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Sorry, you can probably tell from the thread title that this is a bit of a rant.
I am a college professor and I usually go to 1-2 academic conferences per year. Usually the conferences negotiate "special" rates for the conference, but for one that I'm going to in late March 2018, it's still close to $200/night after you add in the 17% tax (it's in Indianapolis, which clearly has very high hotel taxes!). The sad thing is, I am coming to realize that that is actually a GOOD price for a hotel room!! (The conference rate is $164/night, but that's a bit over $190/night with the taxes.)
Personally, I am generally pretty shocked at what some public universities will allow their academics and administrators to spend on hotel rooms for conferences. One of my acquaintances would always stay at the Four Seasons in Chicago for $285 a night as opposed to the Chicago Marriott at $145. And this was happening at a time when the university was cutting staff and eliminating programs.
People who pull in $150K per year, or people dumb enough to go during the peak season like a 4th of July weekend. I'm glad most people pack these places up like herds of cattle during the most predictable time periods. Economies of scale. Personally I don't spend much above $75/night for a hotel, and prefer to spend $50. Go to the Kalahari in the middle of summer when everything is packed and pay the normal price only to have to wait in line for an hour to go in a ride?
I'll go the last week of August, pay half price, and wait in line a minute, and go on the same rides 8 times in the time it takes people to stand in line to go on one.
The above is why I don't support paying for people's college. These administrative staff have no sense of budgetary constraint. They spend like government does.
Karen in nh....simply put ...I'm with you! I feel the same for poor renters in my city.Because of you I am going to do my homework now for 2 rooms needed in
January for some friends. So, thank you for the heads up.
It's supply & demand. You can pay $350 a night in Montana during summer rates at some not that great hotels.
Yes, it is called dynamic pricing. Our holiday next year is shaping up to be very expensive; Honolulu followed by Alaska, then Utah and Wyoming and finally San Francisco. Cannot avoid peak season because of the different weather issues. Dont want to do it as several shorter trips because of the distance. I gather that the parks in Utah and and Wyoming are being flooded with Asian tour groups, our dollar has slipped against the US and we are paying $US400 for some really ordinary looking places.
Started looking at Italy and France and they are cheap by comparison, for us.
But it is all supply and demand.
Sorry, but no way would I sleep in there. I've seen it up close in Tokyo, again, no way! It'll never work here anyway because Americans are just not wired to behave as well as Japanese folks.
Besides, if my work is sending me somewhere for business purpose, the least they could do is put me in a decent place to sleep at night. If it's going to cost $400, so be it.
I'm sure if you dig you can find a cheap room for $100 or so, but do you really want to stay in a cheap motel? Staying in a nice hotel, in a nice area, with amenities is part of the fun of taking a trip; business or pleasure.
I live in part time in two different touristy areas...$300 a night for decent hotel IS considered cheap.
My husband and I have always been able to find nice safe clean hotels for under $100 a night. In any area. If you have no luck with hotels try an air bnb.
I show a LaQuinta Inn on booking.com for $124/night around March 20, it's about 1.3 kilometers east of your conference so if you don't mind a 20 minute walk down Washington Street can maybe look into that.
whatever the justifications/priorities are, it is pretty stupid to pay $400 a night for Indianapolis. You can have a nice place for the same price in London, Rome or central Paris. Indianapolis?
Unless of course you make tons an $400 is really negligible.
Of course people have different preference and priorities,and associated with it, different levels of financial senses. There are people out there who make $60000 annual family income, but think they "deserve" to splurge on $400 a night hotels with maid service and valet parking just because they are on vacation.
And you know why people constantly complain "it is so expensive to live in the cities" "we live paycheck to paycheck?" This is why. Yes, you have different priorities, just wrong ones that eventually lead to misery.
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