More 4NCL

[Sean Hewitt]

Add to that chess guests sitting in reception eating KFC, sitting in the bar drinking their own drinks or cancelling 10 rooms with 2 days notice and it's no wonder that hotels prepared to host a chess event are few and far between! We even had one player turn up at an event with a sleeping bag and ask where he could sleep for the night!!

It's a sorry state of affairs, but when the hotels put such a ridiculous mark up on their food and drink, how can anyone who doesn’t have deep pockets and isn’t sponsored be expected to pay those rates? For me it's not a question of I'd rather a KFC than a meal in the hotel, I simply can't afford the meal in the hotel.

Yes, everybody knows that hotel meals are expensive, and its anybody perogative to get food elsewhere, but you have to appreciate the hotels right to demand it not to be eaten on their premises, would you think KCF would like you eating a BigMac within one of their restaurants (and vice versa)

Exactly so. It's not the eating at KFC that's the issue, it's eating it in the hotel that is. I was going to say that you wouldn't open a tinnie in your local pub would you, but then I remembered that I've even seen chess players do that - with the landlord glaring at them!!

[Roger de Coverly]

A quick look at what it costs to play bridge for a weekend at De Vere Denham Grove (where e2e4 holds events also) gives an idea of the cost differential.

This one presumably

http://www.holidaybridge.co.uk/ukbreaks.php

Although if chess tournaments threw in full board, training and a drinks reception, prices might be similar. The number of events makes it look like a full time business, so there's probably a profit margin in there as well.

It does show up a some points though:-

- the market for Bridge tourism is more developed than for Chess tourism (in this country anyway).
- there's a market for adult residential training in Bridge.
- Bridge promoters go where no UK chess organisers have gone - namely run events over Christmas.
- Bridge sessions are time equivalent to G/75 games.

The impression I'd formed, perhaps wrongly, was that the De Vere chain in particular was big on corporate training and continuing professional development. These usually take place during the working week, therefore weekend based chess events are a natural fit.

[Gareth Harley-Yeo]

Add to that chess guests sitting in reception eating KFC, sitting in the bar drinking their own drinks or cancelling 10 rooms with 2 days notice and it's no wonder that hotels prepared to host a chess event are few and far between! We even had one player turn up at an event with a sleeping bag and ask where he could sleep for the night!!

It's a sorry state of affairs, but when the hotels put such a ridiculous mark up on their food and drink, how can anyone who doesn’t have deep pockets and isn’t sponsored be expected to pay those rates? For me it's not a question of I'd rather a KFC than a meal in the hotel, I simply can't afford the meal in the hotel.

Yes, everybody knows that hotel meals are expensive, and its anybody perogative to get food elsewhere, but you have to appreciate the hotels right to demand it not to be eaten on their premises, would you think KCF would like you eating a BigMac within one of their restaurants (and vice versa)

Exactly so. It's not the eating at KFC that's the issue, it's eating it in the hotel that is. I was going to say that you wouldn't open a tinnie in your local pub would you, but then I remembered that I've even seen chess players do that - with the landlord glaring at them!!

I quite agree. I normally take a car full of teenagers to the local MacDonald’s on the Saturday evening. We consume our food there. It's not ideal but needs must.

Mike, £13 in itself isn't a bank breaker, but as I'm spending a tank and a half of petrol, plus the room etc. - it all adds up. My imminent loss of civil service job means I have to watch the pennies.

Please don't think I'm any anyway criticising you or your selection re venue. I know it's an impossible job, I simply wondered if there were any alternative opportunities for city-centre venue hire for one weekend as i believe it could considerably lower my costs involved and increase my enjoyment. (Yes I am looking at this from a purely selfish point of view).

[Joey Stewart]

I accept these things are relative, but I don't think £13 for an evening meal at, for example, Hinckley Island is particularly unreasonable, and the venues do normally try to put on a beer, lager and house wine at discounted prices in the bar.

