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Can we just take a moment and talk about hotel prices?
9 years ago
This is gonna be kinda ranty, so if you don't like that, you've been warned.
For some of you, you know I used to run a business, basically selling jewelry and bobbles. For those of you that don't know, I liquidated it to buy a car because some jackass T-boned the family one, and our insurance pretty much shafted us. When it was on the raise, I started looking into doing conventions and traveling, which despite what most say isn't hard. At least for me, I'm used to travel and the like, just mean's extra stuff to carry around. Between my experience with the travel system in the US, and the people in it, getting from say NY to Calli basically amounted to working a couple weeks overtime and planning an extended weekend. Thing is, in most my travels, I had somewhere to stay; No booking a hotel or anything. So I was shocked at how much one costs a night, normally. $100+ usd, nightly, some going upwards of $200 usd. For those that don't get why that seems like much, at least in my area a month's rent or mortgage is roughly $1,000 USD, and these places were asking for half to about the same for five nights. I get that they're supposed to be 'uber fancy, with the best quality blah blahs', but they didn't have to make it that way. And it only gets worse when there's events going on, because they know most people who go to these major events don't live around the area, so it's either pay a ransom for a room or sleep in a car, if that. And for reference, most of these events at most cost $100 Usd in total.
Well, I a friend who's going to a fur con in the near future, and he's getting a room for 5 days. Con tickets cost $50 usd, a plane ticket is about $400, the Hotel is $1,100 Usd for 4 days. I....Just why? Yeah it's being split between three people, but jesus that's half a month's paycheck almost for a lot of people, just for four days? And he's just going as a con-goer; As a dealer, it's even harder because you usually have to put up for anyone else who might be working with you, which just makes your expenses jump through the roof. I was shocked enough I started looking at prices in the area, and the lowest I found was $100 bucks a night for what amounted to a box with a bed in it. How is this reasonable at all? Again, I get that it's 'quality' and all that, or 'security' in some cases, but there's no other options other than those kinds of hotels. I come from a town where, for whatever reason, we have 20 hotels. All of them are these 'high class' places, that all offer effectively the same rates. All the cheap motels were muscled out long ago, and it's basically an oligarchy where these guys have an excuse for their prices and why they keep them so high.
I can't be the only one out there that looks at these and bulks. I can't. Even as a business owner, there's nothing that could justify a single expense cost being double to five times as much as the costs on the budget, unless it's a highly dangerous place. Security in a wartorn or high crime area, sure, I get that. But....I don't think anyone's going to say that you need 1k worth of security in any major US city, let alone some minor ones. If a city is THAT dangerous, then it's not worth the risk of trying to sell there. And when it comes to the 'quality', most people just want a place to sleep at the end of the day, and that they know where they left their cloths and crap. Most people won't care the bedsheets are lined with gold and the nightstand's powdered with jade. The prices are too high, and I have to beg the question is there anything that can be done about it? I mean, I can't imagine that these events are too happy about it unless they're getting a cut, and even then....Prices that high pretty much are the reason why the vast majority of people don't go to these events. Admission, cheap. Spending cash, just go without the stuff you normally get on the side for awhile. Transportation, most people have cars, and busses and trains are vastly cheaper than people believe. Again, going from NY state to Cali by train amounted to me working a few extra weekends, nothing extraordinary. But the price on these hotels, especially during events... Again, it's essentially half of a month's paycheck. I can imagine how many more people would go to these events, ones that already are bringing in a few hundred to a few thousand if the hotels didn't cost an arm and a leg. Or more than a few months of food, or gas, or god knows whatelse.
Iunno...If something can or could be done, I'd love to hear it, but as it stands...It just seems like Hotels are just unreasonable in price, no matter which way you slice it.
For some of you, you know I used to run a business, basically selling jewelry and bobbles. For those of you that don't know, I liquidated it to buy a car because some jackass T-boned the family one, and our insurance pretty much shafted us. When it was on the raise, I started looking into doing conventions and traveling, which despite what most say isn't hard. At least for me, I'm used to travel and the like, just mean's extra stuff to carry around. Between my experience with the travel system in the US, and the people in it, getting from say NY to Calli basically amounted to working a couple weeks overtime and planning an extended weekend. Thing is, in most my travels, I had somewhere to stay; No booking a hotel or anything. So I was shocked at how much one costs a night, normally. $100+ usd, nightly, some going upwards of $200 usd. For those that don't get why that seems like much, at least in my area a month's rent or mortgage is roughly $1,000 USD, and these places were asking for half to about the same for five nights. I get that they're supposed to be 'uber fancy, with the best quality blah blahs', but they didn't have to make it that way. And it only gets worse when there's events going on, because they know most people who go to these major events don't live around the area, so it's either pay a ransom for a room or sleep in a car, if that. And for reference, most of these events at most cost $100 Usd in total.
Well, I a friend who's going to a fur con in the near future, and he's getting a room for 5 days. Con tickets cost $50 usd, a plane ticket is about $400, the Hotel is $1,100 Usd for 4 days. I....Just why? Yeah it's being split between three people, but jesus that's half a month's paycheck almost for a lot of people, just for four days? And he's just going as a con-goer; As a dealer, it's even harder because you usually have to put up for anyone else who might be working with you, which just makes your expenses jump through the roof. I was shocked enough I started looking at prices in the area, and the lowest I found was $100 bucks a night for what amounted to a box with a bed in it. How is this reasonable at all? Again, I get that it's 'quality' and all that, or 'security' in some cases, but there's no other options other than those kinds of hotels. I come from a town where, for whatever reason, we have 20 hotels. All of them are these 'high class' places, that all offer effectively the same rates. All the cheap motels were muscled out long ago, and it's basically an oligarchy where these guys have an excuse for their prices and why they keep them so high.
I can't be the only one out there that looks at these and bulks. I can't. Even as a business owner, there's nothing that could justify a single expense cost being double to five times as much as the costs on the budget, unless it's a highly dangerous place. Security in a wartorn or high crime area, sure, I get that. But....I don't think anyone's going to say that you need 1k worth of security in any major US city, let alone some minor ones. If a city is THAT dangerous, then it's not worth the risk of trying to sell there. And when it comes to the 'quality', most people just want a place to sleep at the end of the day, and that they know where they left their cloths and crap. Most people won't care the bedsheets are lined with gold and the nightstand's powdered with jade. The prices are too high, and I have to beg the question is there anything that can be done about it? I mean, I can't imagine that these events are too happy about it unless they're getting a cut, and even then....Prices that high pretty much are the reason why the vast majority of people don't go to these events. Admission, cheap. Spending cash, just go without the stuff you normally get on the side for awhile. Transportation, most people have cars, and busses and trains are vastly cheaper than people believe. Again, going from NY state to Cali by train amounted to me working a few extra weekends, nothing extraordinary. But the price on these hotels, especially during events... Again, it's essentially half of a month's paycheck. I can imagine how many more people would go to these events, ones that already are bringing in a few hundred to a few thousand if the hotels didn't cost an arm and a leg. Or more than a few months of food, or gas, or god knows whatelse.
Iunno...If something can or could be done, I'd love to hear it, but as it stands...It just seems like Hotels are just unreasonable in price, no matter which way you slice it.
Only thing that can be done is what naturally formed over time, freelance people offering their rooms to others for a night or two on a very cheap basis.
Hotels are pretty much just extremly expensive all around wherever you life. x.x