Guests at Super 8 in Kingdom City will be celebrating Christmas in Victorian style.
Scott Meislin, general manager at Super 8-Kingdom City, has converted a room that's being renovated into a Victorian Christmas parlor for guests to enjoy.
"We tried to keep it somewhat authentic," Meislin said. "It's a fun use for the room."
Meislin explained how he came up with the idea in early December and how he acquired the Victorian-era decor.
"(The furniture) was originally in my family from the time of its construction, and then 10 years ago, it was at the Boone Family Home," Meislin said. "They used it for a Victorian Christmas, similar to what we're doing here."
Because the furniture was not considered old enough to keep at the Boone Family Home, Meislin said, he decided to bring the collection to Super 8 to share with guests before moving it back to his house.
Meislin decided to remove a small stove that dates back to the 1930s from the breakfast room to complement the Victorian-themed room.
"Even though it is newer, it is similar to what they would've had in a parlor," Meislin said. "A wealthy Victorian family might have a larger one given the furniture."
In the left corner of the room stands an artificial Christmas tree decorated to reflect the traditional Victorian tree. Spray-painted acorns and real pine cones dangle from the tree's branches while a colorful paper chain completes the look.
"These are what they would've used in the 1860s to the 1890s to decorate a real tree," Meislin said while pointing to the tree decor. "They would've used also their presents instead of being around the tree, they would be hanging from the tree, which is kind of neat. They would've had colored paper that they would've made paper chains and decorate the tree in vertical lines instead of ribbons around it, so we tried to keep it somewhat authentic."
Meislin said the hotel staff plans to adopt the Victorian Christmas tradition of hanging presents on the tree on Christmas Eve.
Another item that decorates the room is a 1925 hand-cranked Victrola that still plays.
"It's just a good way to get back into nostalgia, and Christmas is a good time for that," Meislin said while a Christmas tune played on the Victrola. "And back then, this would've actually been good quality. We're so used to CDs, iPads and iPods and almost perfect quality music."
Guests can hang out at in the room at their leisure if they request a key to the room from front desk staff.
"We let them know at check-in that it's available, and we just hand them a key as they would like to go down there and just be able to relax and enjoy some time out of their room," Meislin said.