:15we need the engineering team,
08:17we need Ruth's team.
08:18Okay.
08:19And if they need to double the crew,
08:20they need to double the crew.
08:21Yeah, got it.
08:22Yeah.
08:23Okay.
08:24Great.
08:25No pressure.
08:26Decorations decided,
08:27the Christmas rollout continues,
08:29and with three weeks to go until festive install,
08:32the countdown is on.
08:33Everything's looking great.
08:35With everything in the hotel being given the festive touch,
08:39from the cocktails...
08:40That's like a Christmas market in a high park.
08:43...to the croissant.
08:44The vision for this dish has come from a Christmas tree
08:48when it's lit up.
08:49And in the kitchen of the hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant,
08:53Pavilion, executive chef, Benjamin...
08:55...and executive pastry chef, Francesco,
08:59are busy creating dishes for the festive afternoon tea.
09:03This is the bean brush with the cocoa butter on both sides.
09:08As with all things Christmas,
09:10regional vice president and general manager Lin will be signing off
09:13on the chef's festive offerings.
09:15If we pass with Lin, for me it's a great achievement.
09:18It's not easy.
09:19With Lin on her way to a tasting,
09:21the chefs are out to slay.
09:23We all like shoulder-to-shoulder,
09:26make sure everything is perfect.
09:28The sweet treats they're hoping will pass muster
09:31include a parry breast with hazelnut and coffee.
09:35This is to give a bit of a texture.
09:38Mont blanc, meringues,
09:40a smoked vanilla crème brûlée.
09:43It needs to wiggle, but...
09:44Or jiggle, how do you say in English?
09:46Wiggle, jiggle.
09:48And a chocolate yule lock.
09:51And for the savoury line-up,
09:54a baguette with a ham butter.
09:56It looks easy to make,
09:58but it takes a long time to make those little cubes.
10:01A mini pâté en croûte.
10:04Really rich, really flavourful.
10:07A conté cheese puff pastry boujère.
10:10We slice the conté and we make a little flour.
10:13And a lobster and leek tartlet.
10:16The lobster is from Scotland, beautiful product.
10:19With the festive tea ready for tasting...
10:22Hopefully, everyone like it.
10:23And Lynn ready and waiting,
10:25have chefs Benjamin and Francesco earned a place
10:28on the naughty or nice list?
10:31I want her happy.
10:32That's the main thing.
10:33And if she's not happy,
10:35we're going to make it again and again until she's happy.
10:38Let's go.
10:40Coming up, Lynn searches for the festive
10:44in the festive afternoon tea.
10:46There's nothing that screams Christmas.
10:48Construction starts on a gingerbread village.
10:51Three tier, plus one on the top.
10:53I'm a bit worried about it.
10:55And Ruth faces a perennial Christmas problem.
10:58Will the tree fit through the door?
11:00Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
11:01You're stuck.
11:02It doesn't fit.
11:03One of the most important elements of the Christmas offering at Park Lane
11:19is their famous festive afternoon tea.
11:22And today, regional vice president and general manager, Lynn,
11:26and her senior team have come to taste the potential offerings.
11:30To Benjamin and Francesco, the pressure is on.
11:34This is beautiful, huh?
11:36Yes.
11:37Bon appétit.
11:38Merci.
11:40There's nothing that screams Christmas.
11:43First, they try the cheese gougere.
11:46It's missing something.
11:47I don't know what...
11:48The puff pastry is very good, but the inside is...
11:51The puff pastry is very good.
11:53I'm wondering, is there enough comte in it?
11:56Is it the right age of comte?
11:58Should it be...
11:59Should it be sharper?
12:00Like, you know, you need to feel the cheese.
12:01Should it be more aged?
12:02Like, we need to feel like I'm eating cheese.
12:04Next, the pâté en croûte.
12:07I could eat all of just this.
12:09This one?
12:10Yes.
12:11And finally, it's the leek and lobster tartlet.
12:16Now, the lobster is very discreet.
12:19Lobster is such a delicate flavor.
12:21Yeah, that you're going to feel it.
