The following information from Jim Meredith will help you plan your trip and conference activities:
F. Scott Fitzgerald Society
27 June - 3 July 2004
3 August 2003
Greetings. Plans for the 2004 Fitzgerald Conference in Vevey, Switzerland, are firming up, and this letter provides information that you’ll want to pay close attention to if you’re planning to attend. You should have already received our first letter, the Call for Papers; if not, email me, and I’ll send you one electronically. This second letter explains how to make early reservations at the various hotels in the area, describes the projected schedule, and gives an estimate of your conference costs. I apologize in advance for the complexity of these arrangements, but the planning committee has gone to great pains to accommodate a wide range of interests, which is reflected in all the details you’ll discover below. Read on.
While I have made price calculations in dollars on items that you’ll pay the Society, such as the registration fee and the price of excursions, I have left the rooms rates in Swiss francs since that will be the currency you use to pay your bill. To calculate the cost in dollars, use the exchange rates that you can find in your local papers or this site: Currency Converter.
Here is information about the various hotels that are participating in our conference. The Trois Couronnes will be host to most activities on our program. It is a five-star hotel and offers the following lodging accommodations: double room, single occupancy at CHF 340 per person and per day; double room, double occupancy at CHF 290 per person and per day. Junior Suites are an additional CHF 150 per room and per day, and Senior Suites are an additional CHF 300 per room and per day. These are special conference prices (compare them with their regular room rates), which include a buffet breakfast and either a three-course lunch or dinner, free access to their Puressens Spa, costs of the conference facilities, city taxes, and VAT. Check out this hotel here: http://www.metrotravelguide.com/hotelinfo/Vevey/_/Switzerland/58665/.
Because of our special arrangement with them, the management of the Trois Couronnes has asked participants who are interested in staying there to make reservations through me at James.Meredith@usafa.af.mil or by phone at (719) 333-8474 (w), (719) 310-1948 (c), or by fax at (719) 333-3932. I will provide further instructions after you contact me. For those you choosing one of the other hotels, please print out this form: Hotel Reservation Form .
You should know that The Trois Couronnes is a small luxury hotel, which provides individualized service, so the number of rooms here is limited. Let me tell you that this is an extraordinary hotel—with a one of a kind ambiance. So contact me soon if you’re interested in staying at the Trois Couronnes.
Besides the Trois Couronnes, the following are other hotels on our preferred list. To make pre-registration reservations for these hotels, complete the enclosed registration form and send it by airmail, fax or email, to the person mentioned at Montreux-Vevey Tourisme: Sonia Carmona (sonia.carmonia@mvtourism.ch). All the information that you’ll need to send your hotel registration is on this form.
1. The 4-star Hotel du Lac (http://www.metrotravelguide.com/hotelinfo/vevey/_/switzerland/4598/),
CHF 337 in double room, per day and per room, CHF 253.50 in single room, per day and per room. These prices include Swiss buffet breakfast, service, VAT, and city taxes. This hotel is only a block away from the Trois Couronnes and has very unique rooms and a very interesting pool bar overlooking the lake as well. Interesting property and same ownership as the Trois Couronnes but under different management.
2. The 4-star Hotel Pavillon (http://www.hotelpavillon.ch), CHF 337 in double room, per day and per room, CHF 263.50 in single room, per day and per room. Theses prices include Swiss buffet breakfast, service, VAT, and city taxes. Trendy and newly renovated. Easy access to train service. In the middle of town and a pleasant walk down hill to the lake. European-business style. Well managed.
3. The 3-star Hostellerie Bon Rivage (http://www.bon-rivage.ch/), CHF 230 in double room, per day and per room, CHF 190 in single room, per day and per room. These prices include Swiss buffet breakfast, service, VAT, and city taxes. Easily the best value in town. Newly renovated with a very good Provencal-style kitchen. Has a quaint flower and vegetable garden (with produce actually used in the kitchen) overlooking the lake. A fifteen-minute walk to the Trois Couronnes along the waterfront or the city bus stops right in front of the hotel for a ten-minute ride. It is closer to Montreux than the other hotels. This hotel would be highly advantageous for families, and the manger is superb. Top floor rooms have exposed beams, which really makes for a nice ambiance.
All of the preferred hotels are within 10 to 15 minute walking distance and 5 minutes by bus from the Trois Couronnes (remember: registered participants will be able to use local transportation with their conference badge during the entire program).
