Amazing Holiday Gingerbread Houses On Display At San Francisco Hotels
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Several San Francisco hotels are putting lavish gingerbread house and other holiday decorations on display in their lobbies as part of winter festivities.
The Palace Hotel, located at 2 New Montgomery St., is unveiling its 400-pound "Gingerbread Chateau" Friday.
The 8-by-16-foot sugary castle was made with 400 pounds of gingerbread, 150 pounds of icing and 200 pounds of candy by pastry chef Renee Cade.
A licorice-thatched roof and marzipan kitchen are just some of the treats of the three-room house that sits next to a chocolate pond.
The gingerbread house will be on display at the hotel until Dec. 30.
The hotel is raising money for the San Francisco Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (SFCASA) program for the holidays and will have a donation "mailbox" for visitors at the lobby near the gingerbread house.
The nonprofit trains people to volunteer in court for abused and neglected children.
On Saturday, the Fairmont Hotel at 959 Mason St. is opening its 22-feet-high and 23-feet-wide gingerbread house.
An opening event with holiday drinks and music in the lobby will start at 11 a.m.
The house is made of thousands of gingerbread "bricks" and more than a ton of icing and candy.
The Westin St. Francis hotel at Union Square has its sugar castle on display in the lobby until Jan. 3.
The castle was created by pastry chef Jean-Francois Houdro and includes elf replicas of politicians, celebrities, athletes and other stars placed throughout the castle in honor of the hotel's upcoming 110th anniversary in March.
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