12:23And I'm wondering if the lobster should be bigger pieces of lobster.
12:28With all savory dishes sampled, it's time for direct of food and beverage, Kevin, to feed back to Benjamin.
12:36Overall, it was excellent.
12:38The gougere, a little bit light on the flavor.
12:41Is that something you're looking for?
12:42Or the comte, you know, you...
12:44You need a little tweak and make it more intense, you know?
12:46Yeah.
12:47And then the quiche thermidor, very powerful in leek.
12:50It's challenging to feel the taste of the lobster.
12:52Okay.
12:53Okay.
12:54The pâté en croûte.
12:5520 euros.
12:56Yeah.
12:57That's nice.
12:58Wow.
13:00Overall, it's good.
13:01You know, I like the plating.
13:02The presentation was nice.
13:04Even there is few things to review.
13:06And we're going to make it again.
13:08Make it better.
13:09And that's it.
13:11After a whirlwind tasting of the savory components, it's now time to taste the sweets.
13:16In terms of the display, with what's on the bottom, is there a way we can bring in a little
13:21bit more festive color?
13:22Yeah.
13:23I mean, I can put some little touches, a few little stars, or little gingerbreads.
13:29But I think that will help bring the spirit of the festive season.
13:33Yeah, definitely.
13:34First up, the smoked vanilla crème brûlée.
13:37Oh, wow.
13:40It has a smokiness on the way.
13:42Do you think we should sort out a little bit, the smokiness?
13:45A little bit, because it's lingering out there.
13:49I still have it.
13:50Yeah.
13:51I think what we need to do is look at all the flavors of everything that we're serving
13:57to make sure that there's variety.
13:59They complement each other, and they don't fight each other.
14:02And it's all balanced.
14:03Okay.
14:04As they finish off all the rest of the sweet treats, it's a rough job, but somebody's got
14:08to do it.
14:09It's time to feed back to Francesco.
14:12The vanilla, smokiness.
14:14Less?
14:15Yeah, you know, to kind of please everybody.
14:18Very subtle, subtle, you know.
14:21That's the only thing I would have definitely done that, yeah.
14:25Nice one.
14:27Thank you so much.
14:28Yes.
14:29I had a feeling that Creme Brulee was, the smokiness level, it was a bit too strong, so I can
14:36say that it's 75% ticked.
14:39So no, there's never rest for me, like, you know.
14:43There's no rest for event designer Ruth either, as she and her florist Vijay are busy buying
14:52baubles to decorate Park Lane's ginormous showstopper tree.
14:56It's such a big tree, so we do need quite a bit of gear.
14:59And this year, Ruth is going for gold.
15:02These are nice.
15:04I'm loving this combo of the sparklies.
15:06Yes, the sparklies as well.
15:09I love these colours.
15:10I actually love these colours, so I'm very happy.
15:12Once the baubles are selected, it's time to price them up.
15:15And with multiple boxes needed, there's some serious mental maths required.
15:20So the smaller ones come in 96s.
15:22Yeah.
15:23And the bigger ones come in 48s.
15:24So we have 96 of those.
15:2696, 96, and then 48, 48, 48.
15:29That's already like a thousand.
15:30Then we've got all the golden chocolate, like the ones that are going to go in deep.
15:35It's like at home, isn't it?
15:36When you dress your tree at home, and you start, and then you think,
15:38I'll just get a few, and then you go to the garden centre and spend a fortune.
15:41That's what I do, just on a much bigger scale.
15:44The average Brit decorates their standard-sized tree with around 100 baubles,
15:49costing approximately 150 pounds.
15:52Ruth's 25-foot spruce fir requires around 20 times that.
15:57So we're on 2,000 baubles.
15:59I think that needs to go in between as well.
16:02Yeah, but how much is it?
16:03So if you have 24, that's 420.
16:06Ah, I've just blown the budget, but there we go.
16:09I'll get it all ready.
16:10It'll be worth it.
16:11Yeah, exactly.
16:12It'll look fantastic.
