"Cold Wars 2016" Topic

Well, that was interesting. I just phoned the Host to reserve rooms and was told they have to send me a form to fill out.

Are we suddenly back in the 1970s or something?

Confused!

Well, given the title of the convention, it sounds perfectly appropriate.

I guess they could have offered to fax it to you, as well, though, to speed things up.

;-)

I'm getting one in the mail thanks to me leaving a jacket there that the Host is sending me.

First time I've had to do something like this for a room reservation, however.

Not too happy about putting my credit card info on a form to mail in, or send in via email over an open doc.

If I don't daytrip next year, I plan on staying on the Continental, across rt 30. They have a hot tub, which will ease the crummy old joints of this superannuated old wargamer.

I cannot think of a comment snarky enough to dothis justice.

And they wonder why people don't come back to this lovely cesspool.

And they wonder why people don't come back to this lovely cesspool.

Because it's perfectly adequate for gaming. I don't stay there.

With all the various hotel options around there, I wouldn't even consider staying at the Host if they wanted me to sign some silly form.

Confused!

You shouldn't be. Hidden in the myriad of extremely fine print legalese is a host of provisions allowing them to experiment upon you. Didn't you know the Host is a test bed for secret government programs?

TSD101--sort of like the "Hotel Room In the Woods"?

sort of like the "Hotel Room In the Woods"?

Or maybe the movie Hostel. Beware strange attendees inviting you to games in out of the ways rooms with poor lighting.

On a more serious note, this past Fall In I almost slipped and fell in that back room at the back of Distlefink that has the chair and table room off to the side and the loading ramp. Was dragging in stuff at 8:30 AM Friday morning for our groups 10 oclock game.

The ceiling is leaking back there, must be pretty bad because it was all wet AND slippery with some kind of black grease/mud and with no lighting and no safety sign I didn't see it. Fortunately I'm young and was using the cart so I was able to catch myself but some of our older and less able bodied members probably would have went straight to the ground and gotten hurt. If you use that entryway at Cold Wars be careful.

Convention youngins, the Host used to always have you fill out a form for a reservation for the next convention. The forms would be on the check in counter.

I haven't seen them use this method for a while but it used to be the norm.

The forms were available, but you could make phone or on-line reservations as well. Not all used the form, I don't know what proportion.

The new bit is that the Host now (starting with CW16) will ONLY accept the printed form. Also, the 800 number for reservations (where you'd call to get the form sent to you, or a guest making reservations for a non-convention stay) is only open 9-5 Monday to Friday.

It almost seems like the Host doesn't want to be in the hotel business.

Duncan

Another point – the form has a two night minimum.

I had never seen the form until this new policy, so maybe this is not new. It is, however, another head scratching policy.

BTW, I stayed off site for the first time this FALL IN! and do not plan to stay at the Host again.

Duncan

No response from the BOD or CD yet on this rather puzzling development. I think the question is, did this come from HMGS or is it Host generated? I am guessing the later, but either way HMGS needs to correct.

HG,

Knowing the Host, I suspect that they want a paper trail when it comes to HMGS meeting the required number of rooms at the convention and/or paying out any commissions associated with those rooms.

I'm sure the issue will come up at the membership meeting at Cold Wars.

Like many other divorces (especially after a long term relationship), things between the Host and HMGS could get nasty if their relationship is finally coming to an end.

We'll see. Stay tuned.

Good points, and you may be right. Funny though when you think about it – the Host offers sub-standard rooms, many of which are closed for repair (or lack, thereof), then they complain about it when people don't stay at their dump of a hotel. Ironic. :-)

I have a new name for the Host – The Bucket Inn (pun there too)

Another point – the form has a two night minimum.

I had never seen the form until this new policy, so maybe this is not new.

I believe the three nearby hotels at the Fredericksburg Convention Center require a hard copy form filled out if you want to pre-book your room in advance. There is also a minimum stay period required, but I don't remember what it is.

I have stayed at several of the Fredericksburg hotels. While I have seen paper forms during the con to reserve rooms for the next year, I have never had an issue with calling them directly and reserving a room, including for 2016.

Do the Host forms come on carbon paper?

I've done a couple of Fall Ins and Cold Wars at the Host and they've never required me to fill out a form.

Fortunately they will email it to you; you can fill it out, scan it, and send it back.

Still seems pretty 1970s to me!

