Committed to responsible luxury ITC Hotels has gone the extra mile for Christmas 2022. While a decorative Christmas tree is a staple in hotel lobbies across the world, ITC Hotels have used this opportunity to reiterate their passion for meaningful sustainability. ITC Hotels and WelcomHotels, pan-India, have installed Christmas trees that are fashioned by local artisans. Check them out.
1. Silpaakriti at ITC Maratha, Mumbai
ITC Maratha Hotel in Mumbai has an 18-foot-tall Christmas Tree installation, Silpaakriti. The concept has been curated in collaboration with NGO, CHIVAR (Cluster of Handicraft in Bamboo Value Addition and Research) has been handcrafted by 45 tribal artisans from Palghar and Sindhudurg. Bringing cultural cognizance to the native art of Warli and renewable bamboo; the community outreach program was focused on supporting the MSME & KSV tribal artists with project employment.
The hotel has also set up direct purchase counters for Warli and Bamboo artifacts throughout the month with a pledge to donate sales to CHIVAR foundation. The installation and curio stalls will be available for public viewing, at ITC Maratha until December 31, 2022.
2. Tree of Joy at ITC Grand Bharat, Gurugram
ITC Grand Bharat’s 'Tree of Joy' is enveloped in hues of red, symbolic for the will to survive and gold that illuminates people with warmth, it salutes the spirit of hospitality and service brought forth by the associates working in this field. The tree also symbolises all the hard work undertaken post-pandemic and reinstilling the trust to travel among guests. The bright, shining and evergreen 'Tree of Joy' at ITC Grand Bharat welcomes the warmth of the yuletide season. As part of the Responsible Luxury ethos of ITC Hotels, the ornaments adorning the Christmas tree have been sourced from local craftsmen thereby showing their support towards supporting the local community.
3. Palmyra at ITC Grand Chola, Chennai
To mark its 10th anniversary, ITC Grand Chola Chennai chose to install a Christmas tree made of dried palm leaves. At a grand height of 21 feet, ITC Grand Chola’s Christmas tree is inspired by the theme of sustainability. Gift boxes called ‘Kottan’ and ‘Koodai’ which are baskets made of tender palmyra leaves and stems, tracing their ancestry from the Nagarathars, decorate the tree, seamlessly blending with the overarching theme.
The Palmyra is the state tree of Tamil Nadu, with the state being home to 50% of palm trees in the country. This magnificent species is completely zero waste, with every part of the tree being used, whether as fruit, toddy, for sweets, starch, and most popularly for handcrafted items from boxes, bags to fans and everything in between.
4. Spirit of Gujarat at ITC Narmada, Ahmedabad
ITC Narmada, the newly launched Luxury Collection property of ITC Hotels Limited in Ahmedabad, installed ‘Spirit of Gujarat’, a 25-feet high Christmas tree. The vibrant Christmas tree is hanging from a height of 210 feet and is embellished with more than 500 kites made from Khadi. Along with Christmas celebration and the soon-to-follow festival of kites, Uttarayan, the installation will be an ode to the inclusive spirit of Gujarat which is as deeply rooted in its culture as it explores newer horizons and endeavours to reach the skies for greater fortunes.
5. Tribal Christmas tree at Sheraton New Delhi
The Christmas tree at Sheraton New Delhi this year is a tribute to the Tribal Art of India. Designed by young local artists from multiple states, this hand-painted Christmas tree is crafted using sustainable and recycled material reflecting the bringing together of aboriginal and contemporary concepts for a mutualist future. Impressively standing at nine feet in the lobby, the aesthetically crafted Christmas tree is adorned by traditional forms of paintings like Warli, Madhubani and Gond tribal arts on terracotta tiles, showcasing skill and indigenous workmanship that dates to the Indus Valley Civilization.