16:13We just want it to look a million dollars and be super sparkly, loads of lights,
16:18and I've got a little surprise that I haven't told Four Seasons about, which I hope they'll love,
16:22which will hopefully bring the whole theme full circle of the tree being the heart of the home and the heart of the season.
16:29Positive, like, manifestation that the tree's going to be great, everything's going to be great.
16:33It's all going to go to plan.
16:35I really hope so.
16:37Bye!
16:38With two weeks to go until Christmas arrives at Park Lane, it's the perfect time to get the first wreaths ready, as demonstrated by in-house florist Roz.
16:54So you start off with a frame, we use copper frames, and then we bind on some moss because it absorbs water, so it stays damp, and it helps to keep the greenery fresher for longer.
17:12So once you've got your frame, you just start adding little bits of greenery.
17:19You go round and pull tight, and you can use any kind of evergreen greenery.
17:27The evergreen is symbolic of eternal life.
17:32Wreaths have pagan roots when wheels of evergreen branches were made during the winter solstice to pray for the return of the sun.
17:41So you can see what it should look like when it's all finished.
17:46It's lovely and full.
17:48With the evergreen base completed, it's time to add some colour.
17:52We've got whole dried oranges, we've got orange slices, we've got pine cones, and we've got pretend berries.
18:00Push the wire straight through, right to the back, and then you tuck the end in.
18:10I think we'll use some pine cones next.
18:14After the larger decorations have been equally spaced, Roz likes to fill the gaps with colourful slices of dried fruit, which can be made at home by thinly slicing and baking them on a low oven.
18:26These are green orange slices, bright orange pieces, and then you should end up with something that looks like this.
18:38The main thing is to have fun, enjoy it, and be proud of what you've done, and use it to welcome guests into your home.
18:47Over in Park Lane's sister hotel in the countryside, Four Seasons Hampshire, Christmas preparations are also underway.
18:57Hungarian executive pastry chef Timea has grand designs for a festive gingerbread village.
19:04We have 16 houses, and then it will be three tier, plus one on the top.
19:11We're going to have the red ones over there on the side of the village, like little towers.
19:16Timea's team are building the village with construction-grade gingerbread, which uses a high ratio of flour to fat.
19:25What we're doing now is finishing with little bits and make it, like, more decorative.
19:31It's been a lot of work. We're around, like, over 60 hours with this.
19:35Timea and her team have been working round the clock using 20 kilograms of royal icing to decorate 35 kilograms of gingerbread, equivalent to 3,500 ginger nut biscuits.
19:48For transportation with the big house, we need to find the exact way where we're going to take this. I have a few ideas.
19:55The plan is to display the gargantuan gingerbread village upstairs in the hotel's glass corridor.
20:02We have to measure all doors, all windows, all corridors in here. We need to find the right trolleys.
20:08I'm a bit worried about it. I'm still confident, but I'm a bit worried about it.
20:16It's late evening on Park Lane, and as the final arrivals check in...
20:20You'll find the left just on the side over here.
20:22...and the last restaurant diners leave, there's one person whose night is just beginning.
20:27Event designer Ruth is waiting for the safe arrival of the centrepiece for this year's Christmas decorations.
20:34Tonight's plan is that we just need to get the tree in and up, and then we're going to start dressing in the morning.
20:40Ten hours ago, a 25-foot spruce fir tree was felled from a sustainable tree farm in Scotland and embarks on its 500-mile journey down to London, ready to take centre stage in Park Lane's Pavillon Lounge.
20:55I guess my big worry is the size of the tree. Like, size matters, can I say that?
21:01Yeah.
21:02The annual Christmas tree install is often fraught with challenges.
21:09The whole thing is just every year, it's just the worst night of my life.
21:13And for Ruth, the tension is palpable.
21:15I just can't have a repeat of last year, so I'm hoping very much that it's not too small, equally not too big. Hopefully we've got the perfect tree.
21:24And before you can say, Saint Nick, the tree is arriving.
21:30Oh my God, it's here! It's here! It looks huge! It's huge! Okay, we're good. At least it's not small. We've got a big tree. Hi, how are you?
