What would change your mind?

CarolD

Registered User
Jul 15, 2006
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New York
Hi all,

A few of the committee members were chatting this afternoon, and we wondered:

If you answered the survey saying "maybe" you'd stay at the con hotel, is there anything that would definitely persuade you into staying there?

We know the price sounds a little high, but if we can convince more people to stay there, the price for meeting rooms will go down -- which means we can do MORE to expand the programming, freebies, and so on.

So...what could we offer you that would convince you 100% to stay at the con hotel?

Thanks for your input!!

Carol
 
I would ONLY want to stay at the con hotel...
among the reasons:
room parties
safety
ease of coming and going (especially if a recup-ing nap were needed)
 
I concur with Jennie...room parties a definite perk.

Just last month there was a convention for NCIS in LA and left it open for ppl to stay at either the hotel where the convention was taking place or another hotel in the area. Now, the survey wouldnt work for me (prob on my end) so i dont know how expensive the rate is at this point for the QL con. It would be easier and actually would save some money to stay at the con hotel. That way, you would only have to take a cab or ride a bus from the airport to the hotel and back...not each time you want go from hotel to convention. And Carol's right, the more ppl who commit to the con hotel, the lower the rate should go.

Samantha Beckett
 
I put down "maybe" for several things, simply because the convention is so far away that I didn't feel I could make decisions about it, and because so little information is available at this stage. I would prefer to stay at the con hotel, and I can see the advantages of it. I've never been to a convention so I don't know much about what to expect.

Karen
 
The survey mentioned a hotel price of $125-$150 a night. Now, that sounds like a lot (especially to those of you who are from small towns), but LA is a major city, and a major tourist area, so the decent hotels are really going up in price. We also had the situation of, the "cheap" hotels don't have meeting space for hundreds of people. (I'm talking about something like Motel 6.)

There are two concerns for those of you who'd want to stay somewhere else. As Samantha mentioned, you'd have to travel back and forth -- which would necessitate renting a car. In the area we're looking at, there aren't a huge variety of hotels, and basically nothing that's any cheaper than the hotel we're in negotiations with -- except for a couple of places that, when I looked them up on Hotels.com, honestly scared me. And I'm not even talking a LOT cheaper -- they're still $100 a night. To find a decent hotel that would be cheaper, you'd have to travel some distance, twice a day. So that's a consideration.

I'm about 99% sure there'll be room parties. When are there ever NOT room parties? :)

And yes, having a room at the con hotel allows you to run quickly up to your room to...
Drop off stuff you've bought in the dealers' room
Grab a sweater because the ballroom AC is kinda chilly
Grab more film or another memory stick for your camera
For the ladies, freshen up your hair and makeup
Change your shirt 'cause you got mustard on it at lunch
Take a quick nap
Check something on your laptop
Pick up your badge, 'cause you forgot it

As far as riding the bus back and forth, they do have buses out there, but...ewwww. :) And it's not something you'd want to do after dark.

OK, I just did a search on Hotels.com, using Universal Studios as a landmark. It only listed 2 hotels less than 5 miles away, for under $100 a night. They're both in the heart of Hollywood, which I would not send you to if you were my worst enemy. (Unless you're fond of hookers, drug dealers, and hearing gunshots from your room.)

Anyway, gang...plans are proceeding nicely! We've gotten surveys back from 325 people, with more coming in every day. The con is really shaping up nicely, and we should be accepting volunteer applications in the next couple of months. By the end of the year, we should have full hotel info and a preliminary list of programming for you. Meanwhile, keep spreading the word!
 
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Despite my desire to save as much money as I can (so I can spend it on stuff I don't need! :) ) I would definately prefer to stay in the con hotel. I have no idea when I'd be arriving/leaving the con, and I really wouldn't want to be traveling an unfamiliar city by night. Besides, I want to have the full con experience, which includes the room parties!
 
Guys, rest assured that we are doing our very best to get the lowest rate possible at our potential hotel.

With the exception of Judy, our resident Los Angelenos, the rest of us have some distance to travel; in fact, two of us will be travelling from England, so, like all of you, we are very budget conscious. We are also all buying full price tickets (but not an actual seat!), so we want to get a great deal on the hotel too!

I'm sure that there will be lots of room parties going on, but it's up to you guys to arrange those!
 
I only said "maybe" because I'm not sure I can come. I would love to, but the timing isn't great - right during busy season at work.