[dlvorg] Hotels and various topics ...

In this mailing:

Org List
The immediate future
Hotel comments
Date comments
Golf
Bare Minerals update
Boat outing
Administrivia
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Org List:

This is the DLV 2018 Organizational Mailing List (dlvorg_at_divalas.vegas)
Replies to this message will be forwarded to the DLVORG list and not
the DLV-Announce or DLV-Discuss list.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The immediate future:

Thanks to all who responded for the hotel comments. These are most
helpful. Please continue. We want to announce our suggested hotels no
later than the time the one month CFC expires, which is three weeks from
now.
. . . . .

For those who were affected by the login error messages on MyDLV, the
issue has been corrected. Root cause was some corrupt data in one of the
anti-spam programs. Thanks for the reports.
. . . . .

Over the next week, we'll clear out and restart the scheduling system
and seed it with the activities that have been tentatively planned as of
this time.

Yes, it's now time to start thinking about what you (as in YOU) :) want
to plan for next April's event. :)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hotel comments:

Tonya writes:

Tonya and juanel stay at the 4 queens, (love Fremont st,) but was to far
away and missed alot of the fun. We are going to book our room wherever
the group stay this year. Be nice if the nightclub is in the same hotel
we are staying at
. . . . .

Annie responds:

Thanks Tonya.

This is exactly the kind of feedback we need, and this reflects the
comments I've heard in person.

However, there's some discussion (below) that presents a good point
regarding why we may want to continue to suggest one place in the
downtown area.

I do agree that it's far easier to participate when staying in the
proximity of the bulk of our people.
. . . . . . . . . .

Sherry writes:

Cami, thank u for doing the research on the hotel rates. But, r they
completely accurate? I was surprised last year. I booked the hotel at
one rate months ahead. When I arrived, I found they were now charging
for parking, etc. Which added $30 a nite to the room cost I was
"guaranteed"!
. . . . .

Cami responds:

It is set up the same as last year. You pay the rate listed plus $30 a
day for guest fee. There is no way to get around it.

And now they do charge for parking where as last year they didn't so add
another $12 a day
. . . . . . . . . . . .

Robin (with the "i") writes:

Regarding hotels.

One of my favorite places to stay is Bally's, for the following reasons.

Location: if driving it is very easy to get in and out of with multiple
driveways and entrances, it is directly attached to the Paris, so I
consider it as being the same only with cheeper rooms. I think the rooms
are just about comparable also. It is an easy walk to many things.
Drugstore, shopping, Belagio (I like to gamble there), and the High
Roller. After dancing the night away at the Paris, it is an easy walk
back to your room.

Pool: is very private and relaxing, no blaring music, great when you
want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Vegas. Also there is a
nice outside bar and cafe there.

Shops: There are many shops with down to earth prices that one can
afford, without hitting a jackpot.

Price: Although cash price may be a little higher, comp value is about
the best, as far as the number of free nights that they offer. I think,
but am not sure, if you get a gaming card, they will send you offers for
free nights, midweek.

Transportation: Taxi line is most always very short, and ride to and
from airport a snap.

Rooms: There are two towers, rooms in the front tower, (overlooking the
strip) are newer, but they abut the night club on top of the Paris, and
it can be quite noisy at night. Also you have the sound of the fountains
going off at the Belagio. I personally prefer the rooms in the rear
overlooking the pool. They are a little older, but they are nice and
clean, and quite. Also the elevators are right next to the walkway to
the Paris. Amenities vary from room to room. if you need a lighted
magnifying mirror, it is best to bring one as all the rooms do not have
them.

Spa: Spa prices are a little more reasonable than some of the other
casinos. I have had my hair and nails done there, and the staff is very
nice.

Restaurants: The steak house there is very good. There is fast food
available in the downstairs shopping gallery, as well as an ice-cream
parlor. It is just a short walk to the Paris where there are a number of
restaurants, cafes, and a buffet. One of the cafes in the Paris is open
all night, so if you have to catch an early flight, you can grab
breakfast at 4:00 am.