21:42I'm gonna give you a big hug. Sure thing. Because we have a big tree. Like, it doesn't even fit on your truck. It's actually bigger than your truck.
21:49And this one is 7.6.
21:51Oh my God, it's too big. Gary, what's the ceiling? 7.49.
21:57Ah, is it actually? The fact that we're even trying this, like, we're all crazy. We're all Christmas lunatics, basically, who just are obsessed with making things amazing, trying to do the impossible. This really is trying to do the impossible.
22:13With it looking likely to be a tight fit, the next worry is the tree's considerable weight.
22:20How heavy? Weight. 7.100 kilograms. Somewhere there.
22:27How many guys have you got? Are we confident we can carry it off? 15. 15? Yes.
22:33We try and do things a little bit bigger and better each year, trying to outdo each time. So it's always going to be a little bit challenging.
22:43So the guys are about to lift the tree off the truck. They're going to take it through.
22:48The first thing we need to make sure that happens is that it fits through the door, because it's so chunky.
22:53So I hope it will get through the door, because that's our only access point.
22:57I want loads of little money. You okay?
23:00No, I feel sick, Gary. My heart's like...
23:03Next year, shall we do a six foot tree?
23:09Do you think they seem calm? Or do you think they seem... No, they're not calm.
23:12Yeah, I think they're very nervous.
23:14Bye!
23:16And it's the moment of truth for Ruth.
23:20I don't know if it's going to fit through these doors.
23:24In true Christmas tradition, Ruth faces the perennial last minute panic.
23:29Will the tree actually fit through the front door?
23:32Okay, just watch. Careful, careful, careful, careful. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. You're stuck.
23:36It doesn't fit.
23:37It's got core.
23:38We didn't think about this.
23:40What?
23:43Coming up, Gary and the team give the tree a heave ho, ho, ho.
23:47Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, stop.
23:49Will Lynn approve the chef's revised afternoon tea dishes?
23:53We really need to get these last elements right.
23:56And does Timae's gingerbread village require extra planning?
24:00Well, 40, I'm 10 centimetres longer than I should be.
24:05It doesn't fit.
24:06It doesn't fit.
24:07It's got core.
24:08Okay.
24:09It's fitting.
24:10It's in.
24:11Nearly.
24:12What the first bit I'll go with?
24:13It fits through the door.
24:14While 296 guests are fast asleep and upstairs, all is calm and tranquil.
24:19Careful, careful, careful, careful.
24:20Wait, wait, wait, wait.
24:22Downstairs, Ruth, and her high-vis elves are wide awake and stuck.
24:27Does it fit?
24:28It's got core.
24:30It's fitting.
24:31It's in.
24:32Nearly.
24:33That's the first bit I'll go with.
24:38It fits through the door.
24:39The tree may be a little bit more.
24:41The tree may be in, but there's still a long way to go.
24:44For their next trick, the team have to spin it round 90 degrees to lead it into the pavillon lounge.
24:55With the tree now lined up and in position, all that's left is to hoist it to the sky,
25:00without damaging the four Murano glass 15,000-pound ceiling chandeliers.
25:06And he's gonna hide behind him.
25:08No pressure there, then.
25:11Oh, my God, I can't. I literally can't.
25:17With Ruth barely able to watch, Gary takes charge.
25:21Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop.
25:23I do like to muck in, you know, I do like to roll up my sleeves.
25:27I like to get involved.
25:30When it's your building, when you're here to look after what's going on inside it,
25:34I'll probably jump in and, if I'll lend a hand, if I can.
25:38I literally can't look. This is the worst.
25:40Come on, this one.
25:42Is it OK? Is it up?
25:44Yeah.
25:45You got it? Yeah.
25:46OK.
25:47Stress level's a little bit higher.
25:50It's the wobble on there.
25:51I'm glad you got it.
25:52It's more of a nervous laugh.
25:53No mean feet.
25:54Is it in the centre?
25:55I think they've done it.
25:56Well done.
25:57Yay.
25:58Thank you, guys.
