All-Star Nca Housing Exception Form

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Well turns out we aren't going to NCA after all this year. I'm beside myself with the Stay to Play. My husband travels for a living. I use his points for cheer travel. I CANNOT AFFORD the OVER THE TOP stay to play prices. If I cannot use the points for our cheer travel my CP may have to give up this sport!! The Cheer Gods already get almost every penny that comes into my household. The added expense of having to pay for a hotel room that I could have gotten for no cost is going to price my family out. It sucks cause CP has worked so hard for so long to get to L5 and now we are running into this stay to play nonsense. It's so depressing.

One of the exceptions for the stay to play for NCA is that you're using hotel points. You just give them your confirmation number and hotel info. I would assume the rest of the stay to play comps are the same way.
 
Are you able to share a room with a friend, or does every cheerleader need to have their own room?
You can share a room, when you book through connections just list every cheerleader in the room so they are accounted for!


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Can't book my room until December (with employee discount.) That's past the Exception Form deadline date. I've emailed CH, so we'll see what the response is.
I'm trying to play ball, but jeez. Can we not have ridiculous rules?
 
Can't book my room until December (with employee discount.) That's past the Exception Form deadline date. I've emailed CH, so we'll see what the response is.
I'm trying to play ball, but jeez. Can we not have ridiculous rules?
Amen...so tired of being nickeled and dimed (okay $50 and $100) to death. These "Stay and Play" comps are just another way for the EPs to make money, cloaked in the idea that they are helping us. In our gym, we have to stay at our gyms block...no ifs/ands/buts. They get our confirmation numbers and account for every athlete. They then send those to the EP. I will say that when our gym books their own blocks, they definitely try to keep costs down. We still don't have our room block for Dallas yet.
 
Every hotel we are staying at as a gym is anywhere from $10-45 less than the actual hotel website for the same days. I've asked two separate hotel managers to explain Stay To Play to me and they both said the same thing. Hotel prices are set by hotel management based on supply and demand by day. They have access to event calendars for Arena's, Convention Centers, city events, they work with corporations, etc. If the prices are higher than in years past, it is because of higher demand and they can fill their hotel at a higher rate. I asked this question in Nashville, because I thought the rates were ridiculous, but they said with all of the music events, they could fill to capacity. They went on to say...

Event Planners have "Housing" guarantee hotels for their guests to stay at, because if they don't have hotels, they don't have an event. Housing then negotiates pricing and deposit requirements with the hotel sales staff to secure the hotel for that event. Stay To Play is just a rule that helps make sure they can meet the deposit and population requirements they just negotiated to secure that hotel, if they don't, they won't be able to secure it for future events. They, also disclosed, sporting events families are their least favorite to have booked in their hotels because of noise and rowdiness.

And as a heads up... I know for a fact that at least one big hotel that is attached to the convention center has turned over a list of people who booked rooms through the hotel to NCA as a list of "cheer participants" I have so many problems with this. 2 years ago we stayed there and CP wasn't cheering. How can they ... I just can't!

This stems from the gyms complaining they were told there are enough rooms to accommodate their families and then the block is full and 20% of the gym isn't booked. We now have to put down what team our child cheers for and if someone books and they don't have an athlete on a team, they will be released from the block. This is to prevent friends and family from getting priority over gym families.
 
Every hotel we are staying at as a gym is anywhere from $10-45 less than the actual hotel website for the same days. I've asked two separate hotel managers to explain Stay To Play to me and they both said the same thing. Hotel prices are set by hotel management based on supply and demand by day. They have access to event calendars for Arena's, Convention Centers, city events, they work with corporations, etc. If the prices are higher than in years past, it is because of higher demand and they can fill their hotel at a higher rate. I asked this question in Nashville, because I thought the rates were ridiculous, but they said with all of the music events, they could fill to capacity. They went on to say...

Event Planners have "Housing" guarantee hotels for their guests to stay at, because if they don't have hotels, they don't have an event. Housing then negotiates pricing and deposit requirements with the hotel sales staff to secure the hotel for that event. Stay To Play is just a rule that helps make sure they can meet the deposit and population requirements they just negotiated to secure that hotel, if they don't, they won't be able to secure it for future events. They, also disclosed, sporting events families are their least favorite to have booked in their hotels because of noise and rowdiness.



