Klarinet Archive - Posting 000223.txt from 2006/05

From: Tim Roberts <timr@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Re: Cheap hotel tip for the Clarinetfest in Atlanta
Date: Tue, 30 May 2006 12:57:37 -0400

On Sun, 28 May 2006 19:31:20 -0400, Don Christensen
<don@-----.com> wrote:

>Three of us just signed up to attend the ClarinetFest in Atlanta. We
>have been looking at the line-up on clarinet.org and it looks
>interesting. We haven't been to one since Chicago so it is high time
>for another for us.
>
>Since we wanted two hotel rooms, the cost of the Omni Hotel would
>have run over $1000 for four nights even at the "reduced" conference
>rate. We decided we could do better, so we used www.hotwire.com to
>book alternate accommodations.
>

As someone who was just recently involved in putting on a large national
convention, I can share a few details with you.

The reason that "official" conference hotels tend to be more expensive
is that those hotels cover some of the costs of the convention, based on
the number of room nights booked. The hotel might offer conference
rooms for free, or might offer one free room for every 20 booked, or
might help to pay for rental on the convention center, etc. When you
book around the convention, the convention doesn't get that benefit. If
the convention is large enough, there can even be contracts with the
local hotel associations that exact penalties when they accept a
conventioneer without going through the convention. I doubt that
ClarinetFest is large enough for that.

So, why should you care, when it means a higher cost to you? Well, you
certainly need to spend your own money as you see fit, but as more
people do their own booking (and we certainly had many who did), it
means that the cost of the convention itself will go up. There is an
argument to be made that it ought to be that way anyway, but the
convention business is a strange game.

>By booking in Atlanta-Perimeter, we
>are only paying $26/night/room (with taxes, etc. it comes to about
>$30, but $26 is the offer price we chose). We ended up with the
>Homestead Atlanta Perimeter Extended StayAmerica at 1050 Hammond Dr.
>These rooms include a kitchenette.
>
>

It's a tradeoff. You are 15 miles away, 3 miles from the airport, there
is a minimum stay period, and you don't get daily laundry service. It's
great that it works for you.

--
Tim Roberts, timr@-----.com
Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.

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