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Hotel booking problems for the 2017 Grand National

Started by johnregrus, August 08, 2016, 10:00:00 AM

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Dan LeBlanc

Quote from: Scot Minesinger on August 11, 2016, 11:14:21 PM
All,

We are negotiating with surrounding area hotels to try and get a rate similar to the Hilton.  This is a business area and usually Friday and Saturday nights are dead and easy to get a good rate.  Plus August is dead in Washington, so that helps also.  The two closest hotels are less than a half mile away (10 minute walk): Marriott Courtyard and Crowne Plaza.  We need to get a negotiated rate or it may be much more than the Hilton.

It is not unusual also for some people to cancel late on.  We will be following up with people who have made reservations to make sure they also register for GN.  Some rooms may become available later as some cancel.  We will try to keep everyone notified.

That's how I got lucky in Lake George with my reservation.  Someone posted on the forum that they couldn't make it and canceled their room.  I just happened to be online at the same time, saw it pop up, and called immediately.  Right place, right time, I guess.

Like I said before, this is a GOOD problem for the organizers to have.
Dan LeBlanc
1977 Lincoln Continental Town Car

Scot Minesinger

By now you may be in receipt of an offer from Hilton in McLean, VA for GN 2017 to extend your stay at prevailing rates for Monday thru Wednesday night if you already enjoy a reservation at the negotiated rates for Thursday thru Saturday nights.  However, even if you have a reservation for Sunday thru Saturday, you will receive this notification.  If you are happy with current reservations, simply ignore this.

This demonstrates how great our team is at negotiations, winning such a great rate off their prevailing rate.  There is an event there Tuesday night form a smaller group and we are not likely to get any more rooms at this amazing rate.

We are currently exploring close by hotels (less than a mile away) to handle overflow at a rate that will be more appealing.

The penalty for us to commit to room reservations at this rate for GN 2017 when we negotiated in 2015 were steep enough that if we substantially failed to fill them our CLC would have been imperiled financially.  We committed to a much higher number of rooms that anyone was willing to support.  Please consider our club lucky that Ronnie had the stones to go for the gusto or there would be more people paying a higher rate.  Ronnie really stepped up and made it happen.

Enjoy your Cadillac today!
Fairfax Station, VA  22039 (Washington DC Sub)
1970 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
1970 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1970 four door Convertible w/Cadillac Warranty

Jim Salmi #21340

We've had this problem with inadequate number of rooms at the host hotel for the last few GN's.  The fact that the rooms sell out literally within hours of release for an event that is a full year in the future tells me that there is much more interest in these GN's than perhaps we realize.  A lot of people cannot know that far ahead what their schedule will be.  I wonder how much bigger (and more fun) they might be if we weren't, in effect, turning people away before the thing has even been publicized.
1952 Cadillac Series 62 Sedan

okccadman

Have the released any rooms with 2 doubles or is it still only Kings?
Jim Jordan CLC# 5374
Oklahoma City, OK

55 Series 62 Sedan
56 Series 62 Coupe
56 Fleetwood 75 Derham Limo
59 Fleetwood Sixty Special
66 Fleetwood Brougham
66 Superior Hearse/Ambulance
67 Fleetwood Sixty Special
68 Fleetwood Eldorado
76 Coupe de Ville d'Elegance
90 Brougham
92 Fleetwood Coupe
93 Allante
94 Fleetwood Brougham
02 Eldorado Commemorative Edition

JerRita

I got the email today from Hilton that rooms were available Sun-Wed but at a rate of 289.00 I'm so glad I got an American and got confirmation for Tues at 129.00 Ronnie and crew I feel your pain I have done this several times for horse events and its hard to be a fortune teller JeRita
Jerry and Rita Trapani #15725 Caddymaniacs

Scot Minesinger

Jim,

Good point, but this is what we had to think about:

You more or less bet the club when you sign the contract.  If the rooms do not sell out then the club is on the hook for a portion of the unrented rooms.  We reserved more rooms than were rented at previous Grand Nationals and our local chapters really pushed for what we got. 

Think if you are planning for 2018 in TX, how many room nights do you reserve?  More than GN 2017 which is at the center edge of 50% of the American population (Cleveland, NY, Boston, Phili. and etc. are all about 6 or 7 hour car rides or less), or less?????  The LV 2016 GN there were 150 cars or so, GN 2017 will have 435.  How many should be anticipated for 2018?  Location greatly impacts attendance and as our club member average age increases more and more can attend with retirement, kids out of the house and etc.  You have those factors to consider, and others - not easy to forecast.

DC really has few open parking lot hotels close in, not as bad as NY City, but not easy to find a no parking garage - all surface parking hotel in DC area.  That made it difficult too.

I drove my 1970 SDV to our GN planning meeting today.  It was a good meeting.
Fairfax Station, VA  22039 (Washington DC Sub)
1970 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
1970 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1970 four door Convertible w/Cadillac Warranty

Jim Salmi #21340

Scott:  I appreciate the risk involved in trying to weigh all these factors together, and I certainly don't have any magic answers.  Just coordinating events for our region, I have discovered that it is almost impossible to predict what our turnouts will be.  Doing it on a national basis would be a real.. ahem... challenge.

Is there possibly some type of trip-insurance product that we could buy to mitigate the risks you described?  Maybe the club would charge some nominal fee for attendees who book at the host hotel which would cover the insurance premium?  I don't know.  Just throwing out some thoughts for what they are worth (maybe not much  :-\)

It sounds like it's going to be a successful event.  If I can figure out the hotel thing, I hope to attend myself.  Good luck and thanks for your efforts.
1952 Cadillac Series 62 Sedan

Jeff Hansen

Jeff Hansen
1941 6019S Sixty Special
1942 7533 Imperial Sedan