The Happiest, Merriest Holiday Decorations at New York City Hotels, 2019 Edition

It’s cold outside. Dark, too. But an army of New York City hotels stands at the ready with an instant antidote to the gloom. Lights! Trees! Ornaments! Photo ops!

Whether it’s in response to the drumbeat of turbulent news or just a reflexive urge to be hospitable, the city’s hotels seem especially merry and bright this year. And that’s reason to cheer. So before the year’s up, take a few minutes to admire the choreographed exteriors, then duck into as many lobbies as you can. Or scroll down and drink in what we saw.

Photo courtesy of The Mark

We love this forest of fresh-cut trees at The Mark, heavily flocked to evoke an Upper East Side Edith Wharton Christmas. Devised by Flowerbox designer Whitney Bromberg Hawkins, the trees look magical at night when their lights go on, but we’re partial to their woodsy daytime look.

As befits a Theater District hotel built in 1902, the Algonquin’s clubby, wood-paneled lobby sports festive garlands and a magnificent tree that’s part timeless, part diva.

Where’s the partridge? We love this plucky tree, a riff on the pear tree in the classic carol. Look for it at The Knickerbocker.

On Dasher! Or Dancer, or Prancer. Well, we know this isn’t Rudolph. You’ll find this handsome brass baby in the entry lobby of the Park Hyatt New York.

This glamorous tree resides in the lobby of the Quin Central Park/Hilton Club. The good news? It has an identical twin in the next window.

If you’re lucky, you’ll catch a quartet of professional carolers serenading visitors in the well-dressed lobby of The Peninsula New York, one of the most festive hotels in town.

We love how the St. Regis New York decked out this Beaux Arts staircase in the lobby.

Here’s what the mammoth tree in the lobby of Loew’s Regency on Park Avenue looks like up close.

Winner of the prize for the tree with most trunks, this holiday creation at Sofitel New York is built from vintage Loui Vuitton luggage, courtesy of Well Traveled Trunk, an antique luggage company that curated a pop-up show of Vuitton trunks last summer.

This delicate garland doubles as a frame for Chuck Close’s super-sized rendering of Kate Moss at The Surrey hotel.

Holiday eye candy awaits those who visit the Parker New York, including the crowds lining up to get into Burger Joint behind the curtains.

The fun is in the details at  Hôtel Plaza Athénée as seen with this dressed up sconce and be-ribboned pendant lights.

This opulent tree at The Carlyle makes an extra big impression with a little help from its friends — a well-placed mirror and a painting by Ludwig Bemelmans.

Life-size toy soldiers double as greeters at the newly renovated Iroquois Hotel.

The lobby piano gets the holiday treatment at Arthouse Hôtel New York.

The Maritime Hotel in Chelsea offers Peace in our time.