Oh boy, I bet they have already done the annual hand slapping. I remember them telling us to only stay in certain hotels and not to book 5 or 6 hotels and then go looking to see which one was the nicest. This was never a problem for me because the convention was just in the next town. I especially like the admonishment not to show up in your night clothes and save seats with the hotel towels. Some of these things I remember are just too painful or laughable to think about.
Just goes to show what the WTBTS thinks about their followers. I don't understand how these poor souls can decide where to stay on vacation, or God forbid, they have to travel for work. How could a JW ever know what hotel to stay in without guidance from the society?
"Good Lord man, your staying at a Holiday Inn? Whats wrong with you, don't you know that we don't celebrate Holidays?" And don't you know Days Inn is named after the Day family that origianally owned the properties? This is just a form of worship, to name a hotel chain after the owners. Don't even try to stay at any Marriott or Sheridan locations. The "Dew Drop Inn" is OK but make sure you don't steal the towels or stay past check-out time."
Has anybody actually compared the "discount rates" to the regular rates the hotel offers? I hadn't stayed in a hotel for an assembly since 1978 (because they were always within easy driving distance), but when I did, I don't remember the rates being particularly lower that I'd normally have expected to pay. In fact, in 1978, my (now ex-)wife was working at a Holiday Inn, and the rate she could get as an employee of the chain from a Holiday Inn in the convention city (which was also offering JW rates) was considerably better than the JW convention rate.
I, too, have always suspected that kickbacks, not discounts, were the real issue. Otherwise, why push so hard for the "brothers" to stay only in recommended hotels? If the only purpose was to save money for the "brothers", why object if they thought they had found a better deal elsewhere?
One of the perks the WT receives from the hotels on the Recommended Lodging list is "comp" rooms. The hotel will provide rooms at no charge to the WT. These rooms go to convention department heads, usually the brothers over the Attendants, Cleaning, News, Rooming, Chairman, etc. The visiting Bethel speakers, any visiting Bethelites, and COs & DOs may also stay in these rooms. Since the rooms are "free" the WT recommends that the person staying in the room make a contribution (the money they would have spent on a lodging) to their coffers!
