Hotel's Festive Spirit Brings Gingerbread Village to Life Near Mall of America

BLOOMINGTON, MN--(Marketwired - Dec 13, 2013) - The holiday spirit is alive and well at one of the premier Airport hotels near Minneapolis where guests are greeted with an elaborate Gingerbread Village inside the hotel lobby.

Welcoming guests with a winter wonderland of gingerbread the culinary team of the Minneapolis Airport Marriott created the village over a six-day span with the final presentation completed in the hotel lobby on Nov. 25. Celebrating National Gingerbread Day during the construction process, the team spent hours on the project with each piece carefully handcrafted so that many of the buildings and landscapes depict iconic Minnesota landmarks.

Months of planning and design were spent in creating the "Twin Cities" Gingerbread Village which features 584 hand cut windows, five styles of houses and more than 500 lights. Iconic landmarks included in the display are the IDS Building, Foshay Tower, Cherry and Spoon sculpture in downtown Minneapolis, and the Split Rock Lighthouse in Two Harbors. Creation of the seasonal display also included the use of more than 200 Jolly Ranchers, 23 different types of candies, 23 pounds of powdered sugar and 75 pounds of gingerbread.

Citing the Guinness Book of World Records, hotel staff reflected that the largest gingerbread house ever built was displayed at the nearby Mall of America in 2006. As a popular choice among hotels by Mall of America, the Minneapolis Airport Marriott is also sharing joys of the season through the warm and toasty sentiments of gingerbread by offering gingerbread cookies and milk as part of a shopping package so guests can enjoy traditional pleasures of the season as part of their holiday shopping extravaganza.

Additional photos showing the care and detailing that went into construction of the Gingerbread Village may be found on the hotel's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Minneapolis-Airport-Marriott/356359844442826. The village will remain on display in the lobby of the hotel situated between the "Twin Cities" of Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN until Jan. 2, 2014.

About the Minneapolis Airport Marriott
The Minneapolis Airport Marriott welcomes guests with comfortable accommodations, luxurious amenities and exceptional service to ensure a relaxed and productive hotel experience. Conveniently located near the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport and the popular Mall of America, the hotel features complimentary shuttle service to both locations and easy access to popular attractions including the Minnesota Zoo, Xcel Center and Target Center. Whether traveling for business or leisure, guests can enjoy on-site dining at Bistro 79 along with access to a full-service business center, fitness facility and indoor pool. As a prominent destination for meetings and social events, the Minneapolis Airport Marriott also features 19,000 square feet of flexible, high tech space complemented by dedicated event managers and professional catering to ensure the success of every event.