HQ Lodging Policy Discussion
- Thread starter Dreamingfurther
- Start date
I'm not 100% sure what the pre-registration policy is, though I think I have heard Mike say (or post) that you can pre-register for any event on the schedule.
As for fair, I understand your frustration. But the alternative is "first come, first served" which can also be unfair if people do not work on Friday and then drop their stuff in a private room Friday at noon. Or worse, drop their stuff in extra rooms to "save" them for someone else.
We are trying to be as fair as possible. People have repeatedly requested reserving the private rooms ever since they were built. We've tried to come up with a solution. Admittedly, it's not a perfect solution. But I do believe it is a temporary solution as we are working hard to build more lodging and amenities (e.g., electricity, privacy, insulation, etc.) so that there is no competition for lodging and everyone is happy.
--- Eric Stehle
As for fair, I understand your frustration. But the alternative is "first come, first served" which can also be unfair if people do not work on Friday and then drop their stuff in a private room Friday at noon. Or worse, drop their stuff in extra rooms to "save" them for someone else.
We are trying to be as fair as possible. People have repeatedly requested reserving the private rooms ever since they were built. We've tried to come up with a solution. Admittedly, it's not a perfect solution. But I do believe it is a temporary solution as we are working hard to build more lodging and amenities (e.g., electricity, privacy, insulation, etc.) so that there is no competition for lodging and everyone is happy.
--- Eric Stehle
Gunnar
Squire
Eric,
I think what Michelle was referring to, was the fact that someone can preregister whenever for regular events. So, can they then in turn prereg a private room for October in April?
If so, then should there be a list online for the preregistration dates to see whether or not things are filled up? Or should there be regulations of "You can only pay for a private room starting 3 weeks before that event."
-Ali
I think what Michelle was referring to, was the fact that someone can preregister whenever for regular events. So, can they then in turn prereg a private room for October in April?
If so, then should there be a list online for the preregistration dates to see whether or not things are filled up? Or should there be regulations of "You can only pay for a private room starting 3 weeks before that event."
-Ali
zehnyu said:
Mike V. has told me in the past that he posts pre-reg info as soon as someone pays. and that if i wanted to pay for all of the events for the entire season right now, he would make a thread for pre-registration for every event at that time.
I wouldn't be opposed to seeing like a pre-reg forum listing all of the scheduled events and who is pre-reged (as well as what rooms/cabins are available) for the entire year. but then again, that's just me, and I'm not right in the head.
Gwendara
Fighter
Robb Graves said:
Reserved cabins/rooms many months in advance...I don't know...kinda sucks for those of us that don't know what may come up with work in a couple months to see that someone has claimed the cabins or the rooms out throughout the whole year. But I mean I guess if someone knows their schedule that far out and can pay, more power to them, and if they have to bow out of an event then the room/cabin will be free again. Might help you guys from a logistics side of things but I'm still kinda on the fence about how far out those reservations should go. Just my 2 cents that no one asked for!
i can see that point of view.. but considering that mostly the private rooms are being gobbled up now because they have electricity, and fairplay has stated they want to get electricity into the cabins before the end of the year.. plus, who needs a heater in the summer anyway, i would assume that the cabins would be the bigger draw later in the year... and if fairplay gets enough money to get that big cabin eric mentioned, all of this is going to be slightly moot i would think.
I am pretty sure that Mike V. will post lists of people who have pre-registered when he gets them regardless of what month or event they are for, but I'll let Mike V. confirm that.
Second, I believe Robb is correct in that the private rooms are in demand right now mostly because they will likely be warmer than a cabin or the Common Room. Once it gets warmer, the demand for the private rooms will likely decrease.
And as I said in a previous post, we are working hard to make lodging a non-issue by adding electricity and insulation to the cabins and Common Room as well as building more cabins. We are in the design/planning stages for a new, large cabin that we hope can lodge 10-15 people.
I think we're all kinda forgetting how far we've come in terms of lodging in just a year! Remember all the tents? Just adding the Common Room was a huge improvement. Now we've got cabins and private rooms and we're still adding even more. I know that all of the Faire Play staff really appreciate that you, the players, are helping us through this growth period.
--- Eric Stehle
Second, I believe Robb is correct in that the private rooms are in demand right now mostly because they will likely be warmer than a cabin or the Common Room. Once it gets warmer, the demand for the private rooms will likely decrease.
