Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur Welcomes The Holiday Season With Its Annual Christmas Tree Lightning Ceremony

December 13, 2016

Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur Welcomes The Holiday Season With Its Annual Christmas Tree Lightning Ceremony

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 9 December 2016 – Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur, a five-star luxury hotel in the heart of Bukit Bintang, today hosted its annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony in the hotel lobby to usher in the magical holiday season. Continuing a tradition that started years ago, the event was officiated by Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Ammar Abd Ghapar, Senior Director of Tourism Malaysia, alongside His Excellency Mr. Petri Juhani Puhakka, Ambassador of the Republic of Finland to Malaysia and witnessed by officials from the Malaysia Book of Records.

The evening kicked-off with the hotel’s General Manager, Mr. Peter Gibbons welcoming guests, followed by a speech from Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Ammar Abd Ghapar and the reading of a special letter from Santa Claus by His Excellency Mr. Petri Juhani Puhakka. The spirit of the festive season was shared with in-house guests, media friends, corporate clients as well as other luminaries from various walks of life.

Moments after the 20 feet tall Christmas tree was illuminated, 50 golden stars which carried the name, gender and age of children from the Paediatric Oncology Unit of the General Hospital Kuala Lumpur were placed on the tree to mark the launch of the hotel’s yearly corporate social responsibility programme, ‘A Star for a Child’. Running for the ninth year now, the yuletide charity campaign invites visitors and guests to pick a star from the cherished Christmas tree to sponsor a gift for their chosen child. All gifts will then be placed under the tree and personally hand-delivered on 20^th December 2016 to the children at the hospital.

“The festive season is a time of celebration and reflection. It is a time to give thanks for the many blessings and opportunities bestowed upon us; and it is also a time for sharing and giving. As we reach out to family, friends and business associates, we also open our hearts to those who are less fortunate. We are truly delighted to continue a wonderful tradition that was started years ago, more so one that sends a strong message of hope to the children and their families,” said Mr. Peter Gibbons, General Manager of Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur.

Embracing the theme of ‘Countdown to a Magical Holiday Season’, this year the hotel’s lobby was adorned with snowmen Jack and Jerry, two Christmas sleighs, Santa Claus as well as an advent calendar house, all of which were handcrafted by its very own talented team of engineers.

For the first time, Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur was inducted into the Malaysia Book of Records following its success in recording a feat for the nation’s Biggest Advent Calendar House. The 5.5m x 7.3m structure resembled a three-storey cottage and featured 25 numbered windows, each with a lighted festive Christmas scene. Starting from 1^st December 2016, a selected guest will be invited to unveil one window to countdown to the 25 days of Christmas.

“Today marks a historic milestone for us as Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur enters the Malaysia Book of Records. Each year, we welcome the festive season with a month-long celebration, featuring an array of culinary delights, special events and offers, sparkling entertainment as well as unique adornments to create a distinctive holiday atmosphere for our guests. We are thrilled to have been able to raise the bar and up the ante this year,” said Gibbons.

The event concluded with a special performance by the Garden International School Junior Choir who serenaded guests with hymns of the yuletide season, followed by a visit from Santa Claus. After the ceremony, guests and media friends were treated to a pre-Christmas dinner at the hotel’s signature restaurant, The Mill Café.