25:59Yes.
26:00No, it's perfect.
26:01100%.
26:02100%.
26:03I just think, don't move it again.
26:04I can't count.
26:05Don't move it again.
26:06No, it's lovely.
26:10Is it too big?
26:15Is it too big?
26:20Is it too big?
26:21Is it too big?
26:26Is it really too large?
26:31too big is the tree too big i think everyone was so worried about him being too small
26:39and no one was worried about
26:43nobody was worried about it being too big it's fine look he's chopping off bits already
26:51ruth's giant tree successfully takes root in the pavillon lounge just before dawn i think we'll
26:57call it a night for tonight he's a monster a good monster a friendly monster but he's just huge huge
27:11it's a new day in hampshire and although she's not grappling with a 25-foot tree
27:15executive pastry chef timea has her own logistics worries that is actually 88 centimeters so i have
27:23two centimeters to play around in here with the plan to transport the giant gingerbread village via
27:29the compact goods lift timea needs to be sure it will fit 140 and it should be 150 so i'm 10 centimeter
27:38longer than i should be with the village looking likely to be as tighter fit as the park lane tree
27:44timea must make sure her measurements are accurate now it should be okay it should be okay it's 136
27:51that's 140 so that gives me four centimeters so what we're gonna do we're gonna put it on the trolley
27:57and then we're just gonna slide it in press the button and then take it out on the other end
28:04because it's exactly the size of that like like that lift the height maybe i should measure the height
28:09as well before i put it on the trolley
28:14with timea not sure of the best way to transport her village up to the glass walkway
28:19she calls guest relations manager methi for advice oh hello hello hello how are you today
28:25i'm leaving the train goodness me you're at it ready yeah ready listen we have a situation what's
28:31going on it's very tight in the lift i think we just put some hands together bring some people around
28:38take it around up the loaded bay and then around i shouldn't move too much because i'm trying to avoid
28:44like uh major cracks on it we make it happen that's what we do it's gonna be quite a challenge uh
28:50especially with they're quite narrow and then at turns and then the doorways i'm not quite sure how
28:55we're gonna do it but we will it's not like we have a choice and uh i mean it wouldn't be interesting
29:00without uh without a little excitement
29:02back at park lane with just days to go until the hotel launches its festive menu lynn's returned to
29:12retaste the chef's dishes festive happens at the same time every year but we always find ourselves
29:18right up against the clock right up against the calendar so we're ready to launch and we really
29:23need to get these last elements right lynn's first tasting of the festive tea didn't quite pass muster
29:29good morning chefs good morning good morning so the stakes are high then she's not easy to to
29:35convince as well you know she won't say yes to please us ah voila that looks amazing thank you
29:44here we have uh the lobster tartlet termidor style and the gougere with the 36 months uh edge content
29:51on the top hopefully uh you like it this time will the tartlet taste more of lobster than of leek
30:00that's spectacular you're really getting the lobster flavor but it's just beautiful really well done
30:06thank you okay let's move on look at that and will the gougere now with 36 month aged comte be more
30:16cheesy i'm someone who loves comte cheese so i think this is phenomenal i think it's part of our french
30:25identity that's a statement piece with benjamin's savory dishes ticked it's time to move on to
30:33francesco's sweet treats i would suggest to start with the mini fruit tablet which is nice and refreshing
30:40and then uh uh we go into the smoky creme brulee the surprise of the day is the fruit tart i love it i
30:49think it adds that that festive element we have the color and the special decoration of the tree
30:54will the now less smoky creme brulee get her seal of approval that is spot on i think you got it
31:00right now it's perfectly balanced exactly thank you we're good to go i think we have our final
31:08afternoon tea all right good job buddy thank you thank you thank you it's the second night of the
31:18christmas install and event designer ruth is 11 000 lights into decorating her enormous tree
31:25she has until morning to get all the decorations up and park lane perfect
31:29but she's hit a snag i don't think i ever thought it would be that big we just can't reach the top
31:38and i didn't realize that our scaffolding tower wasn't quite as tall as needed for that unlike the