And as I said in a previous post, we are working hard to make lodging a non-issue by adding electricity and insulation to the cabins and Common Room as well as building more cabins. We are in the design/planning stages for a new, large cabin that we hope can lodge 10-15 people.
I think we're all kinda forgetting how far we've come in terms of lodging in just a year! Remember all the tents? Just adding the Common Room was a huge improvement. Now we've got cabins and private rooms and we're still adding even more. I know that all of the Faire Play staff really appreciate that you, the players, are helping us through this growth period.
--- Eric Stehle
Gwendara
Fighter
I wasn't trying to diminish the work you were doing at all. I apologize if it came off that way. I was not saying that you should stop posting people who pre-reg when he gets them by month either. I guess I really failed on that post. I was just meaning about lodging being reserved so far in advance. Pre-reging events ahead of time, in my opinion, is not an issue because if for some reason you can't make it you can have that event credited to another month. Snagging lodging ahead of time I could see as more of an issue because people may buy it up quickly to ensure they have it but then if for some reason they can't come that month it might be a little harder to get the word out that those rooms are available. I suppose it's a bit of a non-issue because if you were planning on sleeping in a tent and a room opens up, you can leave the tent packed up. All I was meaning to say was that it could be a little demoralizing to see the cabins/rooms reserved for many months by what would likely be the same people.
Didn't mean to start a whine fest here, and you guys ARE doing a wonderful job. Every time I have come up I have been impressed at the progress and have tried to find someone on the staff to thank for all their hard work. I wish I could have put more time in on the weekends with you but it almost always seemed like I had drill or some other obligation on the work weekend for that month. Maybe when I get off deployment and have a fat paycheck to sit on for a little bit and have free time I'll come bust some more ground with you. Just another reason to come back buff.
Didn't mean to start a whine fest here, and you guys ARE doing a wonderful job. Every time I have come up I have been impressed at the progress and have tried to find someone on the staff to thank for all their hard work. I wish I could have put more time in on the weekends with you but it almost always seemed like I had drill or some other obligation on the work weekend for that month. Maybe when I get off deployment and have a fat paycheck to sit on for a little bit and have free time I'll come bust some more ground with you. Just another reason to come back buff.
Ezri
Knight
I'm not complaining about the accommodations. I saw the site before much was done to it and I'm fully aware of how much better it is now. I'm not complaining about the cost either.
I'm expressing concern that, as Ali said, those who can't necessarily plan as far ahead as others won't even get the opportunity to book a private room if they want to, because they'll be gone months ahead. It's not even April and all the May rooms are already spoken for.
On the other side of the coin, I'm not asking to go back to "first come first served" in the manner it was before, because that's also not fair to those with long drives etc.
I think that some sort of middle ground needs to be struck is all.
I'm expressing concern that, as Ali said, those who can't necessarily plan as far ahead as others won't even get the opportunity to book a private room if they want to, because they'll be gone months ahead. It's not even April and all the May rooms are already spoken for.
On the other side of the coin, I'm not asking to go back to "first come first served" in the manner it was before, because that's also not fair to those with long drives etc.
I think that some sort of middle ground needs to be struck is all.
Gwendara
Fighter
That's kinda what I was getting at with my first post. It sucks to see rooms gone months in advance. I kinda agree on this one, not the first come first serve because of people's drives on Friday or working later than others. More of a, rooms can only be reserved x amount of weeks in advance. Just a suggestion.
As someone who has pre-registered for both April and May... I look at it like a hotel room. If you know that where you plan to stay is going to be in high demand you need to book your "rooms" early. Prior to the owners announcing the lodging policy I had preregistered for both the April and May events as I knew I was going to be attending those events. I probably would have pre-registered for June too but I think I will be in New Orleans for that weekend on business. When the lodging policy was announced I immediately sent money for both events to reserve a private room. They definitely went quick, but it is the same with a B&B or hotel. If the private rooms were not this way I would be calling the hotel down the road and doing the same thing.
Mike has made it clear that you need to be both pre-registered for the event and first come first serve paying for the private rooms.
I don't think this is an unfair policy--and I would say that regardless if I had a private room or not. Even if they were all filled up for the year and I wasn't on the list I still would support this policy. It encourages people to pre-reg and it brings more $$ back to the game so they can build more stuff. I personally feel that paying extra money just to know that you have a dedicated space to crash is well worth it too. Personally I get stressed out trying to get my team to all pre-register to get a cabin or trying to get off of work early so I can get to the site to squeeze my bed into a space that would accommodate it. So if paying $40.00 extra prevents that stress then I will gladly pay it (including the $60.00 to pre-reg first).
