Gen Con renews contract
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Posted by noone garhkal
#26

garhkal wrote:
aaronmlopez wrote: Hotel prices are higher during "peak" times versus "off peak". It is pretty much the same wherever you go. It's not GOUGING. It's supply and demand. High demand + limited supply = higher cost (Action comics #1 is a good example... low supply, high demand = you are going to shell out a fortune to own it. If there were millions of copies available, then the price would be low.)

While that is true, what i am irked about is that towns such as ind have pushed a tax on VISITORS who have NO capacity to vote on said tax's implementation on us..  Unlike say a new levie for property taxes that we DO get to vote on in our local township/county..
ALL cities have a hotel tax.  People who usually stay at hotels usually are t local so don't vote in local cal elections.  While Indianapolis at 17% is one the the highest, even tourist friendly cities like Hounalulu and Las Vegas are 13%.  ANY PLACE you stay at a hotel/motel has them.  Pick any city and go to google and search the city's name with hotel tax

Posted by garhkal
#27

17.7 is the highest recorded (St louis Mo)..  So indy being at 17% is amongst the top 3 highest..
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/06/booking-a-hotel-these-cities-have-the-highest-hotel-taxes/index.htm

Most others are 10% or so..

Posted by ahtnamas
#28

Actually, Indianapolis is not even in the top 10 in the most recent report...

Indy is tied for 11th-18th at 17.00%

Las Vegas is the highest at 18.00% as of 2015 (which are the numbers this 2016 report looked at.)

http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/pdf16/HVS082916.pdf

Posted by aaronmlopez
#29

The hotel tax, especially during large conventions/events is almost understandable. In a lot of cases, you need extra traffic monitoring, police presence, garbage pickup, in addition to the higher crime, traffic incidents, and such. I am sure that this along with the additional revenue, offsets some of the additional costs to the city. Since EVERY area has this, which I am sure is probably not a choice of the hotel owners, it is a reality that we will have to deal with. GenCon is a LUXURY that I am fortunate enough to be able to enjoy. As long as I have the budget for it, I will continue to attend. 

Posted by garhkal ahtnamas
#30

ahtnamas wrote:
Actually, Indianapolis is not even in the top 10 in the most recent report...
Indy is tied for 11th-18th at 17.00%
Las Vegas is the highest at 18.00% as of 2015 (which are the numbers this 2016 report looked at.)
http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/pdf16/HVS082916.pdf

Hmm.. When i searched for that info, i didn't see that site mentioned..
Thanks for the find (and correction).

Posted by squirecam
#31

That is not true. The Las Vegas room tax rate is 12.9% and will only rise a bit under 1% if the raiders come to Vegas. It is one of the lowest convention city tax rates in the nation, just below Orlando.

http://www.ktnv.com/news/las-vegas-stadium-breaking-down-the-room-tax-impact
 

Posted by ryric
#32

While Vegas objectively has more hotel rooms, they are actually much more spread out relative to the convention center than Indy. You wouldn't have nearly as many actually close rooms(across the street from the convention center), but you would have a lot more within one mile. For me, once you get more than one block away, it's too far for me to conveniently hike back and forth all day.

I'm in the camp that there really isn't a better city than Indy. No city is going to have the hotel configuration to meet the demand we have for nearby connected hotels.

Posted by bugwar ryric
#33

ryric wrote:

 No city is going to have the hotel configuration to meet the demand we have for nearby connected hotels.


Good point.
The Hyatt Regency has about a thousand rooms.  To fit the 2016 Gencon crowd into a hamster tube connected hotel would take about 60 Hyatt Regencies built within a block of the convention center.
Can't see that happening.

Posted by squirecam ryric
#34

ryric wrote:
While Vegas objectively has more hotel rooms, they are actually much more spread out relative to the convention center than Indy. You wouldn't have nearly as many actually close rooms(across the street from the convention center), but you would have a lot more within one mile. For me, once you get more than one block away, it's too far for me to conveniently hike back and forth all day.
I'm in the camp that there really isn't a better city than Indy. No city is going to have the hotel configuration to meet the demand we have for nearby connected hotels.

