ClassicCar

dave s

My two cents. I agree that national and regional meets should be held where more people can afford to stay, but I have never seen a Motel 6, Super 8, Red Roof Inn or other budget motel that has had the facilities to be able to provide the necessary show car parking, flea market space, trailer parking area, motor home parking, banquet room, memorabilia room and other facilities that are necessary to provide a quality meet. The expense for the above has to come from somewhere, and that is the increased room rental fee. The chapters agreeing to host meets try to do the best for all concerned. Those who want to attend meet, but can not afford host rates can usually find accommodating facilities nearby.

Browniepetersen

I am a bit financally challenged having been moved into retirement a bit early so this is quite an intresting subject. I do not have a very good answer or an answer that will work for everyone; but, for me, what it comes down to is budgeting my cash flow to meet my plans. With two years to do this I know that I am selling some stuff off, reevaluating my investments and adjusting my cash flow. Should all things come together by the French Lick meet, we will be there... if not, perhaps Colorado? I do have money set aside for California next year it is simply a question of new hubcaps or a few days at the beach....

hudsontech

Rosemount Motel Bedford - Rates around $50 a night, 34 miles from French Lick:
Days Inn Jasper - Rates $74 to $93, 25 miles from French Lick;
Super 8 Bedford - Rates $99 to $135, 34 miles from French Lick;

Those are just 3 that I looked up - there are others near and far that I'll look up later when I have a little more time. Seems like that's the "Golden Area" of Indiana.

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

RL Chilton

Alex-

From what my brother has told me, you are not far from the mark. The town exists because of the huge resort that is there, which back in the 30's was a huge (and expensive) SPA for the well-to-do. It remains a large resort (golf course, hotel, etc.) with the small town around it that mostly supports the resort. I think "Golden Area" is pretty close . . .

I'll wait and hold judgement, but it seems like Auburn or Indy would be more logical choices. Just my opinion.

Tallent R

I allways enjoyed meets at Auburn , its a "Car Town" with the old Auburn factory and the ACD museum . As well as the car and truck museum next door.
And it has a cluster of motels so lots of rooms (and competiton for bussiness) . And lots of eating and shopping places nearby. And its right on the interstate (did you drive hwy #30?) WoW ! !
Just My Opinion
Roger

Nevada Hudson

Towns 20 miles away from Gettysburg, rates are half what they were at Gettysburg. There are large hotels too, and the drive to the sights is not too far. But that is moot. I do not mind paying the price so much, but the Hotels chosen sell out in less than a month, and many members are stuck without rooms. Maybe we need more avalible rooms.

oldhudsons

I gather from reading this that the room rate at the French Lick hotel is steep.
As I said earlier I went there in '60 for a jazz festival & recall seeing nothing but the big hotel, closed & shuttered at that time.
French Lick has a pop. of 1900 & the next biggest town is Bedford, a small city of nearly 20,000 BUT it's almost 30 miles away.
I don't get it, why was French Lick chosen as the site of the National Meet in the 1st place????

hudsontech

I went searching this morning and found the following:
Comfort Suites - French Lick, $105 (advance rate from $89);
Days Inn - Jasper, $75 - 25 mi;
Sleep Inn - Jasper, $80 - 25 mi;
Salem Motel - Salem, $55-$65 - 32 mi;
Quality Inn - Huntingburg, $75 - 32 mi
Comfort Inn - Bedford, $90 - 34 mi;
Sleep Inn - Bedford, $99 - 34 mi.
Comfort Inn - Ferdinand, $85 - 37 mi;

I still have a request for info from the American Road Group so we shall see what that brings.

It appears that the Comfort Suites in French Lick wouldn't be a bad choice - everything else means a drive every day and that's not the greatest idea in the world.

In her talk about the French Lick Springs resort Sue Kennedy kept stressing that this was a "destination" - Mars is a destination, but I'm not likely to go there anytime soon.

I also wonder - what was wrong with Auburn that the planning committee had to choose such a high priced area.

