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| Re: I Assassinated Claude Errera *IMGs/VIDs* *LONG | |
| Posted By: Dagoonite <dagoonite@gmail.com> | Date: 6/25/11 1:31 a.m. |
In Response To: Re: I Assassinated Claude Errera *IMGs/VIDs* *LONG (MacGyver10) : my radio station trades with a brand new Hampton Inn & Suites here in : Chattanooga. i'm 90% sure we could get a conference room for free and at : least discounted room rates if we went that route, but i agree that a : house would be that much cooler though. : - MacGyver10 If I may offer some advice if you go that route? Call the hotel in question and ask if they have a marketing manager and when a good time to contact them would be. Especially if you work for a company that has a contract with them. This can save you a lot of time, effort, and money. If you set up a Group, you're going to have to set up how many rooms you want to block off for your group. This is both good and bad -- the good part is that you now have rooms guaranteed to be able to be reserved for your group at a discounted rate. The bad is that if rooms aren't picked up and you haven't arranged for them to be released by a certain point ahead of time, you have to pick up the tab. They'll demand CC information for this very purpose, and to cover if somebody screws something up royally. They may also demand that at least a certain number of rooms are paid for or else you pick up the tab. Just something to remember in advance. Likewise, make sure that you confirm the cancellation policy in advance, and offer that to your guests. For example, our hotel has a policy that you get charged a no-show fee if you don't cancel at least 2 days prior to showing up, with the loophole that if your flight is canceled you get off the hook. A week prior to calling and inquiring about a marketing manager, call the hotel from a different phone on a different shift and inquire about making a reservation for the time frame in question. Feel free and try and haggle a little bit, but don't actually make a reservation. Back out at the last minute. This lets you know what the rates normally would be. If they have a call center, don't call that one -- they're much more strict about discounts. (Usually just AAA, AARP, etc.) There's a reason that you do this: I've worked for a couple of hotels in the past where they would set up groups and charge them almost double the standard rate, even though the group was only for a small handful of rooms during the slow season. By calling and checking rates, you can potentially save yourself from unscrupulous people. No matter what, communicate with the hotel. Explain that you're going to be doing a LAN, and see if you can set it up for optimal arrangements. Do they have a meeting room? If so, use that instead of rooms. Not only can it potentially save folks a lot of money, but the logistics will be far less. The wifi of quite a few hotels I've stayed at doesn't support the 360, and if your rooms are spaced out or even over multiple floors, it's unrealistic to use a system link. Most wouldn't allow it due to the issues that it would cause other guests. (Though they might ignore this if the rooms are clustered together in one location.) Even if there is a meeting room, inquire about outlets. Explain that you're going to have multiple televisions and gaming consoles running. But the issue of power has been brought up elsewhere. Minor tips: Help out and handle as much as you can. The staff are all working stiffs, and a large gathering (especially in the meeting room) can sometimes be overwhelming. Think about it this way: What if you came into work and found a bunch of extra people there that you had to clean up after? Not every hotel will call in extra staff just because a group is in house, so you might be causing somebody a lot of extra work. If you feel the need to tip the staff (front desk, housekeeping, or if maintenance helped you out with something) make sure that you put the money in the hand of the person who you want to tip. Some hotels will take tips left at the front desk for a group of employees (housekeeping, front desk, etc) and put it into a petty cash fund. Meanwhile, direct tips are always appreciated. Unless it's the housekeeper who's going to clean your room, never tip before interacting with the employee: then it's a bribe, not a tip. While the extra cash might be appreciated, it can also make people uncomfortable. Housekeepers, it's okay to tip beforehand if you're not going to be in your room. Make sure to thank them and apologize for any issues that might be in the room. Again, tips are appreciated, but far from mandatory. I get tipped maybe once every three months -- to be fair, I'm the overnight audit monkey, and housekeeping gets tips far more often than the desk staff. On the other hand, I get tipped more than all of the other front desk staff. Always remember, if they're unhelpful, don't tip. If you get pizza or soda for your group, offer the front desk staff some. Yes, this is a bribe, and one that they can easily refuse or accept without feeling uncomfortable. It puts you and your group in a friendly light, which will make that person more accommodating. Again, these are working stiffs. Just like you, they're going to be more willing to help out a group of good-hearted friendly people than they are a bunch of jerks. Also, if you use your company to set this up in any way, shape, or form, remember that you represent your company. You also represent your group. Your group can affect how the hotel sees you, and therefore your company. Before everything starts, talk with the staff. Try and establish the easiest way to do things both for yourself and them. Good communication can end most problems before they start. Do this a week before everything goes down, then the day of the event. Doublecheck stuff like "do we have to be out by X after the event, or can we loiter?" "Do we have to stay in certain locations?" "Is there anything we can do to keep noise to a minimum while still able to experience the jubilation of fragging an entire team?" I know all this seems like a lot, and some people might argue some of it. But it shouldn't take too long. At most, an hour to set everything up and make the proper initial arrangements. (Depending on if they have a marketing manager or not -- if the front desk staff has to do up groups, then it might take the full hour.) Probably only ten minutes max to check back in. Then the expected setup time, event time, and tear-down time. I wish that I could give you more direct advice, but the marketing manager for our hotel works when the big bright yellow thing in the sky what burns is out, and I... well, don't. I usually just have to deal with the after effects of events and figure up who messed up the paperwork and how so I can fix it before a customer finds out. Just don't let what I've said discourage you. Trust me, it's easier than it sounds.
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