The standard cannot be less than a block away. It is impossible then. No city has enough "connected" hotel space for everyone.

However, enough hotels within 1 mile.....Vegas clearly does.

 

Posted by glory squirecam
#35

squirecam wrote:
ryric wrote:
While Vegas objectively has more hotel rooms, they are actually much more spread out relative to the convention center than Indy. You wouldn't have nearly as many actually close rooms(across the street from the convention center), but you would have a lot more within one mile. For me, once you get more than one block away, it's too far for me to conveniently hike back and forth all day.
I'm in the camp that there really isn't a better city than Indy. No city is going to have the hotel configuration to meet the demand we have for nearby connected hotels.

The standard cannot be less than a block away. It is impossible then. No city has enough "connected" hotel space for everyone.However, enough hotels within 1 mile.....Vegas clearly does.
 

You can also get from one end of the strip to another for about a $10 cab fare. Which is really reasonable, IMO, if you don't want to walk outside. 

I'm probably the only person in the world who wouldn't mind a trip to Vegas for Gen Con each year - but that's because, besides Gen Con, it's my favorite place in the world. :-P

Flights can be usually found for cheap, and if you gamble even a little bit, you can usually get a great rate on a hotel room. 

I love Indy... I'm just saying I would only mind a little bit if we moved to Vegas. :D

Posted by lore seeker glory
#36

glory wrote:
squirecam wrote:
ryric wrote:
While Vegas objectively has more hotel rooms, they are actually much more spread out relative to the convention center than Indy. You wouldn't have nearly as many actually close rooms(across the street from the convention center), but you would have a lot more within one mile. For me, once you get more than one block away, it's too far for me to conveniently hike back and forth all day.
I'm in the camp that there really isn't a better city than Indy. No city is going to have the hotel configuration to meet the demand we have for nearby connected hotels.

The standard cannot be less than a block away. It is impossible then. No city has enough "connected" hotel space for everyone.However, enough hotels within 1 mile.....Vegas clearly does.

You can also get from one end of the strip to another for about a $10 cab fare. Which is really reasonable, IMO, if you don't want to walk outside. I'm probably the only person in the world who wouldn't mind a trip to Vegas for Gen Con each year - but that's because, besides Gen Con, it's my favorite place in the world. :-P
Flights can be usually found for cheap, and if you gamble even a little bit, you can usually get a great rate on a hotel room. 
I love Indy... I'm just saying I would only mind a little bit if we moved to Vegas. :D

Only problem for anyone flying is dealing with the damn TSA. Friend of mine had an incident on his way to a convention where he had to open his miniature case so they could check it, and the TSA drone just started tossing the miniatures out as he conducted his search. METAL miniatures, so they were breaking as he tossed them out. My friend demanded the guy's badge number and to see his supervisor, and the TSA guy tossed him the "You can't talk to me like that!" attitude - until said friend told said drone that what he was doing was destruction of property, a crime.

Posted by squirecam lore seeker
#37

father bloodlust wrote:
glory wrote:
squirecam wrote:
ryric wrote:
While Vegas objectively has more hotel rooms, they are actually much more spread out relative to the convention center than Indy. You wouldn't have nearly as many actually close rooms(across the street from the convention center), but you would have a lot more within one mile. For me, once you get more than one block away, it's too far for me to conveniently hike back and forth all day.
I'm in the camp that there really isn't a better city than Indy. No city is going to have the hotel configuration to meet the demand we have for nearby connected hotels.

The standard cannot be less than a block away. It is impossible then. No city has enough "connected" hotel space for everyone.However, enough hotels within 1 mile.....Vegas clearly does.

You can also get from one end of the strip to another for about a $10 cab fare. Which is really reasonable, IMO, if you don't want to walk outside. I'm probably the only person in the world who wouldn't mind a trip to Vegas for Gen Con each year - but that's because, besides Gen Con, it's my favorite place in the world. :-P
Flights can be usually found for cheap, and if you gamble even a little bit, you can usually get a great rate on a hotel room. 
I love Indy... I'm just saying I would only mind a little bit if we moved to Vegas. :D

Only problem for anyone flying is dealing with the damn TSA. Friend of mine had an incident on his way to a convention where he had to open his miniature case so they could check it, and the TSA drone just started tossing the miniatures out as he conducted his search. METAL miniatures, so they were breaking as he tossed them out. My friend demanded the guy's badge number and to see his supervisor, and the TSA guy tossed him the "You can't talk to me like that!" attitude - until said friend told said drone that what he was doing was destruction of property, a crime.

