Park Plaza screw-up

[bobquasit.livejournal.com]

I was just talking to a friend of mine, and discovered something interesting: the Park Plaza screwed up again.

Okay, please don't hit me with the "whiner" response. I don't need that. I've gone to EVERY Arisia, and there's no bigger fan of the con than me. I've volunteered, done amateur video, panels, and most recently helped a Masquerade contestant, all right? I support the con.

If this sort of comment pisses you off, do me a favor and don't read any more.

It's not "treason to Arisia" to point out that the Park Plaza has made some serious screw-ups over the years. A year or two ago they demanded a cash deposit of $1,000.00 from me, in addition to having $500 clear on my debit card, before they'd let me have the room I'd reserved. I never worked out the accounting, but I'm pretty damned sure that they made a lot more money from me than they should have.

This year I couldn't afford a hotel room, by the way.

Anyway, my friend was staying at the hotel. The staff was nice, but when the blizzard hit my friend was stranded (she's from out of state, and the bus lines shut down on Sunday). She tried to use her debit card to get the room for another day, but her card was denied.

As a result, her young nephew and his friend had to crash with friends. She volunteered for six hours in the con suite, and when she started to fall asleep was kicked out of the room by Security; I understand about rules, but when there's a bleeping SNOW EMERGENCY in the state and everyone is trapped, a little tolerance seems called for.

Anyway, after it was all over she found that the hotel had charged her double for her room. That's why she couldn't afford the third day. She was able to get a refund later, but the whole thing seems incredibly stupid. If the hotel HADN'T double-charged her, they could have ultimately made MORE money for the third day.

Did anyone else have a problem like this? Just wondering.

Please note, I'm not asking anyone to fix anything, and I am NOT blaming Arisia for this. I just find it interesting that the Park Plaza keeps having this sort of problem, that's all.

Hell, I probably shouldn't post this at all. I know I'm going to get slammed for it. Oh well, I can always delete it.

Comments

[swashbucklr]

Considering that I lived outside of Boston at the time, the year in Waltham was pretty good for me. Being able to park on-site and not worry about tickets or paying parking fees was a big relief.

Now, I just pack light and take the T.

[unquietsoul5.livejournal.com]

I didn't attend the year in Waltham (and I was Living in Waltham then) because there was no transport available from where I was to get to the convention. With no public transport services (there was an airport shuttle, but that was useless since I was already in that city). Waltham is a horrid place to live without a car, with bad transportation all the way around (I spent more than 25 years living there, so I have lots of first hand experience).

Unfortunately my favorite hotel in the area, the MIT hotel, is way too small for a big convention like Arisia.

[swashbucklr]

Well, that'd do it. I've had a car since I was able to drive.

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

were they not running shuttles to/from the T station as well when in waltham?

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[unquietsoul5.livejournal.com]

Not at that time... later Waltham itself started a 'City Bus Service' that went from the Central Square Waltham up to 128 and the hotels, and then shut it down owing the bus company 6 months of operational costs.

Right now there is no service from Central Square Waltham (where the Bus Service and Commuter rail station is) and when the hotels are up by 128, and its been that way for a number of years. Nor do the hotels offer a shuttle, except out to the airport.

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

ah, the one i was thinking of was run/paid for by arisia to get people to/from the T to the con. didn't use it, so i don't know the particulars, but i was sure there was one. oh well.

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[mycroft.livejournal.com]

Actually, the Waltham bus service did run for a few years. It was paid for by federal grant money (something about funding public transit for a limited time in places that don't have it, to see if it's viable), and was fully expected to shut down when the grant ended. It was still running as of last April -- I know because I used it then.

[unquietsoul5.livejournal.com]

It doesn't run anymore and there was a scandal involved because the bus company stopped it after 6 months of non-payment. The City and the bus company involved ended up in court over it, according to the Tribune, the local newspaper in waltham. It hasn't been running since at least last June, possibly earlier, according to my roomate who works in that city.

[bryttan.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, that's odd, I seem to recall grabbing the 70A from Central Sq Cambridge, through Waltham Center & out to the Westin (& then back again to Cambridge to get to the Red Line to the Blue Line to get to the airport to fly to TX :) that year for Arisia. I might have had to walk a block or so in the snow with my bags, but I don't recall it being that far/difficult to use public transit.

Of course, I was only the assistant to Reg that year, so didn't have to schlep anything con-stuff in myself, maybe that's what's throwing me off?

I'm pretty sure the 70A still goes out that way on its regular tour. And where does the 170 come in; it goes through a lot of that general area as well.

[unquietsoul5.livejournal.com]

70 A didn't run on sundays and I believe stops service early in the evening most days (or did when I lived in waltham back then). The 70 runs all the time of normal T service, but goes up to cedarwood (They both run past my current home in Cambridge and are the constant transport used by my housemate to get to work).

I don't believe the A goes to the hotels, it goes up around the lakewood area in North Waltham. The hike from either to the hotel area on 128 would be fairly considerable, not just a block or two, and the year of the convention in Waltham was a deep freeze weekend with a minor ice storm if memory serves.

My housemate attended that year, but myself and my wife didn't. She had transport from a friend of hers for the convention, and even then she managed to fall treking in and out that year and broke her wrist on the icy conditions from the parking lot to the convention.

I know nothing about the 170...