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

46HudsonPU

Was just trying to check rates on www.kayak.com - The Marriott San Mateo charges additional fees, not covered under the basic 'room charges'. From what I'm reading, you can't even park your car without paying an additional fee. This is what is posted online -

-----------------------------
The following fees and deposits are charged by the property at time of service, check-in, or check-out.
•Self parking fee: USD 22 per day
•Valet parking fee: USD 25 per day
•Fee for in-room high-speed Internet (wired): USD 9.95 per day (rates may vary)
•Fee for in-room wireless Internet: USD 9.95 per day (rates may vary)
•Buffet breakfast fee: USD 16 per person (approximately)

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.
-----------------------------

It may not seem like much, however if you're planning on parking your car (or a rental if flying-in), you can count on paying at least an additional $88-$110 just for parking over the 4-5 day period, If you want internet service, that will be at least an additional $40-$50, If you have their buffet breakfast, at least $64-$80 (per person), etc., etc..
Add it all up, it could double (or worse) the bill for your hotel stay -

I can't actually find a list of the supplemental charges on the hotel's website, so most likely this is not an all inclusive list, and the prices may be more - I did see something indicating an additional charge for large, oversized vehicles, trailers, etc., ($60+ per day).

Park_W

We have to remember that the HET Board of Directors reviewed and approved the choice of French Lick. It would be helpful to hear from some Board members on why they thought this was a good choice. IMHO, Auburn was great, but that doesn't mean we should go there any time the National is to be in the Central Region. One of the enjoyable aspects of our system is that we get to see new places, such as Spokane. The Central Region area includes a lot of nice locations, such as Lexington, KY or places further south. But a prospective host chapter or chapters have to feel they can pull off a good National Meet there. Maybe the Board could be more proactive, with more communication with the region Directors early in the process.

hudsontech

Just looked up air transport into the area - this will give you an idea of what we are getting into:
The French Lick Airport provides air service to private, corporate, charter, and small commercial flights. Our municipal airport in Southern Indiana is growing, with plans for expansion currently underway.
So I guess I'll just hop in Dad's private jet and................

Rick - at the 2001 national in Seattle the hotel charged extra for Brand-X parking but it was around $10 as I recall.

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

faustmb

I spent a long weekend in San Francisco last year for a friends wedding. It was pricey, but an incredible place to visit. Like Rick said, everything was an extra fee. I will say the trolleys are awesome ($2 per day) and the cable cars are disappointing... All that said, I am really looking forward to taking my wife there next year and spending a few days touring the area and checking out Hudsons :)

I don't know about the cost of French Lick, but it is in driving range for me. I can't drag my family into a hotel 6 or red roof type hotel, I spoiled them early maybe. It looks like the Hampton in Jasper is $119 and 20 minutes away. They always have decent rooms, continental breakfast, free Wifi. Sounds like a winner.

Thanks to all the folks who work hard to put these events together.

Matt

oldhudsons

San Mateo in the midst of a major urban hub area, inc. being close to the Silicon Valley & SF airport, so LOTS of alternative places to stay but Calif. just generally "pricey" and in the summer time a major "destination" for Californians, Americans, + foreigners.
A word of advice: I wouldn't plan on driving your Hudson into "Frisco" as parking not only hard to find & expensive but "the City" has VERY steep hills, and at least for me, dangerous to park on as have to cut wheel into curb + pray your emergency brake will hold! Would suggest if you want to see it take a tour (also GOBS of homeless & panhandlers which can be scary if that concerns you).
Before or after Meet if want to go for a beautiful drive go north into the redwood forests or south to Carmel & Monterrey (great seascapes). If you've got the time take Rte. 1 south into the Big Sur areas, on down to Hearst's Castle - world famous drive.