If you want to make reservations early at any other hotel in the area that is not on our preferred list, contact Montreux-Vevey Tourisme through their web site and tell them that you are a member of the Fitzgerald Society, and they will book it for you. Information about other hotels or alternate accommodations can be obtained at www.montreux-vevey.com. Browse through their web site, see if you find some other accommodation that you might like, and send your reservation through the booking office by email. This will ensure that you get the discounted rate. Make sure that you include under “remarks”: “Member of the Fitzgerald Society.”
Mireille Fasmeyer, at Montreux-Vevey Tourisme, is extremely helpful, so feel free to contact her. You can reach her directly at mireille.fasmeyer@mvtourism.ch. You can always contact me for help as well.
The proposed conference schedule goes as follows:
Saturday, 26 June: Arrivals. Transfer transportation from the Geneva International Airport to Vevey.
Sunday, 27 June: Regional excursion. This all-day, guided, motor-coach tour takes us through Montreux, Vevey, Chillon Castle, and Gruyères. Opening reception that evening at the Trois Couronnes.
Monday, 28 June: Academic sessions from 8:00am-5:00pm at the Trois Couronnes. Lunch will either be on your own or at the Trois Couronnes for hotel guests. Evening is open.
Tuesday, 29 June: All-day excursion to Castle Prangins, lunch at the Hotel de La Paix, Lausanne, and the Olympic Museum. Evening is open.
Wednesday, 30 June: Academic sessions from 8:00am-5:00pm at the Trois Couronnes. Lunch will either be on your own or at the Trois Couronnes for hotel guests. Evening is open.
Thursday, 1 July: Half-day excursion to Caux Palace and Expo. Lunch is on your own. Afternoon Fitzgerald Society Board and membership meetings. Evening is open.
Friday, 2 July: Academic sessions from 8:00am-5:00pm at the Trois Couronnes. Lunch is either on your own or at the Trois Couronnes for hotel guests. Should you wish to attend one of the concerts go to http://www.montreuxjazz.com and subscribe to their newsletter in order to receive information about the updated program and the date of pre-booking of the tickets. Don’t waste time as tickets are sold very fast! The Montreux Jazz Festival opens. Evening is open.
Saturday, 3 July: Free time to visit the Montreux Jazz Festival during the day before the closing banquet that evening.
Sunday, 4 July: Departures. Transfer transportation from Vevey to the Geneva International Airport
Here are the estimated expenses, so that you can plan your budget and time accordingly. When we began planning this conference, the dollar to Swiss franc exchange rate was far more favorable to us than it certainly is now. Although we’re not in control of the dollar exchange, we are in charge of the conference budget, so we’ve tried hard to accommodate as many participants as possible. Therefore, we’re offering several options.
Basic Registration: $175 (estimated)
At past international conferences, a visit to the Trois Couronnes alone would have been a one-day excursion, and we would have held our sessions at a local university, but for this conference, we have decided to host the entire program at this special location instead. It will be as if we held our entire conference at the Hotel Belles Rives instead of just the one-day excursion when we had our last international conference in Nice. So no matter if you decide to stay there or not, you will become very familiar with the special ambiance of the Trois Couronnes. One additional feature of this conference is that the historical restoration of the Trois Couronnes will have just been completed. Thus, the Trois Couronnes is the centerpiece of the conference.
The basic registration fee pays for the cost of running the conference, including local guide books for each participant, the opening reception, the use of the Trois Couronnes’ elegant conference facilities and, of course, cost of their exquisite refreshments. Those who are staying at the Trois Couronnes will receive a registration discount because the costs of using the conference rooms and refreshments have been included in your room price. As in the past, a discounted registration fee will also be available for spouses and other family members not participating in the program.
Additionally, the price of the closing banquet at the Trios Couronnes is estimated at $65, including wine and other beverages.
As noted previously, registered participants will be able to use local transportation with your conference badge during the entire program, so you could get to most the venues on your own if you wanted to, including the Trois Couronnes (if you are staying at another local hotel). All conference registrants will receive their badge at registration.
Besides our activities at the Trois Couronnes, we’ve also organized excursions to many other areas of local interest as well. Here are their descriptions and the estimated cost to you. All of these prices were based on an estimated 200-person excursion and 2003 prices, so they may slightly change up or down by the time registration material arrives in January 2004, especially if the value of the dollar improves (or not).
Sunday, 27 June
Montreux, Vevey, Chillon Castle (http://www.chillon.ch/), and Gruyères (http://gruyeres.ch), including the cheese factory (http://www.lamaisondugruyere.ch). Round-trip transportation provided by motor coach, with a professional English-speaking guide. Lunch at La Fleur de Lys (http://www.hotelfleurdelys.ch/) in Gruyères. $115 (CHF 161) per person, including lunch and beverages (mineral water, coffee, beer, and wine).
