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Hartford symposium

H

Hugh

Joined
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Location
Sonoma, CA
I just finished reading Don's thread. Got my blood pressure up. Not about the transportation, but the hotels. About a month ago, my wife and I decided to attend the symposium. I went to the hotel of choice web site and tried to make a reservation. After much fussing around and a long talk with a customer relations person, I found out that all the AAW rooms were booked up. But, I could get a room for about $50 more a night. I tried the second hotel on the list. Same story. This is in January remember. This is almost a bait and switch scam. AAW is not blocking out enough rooms for people to get the lower rate. How come? If I tried this in May and had the same results, I would understand. But January?

I finally booked a room with my AAA card and received the same rate that I was supposed to with the blocked out AAW rooms (at the second hotel).

I love attending the symposiums and have done so every year since I discovered them in 1995. But I almost called this trip off due to the hassle.
Hugh
 
I think you will find the hotel situation about the same every year.
The host hotel fills the symposium rate rooms not long after the first of the year, if they last that long.
I have had good luck with alternative booking methods to get a decent rate.
Unfortunately they are usually prepay, so you have to be sure to attend.
I booked over a month ago and things were 'full'.
I know that some folks reserve a room as soon as the hotel is announced.
My guess is that our symposium is not large enough to reserve more than a certain sized block of rooms at one hotel.

Mark.
 
Coming from the UK I booked as soon as the hotels were announced. I did not have to pay extra for Sunday night.
 
One would think that with a past record of filling out blocked rooms in a hurry, that whom ever is working with the hotel would be able to block out many more rooms. Not all of us can plan out 6-8 months ahead that we are going to attend the symposium.

What really irked me when I was trying to book a room was, the web site said the rates were good until May. When I talked to the customer relations lady, she said she had never seen a block of rooms fill that quickly and did not understand it. The hotel has over 400 rooms. It is not that they do not have open rooms, it is that they do not want to give the AAW rate for a room. I never did find out how many rooms were blocked out by AAW? Anyone know?

Hugh
 
Sheraton East Hartford $79

Dear woodturners:

The Sheraton East Hartford is on the other side of the river and about a 1-mile walk, but the rate is $79. If you call, don't let them send you to the central Sheraton booking center. You must talk to the reservation staff at the hotel and mention that the manager is offering a deal to people attending the AAW.

If you don't mind walking across the bridge and want to save some money the Sheraton may be the answer for you. I and several of my woodturning buddies are staying there.

Don
 
Hugh,

I don't know the exact number of rooms our organization blocked.
The negotiated results vary with each location.

The host hotel will rarely if ever have sufficient rooms for the the demand and the host hotel will most likely not discount all of their rooms. Consequently our organization books rooms in several hotels. This year the Hilton and Crowne Plaza also have AAW rates. And the web site currently shows the Marriott as sold out.

Our organization guarantees the Booked rooms and agrees to severe penalties if the rooms are not booked. It is a prudent business decision to book less a than the projected need to avoid the penalty. Rooms are actually blocked for nights. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Saturday, Sunday.
fewest for Wednesday, the most for Friday and Saturday.

Another aspect of the host hotel is that roughly 50 rooms are taken by Demonstrators, AAW staff, and Board members.

As mentioned above the Host hotel does sell out more quickly every year.

See you in Hartford,
Al
 
Last edited:
Hugh
Al has been involved in the past 4 symposiums at least. He has a good explanation of cost issues. I've asked Mary Lacer, our Executive Director to look at your question and possibly expand on Al's response.
Dale Larson
AAW board
 
Hi - my name is Rick Meier - and I am a local AAW member for the 2010 Symposium... Please feel freee to e-mail me directly at rickmeier@cox,net with yor questions about the Hartford Area...there are several hotels acroo the river(within 15 min walking distance)...
 
I appreciate all the answers. It is just frustrating when in January - one runs into a booked up block of rooms. I would thing that the hotel(s) would want to get as many rooms as possible booked. Maybe have it more open ended - something like - we will give you this rate for all rooms booked by...

Five months out is a long time for me. Maybe my thinking needs to be changed.

Al - Last month when I tried the Hilton, they said all the AAW blocked out rooms were booked at that time. I received the same rate using my AAA card though.

Thanks again for all the answers. And I do hope Mary looks into the way the rooms are blocked out. It will not change anything this year but may help for the future.
Hugh
 
Hugh,
To give you a few more details about booking a block of rooms at the hotels. In this case the Marriott has about 400 rooms. We always book the maximum rooms they will give us at the host hotel which is typically 75% of their rooms. They reserve 25% of their rooms for their regular customers. As Al said the rooms in the host hotel seem to be going earlier every year. We are always trying to find larger hotels so we would be able to block more rooms. This usually takes us to tier 1 cities and the room rates are higher. So it is a balance between finding affordable rooms for our attendees and the host hotel filling up early in the year. We will continue to work toward a resolution that provides more rooms close to the convention site.

If anyone is aware of a conference center that would hold the entire symposium in-house, please let me know. That would be the optimum solution.

