WEG Budget Cut

[dogontired]

[QUOTE=SmplySweet1021;5072126]
…it is the price gouging at the Hotels that disgusts me. I’m happy to hear they are finally dropping some, but how many customers did the hotels lose because people couldn’t afford to come to WEG. It is ridiculous. I understand making some money but enough is enough![/QUOTE]

1. WEG failed to come through in building two (count that, 2) hotels on the Horse Park grounds for competitors and their entourages.

2. The hotels that lose people becuase they can’t afford to come to WEG are not the only parties impacted. WEG lost these same people too.

3. “I understand making some money but enough is enough”. Were you talking about the hotels or the WEG management team?

[SmplySweet1021]

[QUOTE=dogontired;5106726]

1. WEG failed to come through in building two (count that, 2) hotels on the Horse Park grounds for competitors and their entourages.

2. The hotels that lose people becuase they can’t afford to come to WEG are not the only parties impacted. WEG lost these same people too.

3. “I understand making some money but enough is enough”. Were you talking about the hotels or the WEG management team?[/QUOTE]

They didn’t fail to come through the decision was made to not build them as they would only be used during horse shows. Who other than people competing wants to be out at the HP during the off season…there isn’t much around the HP

[dogontired]

My point is that when WEG started marketing this event, competitors and their entourage were told they would have plenty of reasonably priced housing available to them, and then last year suddenly all of those folks were left on their own to scramble and find rooms. Non-competitors who bought their tix 2 years ago had already flooded the hotel/motel market in Lexington and booked up rooms with a 12-month head-start. Simple economics mean that market demand supported the extraordinarily high hotel prices, especially close to the Park.

These same hotels/motels jack up prices for Rolex and require nonrefundable prepayment, not a surprise that they are doing it for WEG. Same reason that locals rent out their houses during the Olympics and leave town for the duration of the event.

Failing to provide affordable housing for competitors and their entourage (and I am not including us out-of-town volunteers in this category) in my book is completely inexcusable. Probably 90% of these folks are AMATEURS who are spending to compete at this event out of their own pockets. Agree with you completely on your observation that it’s ridiculous and ‘enough is enough’. It’s a real shame.