Meeting News - August 11, 2008 - (Page 67)

Live from the Forum @ MeetingNews.com TOPIC: Dealing with a contract clause I n my 20 years of negotiating hotel contracts, I’ve seen a bunch of odd provisions Do you have a burning question to but had never before seen anything approaching the following: “The Hotel reserves ask your peers? Log on to the the right to accommodate the group, or any part thereof, in another hotel or some MeetingNews Forum to get answers other equivalent hotel as determined in the reasonable judgment of the Hotel for the fast. meetingnews.com/forum duration of the group’s stay, or any part thereof, at no extra charge, regardless of the price of the alternative accommodations.” When I expressed my objections to the hotel sales manager and then to the general manager, both stated that they had no authority to remove the language. It would have to be approved by the owners (and their lawyers). To state that I was surprised would be an understatement. They both claimed that the provision was “to cover the hotel and your group if something happens to the hotel; for example, if the hotel caught ﬁre, we would do our best to accommodate you at another facility.” The hotel in question is not new, and it is part of a major chain. I am certain I will not sign the agreement, as is, and am now reconsidering whether I would want to use the hotel even if they make a reasonable change to the above provision. Anonymous To me, that sounds like an “anti-walking” clause. It pretty much states that if the hotel overbooks, then it has the right to shift your guests wherever it wants at no additional penalty. If it really is for the reason they stated (in case of a ﬁre), then they should change the hotel’s force majeure clause to state that they will seek reasonable accommodations for the group at another property within the chain. Eli Gorin, Owner, gMeetings Inc., Aventura, FL I guess I’d be telling them to call their owners/lawyers and let me talk to them if I really wanted to go there. Or, does the situation pertain just to removal of the clause? Can the sales manager or general manager revise it? And, what would it take for the hotel to shift the group—another group coming in that’s paying a higher rate? If it’s not about walking, as Eli suggests, is the hotel being proactive and putting this in to combat a no right of cancellation for the purposes of accommodating another group clause? I’d keep asking questions. . . And, I’m not clear of the “no extra charge.” To whom—the hotel or the client? And, what about transportation for the group back and forth? And, it sounds like as long as it is in the chain, you could be placed anywhere. LeAnne Grillo, Partner, Generon Reos LLC, Cambridge, MA The best bet is to strike the clause and tell the hotel that the reason you have a contract in the ﬁrst place is so you can have a ﬁrm mutual commitment. This clause basically removes the hotel’s commitment to the group. If that doesn’t work, the group should demand that the alternative accommodations be of equal or greater quality and be easily accessible, and that the hotel compensate the group and/or individuals for their out-of-pocket expenses for accepting the move. Any price reductions should beneﬁt the group and/or attendees, since the hotel is the one breaking the contract. If neither of those tactics work, you could try adding a clause that states: “The Group reserves the right to move all guest rooms and functions, or any part thereof, to another hotel as determined in the reasonable judgment of the Group for the duration of the Group’s stay, or any part thereof, with no liability, regardless of what is stated in the rest of this contract.” Dave Lutz, Managing Director, Velvet Chainsaw Consulting, Aurora, OH TOPIC: Gift ideas for Los Cabos conference oes anyone have creative ideas for company-branded gifts that could be given to our clients at our upcoming conference in Los Cabos, Mexico? We are also encouraging our clients to bring their families, so child-speciﬁc ideas would also be helpful. Anonymous D Los Cabos is the native area of the centuries-old Huichol people. Their homeland is in virtually inaccessible areas of the rugged Sierra Madre mountains. These people have struggled to maintain their culture, language, and way of life in very inhospitable areas. At a recent incentive, the room gift for everyone was a typical beaded bowl made by the Huichol. There was no corporate logo, but I heartily applaud attempts like this to support native cultures and peoples. The purchase of hundreds of simple bowls was organized by a local vendor on a site inspection. Donna Marie Primas, Creative Director Primas Copywrite: Promotion & Communication Services, Chicago MEETING NEWS (ISSN 0145-630X, USPS No.356-010, August 11 2008, Vol. 32, No. 14 is published semi-monthly except for June, August, November and December, which is monthly, by Nielsen Business Media, 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003-9595, tel. 646-654-5000. Subscriptions are offered free of charge to individuals actively engaged in planning meetings or conventions in the U.S. and Canada. The cost of a subscription to non-qualiﬁed subscribers is $79 in the U.S. and $95 in Canada (Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40031729). The cost of a foreign subscription, payable in U.S. dollars, is $195. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and additional mailing ofﬁces. MeetingNews is a trademark owned exclusively by Nielsen Business Media. Copyright © 2008 by Nielsen Business Media Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this magazine, in whole or in part, is prohibited unless authorized by the publisher. For address changes (please include mailing label), single copy sales ($10 per issue including shipping and handling, prepayment required), subscription information, and other customer service inquiries, write to MEETING NEWS, P.O. Box 1189, Skokie, IL 60076-8189 or call 847-763-9050. Printed in the USA. POSTMASTER: Send changes of address to MEETING NEWS, P.O. Box 1189, Skokie, IL 60076-8189. www.meetingnews.com August 11, 2008 MeetingNews 67 http://groups.google.com/group/MiForum http://meetingnews.com/forum http://www.meetingnews.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meeting News - August 11, 2008

Meeting News - August 11, 2008
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Meeting News - August 11, 2008