Failing to Plan...

Failing to plan is planning to fail.
- Alan Lakein
It's amazing to me that there are so many people who don't plan. Do you think they actually learn from showing up in a city with no plan, finding no rooms and spending hours on the telephone trying to find a room? Or do you think these people will continue to fail to plan in future.
I've said it before and I'll say it again... booking at the last minute guarantees that you get the worst places that all the smart people already decided they were staying! Now, where is that damn buzzer so I can give them 15K volts.
Don't you just love when they ask if you have a recommendation. Yes... I do... book ahead!

I think most of the folks who do this once do it all the time.

Some probably learn a lesson eventually. Others are just not capable of planning. It's like the people who NEVER get anywhere on time, are always late. They know it, their family know it, all their friends know it. Since the late comers won't learn and won't change, their friends learn to tell them an earlier start time for events just so they will arrive at the REAL correct time.

Arkansawyer said:

Some probably learn a lesson eventually. Others are just not capable of planning. It's like the people who NEVER get anywhere on time, are always late. They know it, their family know it, all their friends know it. Since the late comers won't learn and won't change, their friends learn to tell them an earlier start time for events just so they will arrive at the REAL correct time..

Click to expand...

Family jokes - My dad will be late for his own funeral. And, I was born 2 weeks early and I've been making up for it ever since.

Madeleine said:

I think most of the folks who do this once do it all the time..

Click to expand...

Odd, you would think that people would learn.
Reminds me of the idiot who called, asked to speak to the manager and then proceeded to ask me for my lowest price on a room for that weekend. I replied "I don't have a room, and I don't do discounts. Good luck." and click, before he had time to say another word.

Arkansawyer said:

Some probably learn a lesson eventually. Others are just not capable of planning. It's like the people who NEVER get anywhere on time, are always late. They know it, their family know it, all their friends know it. Since the late comers won't learn and won't change, their friends learn to tell them an earlier start time for events just so they will arrive at the REAL correct time..

Click to expand...

You figure after staying in one flea bag motel or over paying for one hotel room that they would learn. There are $100 rooms that I wouldn't stay in going for $300 a night on the net today around here.

Back in the day when we traveled with the family, we did not make reservations because we never knew where we would be and when. BUT we did not go to "destinations". Once, we did have to drive all the way to Wichita to find a room (only other with vacancy prior to that was the local "by the hour"). I think that is why many do not make reservations - it is too early to stop as they head to their destination. To have no reservations AT the DESTINATION however is pure idiocy.
The one time we had to sleep in the car, I had made reservations for each night but all my plans went to crap when Daddy decided to go to ICU. Cancelled all except the Back Bay Hilton because I knew I would never get that back @ $35 per night (this was 1986). Even that night, would probably have been OK had DH stopped when I told him to - in Albany at 6 PM. It did give us one of those "memorable" moments!
That taught me - so in 1994 when making a trek from Chicago area to Maine, bouncing back & forth across the border, I had reservations everywhere. What I did not count on was the lady who was my family's "adopted grandma" needing to clean her house until 3 PM to leave! Dearborn, MI was the first stop. By the time we get there it is dark and we are driving up and down the street looking for our hotel without finding it. So we pull into another to ask for directions only to be told - It closed! We were lucky enough to get a room but instead of the $25 it was supposed to cost us, it was $100. And no, they did not bother to notify me that it closed.

I've had people with babies and/or young children in the car knocking on the door at 10pm in August desperate for somewhere to stay.
I had the same woman phone me last night at 11.30pm for a room yesterday and then again this morning for tonight. It's been a crazy July/August this year, first time for quite a few years, hopefully this bodes well for the next few years.

this weekend is mental - its a bank holiday which means the whole country gets Monday off work ie 3 day weekend + 10 weddings + overflow from York races which is a huge race meeting in the town only 15 miles away and puts on a 4 night minimum for obvious reasons so overflow comes to my town. - We are booked at least 6 weeks in advance for a sat anyway - woman turns up yesterday "oh we stayed with you before so we thought we would come" didn't think to ring or make a reservation then? told her she would have to go to leeds as everywhere else is full *ie next large town 16 miles the other way"- and then they look at you like you are crackers

[email protected] said:

this weekend is mental - its a bank holiday which means the whole country gets Monday off work ie 3 day weekend + 10 weddings + overflow from York races which is a huge race meeting in the town only 15 miles away and puts on a 4 night minimum for obvious reasons so overflow comes to my town. - We are booked at least 6 weeks in advance for a sat anyway - woman turns up yesterday "oh we stayed with you before so we thought we would come" didn't think to ring or make a reservation then? told her she would have to go to leeds as everywhere else is full *ie next large town 16 miles the other way"- and then they look at you like you are crackers.

Click to expand...

[email protected] said:

this weekend is mental - its a bank holiday which means the whole country gets Monday off work ie 3 day weekend + 10 weddings + overflow from York races which is a huge race meeting in the town only 15 miles away and puts on a 4 night minimum for obvious reasons so overflow comes to my town. - We are booked at least 6 weeks in advance for a sat anyway - woman turns up yesterday "oh we stayed with you before so we thought we would come" didn't think to ring or make a reservation then? told her she would have to go to leeds as everywhere else is full *ie next large town 16 miles the other way"- and then they look at you like you are crackers

Click to expand...

or worse still they look at you like it's your fault or as if to say what are you going to do about it!!!