This stems from the gyms complaining they were told there are enough rooms to accommodate their families and then the block is full and 20% of the gym isn't booked. We now have to put down what team our child cheers for and if someone books and they don't have an athlete on a team, they will be released from the block. This is to prevent friends and family from getting priority over gym families.
I get it. I understand supply and demand. The problem here is that STP has changed the "supply and demand" by, in essence, taking the "free market" out of it. The Supply no longer consists of ALL hotels/motels/inns/etc. in the greater Dallas area. The Supply is now "hotels that have agreed to our terms* and are on our list as acceptable". The Demand is also now steeper because ALL attendees are REQUIRED to stay in the Supply hotels (or present an exception form to be approved). What happens when you come up with that combination? Increased prices. So while, yes, prices would have no doubt increased year to year even if hotels were operating independently...by taking the free market out of it, the increase has been significantly steeper.

The losers here are the families. They can no longer negotiate directly with hotels or decide for themselves where they want to stay from a complete list of all accommodations. If they want to stay in a hotel in BFE that is "not on the list" to save money, they have to ask for "permission" by way of an exception. The inherent nature of having to file an exception gives someone (CH or NCA?) the ability to not grant your exception should they choose. Families are paying more in an artificial supply/demand environment.

I am certain NCA is able to negotiate better rates for the convention center based on the number or rooms they guarantee will be taken. Count NCA as a winner in STP.

The hotels? Well, I am sure they like the higher rates they are guaranteed by "willing to pay $50/bow" parents coming to town. I am also pretty sure that they have to boost their rates to accommodate some sort of "payment" (I am guessing flat rate or percentage) to CH. Because, face it, that is how CH is getting paid. CH is also a winner in STP. As far as the hotels --- Obviously some hotels do not consider NCA/HC a "winner" and have chosen to not partner despite their proximity to the Convention Center. Others, I would guess, despite the inconvenience of the noisy, rowdy cheer families, are no doubt winners in STP when you look at the rates they are able to charge for those days versus the rates the rest of the year.

So, I get what you are saying. I understand the "why" behind STP. But I would argue that those same # of hotel rooms in the area would be taken even without STP. Families have to stay somewhere. The problem is it is more difficult that way for NCA to show how many hotel rooms they are responsible for. So that proof comes at a price...and that price is borne by the families.
 
Every hotel we are staying at as a gym is anywhere from $10-45 less than the actual hotel website for the same days. I've asked two separate hotel managers to explain Stay To Play to me and they both said the same thing. Hotel prices are set by hotel management based on supply and demand by day. They have access to event calendars for Arena's, Convention Centers, city events, they work with corporations, etc. If the prices are higher than in years past, it is because of higher demand and they can fill their hotel at a higher rate. I asked this question in Nashville, because I thought the rates were ridiculous, but they said with all of the music events, they could fill to capacity. They went on to say...

Event Planners have "Housing" guarantee hotels for their guests to stay at, because if they don't have hotels, they don't have an event. Housing then negotiates pricing and deposit requirements with the hotel sales staff to secure the hotel for that event. Stay To Play is just a rule that helps make sure they can meet the deposit and population requirements they just negotiated to secure that hotel, if they don't, they won't be able to secure it for future events. They, also disclosed, sporting events families are their least favorite to have booked in their hotels because of noise and rowdiness.



This stems from the gyms complaining they were told there are enough rooms to accommodate their families and then the block is full and 20% of the gym isn't booked. We now have to put down what team our child cheers for and if someone books and they don't have an athlete on a team, they will be released from the block. This is to prevent friends and family from getting priority over gym families.

I understand when someone books on a gym block, but what if someone booked through the hotel website. No where does it say they are there for NCA. And CH did not take over 100% of the hotel.

What if "Sally Smith" #1 has a cheerleader and "Sally Smith" #2 is in Dallas for a shopping weekend either her friends. Why does CH need the names of people who booked at said hotel independently?

It seems like a lot of time and effort is going into stay and play, and I can't help but wonder if the people charged with policing it could be more productive in other capacities.
 
I get it. I understand supply and demand. The problem here is that STP has changed the "supply and demand" by, in essence, taking the "free market" out of it. The Supply no longer consists of ALL hotels/motels/inns/etc. in the greater Dallas area. The Supply is now "hotels that have agreed to our terms* and are on our list as acceptable". The Demand is also now steeper because ALL attendees are REQUIRED to stay in the Supply hotels (or present an exception form to be approved). What happens when you come up with that combination? Increased prices. So while, yes, prices would have no doubt increased year to year even if hotels were operating independently...by taking the free market out of it, the increase has been significantly steeper.

