While it is nice to pin down a room now, don't give up hope for a Crowne
Plaza room. Last year they released unsecured reservations on May 1st
and I know of several that were gotten for late deciding DXers. I even
sent one DXpedition group there the weekend before Dayton last year and
the got the 4 rooms they wanted.
Bookings in Dayton are very much down the last 3 years. What is
happening though is that motels are not issuing reservations into their
open slots. They are being held for the drivers passing by needing a
room. In the past places booked every room and then some.
With some of the lowering crowd estimates, I'm sue many even secured
rooms may be released by people. Some just carry it and then ask to
place the same reservation for them next year.
I know some places must have gathered new rooms as I got calls from the
Long Island DX Association that their block of 10 rooms were lost. I
manage to place 3 rooms and will like have their rooms atached to mine
for next year. Booking the same block of rooms since 1983 gets you a
little recognition from the motel. My group even has room numbers
assigned already.
I would suggest visiting the Hamvention web site and saving their
telephone lists of both downtown and are motels.
Prior to 1983 I got caught one year when USAF took over a GSA rated
hotel during Dayton for classes. Imagine finding out 10 days ahead what
you had was gone.
I did learn that year of the nice facilities on I-75 in Sidney, OH. I
chose the Holiday Inn but there were 4 major hotels in a cluster, along
with a Ponderosa Steakhouse. It was only 30 minutes from the arena and
the Ponderosa stayed open well past closing for eveyone to chat.
Probably still 100 hams when I left at 2:00 AM
--
73, Bob Reed, W2CE
===================================================================
W2CE@prodigy.net W2CE@aol.com W2CE@juno.com W2CE@arrl.net
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