The Grand America Hotel's holiday windows are officially home fur the holidays this year, with 14 displays full of cats, dogs and European-inspired winter scenes lining the Salt Lake City hotel's famous storefronts. The annual Holiday Window Stroll runs November 1 through January 3, and this season's theme leans hard into pet obsession, from a ski-themed scene to a bakery stocked with hand-crafted treats for four-legged friends.
According to grandamerica.com, every window this year is home to a cast of cats and dogs celebrating the season in European-inspired style, and visitors are invited to follow a hidden puppy named Scruff through all 14 displays. The hotel's FAQ page notes that Scruff might be tucked into a wreath or caught drinking hot cocoa, turning a simple stroll through the lobby into a scavenger hunt for families, according to ABC4 Utah.
A Park City Artist's Pet Project
This year's collection, titled Home Fur the Holidays, comes from the imagination of Park City artist Jonnie Hartman, who serves as creative director of the window stroll, ABC4 Utah reports. Hartman designs the displays using pencil, paper and imagination, and per the station's report, she said she was inspired by her own dog, which she got two years before the stroll's unveiling. She told the outlet that dogs and cats enrich families and that the window stroll has become a family tradition for many Utahns.
Hartman and her team began conceptualizing gingerbread dog houses and tail-wagging wintery scenes back in July, according to Salt Lake Magazine. The windows aren't a static holdover either — the hotel says its windows come to life each year with a new story, and last season's theme, Yeti for the Holidays, gave way to this year's decidedly more domesticated cast of characters, per the same account.
Inside the Doodle Strudel Bakery and Beyond
Among the standout scenes this year is the Doodle Strudel Bakery display, where, per ABC4 Utah, a local artist hand-crafted every dessert shown in the window. Another display features Santa Paws surrounded by pet-themed treats, while a separate scene sends the window stroll's furry cast down the slopes in a ski-themed tableau. Together, the displays offer families festive cheer through an interactive experience that doubles as a scavenger hunt for Scruff.
Reservations, Hours and a Make-A-Wish Fundraiser
Visiting isn't quite as simple as walking in whenever you like this year. Reservations are required Fridays through Sundays from November 20 to December 20, and every day from December 21 to January 3, with entry windows running from noon to 9 p.m., according to the hotel's FAQ. The hotel says it added reserved entry on its busiest days after record crowds last season, aiming for more room and shorter waits for everyone who comes through.
On most reservation days, the hotel asks for a donation to Make-A-Wish Utah, with a recommended $5 per guest age 5 and up — one donation covers a whole party, and visitors can give by scanning QR codes posted throughout the hotel or through a link included in the reservation confirmation email, per ABC4 Utah's report. The hotel states that 100% of donations go directly to Make-A-Wish Utah and that it retains none of the money, with the Grand America and Make-A-Wish Utah aiming to support local children and families in need this holiday season.
Despite the new reservation system, Salt Lake Magazine describes the stroll itself as always free, always warm and always welcoming, calling it a gathering space the hotel has built for all. The hotel's FAQ also asks visitors to leave pets at home for the stroll, though it welcomes ADA service animals.
A Tradition Nearly a Decade in the Making
The window stroll has shape-shifted through the years. A 2017 account from the Deseret News described that season's theme as Winter A to Z across 15 windows, with displays built from three miles of fluffy yarn, 18 pounds of hand-applied glitter and roughly 2,000 hours of sketching. A 2014 writeup from the Park Record recalled a similar scavenger-hunt format under the theme Christmas A to Z, with some of that year's 15 windows hiding more than one letter for visitors to find.