Mary Lacer
Executive Director
 
sounds like 2 major hotels already sold out, seems to me shuttle buses were run to the richmond symposium from outlying hotels

the buses were full too 😀
 
The Opreyland Hotel should be cosidered

Mary:

I've been to a couple of conferences at the Gaylord Opreyland Hotel in Nashville. They could probably host a conference 4 or 5 times the size of the AAW at one time it is so big. It's all under one roof. Nashville is cetrally located and I think it is the hub for SW Airlines.

Don
 
Don Geiger said:
Mary:

I've been to a couple of conferences at the Gaylord Opreyland Hotel in Nashville. They could probably host a conference 4 or 5 times the size of the AAW at one time it is so big. It's all under one roof. Nashville is cetrally located and I think it is the hub for SW Airlines.

Don
Click to expand...

Don, I've never checked into Opreyland, but I suspect it has the same issue that New Orleans, Los Vegas and such have. Their convention centers cater only to the large and well healed conventions. That is conventions that are business expense type, not hobby conventions. The AAW could book a convention into a facility like that, but I suspect it would be so much more expensive that not as many people would attend.

I've worked on conventions for other organizations (all hobby), I know that those conventions that are held in the summer (like the AAW) get less flexibility from hotels and convention centers then conventions held off season. But then those off season conventions have their own attendance issues.

There is no easy answer

Ralph
 
Mary,
Thank you for your reply.

I guess the answer to my frustration is to be creative in my finding a place to stay. Maybe a B&B out a ways and have my wife drop me off and pick me up everyday. I realize that we (AAW) are looking for smaller venue type areas, but they have to be large enough also.

Having the rooms booked up in the middle of January just seems early to me. That and the web sites did not show the AAW rooms all booked up. And when I called the hotels they wanted to sell me a much more expensive room. I will get over it. And I will still be there in Hartford.

See you there.
Thanks.
Hugh
 
Don,
Thanks for the Opreyland suggestion. I will certainly check into it to compare prices. The central location is a good draw for all members.

Mary Lacer
Executive Director
 
Hugh,
I just called the Hilton and they said they still have quite a few rooms for the three nights of the symposium. I've heard that the Hilton was also full so that must have been a mistake. There is also a third hotel. The contact information for the remaining two hotels is listed below -

■Alternate Hotel: Hilton Hartford, 315 Trumbull Street
(860) 728-5151 - Ask for Reservations, Group Code: "American Association of Woodturners". Rate is $119 for a Single or Double.
■Alternate Hotel : Crowne Plaza Downtown Hartford, 50 Morgan Street
(860) 549-2400 - Ask reservations for Group Code: "AMA". Rate is $118 for a Single or Double.

I look forward to seeing you in Hartford.

Mary Lacer
Executive Director
 
Mary Lacer said:
Hugh,
I just called the Hilton and they said they still have quite a few rooms for the three nights of the symposium. I've heard that the Hilton was also full so that must have been a mistake.
Click to expand...

Mary, I hate to tell you the number of times I have heard of that happening. Someone calls the hotel for a convention, talks to a clerk that actually doesn't know what they are talking about and the clerk tells them the convention rate rooms are all full, and all they have left is full rate
 
There seem to be a number of complaints about hotel rooms, and transportation, but no mention of the registration fees; $145 per day, $250 for all four days. Isn't that quite high? Most of the convention stuff I've been to has been a fraction of that cost. What is the reason for such high fees?
 
Symposium Cost

Hi Bill: I will leave the details of the cost structure those who know.

However I just searched out the registration fees of national meetings of this length. AAW is the cheapest I found.

I did find a 2-day Totally Turning 2010 conference at the end of March - $165 for 2 days, $125 for 1 day. The others included education organizations - $300 - $750; Public Health - $420; Dance - $300; Woodworking - $290; Investing - $895.

The higher prices tend to be in major cities, the lower priced ones in smaller cities.

I have been to the last 4 Symposiums, and they are a remarkable value. Sometimes I have been unable to stay for more than 1 day, other years I have been lucky enough to spend the entire time. Either the daily fee or the full meeting fee was worth it to me.

Jerry
 
Bill Travelstead said:
There seem to be a number of complaints about hotel rooms, and transportation, but no mention of the registration fees; $145 per day, $250 for all four days. Isn't that quite high? Most of the convention stuff I've been to has been a fraction of that cost. What is the reason for such high fees?
Click to expand...

Most of the conventions I go to (2-3 /year) are 3-4x this cost. I consider it a bargain.
 
The AAW members who plan the symposium do so to break even.
The hundreds of AAW volunteers keep the cost from being much larger.

Income is from trade show booths and attendee registrations
expenses are facilities rental
and demonstrators

When attendees surpass expectations the AAW makes a bit of money
when they fall below expectation the AAW looses a bit.

there is a heck of a lot at the AAW Symposium. I think is a bargain for what attendees get.

Be sure to volunteer!!
-Al
 
One more question: at what point before the symposium is a schedule posted of demonstrators etc. by day and hour, so I can plan on the day to go?
 
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