Guests at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Beausejour in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, recently spent the holiday season with a life-sized, freestanding gingerbread house in their lobby, thanks to the hotel’s retired executive chef, Stefan Mueller.

Taking two people about two weeks to complete, the gingerbread house served as a beautiful centerpiece for the hotel. Inspired by the 2023 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Hockey championships (which also took place in Moncton), the gingerbread house featured a rink, players, goals, and flags from each of the countries that competed in the tournament.

“It took us a total of about 250 hours from making the dough to rolling, cutting, baking and assembling, and making the little men, painting, putting all the goodies together,” said Mueller. The gingerbread house was a pre-pandemic tradition for the hotel and featured famous characters, such as the Grinch from the Dr. Suess book “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and members from the comic strip series, Peanuts, in years past. After a two-year hiatus, guests and community members were thrilled to experience the house again.

“We wanted to create a ‘Wow’ moment. Something that would bring the community together,” said Ray Roberge, the hotel’s general manager.

While photos were free, the hotel supported Marriott's Serve 360, the company's sustainability and social impact platform, by encouraging donations for local charity organizations, including a local health center and food bank.

“When you see all the little children come by the display, 10 to 15 of them at a time as a class, and they look at it and just smile, it’s a really heartwarming feeling,” said Mueller. “The smile you put on a child’s face, it’s worth the time.”