- J
Mike has made it clear that you need to be both pre-registered for the event and first come first serve paying for the private rooms.
I don't think this is an unfair policy--and I would say that regardless if I had a private room or not. Even if they were all filled up for the year and I wasn't on the list I still would support this policy. It encourages people to pre-reg and it brings more $$ back to the game so they can build more stuff. I personally feel that paying extra money just to know that you have a dedicated space to crash is well worth it too. Personally I get stressed out trying to get my team to all pre-register to get a cabin or trying to get off of work early so I can get to the site to squeeze my bed into a space that would accommodate it. So if paying $40.00 extra prevents that stress then I will gladly pay it (including the $60.00 to pre-reg first).
- J
Ezri
Knight
Except we're NOT a BnB or a hotel. If this were a resort town and Hotel A was booked, I can just go to Hotel B and get pretty much the same accommodations. That's simply not an option here. Changing it to "no more than a month ahead" or whatever is deemed a reasonable lead-time isn't going to discourage pre-registration, and I can pretty much guarantee you those rooms will all still get sold out. What it WOULD do is encourage people to plan and budget accordingly.
I hope you haven't taken this as a slam to you Jess, or any of the folks who have a room for that matter, as that's not what I'm intending here. I'm just trying to be an advocate for those folks who don't get to play every single event the way we do, or who aren't on the boards all the time to see these announcements. They feel left out enough as it is. Trying to book a room and finding out "Oh, those were all gone months ago" is very discouraging to chapter hoppers and other occasional players.
I hope you haven't taken this as a slam to you Jess, or any of the folks who have a room for that matter, as that's not what I'm intending here. I'm just trying to be an advocate for those folks who don't get to play every single event the way we do, or who aren't on the boards all the time to see these announcements. They feel left out enough as it is. Trying to book a room and finding out "Oh, those were all gone months ago" is very discouraging to chapter hoppers and other occasional players.
We may not be in Orlando, but there are 3 B&Bs and 3 hotels within driving distance of the site. If FP is booked up, I would call one of the others to get a heated room. Yeah I would have to pay more, but I also would get a private bathroom and a TV. 
I am taking nothing as a slam or personally... I just am stating I support the policy. If they amend it to having 1 month in advance there will be people who may send their payment at 12:00 or 12:01 am the day it is open. It all depends on the motivation and resources of the players. Yeah maybe it isn't ideal but I don't know how anyone could make an ideal policy that makes everyone happy. I suppose one idea would be to have an auction and the highest bidder gets the room. But then people would complain that only those who have the most money get the rooms.
I apologize if this comes off bitchy or anything--that isn't my intent. I just find it amusing how everyone has an opinion about how a governing body should do things and express their feedback on policies, etc. (i.e. see the post about AIG, etc.). I love that we can have opinions and express them... but FP is working really hard to provide us a great site. I am sure it can get discouraging for them to see their policies picked apart in an open forum (not really sure if that is the case but I would get discouraged if I was an owner). If someone has a suggestion for change then I would encourage you to reach out to FP via e-mail or talk to them.
- J
I am taking nothing as a slam or personally... I just am stating I support the policy. If they amend it to having 1 month in advance there will be people who may send their payment at 12:00 or 12:01 am the day it is open. It all depends on the motivation and resources of the players. Yeah maybe it isn't ideal but I don't know how anyone could make an ideal policy that makes everyone happy. I suppose one idea would be to have an auction and the highest bidder gets the room. But then people would complain that only those who have the most money get the rooms.
I apologize if this comes off bitchy or anything--that isn't my intent. I just find it amusing how everyone has an opinion about how a governing body should do things and express their feedback on policies, etc. (i.e. see the post about AIG, etc.). I love that we can have opinions and express them... but FP is working really hard to provide us a great site. I am sure it can get discouraging for them to see their policies picked apart in an open forum (not really sure if that is the case but I would get discouraged if I was an owner). If someone has a suggestion for change then I would encourage you to reach out to FP via e-mail or talk to them.