Aaron D. IL

To the best of my knowledge we have not really had any National's where the host hotel did not sell out all available rooms. That being the track record, barring that we need certain amenities for a meet.... I would think we could drive a harder bargain with the hotel. Other than that the meet's we have had in the past have all been pretty good locations.

oldhudsons

Aaron - your "good locations" brings up another point, accessibility via either interstates nearby, esp. good or handy for those trailering in their Hudson (sure a GOB of trailered cars at Gettysburg), or airports for those of us who live long distances from meet & need to fly in then rent a car.
If one consults an Indiana road map the nearest interstate to French Lick probably 50 miles away & as Alex so succintly remarked, no commercial airport nearby either.

46HudsonPU

Yep - For San Francisco, there appears to be PLENTY of hotels within just a few miles of the venue, with a wide variety of pricing, amenities, etc..

However - I would prefer to have what I consider the basic amenities included in the cost of the room (internet, parking, etc..). In these type of cases, it appears to be a way for the hotel(s) to stay within government/corporate 'pricing guidelines' for room rates. Parking, internet, meals, etc., are almost always considered 'additional' items that can be added to a corporate or government voucher as an additional expense while traveling.

hudsontech

I've always stayed at the host hotel/motel for one reason (that's especially relevant as I grow into my mid-70's - if I get tired or hot or just bummed out I can retire to my room for an hour or so and recharge the batteries. Sort of short circuits that if I had to drive 5, 10 or more miles to get back to my motel. Still, $139 a night is still $139 a night.
If I do go to French Lick most likely I will be checking in on Wed and leaving on Sat after the business meet.

Hudsonly.
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

49super6

This may have already been stated but if we all opt for a cheaper motel, like the ones listed here, there won't be any international meets. The host chapter has to commit to a certain number of room nights. So if we stay in the less expensive ones, we better enjoy sitting outside looking at each other because there won't be anything else to do.
Mike C.

Jon B

I don't want to sound like a broken record here, but -- at least for thrifty "singles" attending Nationals -- the affordable route is through room sharing. With three to a room, the $139 drops to less than $50 per night.

oldhudsons

I was told that the price for Banquet will be $50 a plate at the host hotel - hope there's a McDonalds in French Lick or surrounding burg 'cause doubt many HETers gonna cough up that kinda bucks! Tell me if I'm wrong.

hudsontech

RE oldhudsons: My experience over the years is the fancier a hotel dining room is, and the more menu items I can't pronounce all to often the food is blah. Not feeling up to scouting up a restaurant in Gettysburg when I arrived I had a simple cheeseburger; for $15 I'd expect more - but in fact I felt like asking the waitress to ask the chef to come out so I could check the soles of his shoes to see if one was missing. And don't even ask about the cheeze slice that was half melted and hard as a brick.

On the other hand - over at the other hotel - Coutyard Marriott (??) - they had a buffet breakfast for $11 that easily matched the Gettysburg Family Restaurant in both price and quality.

I agree with oldhudsons - if I go I will certainly be looking for somewhere else to eat.

And for Jon B - room-share works great for "singles" but lets look at the average Joe. He's got to pay for the trip there with probably at least one night if not more at motels along the road, if he and wife - and kids - fly in that's going to add to the bill and etc. It could end up costing at least, at the least, $500 a day which adds up to $2500 for a 5 day adventure.

Bottom line it's expensive enough without having to shell out $139 a night at the host motel. Somebody should quietly take the Southern Indiana planning committee aside and explain that this is NOT the Packard club, or the Cadillac club or some other high buck car club.

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

Nevada Hudson

Amen Alex!
On another note; A lot of us like to drink beer in the parking lot and do tire kicking. If we stay at another hotel, we run the risk of getting a DUI!

51hornetA

Be cool to make a deal with the guys who run those food trucks that have great food for great price have them park for the week and cater to the people who do not want to pay an arm an a leg for a cooked old boot. Take her back a notch to smaller style meets. Yeah I know I'm a dreamer....

