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Delay in Room Block Opening


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Greetings all,

Unfortunately, we have run into some bumps-in-the-road with our room block with Embassy Suites. Specifically, it was not opened today like they had assured me it would be. I have phone calls into the manager’s office with assurances that someone would call me back today (Saturday, 7 Sept). In the meantime, I am going to hold off posting the link to the convention-specific reservation site with our contracted rates until I get the situation resolved.

I will send out another e-mail and forum post with a new date and time that the room block will be opened for all to make their reservations.

I apologize for this inconvenience. This is my number one priority in the coming days to get this sorted out.

-Len Pilhofer

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@mec011Matt...thanks for the heads-up. I have tested the 3 of the 4 links and they are working for me (I am still waiting on additional information on Country Inn and Suites). Did you refresh your browser? I built into the page a meta tag to automatically refresh but sometimes you need to refresh the page manually. In addition, when you click on the links it brings you to the corporate reservation sites for each of the hotels but when you start typing in information (like location) additional fields will open up with our convention specific code: "99801505" in the IATA block. If this number is there, then you are in the right area to make your reservation.

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No, No, No. The block has not been opened at the Embassy yet! So, if one tried to make a reservation on one’s own, it will appear, even to some of the reservation staff and certainly on the hotel website, as IF the rooms are all booked! Every few years, this combination of circumstances occurs. It is nothing new and nothing to be panicked about. The show staff is dealing with the hotel administrators. It will be worked out.

Just for a little historical perspective: I always make my reservation at the host hotel  the day the block opens. In throwing out paperwork from Chattanooga, I saw today that I had made my reservation on 14 September, 2018. So, we and the San Marcos folks are not behind schedule. 

Len Pilhofer explained to me that he will be in touch with the Embassy sales office when it re-opens for business tomorrow to straighten out the problem. 

Let’s all try to be supportive of our fellow IPMS members on the San Marcos staff while they do all the work so we can all have a good time are the next National. 

Nick Filippone

 

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10 minutes ago, Nick Filippone said:

No, No, No. The block has not been opened at the Embassy yet! So, if one tried to make a reservation on one’s own, it will appear, even to some of the reservation staff and certainly on the hotel website, as IF the rooms are all booked! Every few years, this combination of circumstances occurs. It is nothing new and nothing to be panicked about. The show staff is dealing with the hotel administrators. It will be worked out.

Just for a little historical perspective: I always make my reservation at the host hotel  the day the block opens. In throwing out paperwork from Chattanooga, I saw today that I had made my reservation on 14 September, 2018. So, we and the San Marcos folks are not behind schedule. 

Len Pilhofer explained to me that he will be in touch with the Embassy sales office when it re-opens for business tomorrow to straighten out the problem. 

Let’s all try to be supportive of our fellow IPMS members on the San Marcos staff while they do all the work so we can all have a good time are the next National. 

Nick Filippone

 

I know several who have called and hotel staff has said there are actual people booked in those rooms. I also know someone who was able to book a room in the NATS block. I was supportive, but I heard enough stuff that made me want to ask.

Edited by sharkinman44
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I was able to book a room - single king only- outside of the block and not for the convention rate. ( I only this in case I don’t get a room when the block opens. I will cancel it if and when I do.) I had tried twice before with two different reservation staff and could not book a room in the block. While anything is possible, my friends who have booked a room also did not get the convention rate either and are doing what I did. It will all get sorted out soon. 

What frequently creates confusion is that the line reservation staff, because a block of rooms has been set aside, but is not open, sees that there are no rooms available at all because the opening of the block is out of their control and, additionally, they may not even know the block exists. To them, looking at their computer, it appears the hotel is full! We at IPMS NENY have experienced this problem a couple of times when we have held Regionals. Smaller scale, same confusion.

It is always a mistake to assume every member of an organization or business is equally well informed about operations. 

Nick

 

 

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I know someone who said that he was guaranteed he had received a convention rate, and said he even spoke to convention staff who stated that the room block sales had actually been opened for a short period of time. The hotel shows zero open rooms now. Not condemning anyone, it just seems odd.

 

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I know someone who made a reservation at the non- convention rate but was told it would be switched to the convention rate when the block opens. But the word from the horse’s mouth ( the show chairperson) is that the block is not yet open and the therefore there will be rooms available when it does. This would appear odd except to anyone who has either tried to make reservations under these circumstances before or has been responsible for having to deal with a hotel as a show administrator.

Nick

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