THE DC Hotel List

by tresdecu 24 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  crazycate

  I also stayed in some truly terrible hotels on the lodging list.
• 

  JakeM2012

  Splash wrote, "And to coerce the publishers to use these hotels often at increased prices and distant locations, is far from loving or considerate."

  When the rooming department first came out with the approved lodging lists early 70's I can remember very nice hotels for a greatly reduced price. It made the conventions fun to look forward to as a child, youth, teenager. All your friends stayed at the same few luxury hotels, at night you got to spend time with them at the pool, etc. I believe it was at the 1972 District Convention at the Astrodome and Astrohall. WTBTS expected 70,000 + people...only 40k showed up. They came out with the approved lodging list that did NOT have the AstroVillage Hotel, (Brand NEW and Right across the Street), I had a family member that had many young children stay there. Oh, he was so disobedient.

  With so many different situations within the congregation, I never understood why WTBTS was so opinionated on where the sheep slept. You have older ones, younger families with children, etc.I can remember some years that WTBTS would get upset with a hotel over (rumored from brothers that locally did the negotiations) as little as $4-5 a night, and would tell the congregations that they were not on the recommended lodging list. The brothers and sisters had to cancel their reservations and ask for a refund.

  So the situation that we now had was a mostly elderly group traveling not only in a city that they are not familiar with but, but had to travel for over an hour to and from the convention from their "approved" hotel. One brother was particularly upset because he had care of family members that required wheel chairs and other issues. Others were upset because they had several young children but couldn't use the hotel next door to the convention center and had to drive an hour away for an "approved" hotel by the mighty WTBTS.

  When WTBTS decided they couldn't work with the convention site or hotel because they wanted an extra $5 per person over what the mightly WTBTS wanted to agree to, WTBTS would pull their plug on that site and move to another city requiring the brothers to personally pay out well over the $5 in extra fuel and inconvenience.

  Other situations that should be considered; some people that travel alot can get their own free or reduced rates if they stay in the same hotel chain. Some people use the credit cards for hotel rewards they could use for a convention. To get their rewards though, the publishers had to to have the freedom of using the rewards of the hotel chain chosen and not necessarily WTBTS approved lodging. Some brothers cars are in poor mechanical condition, they don't care about an extra few bucks a night if they don't have to drive the car that much. The problem was dumping the hotels and insisting on the "friends" driving for hours on end to "approved" hotels. The brothers were just praying that their cars would make it to and from the convention cities. Several families that I picked up blamed that rotten Satan for trying to keep them from the convention, when it was just their lack of maintenance.

  One of the last times I even looked at the list was 7-8 years ago when I was traveling and went to a convention in the Fort Worth, Texas area. I went to the "rooming department" and asked for the approved list. The brother sheepishly gave me a list of Motel 6's with a price of $89.00 a night. Motel 6's are one of the cheapest motels. I immediately checked on the internet and Motel 6's were $59 a night. I thought it was Motel 6's way of telling WT they didn't want them there. For the $89.00 I could stay in an upscale downtown hotel within walking distance of the convention. But I enjoyed my stay in the downtown hotel, walking back to the room for a nap when I was tired, having breakfast in the hotel, etc.

  Oh the hoops we jump through with this high control group.
• 

  finally awake

  When we first started attending conventions, we were assigned to Louisville, KY. The first year we went along with everyone else from the hall and stayed at a Ramada Inn. It was filthy and I refused to stay there again. The next year the elders wanted to group book the same hotel. We went on our own and booked a suite in a Sheraton Four Points. We got flack for not wanting to stay where everyone else was even though the hotel we picked was on the list. We got flack from hotel staff when we checked in because they thought we should downgrade to a regular room. We had two infants and needed the refrigerator and microwave and extra space for them to play. The next year we stayed at a Best Western, which was fine. I think after that we were assigned to Evansville, IN and we just commuted.
• 

  InquiryMan

  What is that big fuzz about that list. I mean there was such a list in our country too, but no one interfered with where you stayed anyway... must be an American thing...
• 

  Jeffro

  tresdecu:

  She said "I hope this is OK" and "The Society frowns on that"

  Hope the Hotel has a bar.

  Sounds like you're gonna need it.

  Good luck.