Highlands John said:

[email protected] said:

this weekend is mental - its a bank holiday which means the whole country gets Monday off work ie 3 day weekend + 10 weddings + overflow from York races which is a huge race meeting in the town only 15 miles away and puts on a 4 night minimum for obvious reasons so overflow comes to my town. - We are booked at least 6 weeks in advance for a sat anyway - woman turns up yesterday "oh we stayed with you before so we thought we would come" didn't think to ring or make a reservation then? told her she would have to go to leeds as everywhere else is full *ie next large town 16 miles the other way"- and then they look at you like you are crackers.

Click to expand...

[email protected] said:

this weekend is mental - its a bank holiday which means the whole country gets Monday off work ie 3 day weekend + 10 weddings + overflow from York races which is a huge race meeting in the town only 15 miles away and puts on a 4 night minimum for obvious reasons so overflow comes to my town. - We are booked at least 6 weeks in advance for a sat anyway - woman turns up yesterday "oh we stayed with you before so we thought we would come" didn't think to ring or make a reservation then? told her she would have to go to leeds as everywhere else is full *ie next large town 16 miles the other way"- and then they look at you like you are crackers

Click to expand...

or worse still they look at you like it's your fault or as if to say what are you going to do about it!!!
.

Click to expand...

ill get my concrete mixer whipped out then!

[email protected] said:

this weekend is mental - its a bank holiday which means the whole country gets Monday off work ie 3 day weekend + 10 weddings + overflow from York races which is a huge race meeting in the town only 15 miles away and puts on a 4 night minimum for obvious reasons so overflow comes to my town. - We are booked at least 6 weeks in advance for a sat anyway - woman turns up yesterday "oh we stayed with you before so we thought we would come" didn't think to ring or make a reservation then? told her she would have to go to leeds as everywhere else is full *ie next large town 16 miles the other way"- and then they look at you like you are crackers.

Click to expand...

[email protected] said:

this weekend is mental - its a bank holiday which means the whole country gets Monday off work ie 3 day weekend + 10 weddings + overflow from York races which is a huge race meeting in the town only 15 miles away and puts on a 4 night minimum for obvious reasons so overflow comes to my town. - We are booked at least 6 weeks in advance for a sat anyway - woman turns up yesterday "oh we stayed with you before so we thought we would come" didn't think to ring or make a reservation then? told her she would have to go to leeds as everywhere else is full *ie next large town 16 miles the other way"- and then they look at you like you are crackers

Click to expand...

When I worked as relief night audit (weekends were the only nights I could work) I would have people come in at 2 AM asking for a room. Sorry, we are booked. "I've been driving since Duluth (MN - 7.5 hours away) looking for a room." Sorry, you will probably have to drive to the other side of Chicago. They would be glassy-eyed with fingers still clutching the steering wheel position. I felt sorry for them. The ones who asked - What is going on that all the rooms are booked? got the weddings, reunions, summer travel plus a mental answer - because everyone else was smart enough to reserve a room got no sympathy because they were usually snarky.l

gillumhouse said:

[email protected] said:

this weekend is mental - its a bank holiday which means the whole country gets Monday off work ie 3 day weekend + 10 weddings + overflow from York races which is a huge race meeting in the town only 15 miles away and puts on a 4 night minimum for obvious reasons so overflow comes to my town. - We are booked at least 6 weeks in advance for a sat anyway - woman turns up yesterday "oh we stayed with you before so we thought we would come" didn't think to ring or make a reservation then? told her she would have to go to leeds as everywhere else is full *ie next large town 16 miles the other way"- and then they look at you like you are crackers.

Click to expand...

[email protected] said:

this weekend is mental - its a bank holiday which means the whole country gets Monday off work ie 3 day weekend + 10 weddings + overflow from York races which is a huge race meeting in the town only 15 miles away and puts on a 4 night minimum for obvious reasons so overflow comes to my town. - We are booked at least 6 weeks in advance for a sat anyway - woman turns up yesterday "oh we stayed with you before so we thought we would come" didn't think to ring or make a reservation then? told her she would have to go to leeds as everywhere else is full *ie next large town 16 miles the other way"- and then they look at you like you are crackers

Click to expand...

When I worked as relief night audit (weekends were the only nights I could work) I would have people come in at 2 AM asking for a room. Sorry, we are booked. "I've been driving since Duluth (MN - 7.5 hours away) looking for a room." Sorry, you will probably have to drive to the other side of Chicago. They would be glassy-eyed with fingers still clutching the steering wheel position. I felt sorry for them. The ones who asked - What is going on that all the rooms are booked? got the weddings, reunions, summer travel plus a mental answer - because everyone else was smart enough to reserve a room got no sympathy because they were usually snarky.l
.

Click to expand...

I'm already getting the begging for next weekend. Cheapest room that I would personally book is already double my rate.