The Host used the paper form for the 10 years WBC was at the Host . Bit of a throwback. They'd put them out the last few days of the convention, you'd fill out the form and drop it in a box at the front desk, then a couple weeks later they'd process the reservation. If you were lucky, you'd even get a confirmation email. Despite the detoriating condition, the hotel would sell out a year in advance every year the last 5-6 years.

Part of the reason might be their website would probably implode if more than 3 people tried getting on at once.

In later years due to heavy demand the form required a three night minimum, but that was not enough, so the last few years they basically proiritized the longest stays – anyone trying to book after Tuesday night would get shut out and have to go elsewhere.

Based on the official answer on the HMGS Yahoo group, I suspect 47Ronin is on to something.

So let me get this straight, the paper/email forms are more effective and efficient than the Host's electronic reservation system – the same system they will enter these reservations into anyway. Does that make any sense?

Another reason not to stay at the Host.

Oh, the Country Inn and Suites is already booked – except for suites.

From what I understand, this is stemming from last year's Cold Wars where the majority of people cancelled because of the blizzard.

So how does this address that? Perhaps the Host will use the documents to shovel the parking lot if it snows. Probably not. :-)

So my smart alec answer aside, so if it snows (shame on HMGS for continuing to have this con so early), and people cancel out – and HMGS does not make its required room numbers – the Host pulls back the comped rooms used by staff, and HMGS has to pay for the room nights. I'm still not clear how these forms are used in that process, unless the Host's software is so miserable they can't tell who was staying there at the special room rate. Oh wait, of course, it's the Host.

The official answer from HMGS management was a collective yawn and who cares, that's your problem. Nice.

I haven't seen the form – does it state that the deposit is non refundable?

Saw the form on the Yahoo group.

Here's the important parts.
-minimum 2 night stay
-deposit of one night+tax
-Guaranteed Reservations Not Cancelled 30 DAYS PRIOR to the Day of arrival will forfeit the one night's depoist.
-Room rate $109 USD for a double

FYI, as per Expedia, The Host's standard cancellation policy is 24 hours….

Guaranteed Reservations Not Cancelled 30 DAYS PRIOR to the Day of arrival will forfeit the one night's deposit.

That's the reason. If you dispute it on your credit card the Host can use this form against you. From what I was told, the Host got burned because of the blizzard during Cold Wars 2015. Would I sign it? Heck no! There are just too many other really good options in the area to put up with this.

I wish HMGS would negotiate a little harder with the Host. Unfortunately, I suspect the hotel makes sure the HMGS folks are well-taken care of, which saps their appetite to argue for better terms for the masses.

Between leaks and power failures and unplowed driveways and third world uncleaned bathrooms, you'd think HMGS has some material.

I may look for another place to stay then, and let HMGS go hang on trying to meet their guaranteed room nights.

Between leaks and power failures and unplowed driveways and third world uncleaned bathrooms, you'd think HMGS has some material.

To be fair, when I arrived on Thursday afternoon at Fall-In, the bathroom outside of the Lampeter room was spotless. I remarked to my friends that this wouldn't last long. Sure enough, by Friday, it was a mess. But no different from the toilets in the main gaming room of the FCC during Historicon. I don't blame the venue anymore for the state of the bathrooms. It would take an army of cleaners to keep up with the bathroom habits of the HMGS membership.

I did find out that higher wattage lights were placed in the main rooms, such as the Distlefink. It's amazing that no one has commented on that yet.

"I did find out that higher wattage lights were placed in the main rooms, such as the Distlefink. It's amazing that no one has commented on that yet."

Tush, Bowman, that would entail reporting a _positive_ development with the way the Host conducts its business. None of that radical nonsense here, my good fellow!

Gee, I wonder whose I idea it was to do that – after all these years. ;-)

Bowman,

No argument with anything you said. My point was simply that the Host has often dropped the ball with regard to providing the expected services, and it would seem if anyone at HMGS gave a crap, they could negotiate a little harder on behalf of members and attendees.

So it may be that there are too many cooks (who often change) in the kitchen. First you have the convention directors, but I am not sure how much input they have with the hotels since the contracts are usually negotiated by the Con Ops VP (and BoD) – who recently changed. I suspect the new Con Ops VP is busy looking for alternative sites for the cons in the coming years. In short, his focus may be long term instead of short term. Just a guess on my part.

