A front-row seat to The Ritz's annual Christmas transformation – an ...

It’s 22nd November, but it feels like Christmas Eve at The Ritz. The air is electric with a sense of magic and excitement. If you snuck out of bed shortly before 11pm, or if you were still nursing a nightcap in the bar, you might witness something incredible happening.

At 10.57pm the hotel’s revolving doors are collapsed. A team of men and women in hoodies emblazoned with ‘Pollen Crew’ are carrying in wreaths and decorations in boxes named things like ‘Ritz Long Gallery’ or ‘Ritz Marie Antoinette Tree’. While some guests wonder out loud at what’s happening, for others, this is something they’ve come specifically to witness. That’s because the last Saturday of every November is the day when The Ritz puts up its Christmas tree and decorations in an ambitious all-nighter that takes until 7.30am the next morning.

The festive bedroom decorationsRebecca Cope

“It’s all about teamwork and organisation – many of us have been doing this at The Ritz for 20 years, and there’s a rhythm and trust that makes it happen seamlessly,” shares florist Paul Anderson, who is responsible for this tree and several others. “It is a little like overnight army manoeuvres. The planning begins the night we take everything down, carefully packing and storing it for another year. By August, the magic starts all over again with The Ritz London’s Christmas heirlooms coming out and being selected for the next year.”

Presents left for the childrenRebecca Cope

Tonight, the 26-foot-tall tree is stuck in traffic following its epic journey from Scotland, but it’s expected at some time between midnight and 1am. In the meantime, the Palm Court’s marble columns are being dressed, while half a dozen smaller Christmas trees are brought in, carried between two people, and installed on plinths where regular greenery was not long ago sat. Occasionally, there’s debate over whether it’s a tree that goes on the left or the right side of the gallery, and there’s more than one shout of, “Watch that chandelier!” as things are carried through.

A festive bedroomRebecca Cope

A man walks by carrying three gold glitter teddy bears the size of a pineapple (Anderson chooses a new decoration every year and the teddy bear is it for 2024), while others stand on impossibly high ladders and zhush things, retying ribbons and perking up flowers. The decorations arrive from storage two weeks before the tree goes up. “Our team clean them, test them and polish them, so that they are ready to be placed on the tree,” shares The Ritz’s assistant director of rooms, Aly Heinemeyer. They don’t change much year to year, with classic ornaments including baubles, bows and stars, though they do often have a theme, this year’s being The Nutcracker.

Decorations covering the communal areasRebecca Cope

At last, the tree is here, at 00.20am. Suddenly, it’s all hands on deck at the collapsed revolving doors, as it takes 30 men to carry. It’s a slower process than you’d imagine, taking several attempts to get it in without losing any branches. Once it’s in situ, guide ropes are tied around it from the first floor, while Anderson’s team busy themselves decorating the top of it horizontally. After 25 minutes or so, it’s hoisted up, with 11 men (and one woman) on the ground floor lifting and another four on the first floor heaving. It’s a dramatic and tense moment, and it takes three attempts to get it right, with the star nearly a casualty on the way. But the Pollen Crew are professionals and have done this plenty of times before – not only at The Ritz but also at other hotels and A-list private residences. The top branches peep out amidst the first-floor balcony, the tallest since the pandemic, ready to greet guests in a few hours' time.

Stocking in the bedroomRebecca Cope

Some of them are here already to watch the action unfold. One of my fellow audience members is a seasoned pro, having been with her family for three years in a row. “One year, guests were sitting on chairs in their robes drinking Champagne, watching from the balconies,” she shares. “It’s just a nice tradition that we like to do as a family now.” Other guests appear in tuxedos and quickly go to their rooms to change when they realise what is afoot. Another American tourist decides to make the most of her jetlag by watching from the second floor. Waiters appear with trays of tea in silver tea pots, while blankets are handed out to anyone feeling the chill of the open door (Storm Bert pending). Once the tree is up, the witnesses head to bed. “See you next year!” they shout to the Pollen Crew, and each other.

The huge tree in The Ritz lobbyRebecca Cope

And it’s not just the communal areas that get the festive treatment. In the suites, guests are also treated to their own Christmas tree, a selection of Christmas movies, and a copy of Mr Christmas for little ones. “We arrange the amenities that go in the room so that they become magically festive,” shares Heinemeyer. “Platters with clementines, walnuts, cinnamon sticks arranged with from our kitchen. Children receive festive-themed biscuits from Biscuiteers. And we have a Christmas concierge that opens up in our lobby.” If you’re lucky enough to be staying here on the day itself, you can expect presents under your tree, as well as a personalised greeting from Father Christmas in the Palm Court (who has his own table, mince pies and glass of Port).

Rebecca Cope

At around 6.30am, after working through the night, the final touches are being put on the tree. Some are underneath, stacking presents around the base, while others add more and more ornaments or speedily sweep up the carpets. There’s a deadline to get everything done by 7.30am when breakfast service begins, and there’s that will-they won’t-they tension in the air. Not that it matters: guests wander in to take a look before breakfast begins anyway, keen to see what’s happened overnight. The Palm Court has been transformed, with foliage snaking around it, and gingerbread houses and teacups nestled amongst them, with owls and stags at the top (the stags have been part of the decor for 20 years, Anderson tells me). Meanwhile, in the Restaurant, giant wreaths with bells sit on the windows and on the mirror, and mini versions decorate the tables. When the drapes are closed, the bells ring.

The huge tree in The Ritz lobbyRebecca Cope

The tree itself is as majestic as you would imagine, with nutcrackers bigger than your hand and baubles the size of a pumpkin. Every inch is covered with oversize ornaments and tasteful white lights, with the red and gold colour scheme in keeping with the classic feel of the hotel. Guests might have to think thin to get round to the concierge desk as the tree is fairly wide, but no one minds – especially not when it’s for such a special reason. Hundreds of tourists and guests will make the pilgrimage here to see the tree, at last realising its 60-years-in-the-making destiny. “Do you reckon this tree said to all the other trees, ‘I’m going to be the Christmas tree at The Ritz one day,’” one of the Pollen Crew had joked shortly before 2am, when the sleep deprivation and excitement was undoubtedly setting in. If it did, it would certainly deserve the bragging rights.