On 3/24/2010 8:36 AM, Andrew Sullivan wrote: > On Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 07:53:33AM -0700, Lou Berger wrote: > >> AMS took over. If the problem is really as you suggest, that rates go >> down from the time of contract signing to when the meeting is actually >> held, then this can be easily addressed in the contract. If one had > > When you book a hotel as part of a large group like this, you are > effectively participating in a futures market. What you're asking for > is not to participate in a futures market, but for Hilton (or whatever > hotel) to agree to take all the risks and for you to get all the > benefit. I think it would be insane for a hotel manager to agree to > that. yes but they do for their larger client's who regularly register for these events. Especially in today's world where travel is much more expensive for people to cover. > > The walk-up rate is irrelevant to this discussion. Hotel staff are > under enormous pressure when the hotel isn't booked completely to get > the rooms full, even if the room is rented for the night at an > enormous discount from average revenue, because an empty room means 0 > revenue. (There is, of course, a minimum, but it's really low. When > I was an undergraduate, rather than working in a bookstore I worked in > a hotel. I once rented a room for 1/10th average revenue, thereby > making our minimum occupancy for the day and earning great praise from > my boss who did not get chewed out about vacancy the next day. This > was in February in Ottawa. Nobody wanted to be there.) By the same > token, of course, as the hotel fills up the rate goes up, because the > chances that someone will get desperate and need the room at whatever > price goes up. Supply and demand is the key here. > The rate you get, therefore, when booking as part of a > group well in advance, includes a certain amount of money that amounts > to an insurance premium: you pay more in order to get the stable rate, > betting in effect that the hotel will fill up and you'd have to pay > rack rate to get a room. Having run the bookings for the ABA's ISC for several years this is only true of parties who have no clout. The bolt-on expenses cover the operations and profit at the venues usually. If the client is well respected we generally got the better rates or we wouldnt use those hotels next year. I cant tell you what I paid the Fairmont for meeting rooms - it would make you scream with the extortion the IETF is subjected to, but hey I offered to help with these issues. > If you don't want to take that bet, don't: > wait until near the meeting time and see whether you can do better. In Beijing this wont be a problem IMHO... > I'm not much of a betting man myself, so I prefer the predictable > though slightly more expensive rate. (None of this is to disagree > with the others who've pointed out how simplistic the walk-up > rate:conference rate comparison is anyway.) > > Best, > > A >
begin:vcard fn:Todd Glassey n:Glassey;Todd email;internet:TGlassey@xxxxxxxxxxxxx x-mozilla-html:FALSE version:2.1 end:vcard
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