Many people have to fly to Indy too.

Posted by garhkal
#38

I hope your friend got compensated for all that damage done by that TSA pleb!

Posted by ryric
#39

Arguably more people would have to fly to Vegas than Indy, though. There's a lot more overall population density in the Midwest than out in the desert.

My group really wants the "across the street" hotel room, so there really isn't a better option for us than Indy.

Posted by genconkeeper
#40

Friends Indy has the package and will continue to have the package, convention center, rooms, and place to eat, near the geographic population center of the country. The Cities main industry is not cars, or steel, or making hamburgers but putting on Conventions. Unlike other town or places we don't look at Gen Con as bunch of freaks in costumes but people who have come to our City to have a fun time. The Cops invoke senority on who is going to work security for Gen Con, they love the show. We quickly intergrated Food Truck culture into our Convention Center, where other Convention Centers are writing laws to keep them away. Most other cities you are not going to find a Grocery Store within a few blocks of a Convention Center. It's the package and me and alot of other local attendees will continue to keep Gen Con in the minds of our local officials.
Randu

Posted by squirecam genconkeeper
#41

genconkeeper wrote:
Friends Indy has the package and will continue to have the package, convention center, rooms, and place to eat, near the geographic population center of the country. The Cities main industry is not cars, or steel, or making hamburgers but putting on Conventions. Unlike other town or places we don't look at Gen Con as bunch of freaks in costumes but people who have come to our City to have a fun time. The Cops invoke senority on who is going to work security for Gen Con, they love the show. We quickly intergrated Food Truck culture into our Convention Center, where other Convention Centers are writing laws to keep them away. Most other cities you are not going to find a Grocery Store within a few blocks of a Convention Center. It's the package and me and alot of other local attendees will continue to keep Gen Con in the minds of our local officials.
Randu

I'd have more faith if there was even an attempt at solving the transportation problem. The shuttle service went from middling to very poor. Last year gen con simply gave up. 
 

Posted by adcjones squirecam
#42

squirecam wrote:
Glad it was only a 1 year extension.
I like Indy.....but there are problems that REALLY need solving. Downtown hotel space is #1 and outer hotels with a reasonable shuttle are #2.
If those things are not resolved, and sadly the last few years have been a downward trend, then Gen con needs freedom to explore its options.
Frankly, no more extensions should be made until the above issues are addressed.

Good luck with that.  Indy has its issues, but there's no other place like it which combines everything in one central place (both downtown and for the country).  Literally, none.

Posted by squirecam
#43

There are a ton of cities with better public transport. Many have light rail service directly to their convention center.

The vast majority of people can no longer stay downtown. There is simply not the space. So the fact that it has a nice downtown is less useful when you have issues even getting there.

Posted by ryric
#44

Comparing available rooms to attendance doesn't really convey a good picture. For example, my circle of friends that attend comprises 14 people. Last year we had three rooms for the 14 of us. I've crammed 8 to a room before, and I've attended by myself. I've had the number of people in my room change on a nightly basis. Lots of variation in over 20 years of attending. Vendors and staff need rooms too, and I'm not sure whether they're counted in the attendance numbers. The point is that you can't just say 60k people, 10k rooms. It's not nearly that simple.

I like Indy and I support staying. I think the idea of a "better" city is either a unicorn or uses a definition of "better" I disagree with.

Posted by squirecam
#45

I don't want to get off on a tangent here but you are not supposed to cram 8 into a room. It's a fire and safety issue.

But if the response would be "we'll people can't afford to go otherwise".....then you have made my point about hotel prices.

I really like Indy. But there are serious problems that cant keep being swept under the rug and must be dealt with.

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