I'm frustrated w/ The Phoenix Forum

I wanted to post this to solicit what others are doing. You know, the Phoenix Forum was the very first show I ever attended. One thing that made it stand out from the AVN shows was the affordability.

This year they have a $125 registration fee. And I'm ok with that. ccBill works hard to put on a show, and $125 is not much to ask.

But I'm frankly not happy with the hotel arrangements. Is it just me? I blinked and the Tempe Mission Palms was totally booked. That's so aggrivating. This happened last year, and I made arrangements at the adjacent Marriott Courtyard, and I was prepared to stay there again. It's boring, but clean. According to Marriott's website, they are asking $279/night.

$279/night ???? !!! ??? Jesus Christ. Last year I paid $199. I expect to pay extra if I'm staying at the Westin Diplomat or Las Vegas.... but I've stayed at the Marriot Courtyard and you do not get a view of the Atlantic Ocean, nor the Las Vegas Strip.

I want to go, and I'm happy to support ccBill. I'm fine with the registration fee. But $1500 for lodging? OFF SITE??

What's everyone else doing?

Steve

When we went a few years ago we stayed at the Best Western, I am very picky and it was fine. Very clean and the staff was great. You can even walk to the event from the hotel or the hotel does have a shuttle, it's just on the east side of ASU. I don't recall what we paid, I think like 129 a night or something, I can't remember.

At the end of the day, your stay is over and you go home with a few extra bucks in your pocket and you're not going to care where you stayed, but that you have a lot of cash in pocket and not wasted on a hotel stay for 3 or 4 days.

But it was a very nice hotel, I was surprised, since I never haved stayed at one of those before, I normally stay at marriot's. You will be very happy there, I know we all were, and we are high maintenance.

Why didnt you book your room months ago when the show was first announced like everyone else?

You only had to pay for 1 night to secure your room, if you knew you were going to attend the show, based on your own experiences of the show hotel selling out way in advance, the logical thing for you to do would have been to book in advance of the show, not a month before it.

Regards,

Lee

Well I guess that's something I have to get better at.

I don't specifically recall why I was otherwise occupied seizing the window of opportunity to reserve a host hotel room. Perhaps I was in flight back from Phoenix after supporting the Gay Phoenix Forum.

Steve

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Originally Posted by desslock

Well I guess that's something I have to get better at.

I don't specifically recall why I was otherwise occupied seizing the window of opportunity to reserve a host hotel room. Perhaps I was in flight back from Phoenix after supporting the Gay Phoenix Forum.

Steve

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Not just you darlin' I do believe it was sold out the first day, but I'm assuming 20% of those rooms will be released by sponcers who had a long hold time, before they had to pay in full, non refundabul.

Not sure what date, but I wasn't far down on the waiting list. Fingers crossed, it really makes it a much harder show for me, as I'm not as spry as I was in my 40s. Be nice to just be settled in, and let the tasty boys come to Madame.


:innocent:

I am not sure, but I think the Mission Palms won't accept reservations until the show is announced. Last year I tried to book a room early and was told I had to wait until after a certain date to book for the Forum. Then I waited 4 days and all sold out. This year I have just resigned myself to driving back and forth.

There are a lot of smaller hotels around that area because of the university and stadium so close. Call Sherri and see if there are other hotels other than the Marriott. Hopefully they are mindful of the economy minded attendee ;-)

The Best Western is a fair walk from the Mission Palms however! Not long by NYC standards, but driving distance by Phoenix or LA standards.

And just assume that there is not a single cab, city bus, or other public transportation in the entire Phoenix metro area. No cabs here.

The Best Western had a shuttle and they took us with no problem, but sometimes we wanted to walk. It was so nice out and a very scenic walk, we enjoyed it. Plus hot ass ASU guys everywhere! Great hotel and great staff.

Sorry I would never waste 250 + a night for a hotel, no way! Unless it was for a vacation or something like at a Disney Resort or like Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas or something, where that is a part of the vacation. But not to stay somewhere for 3 days temporarily to rest my head at night, barely be at the hotel anyway, to just sleep for a few hours a night.

On New Years of 2000 we stayed a week at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills and it was 750 a night, I didn't pay for it, and it was aight. Way over rated in my opinion. Great food though! Wow on the food!

Best Western sounds REALLY good if it has a shuttle.

But it is small so book early!!

we stayed at the Comfort Inn at last year's forum and we only paid something like $89 a night.... and we even brought our dog!

very affordable and relatively close

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Originally Posted by Madame0120

Not just you darlin' I do believe it was sold out the first day, but I'm assuming 20% of those rooms will be released by sponcers who had a long hold time, before they had to pay in full, non refundabul.

Not sure what date, but I wasn't far down on the waiting list. Fingers crossed, it really makes it a much harder show for me, as I'm not as spry as I was in my 40s. Be nice to just be settled in, and let the tasty boys come to Madame.