Room Charges: Since Bally's and Paris are both owned by Caesar's you can
charge things to your room at either, as well as any other Caesar's
property.
 
GLBT Friendly: Being so closely connected to the Paris, who openly
advertise to the GLBT community, I have never had a problem staying
there.

General: No it's not the most glamorous, or newest, but I find it quite
friendly, homey, and convenient to just about everything.

I have a gold card which is the lowest status they offer, and they sent
me an offer for 3 free nights. It is best to call though because
sometime they will give extra nights if you talk to them. I usually stay
7 to 9 nights for Diva, and wind up getting comped for 5 or six.
. . . . .

Annie responds:

Thanks Robin.

I've stayed several times at Bally's over the years, for DLV, for
business, and for pleasure and always enjoyed it. I consider it to be a
step up from Flamingo and kind of mid-way between Flamingo and Paris as
far as the hotel pecking order goes.

I know we've had DLVers stay there many times over the years and I can't
remember any real issues.
. . . . . . . . . .

Cassandra writes:

First, a BIG THANKS to Cami for running down the pricing. It's such a
headache to do that. I am sure the prices DON'T include resort fees and
taxes. The Flamingo is about 180 dollars for resort fees and 75 dollars
for taxes. That's a huge addition. I think the prices thrown out there
should be all inclusive so there are no surprises.

If anyone knows anything about Vegas Hotel pricing, they then still have
to research the resort fees and taxes in order to decide which hotel is
really more attractive price wise. Why not just post the total price
including Resort Fees and taxes? It raises the average cost by about $40
a night which is HUGE. Though I have the money for a $150 a night total,
it does add up to a large bill for a worthless expense as I spend little
time in the hotel room so I don't even like a large hotel room charge. I
know the rest of my group (Rose City Tgirls) really can't afford the
kinds of rates with all the resort fees and stuff.

Anyway, that's why we stayed downtown last year cause they didn't charge
resort fees and they did comp us a few nights because of our gambling.
Our hotel costs were a 1000 times more reasonable downtown. Just a
thought that maybe looking at more at downtown hotels might be
worthwhile these days. The girls that live in Vegas never have to deal
with the expenses we do.

Just my 2 cents worth which doesn't go a long way in Vegas... lol
. . . . .

Cami responds:

Cass,

You are indeed correct those rates do not include the $30 a day Resort
fee plus taxes. It also doesn't include parking if you bring a car which
I guess you don't normally do.

Yes when you add it all up you're probably looking at the midweek rate
at Flamingo being $100 a night in total. Friday would also go up around
$45. I understand your need to watch what you spend and I don't disagree
that you don't spend a lot of time in your room necessarily but I do
know that anyone's opportunity to be active and social increases by
staying near the flamingo versus downtown where there is always the
excuse to stay there because it's a pain to go to the strip.

Not implying you guys are not social as you participate in many
activities but I do also know it's far more convenient. I would be
curious to know what your total rate would be downtown. I am not sure if
anything can change to make the situation better, but I am still glad
you voiced your thoughts.

Look forward to seeing you.
. . . . . . . . . .

Annie continues:

One common theme that's reflected in a few of the comments is that Las
Vegas hotels are not as affordable as they were in years gone by and
that nuisance fees abound.

As long as the economy remains strong, this trend will not only continue
but will most likely get worse. It's all Economics 101, where the buyer
and seller meet at the price point. It's a seller's market, and we can
expect bottom-line prices to increase until the demand slacks off. :(

There are a few things we can do about it, to help make the event more
affordable.

First is negotiated hotel rates. Thanks again to Cami for taking this
one on!

As mentioned above, one thing we've never really encouraged is the use
of comps and casino rates, but I think we ought to at least mention to
those who are players club members that casino rates, as well as
outright comps, are often available.

