Con hotel costs: A plea for clarity
Nov. 30th, 2017 07:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
petrea_mitchell posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
picofaradEver tried to compare hotels at a convention which has several available? Hotel A and Hotel B have the same advertised room rate, but in the fine print it turns out that Hotel A has an extra resort fee. Or Hotel B is far enough away that it's on the other side of a city line and subject to a different tax rate. Or Hotel C, which looks like a steal compared to the others, charges twice as much for Internet access and $20/day more for parking. Oh, but Hotel C is actually giving con members a special discount on parking, only you're not going to find that out from their website.
Problems multiply when you're looking at a con outside your home country and different practices throw off your vague instinctive sense of what the real price will be. Here in the US, we expect to see a number without taxes and fees. In other countries, taxes and fees may be included, but the price quoted may include optional add-ons.
This is a problem around the world and at all levels. The standard Q&A for Smofcon and Worldcon bids at Smofcon 35 this year includes these questions:
All that just to get at what is supposed to be one of the most basic pieces of information, volunteered by cons even before the questioning starts: What does it actually cost to get a hotel room at your convention?
Conventions already have the necessary information. Properly presented, it could save their members untold hours of frustration digging through hotel websites. I propose two things to reach that goal.
1. Minimum obligatory cost
For every hotel you have a room rate for, add together the following:
This is the minimum obligatory cost, or MOC. This should be presented at least as prominently as the standard-format room rate, e.g. "$149 ($169.63 MOC)". (The idealist in me would prefer this to be the only number presented, but the pragmatist understands the difficulties inherent in trying to get your members used to a total change in format.)
Feel free to explain what goes into the calculation in as much detail as you like, either hotel by hotel or in a generalized footnote.
2. Quick comparison of add-ons
For every hotel your have room rates at, it should be possible to present:
Along with this information would be a good place to mention popular amenities if they are available at the hotel, such as free breakfast or access to a coin laundry.
I know that nothing costs zero time or people points. But I'll argue that the amount of time and effort saved for your members, and your information staff who have to answer their frustrated questions, is far larger than the time it would take to make this information available in an easily digestible format.
Problems multiply when you're looking at a con outside your home country and different practices throw off your vague instinctive sense of what the real price will be. Here in the US, we expect to see a number without taxes and fees. In other countries, taxes and fees may be included, but the price quoted may include optional add-ons.
This is a problem around the world and at all levels. The standard Q&A for Smofcon and Worldcon bids at Smofcon 35 this year includes these questions:
What are your expected hotel room rates? Do these rates include breakfast? How firm are these rates? What additional taxes and fees are there?
All that just to get at what is supposed to be one of the most basic pieces of information, volunteered by cons even before the questioning starts: What does it actually cost to get a hotel room at your convention?
Conventions already have the necessary information. Properly presented, it could save their members untold hours of frustration digging through hotel websites. I propose two things to reach that goal.
1. Minimum obligatory cost
For every hotel you have a room rate for, add together the following:
- The basic cost of the room, without any optional add-ons. E.g., if there is a flat fee for breakfast, but it is possible to book the room without breakfast, leave the fee out.
- Applicable taxes.
- Obligatory fees, e.g. resort fees.
- If it is customary to tip the housekeeping staff in your country, add a typical recommended daily tip.
- Anything else that every customer is expected to pay, either by law, contract, or basic manners.
This is the minimum obligatory cost, or MOC. This should be presented at least as prominently as the standard-format room rate, e.g. "$149 ($169.63 MOC)". (The idealist in me would prefer this to be the only number presented, but the pragmatist understands the difficulties inherent in trying to get your members used to a total change in format.)
Feel free to explain what goes into the calculation in as much detail as you like, either hotel by hotel or in a generalized footnote.
2. Quick comparison of add-ons
For every hotel your have room rates at, it should be possible to present:
- Internet charges. If there are different levels of Internet service, try to give people a practical idea of what they mean, rather than technical specs. E.g., "Standard (e-mail, browsing): free, Premium (video streaming): $12.95/day, Ultra Deluxe (4k video, e-sports): $29.95/day."
- Parking fees (if parking is available).
- Any other commonly used add-ons covered by flat fees in your country or region (e.g. breakfast).
Along with this information would be a good place to mention popular amenities if they are available at the hotel, such as free breakfast or access to a coin laundry.
I know that nothing costs zero time or people points. But I'll argue that the amount of time and effort saved for your members, and your information staff who have to answer their frustrated questions, is far larger than the time it would take to make this information available in an easily digestible format.
