USFA hotel booking agent

[hello?]

I have had serious problems with hotel reservations made through THS (or whatever they are called) TWICE. On both occassions, I had made a change in the reservation through them, but when I got to the hotel the change had not been made...In the case of Nationals, I had called to say I would be arriving a day late. When I got to the hotel, since that change had not been communicated, the hotel had cancelled my entire reservation....Luckily, the people at the hotel were very understanding....I also find them very slow to return calls and, in general, not very helpful. Have I just been unlucky or do other people find their service sub-standard?

[Ordway]

I have not been impressed. I have not had them actually screw anything up, but on the few occasions when I've had to make a change to a reservation, I've had a hard time getting in touch with a live person. Call, no answer. Call, leave a message. No call back. Call, hope for someone to pick up the phone...

[GGK]

I've also got better deals, at the same hotel, by going online.

G

[oso97]

Or even, calling the hotel directly!

[Peach]

They've done well by me so far.

[Inquartata]

I will not even attempt to use them again. It does not save you any labor over calling the hotel or its toll-free national number ( if a chain ). And their hours are limited, making them difficult to reach if you work an odd schedule. The hotel is there 24-7.

Moreover, I do not understand their policy of "releasing" their bloc of rooms a full month before the scheduled competition. Very often the USFA does not announce the times of events that early, so unless one has the luxury of always arriving the day before a competition and leaving the day after it's very inconvenient. I understand that this helps them sell more rooms, but that's not a big priority for me...

I have tried using them three times now, and for one reason or another it hasn't worked out any of those three. I am giving up on them.

[CvilleFencer]

Similiar experiances to those mentioned. The one time I actively tried to use them I just gave up and drove back and forth as it was not that far away. Much easier and cheaper to find rooms at the venue hotel online also. I am not sure what purpose they serve other than to increase costs to fencers and tie up rooms at the venue hotel that a lot of people don't rent through them for reasons already mentioned. Peach probably just gets that special A list celeberty treatment everywhere she goes, being a genuine celeb and all!

[millsisland]

I've had problems with them as well.

Protect yourself by calling the hotel direct a few days before your arrival. If you find your reservation has been screwed up, you'll have some time to fix it or make other arrangements.

When you call the hotel, have them fax or e-mail you a confirmation so you'll have it in hand when you show up to check in.

Mills

[peet]

At my club, we regularly have 15, 20 or more people going to an event, and one of us puts it all on a spreadsheet for them which spells out exactly who is rooming with whom, and when everyone is arriving and departing. Even though we are basically doing part of their job for them, THS has never once gotten it right. Like others have said, they often fail to return phone calls, their website is not helpful, etc.....

Sometimes we try to go around THS directly to the hotel, but sometimes they have the hotel telling us "you HAVE to go through THS". We usually manage to get around that somehow.

And then we often get a better rate than THS offers.

Once a friend of mine got a room through THS, and they put him at a different hotel from the one he asked for without telling him, because the main hotel was "full". He found out when he arrived, and the hotel had never heard of him.

We are not fans of THS.

-p

[oso97]

I suggest that everyone who has had a problem with THS send an email to Michael Massik (michael.massik@usfencing.org), Christine Simmons (christine.simmons@USFencing.org) and Nancy Anderson (nandersonusfa@comcast.net) giving a few details about the problems they've had with THS.

[hello?]

I will definitely email them...Good suggestion. It's too frustrating -- not to mention scary. I couldn't believe it when I got to the Sheraton and they said they had cancelled my entire reservation because THS had not told them I was arriving a day later...

[hello?]

I got a reply from Michael Massik asking for a detailed description of the problems I have had -- and asking me to ask others who've had problems to do the same. Please do! Perhaps we can get a better service out of this...

[mlr2fence]

I avoid THS like the plague!! I definitely recommend against using them for group bookings--ever read the fine print to see that the club person making the booking is ultimately financial responsible? Ditto what everyone else has said--the switched hotels, the "never heard of you" when calling, etc. I quickly learned to make numerous follow up phone calls to THS and the hotels in the past when I've been forced to use them. It certainly would be nice if times could be posted earlier and also the shuttle bus info...and, by the way, what's with the recent shuttle bus not running continously all day stuff?

[mlr2fence]

Originally Posted by hello?

I got a reply from Michael Massik asking for a detailed description of the problems I have had -- and asking me to ask others who've had problems to do the same. Please do! Perhaps we can get a better service out of this...

AHH!! Such optimism!!! Better service????? Wishful thinking......

[oiuyt]

I would also suggest dropping an email to the national office if you get a better-than-THS rate at any of the host hotels. I believe the USFA contracts include language stating that THS will get guaranteed best rates (or best public rates, or something similar, and I get that the exact language makes a difference in practice). In the past, prior to THS, similar contract provisions have been violated when the USFA was going directly to the hotels and the USFA has successfully complained back to the hotels about such violations. I suspect you won't get any money back, but hopefully the USFA will at least get some money from it.

-B :)

[Inquartata]

Which they can spend on elite development and staff retreats.

See how it all ties together?

[DHCJr]

Originally Posted by mlr2fence

AHH!! Such optimism!!! Better service????? Wishful thinking......

Michael Massik gets things done and he is very responsive to fencers. He is on vacation this week, but he will respond. I haven't been to a NAC, since the start of this contract, mostly because of the rules that Armorers are not supposed to compete with the vendors by repairing fencers equipment. If you don't let Michael know, he won't be able to do anything.

[peet]

To be honest, i'd be surprised if this is the first time the USFA has heard of people having a less than satisfactory experience with THS. Personally, I've never heard of anyone having a good experience.

But then again, I've never complained directly to the USFA about THS myself, so i guess I really shouldn't talk...

we'll see what happens, i guess......

-p

[foildad]

More often than not I do not use THS; I can usually get a better deal or a more convenient hotel on my own.

I did use them twice last year, though, for the Atlanta and Chatanooga NACs. Maybe I just got lucky, but both times they were efficient, responsive, and I had absolutely no trouble.

[KShan5[PrFC]]

I don't know how the reffing is booked, but they forgot to get me a room. I was reffing at Nationals, and arrived to Sacramento the night before the first event (because I was fencing the first event), without having a hotel room. The week or so before nationals, i got my hotel reservation confirmation, and it started a night later than it was supposed to. Luckily I bunked with my coach for the first night, and left the majority of my stuff at the Sheraton for the night. However, it was still a pain in the ***.