A re-imagined bar-lounge at Top of the Hyatt (Courtesy rendering)
Holidays, Downtown

High-Altitude Holiday Lounge

By Frank Sabatini Jr.

A team of immersive-experience designers from Los Angeles-based Cinereal Productions has ascended 40 stories above Downtown San Diego to create an “over-the-top” holiday oasis inside Top of the Hyatt lounge at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego.

The temporary full-scale installation will stay in place until Dec. 28. Although the marketing team has provided the public with only teasing sneak peeks through renderings so that visitors will experience awe and wonder when they arrive. But we can tell you what’s in place.

There’s an electric fireplace, a decorative “tunnel of presents,” a ski lift chair for photo opportunities, lots of mistletoe, and custom-built bunk beds, with the bottom bed serving as a couch for customers. Textiles such as flannel and velvet were used for adding coziness to the project. The snowy-themed décor sits in striking contrast to panoramic views of sunny San Diego.

A special cocktail menu was created for the occasion. Visitors to the lounge will find drinks such as The Classy Grinch, made with Absolut Vanilla Vodka, crème de cacao, crème de menthe, and chocolate drizzle. Fans of Captain Morgan Spiced Rum should look no further than the Sweater Weather concoction, which uses hot apple cider, cinnamon, and cranberries.

Cinereal Productions dispatches its teams throughout the U.S. for creating sensational pop-up environments. Their last project in San Diego was for the Acey Deucey Club, which involved recreating a 1949-era submarine vibe with tiki-bar frills at the Horton Grand Hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter.