How big a fee does the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society get for booking Jehovah's Witnesses into Convention Hotels?

by Balaamsass 34 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  braincleaned

  I can only add that I don't know.
  AND... I see no good evidence here to prove racket from the WTS (that I hate).
  It's sad to see some of us speculate without evidence.
  
  I will speak when I know. Period.
• 

  JWdaughter

  Usually casual travel arrangements, like the WT, are not on a commission. For that to happen, the 'agency' needs to do the booking. Are they going through a WT website? If so, yep, the WT is getting a commission. (and the WT could open their own tour/travel agency to facilitate such things)

  If the JW friends are just booking (one way or the other) AT the assigned hotels, then there may be an arrangement for referrals (like free rooms), but it is not on the level of a commision as the work is being done by other registered agents who are getting their own commission.
• 

  zarco

  It has been years since I worked in rooming. In the 1990s most negotiations with the hotels were based on price and also the comp rooms/room nights booked. If memory serves, properties would comp one room for every thirty to fifty room nights. The comped rooms were then "sold" by rooming at the rate (contribution to WWW) or were used for house Bethel and other "dignataries" coming to the convention
• 

  committeechairman

  So, in speaking to a friend of mine who has worked in rooming for a number of years, there are two benefits to the convention desk at the branch booking room blocks with the hotel. One is the comp rooms (usually 1 comp room to 20 booked rooms in the block) which has already been spoken about here. the other is that most all of these blocks are booked with the caveat in the agreement that the rewards points for all rooms booked with the chains that have loyalty points is credited back to an account at the branch office. Also, the chains are required to give standard loyalty points to the publishers who book the rooms - so they are not shortchanged on this somehow.

  I think I've commented on this before, but the comp rooms and room points mainly benefit people who are in "special full time service". Typically, this is bethelites, traveling overseers, special pioneers, field missionaries, etc. This is mainly a way to reduce costs. You may have seen in the Yearbook the 8 figure amount that the organization spends on supporting these folks in their assignments. These comp rooms and room points for free rooms are typically used for folks in special full time service traveling on branch assignments.

  For example, each one of the international conventions has three branch representatives from the branch broadcast department attending and these points or comp rooms would allow them to stay for free during the convention. Saves money basically.

  I'm sure someone will completely flame me for the comment but the practice appears innocuous to me.

  CC
• 

  neverendingjourney

  I'm sure someone will completely flame me for the comment but the practice appears innocuous to me.

  Not a flame, but while the business practice of obtaining comps in exchange for a guaranteed number of bookings may be completely justified, the lack of transparency combined with the guilt, coercion, and manipulation the society uses to obtain such perks is not.

  Here's a better idea. Instead of using its leverage to obtain kickbacks for itself and its "special full time service" members, why doesn't the society use it to actually negotiate better-than-market rates for its rank-and-file members, many of whom already are straining their budgets to attend given that they've decided to follow its advice on higher education and career choices.