Tuesday, 29 June
Prangins Castle (http://www.swisscastles.ch/Vaud/prangins/), Hotel de La Paix (http://www.hoteldelapaix.net), Lausanne, International Olympic Museum. Round-trip transportation provided by motor coach, with a professional English-speaking guide. Rally and guided tour of Prangins Castle, including a conversation with members of the Prangins Hospital Staff, which is nearby, and an individual visit to the Olympic Museum. While we will not be able to visit Prangins hospital itself, we will make a group photo in front of it. Lunch at the Hotel de La Paix in Lausanne. $135 (CHF 189) per person, including lunch and beverages (mineral water, coffee, and beer or wine).
Thursday, 1 July
Caux Palace and Expo (http://www.caux.ch/en/expo.php).. Round-trip transportation provided by motor coach, with professional English-speaking guides. Special guided visit of the Caux Palace. The price is $40 (CHF 56) per person.
The price of these excursions includes all admissions and special features, such as the Guillaume Tell game at the Prangins Castle, for example. (Yes, you’ll finally have the chance to shoot real arrows at fellow Fitzgerald Society members.) Also, the price of these excursions includes special guided tours, so you will miss seeing some aspects of each location if you go on your own. But again, we have made extensive preparations to accommodate everyone’s budget.
While you can easily get to most of these venues, such as Montreux and Chillon Castle, by local transportation, it will take a longer amount of time to get there than by tour bus; however, we have plenty of extra time built into our program to accommodate you. You won’t have to rush. For those who would want to venture out on their own, we’ll have transportation directions at registration to guide you to all of these destinations.
We’ve also organized transportation transfers that will meet you up at the airport and take you to your hotels and, then, back again to the airport from your hotels when the conference is over. You will not need to hire a rental car for this conference unless you truly think you need one, and you’ll find that train transportation is more expense and less convenient. Remember, the only hotel that is close to the train station is the Pavillon. As a matter of comparison, train tickets cost CHF 48 for 1st class and CHF 29 for 2nd. Our transportation service is by deluxe motor coach, with an English-speaking guide at the airport and during the transfer, from the Geneva International airport to Montreux-Vevey, and vice versa, including luggage handling at the airport (maximum 2 pieces per person). The price is $30 (CHF 41) per person for each transfer.
In conclusion, please allow me to explain our unique strategy for this conference. First, we decided to take maximum advantage of a special moment in the long history of the Hotel des Trois Couronnes. It will not only be fresh as a “daisy” after the completion of its historical restoration, it will also almost be exclusively available to the Fitzgerald Society for the whole week and at the opening of the Montreux Jazz Festival. This opportunity will probably never be available again. You will understand the significance of this situation when you get there. Secondly, we have negotiated special access to unique Fitzgerald haunts, as well as other literary and scenic venues in the local area, for those who prefer structured events. Thirdly, we have made personal arrangements with local organizations, such as the Mayor of Vevey and Montreux-Vevey Tourisme, to help us not only to keep costs to a minimum but to provide low-cost alternatives to everything as well. With that, let me say that I will personally work out alternative arrangements for any aspect of this conference. Finally, many of you may already know that our next conference will be in 2005 on Long Island, and because of the continued generosity of Hofstra University, we should be able to keep our costs very reasonable for that meeting, so splurge on this one if you can. This all means that our next, more expensive international conference won’t be until 2007—about four years from now—and you’ll have plenty of time to save your money for that one.
While more specific information will be provided directly to you directly, in the mean time please pay close attention to the information posted on the F. Society Fitzgerald Society web site: http://www.fitzgeraldsociety.org/, which will have the most current information about the conference available. Again, feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments at all.
Here’s one last important item. After carefully reviewing all of this information, and if you are interested in attending this conference, please send me an email or brief note about what you are planning to do at the conference, especially if you want to go on one, two, or all of the excursions, and if you want to use our transportation transfers to and from the airport. Please also tell me the number of anticipated people in your party.
Feel free now to make your hotel reservations on your own, unless you want to stay at the Hotel des Trois Couronnes, which means that you need to contact me very soon.
Don’t forget to send in your abstracts, by 15 January 2004, to Kim Moreland at moreland@gwu.edu or at Department of English, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, 20052, and (202) 994-6180 (o) or (571) 216-4680 (c).
Please also send an archival copy of your abstract to our home office: Ruth Prigozy, Department of English, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York, 10022; email: RPrigozy@aol.com.
Thank you for your attention. We hope to see you all in Vevey.
Sincerely,
//SIGNED//
James H. Meredith
Conference Director