At a slow time for local hotels, last week’s Passover holiday attracted Orthodox Jews from around the country to Orange County searching for warm weather and the happiest place on earth, Disneyland.
“Traditionally, Easter is a very soft time, but we now have a full house,” said David Horowitz, general manager of the Hyatt Regency Irvine, which was booked last week for Passover celebrations.
This is the second year that a large Passover group has spent the holiday at the Hyatt, he said.
Hotel employees catered to the special needs of the Passover group, which numbered about 700, Horowitz said. The hotel’s elevators were reprogrammed to stop at every floor so guests would not have to push buttons and use electricity directly,a Passover no-no. Housekeepers were instructed not to turn on room lights, TVs or other electronics. One observer even asked a hotel worker to check his e-mail for him.
In response to a rule that prohibits Passover observers from creating during the holiday period, the hotel provided guests with tissue instead of toilet paper to avoid the process of tearing, which is considered creation.
The group also brought in its own caterer from New York and took over most of the kitchen at the Hyatt to adhere to the traditional dining rules that prevent certain foods from being mixed. Rabbi Gavriel Cohen of the West Coast Rabbinical Court in Los Angeles also was on hand.
“One of the themes of Passover is the idea of not controlling the world or forcing nature to abide by my rules,” said Rabbi Landau with the Jewish Education for All in Irvine.
He estimated that there are about 100,000 Jewish people in OC.
Passover runs for eight days with prayers, strict diets and rituals.
“Passover for us is a one-week sensitivity training,” Landau said.
For the Hyatt, the Passover celebrants helped offset a traditional lull in the hotel’s operations. Business travel typically lightens before Easter, and the Hyatt isn’t likely to get many spring break revelers. On free days, many of the guests visited Disneyland, Horowitz said. In the past, other OC hotels including the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel also have hosted Passover guests. n
