The new film "The Great Gatsby" is reminding people of the romantic ideal of flappers, prohibition and the Roaring 20's. This is an idea many hotel owners and operators want to cash in on by offering "Great Gatsby" themed packages.
Hotels across the country are offering Jazz Age themed packages that will make guests feel like they are F. Scott or Zelda Fitzgerald, hopefully without the alcoholism or mental illness.
"Hotel branding is all about [capturing] mind share," John O'Neill, the director of the School of Hospitality Management at Penn State, told NBC. "Things like big summer blockbusters serve as great vehicles to do so.
"On top of that, 'The Great Gatsby' is set in the Roaring '20s, a time of opulence, elegance and style, an ideal setting for upscale hotels," he added.
The Plaza Hotel is New York is going all out to offer a Gatsby-worthy package. The hotel is offering speakeasy-style cocktails, 1920s-themed brunches and a display of costumes from the film. There is also a new suite dedicated to Fitzgerald, who was a patron of the hotel. The suite will feature Art Deco décor, period-inspired furnishings and images of Fitzgerald. Rates start at $2,795 per night.
For a more reasonably priced Gatsby-esque experience, there is the Vinoy Renaissance, which is located in St. Petersburg, Florida. The hotel opened in 1925 and is located on the waterfront, so it fits right in with the setting for the novel. The hotel is offering the Roaring Twenties Experience package, which includes dinner for two from a 1925 dining menu and a carriage ride through downtown St. Petersburg where Prohibition cocktails will be served. The package also includes a class where guests can learn the Charleston. Rates start at $379 per night.
Other locations with hotels offering Gatsby and Roaring 20s themed packages include Newport, Rhode Island and Aiken, South Carolina, as well as Portland, Oregon, which has a reputation about as far from the overindulgent atmosphere of the Great Gatsby novel as one can get.
For those with larger budgets, the Minnesota Public Radio and the Fitzgerald Theater will be hosting F. Scott's Paris, an 8-day tour of Paris from April 7-14, 2014. The tour will cost $4,899.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
