Well, I think I have an answer to Porcupine’s question of “Do they remember us at the Marriott?”
I got a call today from their Manager and she said the best they could do would be to cut $5 off of the rooms which still leaves them $10 more than The Sleep Inn. I asked about the conference room and she said it is $150 for a full day.
THEN she said, “Is this business or personal?” I said, “It is for a reunion.” (Yeah, yeah, whatever.) She said, “Ohh, well, see…we’ve had a lot of problems with some…destruction from people meeting there for personal reasons. I hope you understand…so we no longer rent it out for anything other than for business purposes.”
So, my opinion thus far - screw the Marriott. I’ll give the Sleep Inn a call and see about their suites and/or conference rooms.
Gundy, just a note that Spiffleds past have been major drunken debauchery fests, and not great places for kids. But I’ve no idea what this one will shape up to be - perhaps it will break tradition and be more kid-friendly.
The Comfort Inn has called - they have no conference rooms available and they are only willing to knock the price down to $65. Okay, so maybe screw them, too.
But on the bright side! On a whim, I had called the Hilton to see what they were charging. I was told $105 but kept bugging them to see if we could get something cheaper. A manager just called me and said that she was going to have an events planner call me back. She said that November is a slow month so they normally offer big discounts and would probably be able to do something at a price comparable to what we were looking at. We shall see. They have nice suites there which is also an option. Noise probably wouldn’t be as big of an issue at this hotel because they are rather used to it. Also plenty of conference/meeting rooms of varying size at the hotel.
Good question. I was there and I don’t even know. I think the major problem is the proximity of the huge liquor store. And I can’t remember with any certainty, but I think a bunch of us stayed at the Hilton for the first Spiffled.
They can give us rooms for $80 and a meeting room until 1 a.m. for $150.
I called the Signature Inn and I should hear from them today about a meeting room, as well.
My only snag so far is this: The Sleep Inn is the cheapest so far and near a lot of restaurants and a big liquor store. The snag? There are no meeting rooms in the place. A possible solution: I called last night and they have 3 sets of rooms which are connected. If we choose Sleep Inn as the hotel of choice, we should definitely as for one of those rooms upon making the reservation AND upon checking in. They are not guaranteed until check in but it shouldn’t be that difficult.
So - what say you all? Do we go for the Sleep Inn at $60 a pop?
If you are on the mailing list, some talk has gone on about a fund to help folks with costs. Also, please let me know if you are having some $$ issues.
Not naive at all - yes, there are a few really good bars open until 1 or 3. I know that in the past, we have had a few people under 21. I don’t think that is too much of a concern this time.
Part of the meeting room idea is that it is someplace where people can chat and drink that doesn’t require any driving. I don’t know who all will have a car so that might make getting to a bar a bit of a chore.
And if someone has a car, that almost necessarily means they can’t drink much at the bar because they’ll have to be a driver.
Also, because $$ is a concern for some, purchasing the alcohol is a cheaper option.
I am happy to just hang out at a pub because I have a few great ones in mind. If I’m bangin’ my head against the wall looking for a meeting room, hell, I’ll stop!
Gundy I haven’t decided yet if I am going to come along or not. Half of me wants to because there is someone that I am sure will be there that I am dying to get together with for a small chat. If I do, I’ll have our 4 y.o. daughter and you are more than welcome to use my services as designated babysitter. This offer also applies to anyone else who has kids, can’t find a sitter and would like to attend the gathering.
Who knows, if there is enough interest I may just drag my nice-guy costume out of the closet for a day and come up specifically for that purpose:)
I say we just go with the Sleep Inn (was that the name of the cheapest? I think so - the 59.95 one). I will take care of finding us a place to hang and eat.
After you make your reservations, please let me know when you’re coming into town.
We’re a month away! WOOHOO!!
(and thank you, Porcupine, for the bump - can’t wait to see you.)
Call me a maybe. I’ll know better by Oct 28. And before ya make those arrangements at the Sleep Inn, let me see if I can work something out at the Hilton. Gimme til the end of the day today. I’ll let you know.
If I get the telecommuting contract in FL that I’m currently up for (which looks promising, but I’m not breaking out the Champagne yet), the answer will change to a definite “yes”. Otherwise, it will drop back to “I’ll see when I know what I’m doing then”.
I was at a party last night at the Hilton in one of their suites and spoke to my friend who reserved it.
There are two very large suites at the Hilton that we could rent and use as both hotel room and meeting room.
One of them is two stories (I think that is the Executive suite) and the other is the Presidential Suite. Both are fantastic. There are two large bedrooms, each with two queen size beds. They are connected to each other and to a third room complete with couch, comfy chairs, large table, fridge, sink, bar, etc…oh, and did I mention the black grand piano?? They overlook the city (ha ha) on the 28th floor.
The Executive Suite goes for $600 a night and the Presidential is normally $500 a night. My friend managed to get the Presidential for $150 a night by sweet talking the receptionist and said she is willing to talk to her again to see if she can get us either room for the same price.
I realize that this may mean a loss of privacy for some people who would really like to get their own room completely apart from the hub bub but thought I’d suggest it as a possibility. Even if 5 people choose to stay in the room, that is knocking the price down tremendously per night for folks and that’s with almost all of them getting their own bed. Please let me know and I will call up my friend right away and ask her to start the sweet talkin.
