Ole,
In the (somewhat far) past, my memory was that the IETF rate was *less*
then the normal available rate. This trend to higher rates is something
I only remember seeing over the last 5 or so years. Perhaps my memory
is just flawed, as I haven't done the work to verify this, but I don't
think so.
I think in the spirit of transparency we really need to understand why
this trend has occurred.
>From looking at the list of things we get for the IETF rate, the only
thing I see in the list that is really important to the individuals
paying the room-fees is in-room (typically) IETF-class internet.
Breakfast is great, but it is included only when this is the norm for
the region/hotel, so really isn't a real benefit compared to rack rates.
I strongly feel that the "free or subsidized meeting rooms" should come
out of the meeting fees, not *hidden* in the hotel rates.
You also don't mention the free hotel rooms/suites. Again the value
here and subsidy in the IETF rates really should be known, but in either
case, these too should come out of the meeting fees.
I personally think the issues to focus on/fix are the lack of
transparency and the current approach of distributing meeting costs to
the hotel rate.
Lou
On 8/23/2011 2:07 PM, Ole Jacobsen wrote:
>
> You said:
>
> "At root is that we are trying to negotiate a purchase at a discounted
> price without committing to buying any particular number of rooms,
> versus only a limited number of possible sellers."
>
> When negotiating a group rate we actually ARE committing to buying a
> certain number of rooms (the "room block"). There are certainly pros
> and cons with group rates. On the pro side: guaranteed rate (but not
> necessarily the absolute lowest available at any time), included
> benefits (breakfast, Internet, if applicable), free or subsidized
> meeting rooms where applicable. On the cons side is of course the
> cancellation policy (not that it has to be as onerous as this one).
>
> Ole
>
>
> Ole J. Jacobsen
> Editor and Publisher, The Internet Protocol Journal
> Cisco Systems
> Tel: +1 408-527-8972 Mobile: +1 415-370-4628
> E-mail: [email protected] URL: http://www.cisco.com/ipj
> Skype: organdemo
>
>
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