With the economy in freefall, Passover packages at luxury resorts — and those requiring airfare to warm destinations — have not fared so well. But their loss may be a gain for those planning seders here in New Jersey. The state’s three resorts offering kosher-for-Passover stays — from top, the Wyndham Princeton Forrestal Hotel and Conference Center in Princeton, The Sheraton-Parisppany, and the Ocean Place Resort and Spa in Long Branch — were nearly fully booked two weeks before Passover.
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April 2, 2009
Despite a failing economy, Passover tour companies running vacations close to home are not feeling the pinch.
While bookings at luxury Passover resorts in places like Italy, Puerto Rico, Arizona, and Florida have plummeted this year, kosher-for-Passover programs at three New Jersey hotels are near capacity.
The tours usually feature hotel accommodations for the duration of the eight-day holiday, kosher-for-Passover dining, group seders, and entertainment. They can cost from $2,500 to $6,000 per person for the entire holiday; the cost is less for each additional person in a room and for each child. Guests can usually choose to stay for just a portion of the eight-day holiday, also for a fraction of the cost.
“There is no question that sales are down this year,” said Laurie Neuman van Esschoten, a travel agent at Ontario Travel Bureau in Ontario, Calif., who specializes in kosher travel.
Van Esschoten said that Leisure Time Tours, “one of the biggest tour operators,” closed down its programs in Puerto Rico and another in Miami Beach.
“Their program in Italy is using only one hotel, whereas the last few years they had two adjoining hotels,” she said. Leisure Time Tours did not return phone calls.
Even in Israel, some programs have been canceled, according to van Esschoten. The tanking economy is part of the problem; the Madoff scandal has also contributed to the downsizing.
“I have had some clients say that they were affected by Bernie Madoff, and they were looking for something more moderate this year,” van Esschoten said.
But bad news for deluxe destinations with high airfares turns out to be good news for operators in New Jersey.
“There are fewer people going overseas, and those who have traditionally gone to Florida are staying further north. So programs in places like New Jersey, New York, and Maryland are probably not hurting as much as the ones in Florida,” she said. Van Esschoten books about 50 different trips and estimates that that represents about half the trips available to kosher consumers during Passover.
Jay Press of the Cherry Hill-based Matza Fun Tours said that two weeks before Passover, his program at Ocean Place Resort and Spa in Long Branch was almost fully booked, and will likely be full by the time the holiday arrives on April 8.
“No one knew what to expect this year,” he said. “We picked up a few people who used to travel farther away but decided not to this year.”
A second program run by the company at Marriott’s Renaissance Orlando Resort at Sea World isn’t faring as well. “Things are a little more difficult there,” said Press.
Nearly all 300 rooms at the Wyndham Princeton Forrestal Village Hotel and Conference Center in Plainsboro are booked for Passover this year. It is run by Sharmel Caterers, a glatt kosher caterer headquartered in Oceanside, NY.
Although they have almost no web presence and the Passover program is nearly impossible to find unless you already know about it (or have seen some advertisements in local Jewish media outlets), they are not feeling the downturn, said David, a company representative who declined to provide his last name.
Meanwhile, for the first time in several years, a kosher-for-Passover vacation will be available at the Sheraton Parsippany, which will be taken over by the Smilow Family and Greenwald Caterers of Lakewood.
The family catering business has been trying to negotiate a Passover deal with the hotel for several years, but it took a bad economy to cinch it.
“All of the hotels came down in price this year,” said Dena, who also declined to give her last name. While she said their business is “holding steady,” she acknowledged that she hears more about the bad economy in conversations with customers.
“People are definitely more concerned,” she said. “Maybe people looking for the best deal are not booking by us this year.” In past years, she said, “maybe they would have splurged,” but not this year. (The company is not new to the Passover vacation business and has run similar programs in San Diego and Mexico.)
The premier Passover location, according to van Esschoten, the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, has not fared well at all this year.
“Generally by September, they are sold out for the following Pesach. This year was the first time I have ever seen that company advertising this location, and they still have space available.”
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