I wonder if the value of the "comped" rooms are added to expenses that are reported to the assembly?
One More Reason Not to Book Hotel on WT List
by WTWizard 19 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Kayta
Here is some input from a hotellier. Do not book on Priceline or any Internet channel. They add their own fees on top of the room charge by the hotel. If a hotel is willing to give priceline a room for $39 they add at least $10 and you pay $49. And..usually the priceline and internet channel room reservations are put in less desirable rooms. Call the hotel direct. A lot of times you will need to talk to Sales or a Manager as desk clerks can be clueless. Usually you get the best deal that way. If they will sell a room to priceline for $39 the hotel will most likely give you a similar deal without the Internet channels fees on tops. In addition if you have a problem at the hotel..the hotel cannot refund you directly, you have to go throught he third party. It can be a mess and a lot more opportunity for reservation mess ups. DON'T BOOK THROUGH INTERNET CHANNELS! :)
As far as the Society getting the comp rooms...no big deal. That is an industry standard. It is a given that if a group books a large amount of rooms they always get a certain number of comps. Rebates are also common and it comes out of the hotels pocket. I do believe it happens.
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NewYork44M
I remember one year we booked directly with the hotel and got the room 10 cheaper than the wt rates. Plus they gave us free breakfast.
When we went to Cleveland for the assemblies the only hotels on the list were the cheap Motel 6 type places. I always booked "off the list" hotels.
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sir82
has gone the way of the dinosaurs & Muffin Eggs.
LOL!
Weren't muffin eggs the fossilized remains of dinosaurs?
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bobld
Yes,wbts want you to stay at the re-come list,because it makes $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ for them.I know this to be true because an elder told me how it works.You book a room and make payment to the wbts.By booking a large number of rooms, the wbts gets so many rooms per gracias.So the wbts says you would be paying for a room anyways, but instead of paying to the hotel you are paying for the gracias room to the wbts.What is the difference it would cost you money in any case, this way you are loyally supporting the wbts.The wbts and the hotel know this arrangement of someone making payment to the wbts for the gracais room
PS:Elders who look after the hotels know of this arrangement,shame,shame,shame on you how can you live a lie.You know God hate liars.How can you live with yourself after the powerful WT study on conscience.Are you a yellow belly chicken afraid to stand on your two feet against the wbts for such hypocrisy.
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NewYork44M
You book a room and make payment to the wbts.
This may happen in some lands. I don't ever recall making payments directly to the society. The only exception is when the society has a tour group. But then they act as the travel agent.
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hillbilly
the only time we ever used the "list"... they put us in a hot sheet motel near the airbase out south of KC MO. Pubic hair on the sheets, no real locks on the door. I kid you not.
~Hill
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Poztate
WTwizard.... They have always been honest. They tell the brothers to use the motels on the list because they are getting a special rate for the ASSembly.
The brothers assuming that means that the "special rate" is being passed on to them. They never said that...THEY are getting the special rate.
I don't know how it works exactly, free rooms, kickbacks in CASH but something is happening that deserves close scrutiny.
As a check I phoned the same motel my Wife had booked for the summer convention a few weeks later. I asked for the same room that we had and was quoted the EXACT same WT price.
There were no other assemblies that week so you have to assume the WT is reaping a profit somehow.
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bobld
To NewYork 44m you have to have the inside track.They will only tell loyal trusted slaves not everyone .ie elders,well to do slaves to make payment to the to the Corp.
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shopaholic
For some reason, I'm find this thread to be quite hilarious. Anyway, in my experience you got better deals and better quality accommodations if you found your own hotel instead of staying at a hotel on the list. One year, the list only consisted of motels. When those filled up, people started making arrangements to stay in peoples home. The folks that made arrangements at the better hotels were highly criticized for not waiting on the org to make arrangements for us. I'm so glad those days are over.