Anyone else get the spam email from the La Quinta in Joplin for the HAMB Drags weekend? I will never stay at that place again. That placed ****ED last year. The breakfast bar? total ****. The room was terrible, the bathroom door didn't even shut properly. And now the cozy spam...
As long time supporters of HAMB Drags we would like to offer a special rate of $64.00 for your 2009 event. This rate will include all of our amenities: *Free Hot Breakfast Bar *Free Wireless Internet *Free Local and Long Distance Calls *Microwave and Refrigerators in every room *Flat Screen TV's in most rooms *24 Hour Restaurant - Ziggies Cafe *Business Center *24 Hour Fitness Center *Largest Indoor Pool and Hot Tub *Largest Outdoor Pool in the Joplin Area *Free USA Today *Guest Laundry Room *Meeting Rooms Available We would also like to offer a VIP Reception for our LaQuinta Guests on Friday from 5-7pm. We want to show that we do appriciate your business and are looking forward to your stay with us. To reserve your room or if you have any questions, please call Chandra or Mike at (417) 781-0500 and ask for the special $64.00 rate for the 2009 HAMB Drags.
I used to work for la quinta. You know what la quinta means in spanish?...... . . . . . . . . . . . Next to dennys.
I have no idea of the machinations of the weekend deal that you refer to. It appears to me they are "bummed" to be losing the revenue for that weekend, and in hindsight are sending unsolicited emails to reverse the already made decision to have the host hotel down the street. As I stated, my "experience" with the La Quinta Joplin last year was less than stellar, ie ********. So my money will be walking elsewhere.
My experience with them has been excellent. They even cheered when we fired up the Gizzle Hopper. However, I'm staying where the "BOSS MAN" said to stay.
As the resident hotelier I can tell you that I was impressed by the initiative in sending the email. I don't know anything about the politics nor do I care. All I know is that for a hotel to be sold out a specific weekend a couple of years in a row, and then not be the next year, looks really really bad on reports to corporate. So good for them for at least trying to replace some of the business. Shame on them if they didn't at least try. That being said we are staying at the host hotel of course for easier staggering distances. They got the email addresses from folks who have made reservations in the past, so they have every right to use that data. The brand I work for, Westin, does it all the time. Sheesh, I am still getting emails from some bohunk hotel in Arkansas that I never even stayed at but had a reservation with that I later cancelled. My only fault was that they didn't use the BCC option. They shouldn't have had all of those email addresses for everyone to see.
I'm curious about the hotel also. Yea, the rooms were kinda ****ty and it was always hot as a mutha in the hallways, but they were able to offset that inconveniance with big loads of tolerance. The staff always seemed VERY tolerant of our antics, which lets face it, were sometimes a little out of control...They looked the other way from alot of crazy ****, which is always a plus for guys like us. I'm not freaking out, just a little curious. -Abone. P.S. I bet those Alcoholics Anonomous guys are glad we aren't coming back....
I was going to hit "reply to all" with something funny and then I remembered that I have a job and need to keep it.
not taking up for either hotels but the girl behind the recp. desk last year said they love it when we came . said they had no problems out of us. she said the worst was several groups of little leaguer. seem they had to call the cops a few time to seperate the parents in the parking lots from fighting.....
i got that email as well, and i wasnt too upset about it. listen, i dig the ramada, la whooka whatzits, whatever the name is. its not about the quality of the place i stay at, heaven knows not many of us spend more than 4 total hours in the room anyhow, the rest is outside in the lot. with money as tight as it is here, its hard enough to be able to commit to going, and now, the change of host hotels makes it just a little less weight on the "i'm going" side of the scale. to say i was disapointed with the move to the holiday inn is an understatement
I had no problems with LaQuinta. When I was checking in my reservations had gotten messed up with no fault of theres. When I sent a copy of my info for Bob K I sent it to my wife instead by mistake. Bob never had the information I thought that I sent him. When I got to the hotel and they couldn't find my information the put me in a suite for the same price as a regular HAMB room. They have treated me very well for the last 4 years. I am only moving down the road because of the ease of PARTY. Keith
i had problems with the 'accessibility' of the room the 1st year i went (Drag #2), but they fixed that the next year when they gave away my wheel-chair accessible room. they offered a non-accessible replacement, but that really didn't help. i went across the street to the fairfield, a marriott property. when i travel, i always stay at marriott hotels, no problems reserving or cancelling, much less being turned away from my reserved accessible room. i'll stay at the residence inn for the same reason... (i'll consider westin in the future though, they must be awesome if they have a DW!)