Tallent R

The hotel will just have the cops run them off .. ... ...

oldhudsons

51 - food trucks, in an Ind. farm town of 1800 souls? ya gotta be kiddin'!
You ever see the movie "Hoosiers"? The real name of the town is Milan, approx. straight east of French Lick & maybe a little smaller.
I grew up in a small town in no. Ind., a little smaller than Fr. Lick. It had, and still has, one stoplight, 2-3 cafes, 2 groc. stores, 1 hardware store, a coupla gas stations; we had 1 pool hall & 1 bar (13 churches). Unless they've changed the law you cannot ENTER a place that serves liquor unless 21, not even if accompanied by your parents. Unless they've changed the law ALL liquor sales end promptly at midnight Sat. & do not open until midnight Sun. so BYOB!
In the '70s my wife & I went into a restaurant in Indianapolis. As all the tables were taken, noon lunch, we sat at the bar. The bar tender said my wife couldn't sit there & I told him she was a LOT older than 21. He said that made no difference as she was sitting whereas she could see the liquor bottles!!!!!!! We were able to switch seats where she sat behind a pillar & couldn't see those disgusting satanic sin-laden bottles & then we were given a menu (yes, we both had a beer). Believe me, Indiana AIN'T Vegas, LOL!!!!!!!!!!
Google French Lick, Indiana - take a look (you might find the statistics on family income & % of those living below the poverty line enlightening - no. Ind. prosperous, not so. Ind.)

oldhudsons

Tallent - as to cops, my town had/has ONE, part time, only at night unless they've gone "hog wild" & come up with the $$$ to pay one to work full time!

oldhudsons

really, I'm not knocking these small towns, they were/are a great place for a young person to grow up! We didn't need a full time cop, there was no crime! No one locked doors, considered unneighborly. In the years I lived there never heard of anyone getting a divorce. When I was a kid our tele. # was 54 & all of the family living on farms had party lines. I just want people to realize what they will, and won't, find in a small town like French Lick.

SamJ

Last time I was in Paris a French lick was only 100 Euros, but I wasn't tempted...

Nevada Hudson

Checked with the Northern California Chapter about this extra "fee" talk on the hotel for the 2013 National , and their quote was " "That's a bunch of baloney". end quote.

Ken U-Tx

SamJ, in Amsterdam, a French Lick and something more fun was only 50 Euros for both! LOL

Ken U-Tx

The Tatra Meet I am going to, the rooms at the Ramada Micador in Neidernhausen Germany are only 60 Euro a night with full breakfast included. This is a nice Hotel. I find nice hotels are cheaper in Europe than in the USA as of lately. I think Americans are getting @#$%ed over by the big Hotel chains, and by big businesses and banks in general in spite of record unemployment and diminishing wages. Welcome to the new, and nastier America! I can tell you without any hesitation that this country is going down the $#*%%er fast.

Park_W

Try a hotel at a larger city in Western Europe ... prices are typically more like 200 Euros for a decent place.

Tallent R

You think its bad now wait till after they re-elect Obummer in november

KEL 39 · KEL 39 August 2012 Posts: 38Greasemonkey

I will be going to San Francisco in Oct. (flying from Canada) and wanted to stay down town.
The price of the hotel was a shocker ,but the kicker was ,they want $55 per day to park
my car and the is not a 5star hotel.

Aaron D. IL

Right about that Ken. The Hotels and other businesses are basically saying, "We're not making as much money as we'd like to or as much as we used to so the answer is to raise prices to make up for it." WRONG CONCLUSION. The right conclusion is, "Hmm people are on hard times with less discretionary income. Let's LOWER our prices to entice them to spend it here." Everything is backwards.

1941HUDSON

Wow, I can not believe the amount of complaining you people do! If you used this amount of energy figuring out how to come up with the extra money it will take to go to your favorite Hudson function it would save everyone a lot of grief. I am on the BOD and also involved with the Frenchlick International meet planning. We thought about Auburn, heck I live in Auburn and love it very much, but we did not want to wear it out. We have had many successful functions in Auburn and I am sure will have again. We thought it would be fun to have a new and more exciting location to share with our Hudson Friends. Please do not knock it until you try it. If you take a close look at it, it is only $20 more a night than the last International Meet. So that means if you chose to stay five nights it will only be $100 more, and it is two years away. Yes, I know, $100 is a lot of money but like I said you have two years to save. Please also do yourselves a favor and check out the Frenchlick area, you will love it! There are so many things you can do without leaving the town. There is: Casino, Golf, Train Rides, Horse back riding, Hiking, Spas, Swimming, ... Etc..... So lets all work together to see what positives we can bring to the table! Besides, when was the last time you had a bad time at a Southern Indiana hosted function!