- J
Gwendara
Fighter
I don't find it amusing how everyone has an opinion on how a governing body should do things. I think it's key to getting other ideas or ways to constantly improve. Nothing is going to be perfect, that doesn't mean that people should just stop talking about it. I think how Michelle, for example, has brought this up has been professional and in no way picked apart the polices of Faire Play. I understand they have a lot of work to do and a lot of things to balance, probably one of the last things they are thinking about is who is registering for common rooms or private rooms, but the title of this post is HQ lodging policy discussion so people are going to discuss it here.
Yes there are hotels within driving distance for heated rooms etc. Sure, those come with their own issues for make-up intensive characters or whatever. Not really the topic I want to bring up because I think the bigger point here was that it *is* discouraging to see rooms booked months in advance and know you have no hope of getting one. I have to agree again with Michelle that a month or so in advance, I don't think, would be too much to ask for pre-regging rooms. Sure that might mean 12:01 am for them, so be it, it is better than weeks and or months ahead. Having come from a team that we try to pre-reg as well I understand the logistics end of that, and as such I still stand behind around aone month limit to pre-registering rooms or cabins. I think it is a good balance for both teams and people not wanting to see everything sold out for well in advance. It gives you time, up to a month, to get your team to pre-reg or just pay the $40 yourself and secure the room. From what I understand with the payment option, you don't need the 4+ people pre-regged for a room or cabin. That way you can secure a spot for your team a month in advance, and it leaves out the "I get out of work early or don't work on Friday's first come first serve" problem. It does this without being as discouraging for some as it could be. I think it's a pretty fair idea and would address the concerns of both parties.
-Christine
Yes there are hotels within driving distance for heated rooms etc. Sure, those come with their own issues for make-up intensive characters or whatever. Not really the topic I want to bring up because I think the bigger point here was that it *is* discouraging to see rooms booked months in advance and know you have no hope of getting one. I have to agree again with Michelle that a month or so in advance, I don't think, would be too much to ask for pre-regging rooms. Sure that might mean 12:01 am for them, so be it, it is better than weeks and or months ahead. Having come from a team that we try to pre-reg as well I understand the logistics end of that, and as such I still stand behind around aone month limit to pre-registering rooms or cabins. I think it is a good balance for both teams and people not wanting to see everything sold out for well in advance. It gives you time, up to a month, to get your team to pre-reg or just pay the $40 yourself and secure the room. From what I understand with the payment option, you don't need the 4+ people pre-regged for a room or cabin. That way you can secure a spot for your team a month in advance, and it leaves out the "I get out of work early or don't work on Friday's first come first serve" problem. It does this without being as discouraging for some as it could be. I think it's a pretty fair idea and would address the concerns of both parties.
-Christine
Mike Ventrella
Duke
IvanDrake said:
I hereby confirm that!
And to reaffirm Eric, as we build more cabins and spaces this will become a non-issue. The solution is for everyone to come to events, donate to Faire Play, and help us build/insulate/add electricity to cabins.
i just have the feeling that even if you put the restriction on the pre-regging for cabins to 3 weeks or whatever... the moment they all are gobbled up at 12:01am the person who got there at 12:02 is going to be pissed and demand another policy change. it just seems pointless to me.
I suppose what I don't understand is what is discouraging about the private rooms being filled up for April and May? I am not even sure how the private rooms were handled last year, I just know that they were always full and usually it required some type of group pre-registering (my group registered fairly quickly but we were never in time for those rooms but we were able to get a cabin). That is how it is with the cabins too. I could understand it being discouraging if the cabins and the private rooms were all taken for months (or even years) in advance... but there are still open cabins for April and May. Last I checked there wasn't a single cabin reserved.
Now I know that the cabins don't have electricity so it sucks not having electric blankets or space heaters. But there are those propane heaters and they can make the cabin very toasty though you have to be very careful with them. Last year we didn't have a propane heater but I took about 4-6 hand warmers and spread them all over in my bed to keep it warm. It worked alright, was better once Brian came to bed then it turned toasty!
The only sucky thing about the cabins is that you need 6 people pre-registered to secure a cabin. Six people in the cabins is a tight squeeze if you don't have bunk beds and sometimes you don't have a team of six with you. So I can understand fully the challenge of securing those cabins and they have filled up quickly in the past. The private rooms are nice because there isn't a set number for those rooms of people who have to pre-reg in order to secure.