We are changing hotels for a number of reasons: 1. When I called LaQuinta after hearing from the Holiday Inn bunch, they weren't excited to hear from me... at all... 2. The above phone call? The first time LaQuinta had ever talked to me... In what 6 years? 3. The event planner for the Holiday Inn is an active HAMBer who is going above and beyond... Stuff like: - Real breakfast every morning - BBBQ in the parking lot on Saturday night... Free food and drink. - Reserving a whole section of parking lot for us - etc... 4. The Holiday Inn supports our track... And that's the most important part of this event. In any case, we are getting less comped rooms and much less kick backs through the new hotel. The drags isn't about money... It's about the history of drag racing. AND that's why we do what we do.
Personally, I am glad for the change in venue. I'm not sure why all of this affection towards the Ramada/Laquinta. It was a second rate hotel at best. We outgrew the host hotel the second year. It was great for people that liked the parking lot party. If if you were pulling a trailer, you were screwed by the time you got loaded and back there were no spaces left.
Hey Everyone! I'm your Holiday Inn guy. Thank you all for letting us host HAMB Drags 2009! All of us in the Joplin hotel industry pretty much know each other and talk often. Sometimes events grow and are just better for a larger property; especially when there are a lot of trailers. We lose some to La Quinta and they lose some to us but at the end of the day we are all respectful friends that genuinely care about each other. Now that you're coming here I want you to know that my job is to make sure that your needs are met and hopefully exceeded. So, if you have issues with reservations or questions about the Hotel or really anything at all just PM me. I'm a HAMB Addict so I'm usually on and I always have time for you guys! I appreciate you and I can't wait to meet you in person! ROB
yes thats what happen to me last year could not fine a place to park my truck and Tailor so I pulled out and went home it took me a half hour just to get around the parking area at the La Quinta an there was no place to park 50 ft of truck and Trailor by the time I got the Golf cart and the dragster loaded and to the hotel parking was full at about 8 pm , and oh yes I got the same e mail from the La Quinta as well. so I made Res at the holiday inn and hope for a better Experance this year.
Yeah, I got the spam. Personally I didn't think they did any worse than any other hotel out there for a comparable rate. We could probably get away with the friday night parking lot festivities somewhere else too but we know we can have some hot rod fun there on friday night so don't be too quick to jump. I called Mike at La Quinta and he said he is aware of the bad publicity being said about the hotel but they would really love to have the HAMB Drags headquarter the event there again this year. It really makes no difference to me, my reasons for being there aren't to rate a hotel but I am staying at the event hotel and having all of the fun I can just outside my room door so how about it HAMB Drags coordinators, which hotel is the event hotel this year? Speaking of the HAMB Drags coordinators, I didn't get around to putting in my "attaboys" last year but you guys do a great job. I travel the US and take in many car events over the year from Pamona, CA to Old Bridge in NJ and many in the midwest as well as speedweek at Bonneville when I can and the HAMB Drags are my favorite event of the year. All things are fair, everyone gets a chance that wants one and you get to see things that don't get equal track time at other events. I enjoy it all but I love watching those in-line sixes doing battle. That's a real racing effort and I believe it is a defining event that is truly "old school". Let us know which hotel is the event hotel and thanks again to the owners of this sweat equity.
If you guys take a look at the pictures on this thread you will see why the other place is better. This event gets bigger each year and I think the cars are getting faster each year too (more trailers). I stayed at a different hotel last year because we knew the truck and trailer wouldnt fit in the host hotel. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3621848#post3621848
I totally see why the change was made. Good job. The one year I went I had a blast and the hotel was more than tolerant of us. The new venue has plenty of room for bike racing and minibike doughnuts!
This is what I just wrote back: Michael While I appreciate your solicitation, its not appropriate to send a m*** email and have everyones email addresses viewable to the other recipients. Our personal information is private and should not be shared. In the future I would suggest using the blind copy feature. Please remove me from your mailing list.
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