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: ole(_at_)cisco(_dot_)com URL: http://www.cisco.com/ipj
Skype: organdemo
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