Often eating in the hotel actually works out cheaper then going out for a meal in the local town, after taxi fares, drinks and tips have been paid for. If you split the bill with the wrong teammates you can wind up paying far more than you actually received.

Also there is nowhere to gamble at the hotels, which is a good thing in itself, as some of the modern fruit machines can skank you bigtime.
Unless I was in the sort of team who played 4ncl intending to go out for a nights heavy drinking (naming no names) then those bar prices are not too unresonable - obviously the difference of 40-90p is quite large when scaled up to several pints so you would want to be aiming to go to the local wetherspoons there, but otherwise its not the end of the world to pay the odd £2.50-3 for a drink... although, having said that, I remember this one time the guy only filled it up three quarters full and then looked really offended that I would dare to ask him to give me the full pint I was paying a small fortune for!

[Ben Purton]

I think the hotel meals are great value and I run the student team which has the car full of teenagers who sit in a carpark eating macdonalds....


Gareth How much is , screwed up bumper on your expensive car+ Macdonalds cumlative/4NCL's As a taxman I am sure you can work out its more than £15 !

I think Sambuca Sharks should get special dispensation on Sambuca, like a £1 a shot if we gurantee to drink 2 bottles etc. £3 a shot , means they make £200 on Sambuca just from us .

Ben

[Richard Bates]

Well i think the hotels are fantastic.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

It's a sorry state of affairs, but when the hotels put such a ridiculous mark up on their food and drink, how can anyone who doesn’t have deep pockets and isn’t sponsored be expected to pay those rates? For me it's not a question of I'd rather a KFC than a meal in the hotel, I simply can't afford the meal in the hotel.

Yes, everybody knows that hotel meals are expensive, and its anybody perogative to get food elsewhere, but you have to appreciate the hotels right to demand it not to be eaten on their premises, would you think KCF would like you eating a BigMac within one of their restaurants (and vice versa)

Exactly so. It's not the eating at KFC that's the issue, it's eating it in the hotel that is. I was going to say that you wouldn't open a tinnie in your local pub would you, but then I remembered that I've even seen chess players do that - with the landlord glaring at them!!

I was reminded of this thread when I read this statement on the 4NCL website (about the Junior 4NCL)!

http://www.4ncl.co.uk/jn_news_1011.htm

"We have specifically been asked by Barcelo to remind J4NCL participants of the following:
1. No food and drink from outside the hotels should be brought into and consumed in the hotels by J4NCL participants.
2. There are usually other delegates present in the hotels, and if coffee and refreshments for these delegates are in public view J4NCL participants should not assume that they are free to consume these (they will have been paid for by other delegates).
3. 4NCL participants should refrain from setting up camp in the reception areas, as these are common areas which are used by non-chess playing guests as well."

[Gareth Harley-Yeo]

I think the hotel meals are great value and I run the student team which has the car full of teenagers who sit in a carpark eating macdonalds....


Gareth How much is , screwed up bumper on your expensive car+ Macdonalds cumlative/4NCL's As a taxman I am sure you can work out its more than £15 !

I think Sambuca Sharks should get special dispensation on Sambuca, like a £1 a shot if we gurantee to drink 2 bottles etc. £3 a shot , means they make £200 on Sambuca just from us .

Ben

I'm sure you're aware Ben that I must always reward Simon with a Happy Meal if he wins on the Saturday

p.s. Bumper is now fixed!

[Roger de Coverly]

I was reminded of this thread when I read this statement on the 4NCL website (about the Junior 4NCL)!

http://www.4ncl.co.uk/jn_news_1011.htm

The statement also tells us that the 4NCL won't be using the Barcelo Oxford for future junior events, at the request of the hotel as much as anything else. Future JNCL weekends are moving north to Hinckley and Daventry with in one case a date change.

[Joey Stewart]

I hope they dont go messing about there as well and runing the whole 4ncl - they say you should never work with children, animals and, most of all, parents!