Gaylord Venue--Good or Bad?

[tkexi991]

Here are my points

- the convention center had awful acoustics, and I didn't like having to leave the center to find a restroom. By the time I left, it made more sense to go back to my room

- the little kiosk/cafe was expensive (sandwiches about $7 actually), but it was pretty good. The PB cookie was the best PB cookie I have had in my life. Price was about right. The roast beef was pretty good too.

- The restaurants were overpriced, but not more than other hotel eateries. Plus the recliners in Texas Station were nice.

- The hotel rooms were nice as well.

- The hotel/venue was pretty far from everywhere - I took a drive around and it took 15 minutes before I saw anything interesting.

- The biggest complaint was that it seemed like the venue and even the airport was completely unaware we were coming. Enterprise ran out of full size cars (ones with decent trunks) for obvious reasons to me but not to them.

[Redblade]

I really resented the $12 per-visit parking fee. Unless you're actually staying at the resort, it's an additional daily expense to jack up the overall cost of the event.

[Emfuser]

I find this place to be too expensive. Like noodle said, it's meant to draw you in and trap you by being isolated from the local economy. Stuff here is overpriced, and the hotel will be more than happy to nickel and dime you to death on stuff.

$15/night resort fee, $15/day parking (for in/out "privileges"), $10 to receive a package, etc. I'm surprised they're not metering the air. For all I know I'm going to receive extra charges for "extra air" privileges from the night where noodle and tooleofthedevil crashed on the floor of my room.

[occasionalfencer]

Bad for all the reasons already stated. Don't need to repeat them all. The only advantage- being in the same building with the hotel- was not an advantage for people who weren't. Taxis were very expensive to go back and forth.

Also there was no water for the first few days. Water bottles to buy were $3.50. Way too much. We can't bring water on the plane. Hugely expensive to take a taxi to a store to get more water bottles.

[Inquartata]

I saw a sign yesterday saying that all of the Gaylord restaurants were 20% off the bill if you showed your USFA card. Not sure if it's true or if it was widely publicized.

I also heard that there is an extra fee for taxis from the Gaylord, on the order of $12...which is also the price the Gaylord charged to run me back to my hotel the night the first ref seminar let out after my hotel's shuttle had stopped running.

Coincidence?

Anyway, I heard the same sorts of complaints about the Colorado Springs resort venue. At least here there are no blizzards!

But we all know that the main priority is for the venue to be cheap for the USFA, not necessarily for the fencers...

And let's be honest: When the Atlanta NAC used the Westin as the venue hotel a few years back, people complained that it wasn't upscale enough. I suspect that the national office just can't win this one.

[teacup]

Anyway, I heard the same sorts of complaints about the Colorado Springs resort venue. At least here there are no blizzards!

But we all know that the main priority is for the venue to be cheap for the USFA, not necessarily for the fencers...

And let's be honest: When the Atlanta NAC used the Westin as the venue hotel a few years back, people complained that it wasn't upscale enough. I suspect that the national office just can't win this one.

While there will always be complaints and the USFA does need to pick economical venues, perhaps "resorts", with few outside alternatives for accommodations and restaurants, aren't the best venue choices.

[telkanuru]

Apparently we were given the convention center for free, so I'm not going to complain too loudly.

Not one of my favorite locations, though.

[teacup]

$15/night resort fee

If rooms were booked through THS, there was no resort fee.

[Greybeard]

I missed staying at the Gaylord because I booked hotels too late in the process. However, Inq, you must not have been staying at the Embassy Suites becuase they told me the Gaylord told them to keep their vans away. So I got to take a $10 cab ride twice a day. Still cheaper than renting a car.

I was dissappointed that the restrooms were out side the room and agree that the acoustics were horrible. There were several bouts where our ref would say "ready?" and then back us off because an announcement was being made.

It also made for a couple of times where only one of us would here the word "fence" and so the other was just sitting there waiting to get hit.

There was not enough of the severely overpriced sandwiches available and once again you had to leave the room to stand in line and try and buy sandwich, if you could get one. I liked the Arlington venue a couple of years ago. (NAC)

However, if I could have stayed there I would have. Fencing in chair now it just makes it so much easier with all the stuff I have to schlepp

[Gav]

$6 for a beer! In some places in Edinburgh you WILL pay more than that (now that the exchange rate is going back to normal).

I wouldn't fence there judging by the name alone. Gaylord?!? I don't think some people are in touch with popular terms.

[wahrman]

Normally your logic is much better than this. Just because AZ is hotter doesn't mean that Dallas isn't hot.

When breathing makes me sweat, it's hot.

