Quote:
Originally posted by Lewis Sussman
I just checked out the hotel "deals" posted on the FIRST website, characterized this way by FIRST: "The packages are VERY cost effective and we feel they will provide an exceptional value to FIRST teams." Perhaps I'm just naive about big city hotels, but the rates look quite steep to me. We usually pay about a hundred bucks or less a night for a quad, so for three nights that would be $75 per person not including tax,etc. The cheapest rate I saw was $178 a person for three nights, more than twice what we're used to. Yes, I know they are "packages," with meal tickets. I'm wary of meal ticket meals myself, and would rather have the choice to forage on my own, apparently not an option. Comments?
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Let's examine the Crowne Plaza Houston Medical Center location - one of the closer hotels to the event site.
The package, assuming four people per room, is $257 each.
The rate, as listed on their
website, is $140.16 per night for four people.
A four day stay is $560.64, or, of course, $140.16 per person.
Tickets for two days' admission to Six Flags Astroworld are $44.99. Please, keep in mind that Six Flags parks do not offer reduced admission for half-day operation, traditionally.
7 meals are included in the package as well. Let's assume $10 per meal for a value of $70.
So, thus far, we have a total value of services of $265.17.
This does not take into account the cost of bus transportation to and from the Reliant Park complex from each of the hotels, nor does it include any costs passed along to teams to cover the facilities costs associated with holding the event in this venue. If Disney didn't do it for free, my guess is that Reliant Park isn't doing it for free either.
These packages are cheaper or on par with those we received at Walt Disney World, given that they do not include park hopper passes. (The park hopper passes were, if I recall, about $140 each and there was the additional $75 event fee
built in to the package fees last season.)
To me, this seems like it's exactly what you all were asking for. It's considerably cheaper, but without the amenities of the Walt Disney World Resort that many people argued don't get used anyway.