31:44rest of us when ruth struggles to reach the top of her tree she has an industrial machine emergency
31:50terror picker has come in and we're gonna get to the very top and be able to put the topper on and
31:55apparently this was the last one in the south of england that was available today of this type so
32:01there is a christmas angel somewhere looking after us on these installs i swear as well as the lobby
32:08display and the 25 foot showstopper ruth is also charged with decorating numerous other areas of the
32:14hotel including an alpine display outside a mini tree arch under the stairs and many statement fireplaces
32:23which all need to be completed before breakfast opens at 6 30 a.m there's not tons of foliage so
32:32we might need a little top up despite having over 2 000 baubles 300 garlands and 750 frosted stems
32:41ruth realizes she's going to need an awful lot more and even though it's the small hours of the morning
32:47she decides it's time to go shopping so we're going to go and do a flower market dash i'm just
32:53hoping that they're open that this early i think they will be at this time for um christmas so i just
32:59want to go and get more gear basically more is more bogdan we gotta go as ruth arrives back at covent
33:08garden flower market she's on a mission to buy as much foliage and gold decorations as she can find brian
33:15help i know kind of roughly what i want it's like an on-site panic list could i take these trees yeah
33:25i'll take all of them all of this that's really great and the white one as well five of each
33:32two of these i'm so sorry to pounce on you this is my favorite way to actually buy
33:38you just got to go with your gut and then it ends up amazing skinny birch trees one gold two snow the
33:48one on the stick as well oh that's gorgeous look at that just go it's the same one well i'm taking
33:55it just like definitely getting new display these that'll look lovely in the four seasons now i feel
34:01happy because brian's come up with the goods and we've literally got everything we're on a six hour
34:08countdown now which feels tight to be honest so i wish they could load this van a little bit quicker
34:18coming up it's moving day for the gingerbread village
34:24josh gets stuck into festivities it's fantastic it's actually just the right fit
34:29and can ruth deliver on her promise to bring the heart of christmas to park lane
34:46as the rest of london sleeps the hotel wheels keep turning
34:53especially for event designer ruth
34:56i got loads of lovely stuff now i feel happy who has just made it back from a last minute dash to
35:01get extra springs for four seasons christmas sprucing can we get this to the lobby but with
35:09barely a foot in the door there's immediately another issue to solve the large fluorescent heart
35:15light decoration ruth has ordered as a surprise for four seasons appears too heavy to hang
35:21can we drill two tiny holes one here and one here if you think it won't crack the whole thing we hope
35:29it won't crack the whole thing you can't break my heart you're literally gonna break my heart it's what
35:37meant we'll bring the drill we'll see what happens okay because we've called the theme for this year the
35:48heart of christmas and i just thought it'd be really nice to have some hearts somewhere and if he breaks
35:53it i'm gonna kill him meanwhile in the office the night shift is beginning for trainee assistant
36:00manager josh who's also putting his heart into christmas the whole hotel is going to be decorated
36:06and beautiful for all the guests but we're going to spend our whole christmas season here
36:11so it's really nice that our home base uh here within the office is also decorated this will be josh's
36:17first festive season at park lane and he's turning christmas elf right let's see what we got
36:25yeah to turn the office into a christmas wonderland it's christmas here we go
36:34christmas has begun at four seasons josh has till sunrise to give the back office some sparkle
36:42and i'm gonna be covered in glitter by the end of the shift while josh and fellow christmas elf
36:48muhammad hello josh busy themselves behind the scenes i'm gonna christmas tree here it's nice
36:56out front ruth's creation is finally coming together the team work on and on like the color my god
37:06through the night i'm so tired i'm not stressed anymore the pressure is high it's just such a big
37:14tree it's just eating baubles like literally we put like 2 000 on there and we just we're just adding
37:18and adding and adding but so are the spirits come back down and after countless hours of work
37:28it's half six i think is it or is it six i don't even know what time it is a hundred kilos of foliage
37:37over 2 000 baubles i think the christmas tree is about that
