posted
As a former resident, i wanted to add that Chicago has a World Class public transportation system. There's an El stop basically around the corner from these Suites and where the train doesn't go the Clark St. Bus will get you there from the Loop ( downtown) to Evanston. You can actually take the Blue line From the airport downtown and change for a ride to the neighborhood we're talking about. boystown, Wrigley, and the Art institute are all easy trips. And , Second City is right there at North Ave. and Wells.
-------------------- All you need is Love (and a whole big bucket of Money).
From: Lost in the Ozone Again | Registered: Dec 2005
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Hey folks, the First Exposure Playtest Hall at GenCon this year was in fact very very successful, so barring any disasters or sickness in my life I will be at GenCon 2013 in Indianapolis on Aug 15-18.
I feel kinda pressured being the only one to vote for a date for the LW Gathering though. Even if everyone else truly is available both weekends, if it's on the weekend of the 24th solely because of me, and it rains, or god forbid I can't make it after all, I'd feel icky to put it mildly.
My vote isn't even hard and fast anyway. I'm really not averse to starting off at GenCon and finishing the weekend in Chicago. That will mean less than a week away from home for both trips which is not a bad thing money-wise, but if they're not the same weekend then I'd probably come into Chicago from Indianapolis on Sunday or Monday and spend the week there (rather than flying home for three days to get back on a plane so soon), which will give me time to not feel rushed and acclimate to Chicago a bit on my own.
In that case I hope some others will get in earlier in the week too. I don't need more than two nights to myself!
If we go with weekend of the 24th I would be happy to handle checking into the suite and being the welcoming person.
From: Manhattan, NY | Registered: May 2011
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By which I simply mean to say: will someone else please vote!?!?!
Oh all right, if we can't book the rooms till November anyway I guess the vote doesn't need to be done before then...
And BTW, speaking of Chicago, I know someone giving away his ticket to the World Science Fiction Convention happening there this coming weekend, so check here and post reply there or PM me ASAP if you can use it.
From: Manhattan, NY | Registered: May 2011
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I wouldn't fret the date too much, Shiney. The general feel - I think - is that most people who are planning on coming would be OK with either weekend, the 17th or the 24th, so unless there is a major objection, I'm thinking the 24th... as that puts a little more space between the summer holidays and the end of the season. I know Kent said he might have a conflict then, so we'll still play that by ear at this point.
As you said, the management said November before they start taking reservations for next August, but I might touch base with him again around late September just to make sure the situation hasn't changed.
The approach I've been thinking I'll take is - since we are giving so much advance notice - to see what both the downpayment and refund policies are. That way, I could see if I could reserve all four of the suites at the earliest date I could. This would give people more time to decide whether they actually want to commit to coming.
Ideally, we'll have a big turnout and the four suites would be warranted. The worst case scenario is that far fewer people decide to come and I wind up having to cancel one or more of the reservations and eat the cost on the downpayment. I'm not too worried in either case, although - in the latter scenario - Ex will be drinking for free that weekend.
-------------------- See Here for the latest update on the 2013 Chicago Gathering (now including tentative attendance list)
Registered: Feb 2008
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Shush, you... stop thwarting my master plan. I was all set to add in a "stuffed olive tax" in the fine print of the receipts and just hope no one noticed.
-------------------- See Here for the latest update on the 2013 Chicago Gathering (now including tentative attendance list)
Registered: Feb 2008
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I will be happy to buy Exnihil a drink in Chicago. The drink I choose to buy for him is a 12 ounce Diet Coke.
-------------------- Five billion years from now the Sun will go nova and obliterate the Earth. Don't sweat the small stuff!
From: Boston | Registered: Aug 2003
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So, I spoke again with the Management of the North Side Suites (see Here for the previously discussed details).
I inquired about deposit and refund policy, and it looks like things are going to work out really well, both for myself and anyone interested in attending.
Basically, normally they look for a 50% deposit, but since I told him I would be looking to reserve this November for August 2013, he said that since I'm getting in so early, they'd only ask for a one night per suite deposit.
Additionally, their cancellation policy is as follows: Upon cancellation, deposit is forfeit unless the suite is subsequently rebooked prior to the date of reservation, in which case the deposit is either refunded or applied against the balance.
Given that this past year, every single weekend in August was booked - provided we can begin finalizing our headcount sometime around early spring - that's a gamble I'm more than willing to take.
So, long story short, here's what I think we should do:
1. Come November, I can go ahead and book all four suites (I was thinking Wednesday Aug 21st - Sunday Aug 25th - although if there are any other strong opinions on the range, please voice them).
2. From that point through like April-ish, we can begin getting firmer commitments from folks. Once we pass 10 people confirmed, done deal, we've built up the safe-guard against full out cancellation.
3. As that number increases we'll then have a better idea of how many suites we actually need and, if necessary, can begin cancelling by like May, and then hedge the bets that the cancelled suites will be rebooked (I am very confident they would be).
This plan, I think, allows us to have the maximum flexibility for the longest amount of time, protects me personally from any major financial loss, and gives everyone the longest amount of time to actually decide whether they are coming.
Sound good?
-------------------- See Here for the latest update on the 2013 Chicago Gathering (now including tentative attendance list)
Registered: Feb 2008
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Sounds good to me. And we'll be in the somewhat unusual position of being there anyway, and actually knowing whether the other suites were re-booked or not.
Not that anyone in the hospitality industry would lie, of course.
From: Manhattan, NY | Registered: May 2011
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quote:Originally posted by lowercase mllash: Ex, how much would my share of the deposit be?
Heck, if you want to send me money, Lash, I won't complain, but there's no need this early.
I hadn't gotten as far as figuring out the best way to divvy costs yet. For the initial deposit, I was just going to pay it myself, then figure out all the "settle up" bits later.
Since the suites themselves are different prices, one idea that I did have which I thought was probably the most fair, and wouldn't penalize any person for winding up in a more expensive one as opposed to less, was to propose that instead of basing the per individual cost on room, we should probably do it as an overall pro-rated cost per night.
So like, say for an easy example... 16 people wind up coming, of which 10 want to stay four nights, and 6 want to stay 2 . First off, we could cancel the other two 6 man suites and just have one 6 and one 10. The 10 we would rent for 4 nights, the 6 for 2 nights.
In that scenario, for two nights we would divide the total cost of both suites across 16 people, and for the other two nights, the cost of one suite would be divided across 10 people.
That's just one idea, but we can suss all that out over the next six months or so.
quote:Originally posted by lowercase mllash: I am that much less likely to talk myself out of going
Bah! Oh, yes... I said, "Bah".
If you don't come who am I supposed to smoke with as I lounge around in my towel?
(He said... carefully laying out his Lash-bait )
-------------------- See Here for the latest update on the 2013 Chicago Gathering (now including tentative attendance list)
Registered: Feb 2008
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Wow Ex, that is an AMAZING plan you have there. As someone who usually ends up making plans for the groups of friends I drag along to wherever, I am very impressed.
(Blaze would be too, since he has the same problems - that's why we prefer to travel together and alone )
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