Re: Cost of a full week in NYC?

[Guest guest]

The more " roommates " the more " cost efficient " it could be for you. Every

conference I attended in my single days and younger years, I would have three

other friends to room with and my hotel bill would be no more than $100.00 for

the whole week!! (Yes, this WAS years ago...).... Now of course times have

changed and prices are higher, but even so, you could save a bundle if you split

the cost by four, instead of rooming alone or with just another person.

I am very excited that the conference committee was able to get such a

great hotel and location at a " reasonable " NYC price. Noboby has ever attempted

hosting a conference in NYC, mainly because of hotel rates, but " kudos " to the

committee that finally has taken the plunge to put one on. Can't wait for

NYC!!

Carole

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[Guest guest]

This isn't the first time this question has asked and I doubt it will

be the last. And you can hardly compare (even downtown) Detroit to

Brooklyn Heights, NY in pricing, just look at the real estate values

and it's worlds apart. I doubt it would have been less expensive if

other conference were held this close to the city they say they are

held in (Boston, for example). Airport hotels are usually cheaper and

I've seen many a conference held at those. This one is 1.5 miles

across the river from Manhattan, so you can see that 1.5 mile trip and

destination right from many of the hotel windows.

While I commend each and every committee for their wonderful efforts,

sometimes the memberships wishes' mean that we bite the bullet on

overall cost.

Let me refer you back to Message #46638 of 50873 posted on Wed May 2,

2007 9:28 pm (which I will paste below). People have been asking for a

NYC national and a wonderful group of Long Islanders stepped up to the

plate to make the membership's dream come true. While the nightly fee

is not as low as in other places, there is a certain amount of balance

in the conference not being as long as others, as well as the fund

raising that is being done to keep other costs low. So many factors

play into choosing a hotel for these massive events and I commend the

committee for making the choice that they did. The City (and it's

boroughs) isn't a cheap place to stay, even in this economy. I just

did a search for the same nights of the week at this time of year and

the cheapest room was 299.00(USD)per night. We wanted cheap(er)? Then

we could have stayed in many spots miles from the city and wasted

hours of commuting time getting into the city to see any part of it.

For some this may be a once in a lifetime trip to enjoy the city that

never sleeps. The best part is that these LPA venue choices are made

years in advance and hopefully people started stuffing their piggy

banks in preparation when it was announced. Pretty soon it will be

time to pull out that stopper and let those savings drop out and buy

you the trip of a lifetime.

Message #46638 of 50873 posted on Wed May 2, 2007 9:28 pm:

" Very True, and there are a lot of Items that will help those

skeptical understand that the room price which was $249 ( then cut

down to $179 ) will keep some from coming if they aren't aware of the

effort being made to reduce the cost of every thing else. The local

committee plans to raise over $100,000 to divert the cost difference (

An attainable goal). Those coming to NY will never forget the

experience. There were 515 people at the recent regional!! Hopes for

the National are between 2500 and 3000.

Flights are a lot less expensive, to NY then to other location due to

the number of airports. Local eateries allow family to eat at

reasonable prices, while entertainment will be outstanding, ask those

who were at the Islanders regional.

Please note: NYC has never a National due to price, yet a dollar for

dollar consideration must be made as well as the value for each

dollar. NYC is the place many never have the opportunity to get to but

always long for ( as seen with NY regional ).

The New York region will be preparing information that will help

everyone become promoters of a NYC 2009 National. "

Neal

Islanders VP.

>

> I like to think of myself as independent, and hard working. I make a

> good living and work for a company where I often get to stay in some

> really nice hotels around the world. So why do I think $179 per

night at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott sounds high? What was Detroit

$99 per night? I guess I shouldn't complain, it is an expensive city

and it will be a lot of fun, but should I find a roomie for next years

nation convention to split the costs? Just for background, I am paying

for my LP best friends plane ticket and to have his own room. He

couldn't afford to go otherwise. SO, that's $300 x 2 = $600 for the

airfare, $179 (plus tax?!) x 2 x 5 nights = $1800. Plus food and fun,

I'll estimate $600. Three grand total. Anyone else spend that much at

a previous event?

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

 

I believe NY will be the costliest, but I'd say majority usually have a few

roommates for conferences, usually 3 or 4. That's nice of you to pay for his

plane ticket and room, hope he is your best friend lol, but honestly, he should

have a few roommates as well, not that many people I know can personally afford

their own room.  Why break the bank when there are better alternatives?  I

usually packed food for breakfast as well like granola bars or mini cereal boxes

to cut down on meal costs. I suspect Nashville will be lower in hotel prices.