Texas in July was on my short list of reasons for skipping this year.

Folks, Dallas ain't hot. The humidity is a little more than I like, but this place is like a balmy island vacation when you're from a place where it's over 110 degrees every day.

[fencerwallet]

One night the Texas Station had a two hour wait. You couldn't even get take out.

With no car and early check in the next day, our only options were the two very expensive restaurants or room service. The good thing about choosing room service was they were so overwhelmed it didn't come in 30 minutes, so it was free.

Texas Station allowed take out the first few days, but then they stopped due to being overwhelmed with such requests. So, the same $14 Kobe hamburger was $22 via room service after all the fees. My wife kept her same coffee cup and kept refilling it at the Java place... our small way of "gettin' back at the Establishment".

[fencerwallet]

If rooms were booked through THS, there was no resort fee.

So that's why. I was just keeping my mouth shut, thinking I scammed

[teacup]

I missed staying at the Gaylord because I booked hotels too late in the process.

I tried to book a room at the Gaylord July 11, 2008 and they were all gone. However, a few weeks after the USFA posted the day schedule, rooms became available, even more became available once the USFA posted the close of events in June 2009.

[teacup]

Texas in July was on my short list of reasons for skipping this year.

But the irony was it was freezing inside and most people didn't leave the "bubble". If they did, it might have only been the distance from the front door to a taxi's air conditioning to another 69 degree air conditioned building.

(I know a mom who had to buy a sweater the first day she was there.)

[teacup]

Texas Station allowed take out the first few days, but then they stopped due to being overwhelmed with such requests. So, the same $14 Kobe hamburger was $22 via room service after all the fees. My wife kept her same coffee cup and kept refilling it at the Java place... our small way of "gettin' back at the Establishment".

I am surprised they got your room service to you in less than 30 minutes. Too bad.

[AndrewH]

Well I'm still here...

I wouldn't come back here, at least not for nationals. Maybe I could manage a couple days for a NAC but it wouldn't be ideal.

The biggest issue really is not being able to leave (easily). I've managed to escape a couple nights, hitched a ride with someone into town and last night we got the whole team together and rented a shuttle for $40 round trip I believe. Other than that, your only options are a cab or the Gaylord's private car service, which is $12 for the first 2 people each way, $5 each additional. The advertised $10 shuttle apparently only runs on Fridays.

I got room service Sunday night, which got me very sick for D1's the next day. Yes, that's why I was way down at 30th place. Since then I've managed to avoid the hotel food as much as possible by ordering from delivery places and saving leftovers.

Drinks are actually reasonably priced, at least by NYC standards. No problem with $5 for a beer. My only complaint on that front is that the pool bar closes so early.

The venue is fine, not too cramped, although I'm not sure I like the idea of squishing two pods together and leaving a narrow walkway between them. You're almost walking across the back of the strips and it's not safe when people are fencing right at the end. The acoustics are terrible, there are some dead zones where you can't hear the PA at all, and most of the area there's so much echo you can't understand what's being said.

The rooms are nice and spacious, beds are comfortable, and there's refrigerators but no microwaves. The WiFi didn't work well for me but the ethernet connection is extremely fast. One nice touch is that you get 2 complimentary bottles of water in your fridge every day.

The "consider it done" department, on the other hand, is a little useless. I asked for a pair of scissors to cut my scratch shield to size, and they said they couldn't send them to my room for security reasons. Really?

I've just got to make it through today and tomorrow, then my flight out of here is on Sunday. I will have survived a week at the Gaylord without going bankrupt!

[Greybeard]

Well, start planning now for the cavernous GWCC. We will be three miles out and 2 miles down

[edew]

Vegas baby! I think we can get rooms in July for $59/night on the strip, at least during the weeknights not including the 4th of July. Venue attached to the hotel: Venetian has the Sands right next door. Mandalay Bay has a huge convention center next to it as well. Rio has one as well, but probably not big enough for a SN, maybe a NAC. Caesar's also has a new convention center, I believe.

Vegas has a different way to gouge you of your money. At least you'll enjoy it, perhaps.

[teacup]

Vegas baby! I think we can get rooms in July for $59/night on the strip, at least during the weeknights not including the 4th of July. Venue attached to the hotel: Venetian has the Sands right next door. Mandalay Bay has a huge convention center next to it as well. Rio has one as well, but probably not big enough for a SN, maybe a NAC. Caesar's also has a new convention center, I believe.

Vegas has a different way to gouge you of your money. At least you'll enjoy it, perhaps.

Las Vegas may not be considered for nationals because of the kids in the youth events. Now if they split up nationals.......