Introducing The Vaults at 40 Wall Street
Tucked away in one of the most iconic buildings in all of Manhattan and only steps from the New York Stock Exchange are the newly designed Vaults at 40 Wall Street.
Holiday visitors to the Windy City will find impressive decorations and over-the-top displays throughout the downtown area, but no other hotel provides an interactive experience as unique as Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago’s Gingerbread Express. The iconic attraction, which originated in 2010, has become an annual tradition that grows more magnificent each year. Beginning in mid-November, guests, residents, and restaurant patrons can enjoy a ride in the Gingerbread Express, an elevator that travels up to the hotel’s contemporary American restaurant, Terrace 16, decked in everyone’s favorite holiday indulgences – gingerbread, candy canes, and a variety of sweet treats.
Watch the tour of Trump International Hotel & Tower® Chicago’s magical Gingerbread Express:
It is unequivocally the most joyful ride of the season, but it requires an intense operation to create, beginning long before the first ride. Between mixing and baking in the kitchen, and five days of labor constructing the elevator, the Gingerbread Express takes over 450 hours to create! Envisioned and crafted with meticulous care by the hotel’s Executive Pastry Chef, Roberto Hernandez, and two of his team members, guests who ride the Gingerbread Express are enveloped in the sweet aromas of the season, celebratory holiday music, and cozy cheer.
Behind-The-Scenes
To make this year’s experience even more outstanding, Chef Hernandez enlisted the help of nine students from the Chicago Culinary Art Program (C-CAP), a nonprofit that provides culinary, job, and life skills to over 20,000 middle-and-high school students. With success collaborating on the Gingerbread Express, Chef Roberto is planning a culinary internship with C-CAP to provide students who are interested in the pastry field with an opportunity to further their skills and gain experience working in the kitchen of a five-star hotel. Take a look at the Gingerbread Express Recipe and you will understand just how much work, and how many people, are required to properly execute the project.
Gingerbread Express Recipe:
- 446 Pounds of All-Purpose Flour
- 5.5 Pounds of Cinnamon
- 3.25 Pounds of Ginger
- 230 Pounds of Dark Corn Syrup
- 105 Pounds of Dark Brown Sugar
- 90.5 Pounds of Molasses
- 98 Pounds of Butter
- 50 Pounds of Chocolate
- 46 Pounds of Fondant
Watch our interview with Chef Hernandez, the mastermind behind the Gingerbread Express:
Festive Dining at Terrace 16
Aside from holiday travelers, many local residents and families who live in the downtown area have made it their family tradition to kick off the holiday season with a visit to the hotel and ride in the Gingerbread Express. With the mouthwatering aromas that come from an elevator encapsulated in freshly baked gingerbread, many conclude their ride by dining at Terrace 16, which offers innovative winter specials and festive events throughout the season including Christmas Eve Dinner, Christmas Day Brunch and Dinner, New Year’s Eve Dinner and New Year’s Day Brunch. The newly redesigned and casual-chic Rebar also hosts a New Year’s Eve event complete with live entertainment.
For reservations and more information:
Christmas Vacation Packages
For those interested in staying at Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago, the hotel provides several special offers each year, but our personal favorite is “Home For The Holidays,” which includes a deluxe suite decorated with your very own Christmas tree, personalized stockings hung by the fireplace, and milk and cookies at turndown.
Annual River North Pole Event
In addition to the unforgettable Gingerbread Express experience, Trump Chicago’s annual River North Pole event invites guests to get into the true spirit of the season with family-friendly activities on the Riverwalk, with 100% of the proceeds being donated to St. Jude Children's Hospital. Throughout the afternoon guests enjoy rides on the Royal Express Train, a petting zoo, hot chocolate station stocked with decadent treats, and magical opportunities for meet-and-greets and photos with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, all while enjoying celebratory music.
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Create The Magic At Home With Trump Store
The endless attractions that Trump Hotel Chicago has to offer make it the ultimate destination for getting in the spirit of the season. If you can’t experience the magic yourself, take home a piece of the joy by shopping TrumpStore.com for the 3D Trump Hotel Chicago Ornament, Snowflake Mug and Hot Cocoa Set, or Ornament Trio featuring Chicago’s Gingerbread Ornament.
We Hope To See You Soon!
Baking gingerbread will enhance your at-home experience, but we don’t recommend baking 450-hours worth of the sweet treat – leave that to experts at Trump Chicago. If we don’t see you embarking on the Gingerbread Express journey this year, we hope to see you the next. Until then, we wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!