:innocent:

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Don't you have a caravan or mobile home you took to the shows one year? Why not do it again this year and give Desslock a cheap place to crash for a couple nights? Remind you of the good old days. Go for it girl :bunny:

Well I usually rent a car when I go to Phoenix. Is there parking at the Tempe Mission Palms? All I remember is that front driveway with some spaces.

Steve

yeah, there's a big lot on the side and if you enter from the side and not the main entrance you can park all day (and you don't have to tip the car hops either)

- we're real cheap sons-of-bitches when it comes to shelling out cash for unnecessary things like having someone move a car two feet and open the door for us - damn, if I did that all day long here in LA when I move around from place to place, well.... I'd be out some serious $$$$

for more tips on being cheap, stay tuned to "Tony does it for Cheap...."

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Originally Posted by desslock

Well I usually rent a car when I go to Phoenix. Is there parking at the Tempe Mission Palms? All I remember is that front driveway with some spaces.

Steve

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We used valet parking. I don't belive we paid a per day fee. LOL! I bet they'll remember us though. 2nd day of the event ... here comes the car jocky all red faced, lookin' SCARED and he's making a bee-line for roy.

Seems the boy didn't know the TRUE POWER of The Mighty Chevy Engine, and fish-tailed it into a yellow pole. :eek: First ever damage on our beloved `91 Wagon, Big Blue.

http://www.dearmadame.com/images/_public/big_blue_b.jpg

No worries - as expected, the fine folks at the Mission Palms took care of everything, and this trip, BB is sportin' a fresh paint job and flashy new mags!

Kinda odd .. The Mission Palms took care of us, and it was just our car.

I can't say the same for that fucking place in San Diego, who didn't give a RATs ass that my husband almost lost a finger in their over stuffed rooms- and refused to pay the medical expences. Stuck there for an extra 2days, and they never offered to comp us, or even buy us dinner.

:jerkoff:

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Originally Posted by Madame0120

We used valet parking. I don't belive we paid a per day fee. LOL! I bet they'll remember us though. 2nd day of the event ... here comes the car jocky all red faced, lookin' SCARED and he's making a bee-line for roy.

Seems the boy didn't know the TRUE POWER of The Mighty Chevy Engine, and fish-tailed it into a yellow pole. :eek: First ever damage on our beloved `91 Wagon, Big Blue.

http://www.dearmadame.com/images/_public/big_blue_b.jpg

No worries - as expected, the fine folks at the Mission Palms took care of everything, and this trip, BB is sportin' a fresh paint job and flashy new mags!

Kinda odd .. The Mission Palms took care of us, and it was just our car.

I can't say the same for that fucking place in San Diego, who didn't give a RATs ass that my husband almost lost a finger in their over stuffed rooms- and refused to pay the medical expences. Stuck there for an extra 2days, and they never offered to comp us, or even buy us dinner.

:jerkoff:

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5.7L V8 Small block Chevy 350... right???

We had the same thing only the sedan version when I was young.... she has got some real get up and go!

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Originally Posted by gaybucks_skyler

5.7L V8 Small block Chevy 350... right???

We had the same thing only the sedan version when I was young.... she has got some real get up and go!

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WOW! I am impressed with you darlin'! Cute as a button and knows his engines. It is an amazing machine, specially the routes we take through the mts. when we attend shows. It was the last of the wagons made for road trippin' and we leave everyone in the dust. :cop:

On the way back from the Gay Phoenix Forum, around Sky City, NM

http://www.dearmadame.com/images/_sh...oll_over_c.jpg

:sunny:

we never stay at the host hotel (although we're at the W this weekend, so I guess you never say never)

There's plenty of hotels and I just shell out for cabs since I'm such a lush.

I'll say that I'm GLAD I didn't stay at the host hotel for the gay show last year... it was a pit.

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Originally Posted by gaybucks_skyler

5.7L V8 Small block Chevy 350... right???

We had the same thing only the sedan version when I was young.... she has got some real get up and go!

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you just gave me a boner

Steve, check out some of the sponsors of the show. Sponsors get room allotments and oftentimes don't use them all. So if you're buddy buddy with someone that happens to be sponsoring maybe they can hook ya up with their room (they don't get the rooms free, but just first dibs on em to reserve them and pay for them, so you'll still have to pay).

Personally I prefer not staying at the host hotel. I like being able to get away from the madness when the day is over, since I'm not a big partier and can do without drunken webmasters screaming down the hallway outside my room at all hours of the night. And, just as it's nice to leave the office after a long day of work for a change of scenery and the opportunity to wind down, same goes for shows and hotels for me.

www.tripadvisor.com can be a good resource for finding hotels, btw. One of my fave websites!

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Originally Posted by desslock

$279/night ???? !!! ??? Jesus Christ.

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Jesus WOULD have to be staying there to get me to pay that much

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Originally Posted by SPACE GLIDER

Jesus WOULD have to be staying there to get me to pay that much

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I think The Son of God gets comp'ed.