Room sharing. {grab can of worms, walk toward can opener} :) Do we want
to re-visit some kind of well-promoted organized room sharing thing? I
don't know, I'm asking. :) Comments?

Ride sharing. Now that paid parking has become the norm on the Strip,
doing without that rental car can save not only rental expenses but
parking expenses as well. If we can encourage our people to get together
and share, whether it's private vehicles, taxi, or Uber/Lyft, it's a
win-win all the way around!

Downtown. Last week I suggested that we drop the downtown suggested
hotel and now I'm gonna walk that one back! Hotels downtown are more
affordable, base rate wise, and often don't have that pesky resort fee.

Anyway, let me propose the following for a slate of suggested hotels for
DLV 2018:

1. Flamingo, to be our primary suggested hotel. This one has a lot of
"inertia" with our crowd and will most certainly attract the largest
contingent. It's probably the best compromise between things such as
price, location, convenience, etc. We will most certainly get special
rates here.

2. Bally's. To be a "step-up" option in the same general vicinity as
where the bulk of our people will be staying.

3. Paris, as our long-standing higher-end option.

4. Four Queens, as our low-cost option for those who want it and for
those who will not have transportation issues.

Comments on this please! :)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Date comments:

Mindy writes:

This time frame is perfect. The weather will be warmer than March and
less chance to run into a sand storm like last DLV.
. . . . .

Renee Rose writes:

perfect time frame
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Golf:

Cami writes:

Cass,

Can we count on you to do golf again?
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bare Minerals update:

Dionne writes:

On August 18, 2017, I visited the Bare Minerals Store in the Fashion
Show Mall.

I intended to connect with the store Mgr. Tisha. However, She no longer
works for BM and the new Mgr's name is LaToya Laymon.

She is open to having the Divas return for 2018. I explained the issues
with the 2017 prepayment scheme and she agreed not to retry that
approach. So, the existing registration process and nag email scheme
will work for 2018.

LaToya wants the attendees to consider purchasing a starter kit (under
$100) if this is their first time visit. This kit is customizable to fit
the attendees MU needs. It comes with free instructions & support.
Existing clients will have their questions answered and be shown new
products that are recommended for their skin type & etc.

Now that we have settled on a DLV week, this event is up for adoption by
any other DLV ORG member.

It would be beneficial for someone who wants to learn more about MU
techniques and application.
. . . . . . . . . .

Thanks Dionne.

All: As Dionne stated, this is now up for grabs.

This would be a very good activity for a newer volunteer, as all of the
preliminary legwork is complete.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Boat outing:

Katie writes:

I know this is nothing to do with hotels (The subject of this mailing
but as we are entering a new era and using April instead of March we
could think of bringing back some warm weather staples such as The Boat
Tour.

I know our ladies seemed to love the experience and 10C or 50F in March
on lake Mead kind of eliminated a 4 hour cruise.

Hopefully this sparks some interest and we can add some other
interesting day outings too!
. . . . .

Cami responds:

KT

Sounds like a great idea. Would you mind coordinating it and we'll see
if we can find an assistant?
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Administrivia:

This is the Diva Las Vegas 2018 organizational list.

One address for all items regarding this list, additions, removals,
changes, submissions, questions, etc.:

dlvorg_at_divalas.vegas <--- NOTE: New address, all lower case

Diva Las Vegas 2018
Dates to be determined
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Archives of this list appear on the web at:

http://www.geekbabe.com/annie/org18arc/

Org Chat Forum is on line here:

http://www.geekbabe.com/dlv/mydlv/mainforum/viewforum.php?f=18

To unsubscribe: Simply reply to this message with the word UNSUBSCRIBE
in either the Subject: field or the first line of an OTHERWISE BLANK
message body. The word "unsubscribe" (case is insignificant) should be
the only item in the subject field or the first line of the message,
justified to the left.

To send material to this list: Send submission as regular e-mail to
the address: dlvorg_at_divalas.vegas
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Received on Wed Oct 18 2017 - 01:17:08 CDT