by truthseeker 34 Replies latest jw friends
I haven't seen this question posted here before, but did any of you who stayed at one of the hotels on the Society's Recommended Lodging List save money than if you attended a hotel not on the list?
Having seen a few of these lists, it seems the rates given are expensive.
My aunt worked for a hotel in the past, I got her rate which was much lower than the RLL's price.
I did save money, but they always gave us the crappiest rooms in their hotel. They weren't stupid. If you're going to dicount, leave the good rooms for the customers paying full price and give the ones that need a remodel to the dubs. My wife stays at lots of hilton properties when she travels for business, so when she and my mom go to W. Palm Beach for their assemblies, the other dubs in my mom's posse get jealous because the staff is kissing my wife's ass and they put her in the really nice rooms in the newer tower, all for less that what the dubs pay. It's hillarious.
25 years ago I paid $50 a night for a room at the Hershey Hotel in Philadelphia. I didn't check anywhere else and shared the room, so it only cost me 25 a night. Still seems kind of steep for 25 years ago, doesn't it? It was close, convenient, beautiful-nicest place I stayed till I was a few years older after my wedding. I could have gotten a cheap room, but I'm glad I stayed there. SOMETHING about that weekend was fun;) I know rack rate is more $$, But I also know that NO ONE pays rack. Now.
No, it was more expensive. Rang back same hotel and didn't say anything about JW Convention and got a better rate. This was a few years back.
Yes I stayed in the Motel with the friggin pool with friggin GREEN water and saved $15 dollars!......
I only used the recommended list a couple of times and didn't save any money. But my case was different. I had a family member who worked in the travel industry and got excellent rates for hotels, airline tix and vacation packages.
I remember using their rates thinking that I was helping the Society and congregation out. Since the hotels on the Society's list always sold out, we made our own arrangements through our family thinking that we were allowing other people to use the Society's rooms. Then we got fussed at for doing so.
So, we complied for a couple of years and ended up staying in sub-par hotels. I'm not a fancy person...I don't need much in the way of accomodations, but when spending that kind of money I do expect to get my money's worth. With the Society's arrangement, I wasn't. After staying at a couple of places that I wouldn't have stayed at otherwise, we went back to using the travel connection and staying at a much nicer hotel. I was prepared to get into an arguement with the next elder who dared question me about it, but for some reason they never said anything else.
To be fair to them, I did save money before using the internet was common and
before I travelled regularly. In other words, for those of us who were ignorant of
deals, the WT rate was a deal. Even today, their deals seem to match some
of the rates you can get online.
The thing that gets me, my wife attends foreign language conventions which
means travel. I can bundle the airfare and hotel and save more money if I go
with her and take a vacation, but she hasn't wanted to stay in a hotel off the list.
I finally got through to her this last year by explaining that I would arrange the
whole thing, and she just shouldn't ask. We did stay in a hotel "on the list" this
summer but I think they were sold out of WT rooms. I got the same rate anyway
when I called back and didn't ask about the WT rate.
So, nowadays, the deals are pretty dead through WT. Deals are everywhere else.
When William Shatner can negotiate great deals (priceline.com), who needs the Society?
Yes.