37:45and one huge heart the heart's going on i think it's the final thing the last thing to go on um
37:53and i hope it will work gary it's the big moment it's the heart going on just before the hotel awakes
38:01five four three two one
38:11christmas has come to four seasons
38:13both behind the scenes good morning welcome to christmas did you do this i did
38:24it's amazing this is so cute and at the front of house i think the tree looks lovely definitely very
38:33impressive the heart of christmas is well and truly aglow that's a lot of bubbles isn't it
38:42while park lane's christmas makeover is complete
38:45over in hampshire head chef timayah is bracing herself for the big house move it's very tight
38:53corridor is very tight and then my blood pressure is quiet up guest relations manager methi has come
39:00to lend a hand hello hello hello hello okay are you gonna get in there we go in there yeah okay go inside
39:08hold the lift door the five foot high four tiered gingerbread castle perfect engineering okay just
39:16about squeezes into the goods lift stop stop stop well the lift door needs to shut up and reappears on the
39:23ground floor where the delicious cargo is lifted into position touchdown here we go safely okay let's not
39:33jinx it let's it's on a table okay let's bring the rest of it with the main build safely in place the team
39:41must now collect two huge sugar mountains plus the 16 smaller houses to create the alpine village
39:52merry christmas over in park lane the christmas season is fully underway so you'd like to book
39:58three rooms over christmas oh fantastic with the hotel due to be fully booked so you're with us through
40:04to the 29th it's vital that the whole operation is flawless south of the 20th two people at 7 pm so
40:13regional vice president and general manager lynn wow is back to inspect the four seasons festive
40:20transformation as she journeys from lobby to lounge the verdict is in i think what you experience when you
40:29come in to the hotel is this immediate warmth this glow of the lights the gate it's magical no sooner
40:38do the decorations get lynn's sparkling seal of approval
40:45than the first guests arrive for a taste of christmas at four seasons
40:49oh wow look at the tree oh my goodness beautiful model adrian and his wife health entrepreneur laura have
40:59been coming to four seasons for years yes this is lovely and the hotel's afternoon tea signals the start
41:05of the festive season for the couple this is our yearly tradition the afternoon tea in the four seasons
41:12it's a great way to get in the festive mood michelin star food you can't go wrong it's a really special
41:18treat with the christmas spirit already flowing it does what will they make of this year's four
41:26seasons festive afternoon tea fantastic look at that looks amazing but does it taste as good as it looks
41:39so good next it's francesco's sweet treats thumbs up oops oh wow look at that stunning months in the making
42:00moments in the tasting creme brulee is my favorite dessert
42:12with plates cleared and hearts full i'm so happy laura and adrian's christmas is off to a delicious start
42:19in the glass corridor at four seasons hampshire chef tim mayor's gingerbread village boasting excellent
42:29transport links is finally complete and guest relations manager methi is delighted what i like the most of
42:37otto is the attention to detail like those little whites very proud of what she achieved there she should be as
42:43well seven kilograms of flour 11 kilograms of butter and 33 kilograms of sugar have been transformed into a
42:52colorful alpine wonderland attracting the hotel's youngest visitors
43:01i'm looking forward to seeing people's faces especially the kids when they look at how beautiful
43:06it is made and especially when they realize that it's all edible and kicking off four seasons hampshire's
43:13christmas festivities it's huge it's bright it's beautiful christmas is officially here
43:23as children open their stockings by the fire look at that you can see the snow there really lovely
43:28what do you think for josh oh you're most welcome backstage busy elves
43:38exchange gifts it's fantastic it's actually just the right fit
43:45and well wishes happy christmas
43:50mince pies and hot chocolate keep kids hands aglow a choir of angels sing sweetly
43:59baubles twinkle just so three two one
44:09even santa arrives
44:12merry christmas with his reindeer in tow well prancer well dancer we have a lot of work to do
44:19do the good cheer we wish you a merry christmas and team spirit come on in team come on sets the whole
44:29scene alight three two one merry christmas to all and to all a good night
44:46and
44:51and
44:54and
44:55and
44:56and
44:58and
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