The room rate I see is 8500 TWD, which is $293 a night. That is a Grand King room, for 2 people. If you don't put G-23ET in the corporate/group box, it gets much worse! I'm guessing the web link on the IETF site should read http://taipei.grand.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp?extCorporateId=G-23ET to simplify that? On the plus side, flying out from Europe the time zones mean I don't need to stay Saturday night, so that actually puts the total hotel cost down, since the stay is 5 nights not the usual 6 (remembering that you need to fly in/out including a Saturday night for the cheaper flight). Tim On 23 Aug 2011, at 12:57, Thomas Nadeau wrote: > > > > > On Aug 23, 2011, at 1:34 AM, John C Klensin <john-ietf@xxxxxxx> wrote: > >> >> >> --On Monday, August 22, 2011 20:16 -0400 Ray Pelletier >> <rpelletier@xxxxxxxx> wrote: >> >>> ... >>> As for the rates, they are high. Taiwan is expensive, >>> particularly given that the hotels know what our options are >>> when we book the TICC. The Hyatt knew that foreign visitors >>> needed to use the Hyatt as headquarters and charged >>> accordingly. Since the time of our site visit, 2 new hotels >>> have been constructed in the vicinity of the TICC (Le Meridien >>> and W), which may provide more competition for Hyatt in these >>> circumstances. At the time we were working on this event, >>> there were no acceptable options. >> >> Ray, >> >> I know you want to find sponsors and go where the sponsors want >> to go. I accept the explanation that you negotiated as hard as >> you could for both room rates and cancellation policies. But I >> have to wonder, especially in the light of Lixia's observation >> about the US Govt rate (which, internationally, is often a >> pretty good measure for the higher end of a reasonable rate in a >> given city), whether there is a stopping rule. We were told in >> Quebec that you had given up on one Southeast Asian city because >> rooms would have cost over USD 300 a night. I don't remember >> hearing about a sponsor there. What looks like USD 275 net is >> not all that much less than USD 300, especially if the dollar >> continues to sink. >> >> So, if you had a sponsor for a future meeting at that other >> location, would an estimated USD 300 be acceptable? USD 350? >> >> I obviously don't have all of the information available to me >> that you and the IAOC do, but it seems to be there is always >> another alternative. If there are no local ones, that >> alternative is usually described as "just say no and go >> elsewhere". What I'm trying to understand, mostly for the >> future and with the understanding that it is presumably much too >> late for Taipei and the several following meetings, is whether >> you would ever consider that an option for a meeting for which >> you have a sponsor if you hold it in a particular place or if >> you and the IAOC really believe there is no alternative under >> those circumstances. > > I think we need to adopt a simple rule of thumb whereby we do not book venues where room rates of less than $200 USD are unavailable - sponsor or otherwise. > > Tom > > >> >> john >> >> >> john >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Ietf mailing list >> Ietf@xxxxxxxx >> https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf >> > _______________________________________________ > Ietf mailing list > Ietf@xxxxxxxx > https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf _______________________________________________ Ietf mailing list Ietf@xxxxxxxx https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf