The literary staycation
st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; mso-ascii- mso-ascii-theme- mso-fareast- mso-fareast-theme- mso-hansi- mso-hansi-theme- mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-} A few months back, Steven Schragis was in the car, listening to the radio on his way home to Manhattan when he came up with an idea to turn a renowned business hotel and conference center into a nearby getaway.
“I heard a statistic that 80 percent of Americans we re-thinking their travel plans,” Schragis said. “All of the travel problems associated with skyrocketing gas prices totally dominated the news that week, and it occurred to me that there are millions of people less
than an hour from Arrowwood.”
Schragis is the son of the owners of Doral Arrowwood Resort in Rye Brook, N.Y., named after his grandparents, Dora and Al.
The hotel, known as a business conference center, will undergo a repositioning as a result of Schragis”™ idea for a specialty weekend to drum up business at the hotel.
His idea for the first specialty weekend, Book Lover”™s Weekend, came after a trip to
Barnes and Noble, where Schragis spent several hours “just writing down the names of titles that struck me as fascinating.”
When he returned home from the bookstore, Schragis went online and bought the URL bookloversweekend.com.
The idea behind Book Lovers Weekend is taking a short, little vacation.
“You don”™t have to go far to have an amazing getaway,” Schragis said. “Though I knew it was unlikely Steven King would show up and fill the place by the name alone, there are so many authors who have written fascinating books and would love to talk.”
Schragis said the primary market will be people in the New York area. He hopes to have 300 guests for the weekend, Nov. 14-16.
Book Lovers Weekend features presentations by and discussions with nearly 30 nonfiction and fiction authors, columnists, editors and bookstore owners.
One lecture, “Are Books Obsolete?” is by Sara Nelson, editor of Publishers Weekly, a sponsor of the event.
“This is a new venture for us,” said Cevin Bryerman, associate publisher of Manhattan- based trade publication Publisher”™s Weekly. “We are starting to venture into the consumer book market, bringing more exposure to Publisher”™s Weekly brand within the market. If it”™s successful, we plan on launching similar events in other parts of the country.”
Schragis said though you can”™t be sure of any new business idea, he believes there is a demand for events like this and “we”™re pretty confident that it will work.”
“From a business perspective, this is an interesting twist,” Schragis said. “The economy does not look good, and while virtually every business is not looking forward to a great few months, what”™s going on is actually creating opportunities if you look for them carefully. On weekends when there isn”™t as much business, this beautiful facility is underutilized.”
General manager Steve Mabus said the resort was originally built as a conference center, but over the years it has increased business across different market segments, including business travelers, weddings and family reunions.
Mabus said lately there have been cancellations, but “given the economy, it”™s expected.”
“We”™re a very nice, inexpensive alternative to getting on a plane and waiting in lines at airports,” Mabus said.
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Book Lovers Weekend details
Book Lovers Weekend begins on the evening of Friday, Nov. 14, and ends Sunday afternoon, Nov. 16. The price of $489 for two ($289 for one) includes hotel accommodations for two nights and complimentary breakfast. Library card holders and book club members receive a 10 percent discount off the cost of the weekend. Door-to-door shuttle transportation from New York City is available by advance reservation for $80 round trip. For reservations and additional information, call (866) 428-9739 or visit www.doralarrowwood.com.