THE DC Hotel List (page 2)

whathappened

Sorry you have to sit through another horrendous district assembly. Sounds like you love your wife, hope she is grateful for your sacrifice.

Just curious. As a thought exercise, suppose that in 2015 the GB decided to rent out camp grounds and hold the conventions at nearby venues where horses or dogs raced. Pehaps even on the same grounds. We would have special 20 minute parts on the sevice meeting about what type of tents to bring and a reminder not to show up in a camper - that would be unloving and might stumble those who had to stay in tents. What % of the R&F in the US would show up? What % would show up in AC-equipped campers? How many would just say: F**k that and stay at the closest Marriott?

Remember, it is not that JHVH cares about the hotel list, he is only looking to see how obedient you are to his chosen channel (OK, even typing that made me gag)...

grumblecakes

i agree with splash, it is not illegal, but it does take advantage of poor r&f with out transparancy. they dont really even know whats up.

tiki

i always thought it was crazy that they were so insistent you stay in the "approved" lodgings. thought the spiritual banquet was supposed to be the most important thing - that you were there in the first place. but then the kickbacks made it all make sense.

we never played the game....we always stayed wherever we wanted. and funny, but one place in particular we had stayed at for a few years in a row when it wasn't on the list and because we were regular customers they gave us a better rate than the jw ones at the time for equivalent hotels. then one year this place made the list - and when we called all the rooms were taken - when they got our name and saw our history they all of a sudden had a room for us and we got it for cheaper than the jw rate.

thinking back i guess we were always on the rebellious side. we'd always go out for lunch too. we hate crowds and mingling....

LostGeneration

I'm sure they make lots of $$$$ on the hotel arrangement. As noted already, they strike deals to book a block of rooms and get a commission.

Its also a control thing. Obey obey obey. They if you wander off and get your own room, you get lots of questions from other JWs, wondering why you didn't get a crappy hotel like them.

I think they also think its a "good witness" having lots of JWs wandering around in the lobby in their cheap suits and nametags. In reality, they simply look like weirdos to the staff and other guests.

crazycate

Ok so here is my problem with this. If they said, "We want you to use the rooms on the approved list because we are comped a certain number of rooms that we plan to use for visiting speakers from Bethel and the District Overseer, Circuit Overseer, etc.," then I would be fine with it. But they don't; they say, "You need to use the rooms on the approved list because we have negotiated the best rates for you and if you don't support this the poorer brothers and sisters will suffer." It's just not true. It reminds me of the reason they gave for ending the book study in private homes. Did anyone actually believe it was about gas prices after years of being told how important this meeting and venue were?

blondie

I can remember elders standing outside the good hotels not on the listing, writing down names and congregation of jws staying there and then having the elders in their congregations "counsel" them..whoops some of them were elders.

Toward the end the hotels were any hour away and full of bugs and filthy. Many from our last congregation drove 2 hours one way and stayed at home...

Other jws would use their non-jw spouse's work or AAA lower rates.

Who remembers staying in private homes for $2 a night?

FadeToBlack

@Crazycate: even if there was no gas available, couldn't they walk or ride bikes like the friends in Africa and South America that have to cross rivers and walk thru the jungle for hours? I agree with your original premise: it would be much better if they could just be open and honest about things in general. Isn't that what adults are supposed to do?

DesirousOfChange

Who remembers staying in private homes for $2 a night?

OMG!

I remember going door to door asking for accomodations in private homes for an International Convention.

GEEZ! Are Granny Grace and I the old timers here?

Doc

crazycate

I'm another old-timer. I went door to door asking householders to let "convention delegates" rent rooms in their homes. Yikes!

THE DC Hotel List

Share this