OK, so not much going on here. I’m busy organising hotels for the Grand Tribunal rpg convention — and I have noticed a rather curious fact, something that maybe some of my friends from the hospitality industry can comment upon – in the process. I was thinking of trying to organise a block booking for the convention delegates – we could book quite a lot of rooms in theory. I checked the hotel prices online from their websites (not third party bargain sites) and established prices. Then I called round, cited the number of rooms i was interested in, and found — the prices cited with the group booking were higher than the rates currently on offer. The discount appears to be applied to the standard rate — whereas by booking a couple of month early, one gets a cheaper rate. So by booking using a group discount option, it would actually cost me more per night per room than if the guest just book individually online now. Curious, and a fact well worth considering if you should ever have reason to want to book a lot of hotel rooms for any reason.
This strikes me as bizarre, simply because how many people who need ten or more rooms for an event will be booking them in the late period immediately before the event? If you are, the group booking discount is excellent sure, as it saves you on the standard rate — but otherwise just book at the cheaper advance rates most hotels charge. Also, hotel prices seem to be going up — they cynic in me wonders if this is just because I have made so many enquiries that I have pushed the prices up, but maybe rooms are selling out? Anyone have knowledge of the workings of hotel pricing structures?
"And sometimes he's so nameless" 