The losers here are the families. They can no longer negotiate directly with hotels or decide for themselves where they want to stay from a complete list of all accommodations. If they want to stay in a hotel in BFE that is "not on the list" to save money, they have to ask for "permission" by way of an exception. The inherent nature of having to file an exception gives someone (CH or NCA?) the ability to not grant your exception should they choose. Families are paying more in an artificial supply/demand environment.

I am certain NCA is able to negotiate better rates for the convention center based on the number or rooms they guarantee will be taken. Count NCA as a winner in STP.

The hotels? Well, I am sure they like the higher rates they are guaranteed by "willing to pay $50/bow" parents coming to town. I am also pretty sure that they have to boost their rates to accommodate some sort of "payment" (I am guessing flat rate or percentage) to CH. Because, face it, that is how CH is getting paid. CH is also a winner in STP. As far as the hotels --- Obviously some hotels do not consider NCA/HC a "winner" and have chosen to not partner despite their proximity to the Convention Center. Others, I would guess, despite the inconvenience of the noisy, rowdy cheer families, are no doubt winners in STP when you look at the rates they are able to charge for those days versus the rates the rest of the year.

So, I get what you are saying. I understand the "why" behind STP. But I would argue that those same # of hotel rooms in the area would be taken even without STP. Families have to stay somewhere. The problem is it is more difficult that way for NCA to show how many hotel rooms they are responsible for. So that proof comes at a price...and that price is borne by the families.

Is it wrong that your use of the correct "borne" gave me chills?

:cool:
 
I agree with Miss Congeniality that cheer families are the big losers in STP. I am furious over paying $800 for 3 nights, 100% paid up front, six months in advance, non refundable, $100 of it is tax and they can change the tax if Texas/Dallas does. I don't mind telling anyone who will listen how unhappy I am about every business involved in this scheme- NCA, housing connections, the hotel chain, the city, the convention center. I am going to try not to spend one penny at the hotel or convention center while I'm there.
 
I agree with Miss Congeniality that cheer families are the big losers in STP. I am furious over paying $800 for 3 nights, 100% paid up front, six months in advance, non refundable, $100 of it is tax and they can change the tax if Texas/Dallas does. I don't mind telling anyone who will listen how unhappy I am about every business involved in this scheme- NCA, housing connections, the hotel chain, the city, the convention center. I am going to try not to spend one penny at the hotel or convention center while I'm there.
This must be your gyms doing for the hotel y'all have to stay at. I stayed 3 nights last year between 2 hotels. The regular 2 nights plus a night because of the snow and I definitely spent less then 500$ maybe $400 I think for those 3 nights. I booked through connections.

This year I booked through connections also getting 3 nights for $400 so yes I hate connections and I want to book wherever the hell I want to book at but it definitely doesn't have to be that expensive! Have you checked their website? They do have more cost effective options on there! I booked mine last year a week before the event and got it cheap and in a nice hotel. This year I already booked though!


ETA I also did not have to pay any upfront and that's including tax!

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This must be your gyms doing for the hotel y'all have to stay at. I stayed 3 nights last year between 2 hotels. The regular 2 nights plus a night because of the snow and I definitely spent less then 500$ maybe $400 I think for those 3 nights. I booked through connections.

This year I booked through connections also getting 3 nights for $400 so yes I hate connections and I want to book wherever the hell I want to book at but it definitely doesn't have to be that expensive! Have you checked their website? They do have more cost effective options on there! I booked mine last year a week before the event and got it cheap and in a nice hotel. This year I already booked though!


ETA I also did not have to pay any upfront and that's including tax!

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Did you have to drive from your hotel to the comp?
 
I understand when someone books on a gym block, but what if someone booked through the hotel website. No where does it say they are there for NCA. And CH did not take over 100% of the hotel.

What if "Sally Smith" #1 has a cheerleader and "Sally Smith" #2 is in Dallas for a shopping weekend either her friends. Why does CH need the names of people who booked at said hotel independently?

It seems like a lot of time and effort is going into stay and play, and I can't help but wonder if the people charged with policing it could be more productive in other capacities.

I'm sorry, I misunderstood. I thought you were talking about non-cheer family members/friends booking within the gym block.
 
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