April 14, 2009 USAToday article “Cities Greet Meeting Planners with Open Arms”
usatoday.com/travel/hotels/2 … ning_N.htm
I suppose that one silver lining in this year’s economy is that after years of having to scramble to find hotels interested in hosting a chess tournament that it’s now a “Buyer’s market” as conventions cancel their meeting room reservations and businesses cut down on all “non-essential” travel – while new hotels whose construction were started during the boom era open, add to the “oversupply”.
Of course, the market varies state-by-state and city-by-city, but I’d guess that a number of tournament organizers are finding that one or more of the following are happening:
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More hotels are bidding to host a chess tournament. Some of these would represent an “upscale” move from the incumbent hotel, or are in a more interesting location (e.g., sited near a tourist attraction, etc.).
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Incumbent hotels are willing to either:
- Reduce their block room rate and/or meeting room rate.
- Or, add an amenity they didn’t offer before, such as offering an inexpensive snack food bar (e.g., hot dogs and sodas), or would waive the cost of a hotel room as a raffle prize.