Sincerely, John Pontius

HornetSpecial

You are 100% right about that!! Things have been backwards since our last presidential election!!

HornetSpecial

Let's get to the polls and change the direction of this train before the U.S.A. is done.

oldhudsons

is this turning into a political forum for "Mitt the Twit"???

Browniepetersen

I am a car guy. I have opinions on other items and yes I care a lot about the election. I also care a lot about religion and often eat at Chick-fil-A. Shucks, I even posted a photo of flowers from my yard on Facebook yesterday... My point!!! This is a Forum about Hudsons--can we keep all the other crap out of it? Just my - never to be humble opinion.......

hudsonsoul

Yes the prices of Nationals are creaping up... There are also fewer and fewer clubs willing to put them on. Step up and put one on. Meet all the guidelines of the HET Club, Inc. and see where your costs come in. As has been brought up it takes a great deal of work and effort. We should thank the Southern Indiana Chapter and move on.

Respectively,

Todd

yorgatron

howdy, I'm George , newsletter editor of the NorCal chapter that's hosting the 2013 meet.
I know it's not going to be the least expensive meet you've ever been to, but it IS going to be World Class. This is a city that knows how to show people a good time, and we intend to show you. The one thing you folks aren't taking into account is that our chapter is full of notorious cheapskates (myself included) that know how to get around without spending a fortune.

We aren't doing this to empty your wallets, we're a non-profit after all.
We're doing this because we think we can show everybody a good time in a great place. We plan on setting the new standard for International Hudson meets, and you better believe people will be talking about it long after it's over.

Of course, if you just want to go to the cheaper meets, then that's what you'll get. cheap motels, cheap eats, no scenery, no entertainment. Sounds like no fun to me. Don't forget there's going to be a huge selection of cars & parts at the swap meet, and I know for a fact that the families of some of our recently deceased members are planning to bring a lot of stuff that hasn't seen the light of day in years.
So go ahead and stay home, we'll still have fun without you.

51hornetA

Oldhudsons I wasn't thinking of French Lick. Who the F wants to go to French lick?. I have to travel from another country to get to these meets cannot see spending my hard earned dollars on French Lick. The Cali one sounds cool. Would have liked to make Gettysburg but work decided I should earn money to eat. Has to be place I am interested in going to. And worth money to get there.

oldhudsons

in re yogatron's remarks, in addition to what they probably have lined up to do locally during the Meet for HETers, if you wish to make it a vacation, within a days drive are such wonderful places as: Napa Valley & it's wineries, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite Nat'l. Park, the Monterey Peninsula, the redwoods, the Gold Rush Country (wonderful drive on Rte. 49), car collections at Blackhawk & in Reno the rump of the Harrah's Collection (I think now called the National Car Museum or something like that) so you might want to hit some of these places before or after.

51- agree, San Mateo next yr. should be great; I'm going to drive over & make a vacation of it, as in para. above, even tho I've seen all of these places, gonna bring some lit. & memorablia to sell, "kick back" & ENJOY!!!

51hornetA

oldhudsons that would be a great journey for me come down the Pacific coast highway. Blasting along in the 51 arm out the window in severe cruise mode. Cali as a destination. I will peruse your lit and memorabilia and treat you to a sammich at one of the food trucks I mythically believe are everywhere :D

Nevada Hudson

And it should be cool in San Mateo!

oldhudsons

51 - by saying "come down" I assume you live in Ore. or Wash. & would be a great idea to take Rte. 1 going thru scenic towns, redwood groves, and will always be cool whereas if you take I. 5, clogged with traffic, trucks, and a helluva steep pass at the Ore.-Calif. border! Can also be hot up in the Redding area.

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