SCCAForums.com

was told by a national staffer that the town has 850 hotel rooms, The info that I got when I researched the city, it showed only 6 hotels and about 500 rooms. I know from working at a hotel for several years that generally 10% of the rooms need some sort of maintenance and can't be sold. That being said, it is rediculous to think that a town of that size can facilitate an influx of 1200 individuals. Maybe this is a way to make the majority of the people coming to national stop coming so the numbers will dwindle back to the 700's.

Come on Ron, you couldn't possibly be an ignorant enough f*ck to accuse the National staff of lying about hotel rooms and wanting the event to shrink, could you?  That is completely ridiculous.  Aren't the National staffers in your region?  How do you face them after accusations like that?

I think the availability of HPT to be rented isn't the issue, it's the price and the resultant effect on entry fee that would be the issue.

DaveW

Full disclosure:   My company has a financial interest in Nationals being the largest event possible. 

Dave, I have respect for both you and Ron, but I might have just lost a little on that one. That comment was completely unnecessary.  It could just be as simple as Ron looked at available rooms in the nearest city, and the National Staff used a 50mile radius, thus picking up other small surrounding community's hotel offerings.  Which is what my discussion with a National Staffer suggested.

The Nationals is in my backyard too. I too would like to see it stay. And while that is somewhat a selfish statement, it also seems to make the most cense in my eyes. However, I'll likely go where ever its hosted. As long as the event is held somewhere that has decent accomodations and isn't in the middle of nowhere.

CamaroFS34:

Decent accomodations was lower on my list of "needs" than was "decent course size and layout" when I filled out the survey. I'll travel to and from the event if need be.

I agree the course is important, but not such where I'm willing to sleep in a tent for 10days.  And that "accomodations" referred to the site as well. Its got to accomodate our size requirements.

gareno:

As long as the event is held somewhere that has decent accomodations and isn't in the middle of nowhere.

Some could very easily argue that Topeka is in the middle of nowhere... 

Topeka is one of the 200 largest cities in America (defined by population within city limits).

Blytheville has a shrinking population under 20,000.  

You can *** and moan about the surface, the lot size, or the owner, but its a waste of time to argue which city is better equiped to host 1200 competitors and their families.

conekiller:

gareno:

As long as the event is held somewhere that has decent accomodations and isn't in the middle of nowhere.

 

Some could very easily argue that Topeka is in the middle of nowhere... 

That's kind of my point. A city any smaller than Topeka, will certainly struggle to accomodate. And yes, we are right on the edge of nowhere, we can see it from here.

gareno:

That's kind of my point. A city any smaller than Topeka, will certainly struggle to accomodate. And yes, we are right on the edge of nowhere, we can see it from here.

Hi Greg!  (as I wave from nowhere...)  

All I have to say is that everything is relative.  I don't care as long as the area could accomodate us.  A town with <1000 hotel rooms is not in that group though... (doesn't matter if the # is 800, 500, or whatever)

Dave G.

SteveEkstrand:

...its a waste of time to argue which city is better equiped to host 1200 competitors and their families.

 Conversely, it's a waste of time to talk about how great a host city Topeka is when the only venue in town remotely close to being able to stage the event doesn't want us. 

talon95:

Hi Greg!  (as I wave from nowhere...)  

All I have to say is that everything is relative.  I don't care as long as the area could accomodate us.  A town with <1000 hotel rooms is not in that group though... (doesn't matter if the # is 800, 500, or whatever)

Dave G.

I agree, they have those 500-800 (which ever it is) rooms to accommodate their normal "tourist" base, not an extra 1200 people. This is the same basis on which I choose to go to Wendover instead of Packwood. They are both in the middle of nowhere, and are not what I would consider a vacation spot. But I know I can get a decent room and meal in Wendover, even last week when Jay Leno and Kenny Logins were in town there were rooms left over. When we made the trip to the Packwood events we found the few accommodations less than desirable to us, and it was clear that the town was not prepared for the influx of people. I would be disappointed to have to make a 30+ minute drive each day to natls after driving 30 hours to get there.

gary p:

SteveEkstrand:

...its a waste of time to argue which city is better equiped to host 1200 competitors and their families.

 Conversely, it's a waste of time to talk about how great a host city Topeka is when the only venue in town remotely close to being able to stage the event doesn't want us. 

That's just Ray Irwin posturing for negotiations.   Maybe Blytheville BFE is SCCA's way of striking their own "pose".

I understand the 1200 participants, but have no idea how many rooms are needs to make it work.

How many people camp/RV?

How many stay the whole week?  How many leave after tu/wed runs and how many show up only for th/fr? 

Do any ProSolo participants leave after the Pro?

How many participants share rooms?  I think most of Philly sleeps in one room.

Who wants to share with Lehman?

It would be good to know these answers before we toss out great surfaces and sites because they only have 500-800 rooms in the area.  I'd sure be willing to share a room if meant having a great site and surface.

TedDBere:

I understand the 1200 participants, but have no idea how many rooms are needs to make it work.

How many people camp/RV?

How many stay the whole week?  How many leave after tu/wed runs and how many show up only for th/fr? 

Do any ProSolo participants leave after the Pro?

How many participants share rooms?  I think most of Philly sleeps in one room.

Who wants to share with Lehman?

It would be good to know these answers before we toss out great surfaces and sites because they only have 500-800 rooms in the area.  I'd sure be willing to share a room if meant having a great site and surface.

Good point. But how many of those 500-800 rooms do they normally use? Those hotels are not in business to just sit there empty waiting for us.

These would be good stats to have.  

SteveEkstrand:

Topeka is one of the 200 largest cities in America (defined by population within city limits).

Blytheville has a shrinking population under 20,000.  

 

You can *** and moan about the surface, the lot size, or the owner, but its a waste of time to argue which city is better equiped to host 1200 competitors and their families.

Blytheville is the number 1 steel producer in the US........

The surface has tons of grip........

One year at the Delta airlines stockholders meeting some boys from NY got up and said they owned x number of shares of stock and made a motion to have the stock holders meeting next year in NY City.  Then an ole boy in overalls stands up and says he has xx number of shares and would like to welcome them back to Monroe, LA for the meeting next year.

Don't count Bytheville out.  There are rooms within driving distance.  This could be the answer to a lot of prayers.

m3kerry:

 

Blytheville is the number steel producer in the US........

Which number?  

Oh yeah...  Drink that Chamber of Commerce Koolaid.....

Bytheville's steel output represents 0.28% of USDomestic Steel Output.   WooHoo!!!

Employs 1000-1500 people.  Hey Google Blytheville's Steel industry and out popped an academic treatment written by my dean.   Cool.  

Nearly every public school in Blythevile is ranked a 1 out of 10.  What's the crime rate?  

If we go there, I'd welcome a nice big concrete site.  However, I won't welcome the increase from ~1800 to ~2100 miles of towing each way.  The extra $250 in gas isn't as big of deal as tacking on another 5 hours of driving on what was already a 30 hours drive (each way).  My guess is you will gain some East Coast / Southeast folks, but lose some West Coast with this move.  Any way, whine whine whine.  As someone who has towed 1800 miles to get to Topeka for the last 11 years, any increase is hard to stomach.

 What RV facilities are there?  No power on site means lots of generator running. 

-Andy M.