Convention Hotel "list"- Free rooms for JW/WT "dignitaries"? (page 3)

bobld

Big Corps like the Watchtower will get good rates and will get a certain number of complimentary rooms.They(WT) will assign the complimentary rooms to certain brothers with the condition that they pay Watchtower the equivalent dollar amount of the negotiation rate.This is unknown to the R&f.I agree that the WT can do what they want with the complimentary rooms and it is to their advantage that they can make extra money this way.

paladin

My wife just donated $400 for our three day RC free room. Well that included tax and a little extra of her hard earned money. What she got in return was a thank you and no receipt from the rooming dept. The WT$ has to be making a profit with this cash flow.

RichardHaley

I can't remember where I read it but I remember the ratio was 1 free room for every 8 booked. That seem a little high to me but anything is possible. But I am sure that the WBT$ keeps this information "confidential" from the RF and would even give evasive answers if directly asked. After all the RF have no right to know... Theocratic Warfare... right?

Darth Fader The Sequel

RichardHaley- what pisses me off is that if the WTBT$ simply explained the system and said that it was a means of them covering other costs associated with the convention, most everyone would understand. But that it is covered up and secret is what looks bad and leads to more distrust and suspicion. Stupid.

JWdaughter

That happens all the time-when any group plans a cruise or whatever, there are a certain amount of free tickets that go to the sponsoring entity depending on how many people sign up. What bugs me about the WT is that they are the WT. I basically will think they are up to something when they do anything-only because I have seen so many other examples of manipulative, usurous behavior. So, there is basically nothingn that they do that I won't at least wonder "what they are up to" and speculate about it a bit.

I try to leave my paranoia off the boards but I will say this about the original post. The WT makes folks signs up for these rooms (virtually). When the hotel fails them and they lose it-and the WT assigns them one of their "free" ones--I think that the WT ought to simply give it to them as a comp(free) because they were following the WT guidelines and were inconvenienced by it. To charge them a "donation" and then tell them that the 'donation' needed to include taxes etc.. .well-folks THAT is where they stepped over the line. There are NO taxes on donations! The WT did not pay any taxes on the 'donation'. And the whole thing is just not very neighborly.

Plus, I hate the conventions, anyway. They got the internet now. Let everyone watch it at their leisure and save the money!

Bugbear

Well, I remember from back in the 70-ties, when I was an elder and had my daily work on a traveling agency, I was asked by the soc. To organize two chartered convention tours to US. They wanted me free and voluntary to charter two aircrafts, hotels and bus transfer for about 200 persons. When calculating these “trips” I thought that it be normal to calc. 80% utilization for the air ticket and also for the bus and hotel rooms. The “soc.” On the destination should organize “special events” on the destination. When presenting my figures for the trip I came up with a sum per person that looked quite fair, and reasonably also for those who weren’t rich. But the CO,s and DO,s at that time “corrected me” and told me to recalculate using normal IATA ticket prize, tourist class. The prize went up to the double, and when presented in the Congs. Many of the “friends” said that I must have made a lot of money, on my work whit the socs. Traveling agency. They were disappointed on ME I was never allowed to explain, why and hove “my figures” was made.

BUGBEAR

SyntaxError1974

I currently work in the rooming department at the district/ now regional conventions. For every block of rooms reserved, we get a few free comp rooms per hotel. These rooms are supposed to be used for traveling overseers, traveling bethel speakers, and those last minute emergencies or those too poor to pay.

i have noticed that the rooming overseers always seem to have a room at the closest/nicest hotel. Even getting me a comp room when i needed one.

I also have seen first hand that they ask the brothers to donate the regular rate when giving out a comp room, a room that was provided for free as part of the contract.

i am beggining to wonder if the watchtower bible and tract society is turning into the watchtower travel agency society.

Convention Hotel "list"- Free rooms for JW/WT "dignitaries"?