Courtesy The Galt House Hotel
Among the challenges facing the Galt House was the precipitous drop in business around the holidays, when occupancy dipped into the teens.
“We had to lay so many staff off in November, December and January,” said Mary Moseley, CEO and president of Galt House’s parent company Al J. Schneider Co. “There was nothing worse than sending them home with Christmas coming.”
To combat the problem, the hotel two yeas ago created a holiday event. The main attraction, KaLightoscope, is a collection of colorful fabric luminaries designed by Chinese artists. The American Bus Association named KaLightoscope Christmas one of the top 100 events in the United States for 2012.
Each year, the hotel adds new features. This year there will be a kiddie train ride and a snow-fairy princess tea, as well as returning favorites like a gingerbread village and a gingerbread contest. Staff end up working their regular hotel jobs and pitching in to help with the holiday affair, serving as Santa’s helpers and in other roles.
www.christmasatthegalthouse.com/kalightoscope-christmas