 

-

From: .Manasas@...

Subject: Cost of a full week in NYC?

dwarfism

Date: Monday, November 24, 2008, 2:22 PM

I like to think of myself as independent, and hard working. I make a

good living and work for a company where I often get to stay in some

really nice hotels around the world. So why do I think $179 per night

at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott sounds high? What was Detroit $99 per

night? I guess I shouldn't complain, it is an expensive city and it

will be a lot of fun, but should I find a roomie for next years nation

convention to split the costs? Just for background, I am paying for my

LP best friends plane ticket and to have his own room. He couldn't

afford to go otherwise. SO, that's $300 x 2 = $600 for the airfare,

$179 (plus tax?!) x 2 x 5 nights = $1800. Plus food and fun, I'll

estimate $600. Three grand total. Anyone else spend that much at a

previous event?

[Guest guest]

There are several reasons (and means) to keep the NYC conference as cheap as

any other:

1. Stay one less night. If you stay five nights instead of six (for

example), that's about a $30 discount.

2. Food will be cheaper. Lots of local restaurants and food vendors.

Seriously, you can eat for about $7 a day in NYC.

3. Get a roommate. Instead of paying for your friend's room, offer to share

it with him. Most of us have done this (I did in 2006).

4. Travel to and from NYC is a LOT cheaper than other cities. It is one of

the biggest transportation hubs in the world. For those on the eastern

seaboard, getting to NYC by train is another option.

5. The conference committee is doing all kinds of fund raising to offset

other costs. I expect when you add up everything (registration, room,

dining, and activities) it will not cost any more than any other conference.

Finally, IT'S NEW YORK CITY!!!! If you got to pay a little extra this year,

it will be well worth it. Personally, my favorite activity will be going

down to Wall Street to pitch nickels to homeless investment bankers. Maybe

I'll even catch a ride on the Cash Cab!

Bill

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

 

Bill, I'd pay to see you on cash cab lol.  It truly is about saving and pinching

pennies.  When I got my new job at a credit union a month ago, I moved all of my

accounts over and opened up a 9 month CD specifically for the conference. I am

also going to open another savings account labeled conferences specifically for

conferences. 

 

For those that are serious about attending or have a prime one you can't wait

for, having a conference saving account, signing up for a vacation club account,

or opening up a CD might be a wise idea.  A regular savings account just has the

bare minimum in APY.  My credit union offers a vacation club account which you

can put money in at any time, takes a dollar to open, matures june 1st, and

gives you a bit higher interest rate than your regular savings.  I chose to do a

CD because it had the highest rate for 9 mos out of the savings account or

vacation club.  It is important to keep in mind that CD's have a minimum level

you have to put in, and once you start with a certain amount, you cannot add to

it. If you do decide to have a seperate regular savings account, check with your

financial institution if you are able to put a certain percentage or dollar

amount of your check into that account monthly (if you have direct deposit).

 

I agree though, after attending many conferences, I can say NY will be the best

(in my opinion) as I've never been to NYC so for me it is worth the sacrifice. 

I've been to conferences where we've been out in the boonies and it was no fun,

after a week if felt like you were stuck and it was very costly to get to the

city.

 

I am also supporting second tier city locations like when we had it in Milwaukee

(yes, I'm biased lol).  I heard many great things about the location, so I am

sure we can find other second tier cities as well with a great atmosphere.  I'd

love to see Omaha put up again for a location.

 

2009- NY,  2010-Nashville, TN,  2011-Anaheim, CA?

 

[Guest guest]

Thanks for all the info, suggestions, opinions, and that it will be well worth

the cost! I usually spend a small fortune on yearly overseas vacations, so maybe

I'll skip Europe this year and focus on NYC, and spend my dollars here in

America! I appreciate the suggestion of letting my best friend room with me, but

we are both so independent and I have a feeling he will see the conference as a

way to well, have fun privately, and I think anyone who's young and been to a

previous conference might understand what I am saying. I know of a couple other

little people in the upstate South Carolina area, so I'll ask if they are going

next time I see them. I met a guy at the Blindhorse Saloon this past Saturday

night, but he didn't seem interesting in making new friends, only dancing with

the ladies.