This may be a challenge right now but it should get easier. FP is constantly adding to the site. Soon the cabins will have electricity and then they will also be in demand during the cooler weather. They announced they are planning on building an additional large cabin too! So it will get better.
Now I know that the cabins don't have electricity so it sucks not having electric blankets or space heaters. But there are those propane heaters and they can make the cabin very toasty though you have to be very careful with them. Last year we didn't have a propane heater but I took about 4-6 hand warmers and spread them all over in my bed to keep it warm. It worked alright, was better once Brian came to bed then it turned toasty!
The only sucky thing about the cabins is that you need 6 people pre-registered to secure a cabin. Six people in the cabins is a tight squeeze if you don't have bunk beds and sometimes you don't have a team of six with you. So I can understand fully the challenge of securing those cabins and they have filled up quickly in the past. The private rooms are nice because there isn't a set number for those rooms of people who have to pre-reg in order to secure.
This may be a challenge right now but it should get easier. FP is constantly adding to the site. Soon the cabins will have electricity and then they will also be in demand during the cooler weather. They announced they are planning on building an additional large cabin too! So it will get better.
Gwendara
Fighter
I'm not demanding anything here. I'm just agreeing with what Ali and Michelle said. I'm not too concerned about them being filled up for April or May. What I am worried about is this is a recent change that they've started being secured so much earlier than last year. Because you pay for them now, you don't have to have four people pre-reg which was the policy last year, making it much easier to secure rooms more than a month or two out.
Michelle brought up a concern, which I feel is valid, that to get a room you could very well have to pre-reg much further in advance and that the rooms/cabins could be taken more than a month in advance. I feel, even with the "snipers" to use the e-Bay term, snagging a room or two or even all of them at 12:01 if that even happens would still lessen the discouragement of seeing them all gone so far in advance.
I can see how this could be discouraging for players that chapter hop or even regular HQ members but I guess we are the only ones that feel that way. I'm not trying to complain, and in fact I rarely complain or even comment on policy. I do not view myself as someone who is always pissed about something or wanting to change things, and I've been alive long enough to know that you will not make everyone happy. What I wanted to convey here was what I felt was a legitimate concern for what may happen with this changed policy. I was trying to come up with a compromise for a problem that I am not the first or only person to address.
I also VERY much understand that construction is constantly happening. That things are constantly getting better. I never said they weren't and in fact thought I made that a pretty clear point in a previous post. Pretty much all the posts I have seen have said the respect and thankfulness they have for the Faire Play staff. I'm sorry if what we say here seems overly critical or that we are unhappy with the progress because I know I for one am very impressed with what you do even just between events. I respect the fact that you do all of this for pretty much no profit or at times a loss. I do know that this will get much better and in maybe even half a years time won't even be an issue. There won't be any tents. I know Eric and Scott you are all trying to make sure people are taken care of. I was again, just trying to reach a compromise between two parties' views but it doesn't seem like either side is really seeing the others' point of view on the issue...
Michelle brought up a concern, which I feel is valid, that to get a room you could very well have to pre-reg much further in advance and that the rooms/cabins could be taken more than a month in advance. I feel, even with the "snipers" to use the e-Bay term, snagging a room or two or even all of them at 12:01 if that even happens would still lessen the discouragement of seeing them all gone so far in advance.
I can see how this could be discouraging for players that chapter hop or even regular HQ members but I guess we are the only ones that feel that way. I'm not trying to complain, and in fact I rarely complain or even comment on policy. I do not view myself as someone who is always pissed about something or wanting to change things, and I've been alive long enough to know that you will not make everyone happy. What I wanted to convey here was what I felt was a legitimate concern for what may happen with this changed policy. I was trying to come up with a compromise for a problem that I am not the first or only person to address.
I also VERY much understand that construction is constantly happening. That things are constantly getting better. I never said they weren't and in fact thought I made that a pretty clear point in a previous post. Pretty much all the posts I have seen have said the respect and thankfulness they have for the Faire Play staff. I'm sorry if what we say here seems overly critical or that we are unhappy with the progress because I know I for one am very impressed with what you do even just between events. I respect the fact that you do all of this for pretty much no profit or at times a loss. I do know that this will get much better and in maybe even half a years time won't even be an issue. There won't be any tents. I know Eric and Scott you are all trying to make sure people are taken care of. I was again, just trying to reach a compromise between two parties' views but it doesn't seem like either side is really seeing the others' point of view on the issue...