Since the CDs are held to their budgets, and if the convention don't meet their room night obligations – they would take a hit on their budgets and make them look bad. The effect is they may be more worried about that hit and less concerned about the overall satisfaction of the attnedees with this 30 day notice requirement. They may not be able to affect it anyway if it is in the contract already.

I understand the Host's point of view about people cancelling out due to weather, but then again, that is the hazard of being in the hotel business. However, that is not an excuse for the generally miserable job they did last year clearing off their parking and driveway areas and they would be lucky if someone didn't sue HMGS or the Host if they fell. I saw more than one attendee with walking issues go out to Ice Station Zebra (aka, the parking lot) on unsteady legs and with canes and walkers.

Any idea when registration for vender's will start?

If the long standing relationship between the Host and HMGS is coming to an end, each side can be expected to try to extract as much as possible from the other before they go their separate ways.

Some things at the Host will get better; some things will get worse. HMGS will survive the Host to live and fight another day, just at another location.

Lets face it we pretty much do whatever we want at the Host, coolers outside food late late night gaming etc. So it's good for gaming purposes and shopping. I personally haven't stayed there or have partaken in the consumption of any food products for years. So maybe it's time to move on but lets all remember the rules will change at a new venue. But that can be a good thing who knows unless it is given a try. Cold Wars and Fall in are fine at the Host for now. But we need to find a new venue for our Mother of Gaming Conventions to bring it back to greatness.

ED MILLER

But we need to find a new venue for our Mother of Gaming Conventions to bring it back to greatness.

HCon is no longer the "Mother of all Gaming Conventions". It's turned into a nice little regional show. The next level group was 100% correct – they took Historicon to the next level. The next level down.

47Ronin we should have discussed this at the meeting we had in the flea market……

Better Start Looking now……

link

Millercop16,

You made me laugh then and you made me laugh now.

Keep up the good work.

As for the proposed sale of the Host, let's not hit the panic button just yet. If you look at the auction terms posted online, the auction may have a "reserve price." If the bidders don't make that price, the property doesn't sell.

In addition, sometimes sellers try to close a deal before the end of the year for various business reasons. Given that it's already December, that's a pretty tight window. The owners may be putting the property on the block just to see what kind of interest there is in the Host and what the range of offers will be, only to pull it off the market later. We all know the problems at the Host. They will take plenty of money to repair, which will impact the bids that are submitted, if any.

Lastly, HMGS has moved a convention on short notice before. They can do it again. I'm sure the BOD is checking the floor space at Valley Forge even as we speak.

Stay tuned.

The Ike would be more logical than the VFCC, just for price if nothing else.

While the place may not sell right away, other than basic maintenance, I doubt the owners will put a penny into the place unless they really have to.

Sorry, HG, but I respectfully have to disagree with your conclusion that the Ike is a better replacement venue than Valley Forge in case HMGS needs to move a convention on short notice.

Three reasons come to mind immediately:

1) The VFCC, and its associated hotels, were recently renovated in connection with the casino construction. More money was put into the VFCC hotels (over $2 USD million) than the Ike will ever see. I'd rather stay at the location that won the casino license (VFCC) than the place that lost (the Ike). We know the VFCC will be around for a while because of the casino. Moving a convention to the Ike just means that HMGS will have to move again in a few years when the Ike suffers the same fate as the Host.

2) The overall cost of the VFCC should be less in the future than what it was the last time an HMGS convention was there given that the mezzanine level is no longer available. (That's where they put the casino.) Thus, HMGS would be renting less space at the VFCC. The missing space could be replaced by using more hotel meeting rooms or HMGS could adopt a "shrink to fit" approach and make Cold Wars (or Fall In) fit into whatever space is available.

3) I suspect that there is less support amongst the BOD and the membership for a return to Gettysburg over Valley Forge.

Like I said before, stay tuned.

Oh I'm not rating them, merely saying what the immediate ones to run to would be. :-)

I just got off the phone with the Ike. The All Star Sports Complex has not been torn down and is still in operation. Not saying we should go to the Ike, but I am saying it is still an option, as is the VFCC – though I have no idea what their prices are like now. I suspect both would be adequate to handle CW and FI, given the current attendance.

I like Ike.

Ike does have the advantage of being in Gettysburg.

You guys know the owners of the IKE aren't putting any money into it either, since they lost their casino bid.