ProgPower USA IX: Hotel Warning

[Harvester]

ProgPower USA IX will obviously return to Center Stage next year. You already have experienced the hotel price hike this year. It’s not going to get better next year. In fact, it may and probably will get worse.

1. The Granada will be starting an eleven million dollar renovation project soon. That’s right…eleven million dollars. They are going to gut the place, enclose the courtyard, add a restaurant, put bars in the lobby, re-do all the rooms, etc. It will be going upscale to match the area.. They will also be downsizing the number of true “doubles” to make it more of a boutique hotel feel. The days of me using it for bands are probably over as of this year.

2. The Residence Inn will be undergoing a “soft renovation” that is more about aesthetics that anything. It will be brought in line to look more like a traditional upscale Marriot (as dictated by Windsor Corporation that owns the chain). However, those costs eventually get passed along to you.

Midtown Atlanta is the *hottest* commercial property in Atlanta at the moment and is experience a huge boom across the board. As a result, prices will be going up across the board everywhere you go, including mine. I will not be looking to increase my profit margin at all next year. However, I will have to pass those costs along to you as any business would to keep from taking losses.

Folks may want to start looking at other alternatives once I announce the date. They may be a bit further away, but you will save quite a bit of money.

Sorry folks.

 

[Heavenly Call]

Thank god I live in the metro area! This sucks for the out of towners.

 

[booB]

I say we all start bringing tents and camping outside the venue.

 

[MetalRose]

I'm guessing there will be much more hotel room sharing. Have sleeping bag, will travel.

I agree about the camping.... Then again, I say we storm the FairField Inn (RIP) and re-claim it!

-Metal

 

[Reverend Su]

Thank god I live in the metro area! This sucks for the out of towners.

i may live a bit further than the "Traditional" metro area, but i *do* have a spare room...i might see about renting out the space for next year

 

[General Zod]

Wow... who would have thought it would become cheaper to get hotel rooms in NYC?

Zod

 

[mëtålspëd]

I say we all start bringing tents and camping outside the venue.

If the costs are too high, I will just drive down, and sleep in my truck tent

(not my truck)

 

[Heavenly Call]

i may live a bit further than the "Traditional" metro area, but i *do* have a spare room...i might see about renting out the space for next year

Oooohhhh...interesting idea! I know I could part with a room for a weekend for less than $100 a night...A LOT less to help out the metal brethren!

 

[J-Dubya 777]

Perhaps next year may be the first year I drive down, or rent a car at the airport & stay elsewhere. Hopefully the increases doesn't push this already expensive "vacation" out of this working class dude's budget...
Maybe the Super 8 will be the new PP HQ....

At least we have a year to figure something out.....

 

[ALowerDeep]

Hoyt, get the guest rooms at your house ready for us!!!

 

[Bear]

Thanks for the info Glenn.

Bear

 

[Greykiller]

We need to find a hotel with a shuttle bus that will take groups back and forth from the venue--imagine getting a nice hotel for 70 bucks a night and all you had to do was take a 15 minute ride to center stage!

 

[DigitalMan]

Glenn,

Has anyone ever discussed hiring PPUSA shuttle buses to shuttle fans and bands to surrounding hotels? They could just do the rounds to hotels in the area and run until well after the show ends each night. It's a shame there are are not nearly as many rooms within walking distance as there used to be.

Guy

 

[edgeofthorns]

If the costs are too high, I will just drive down, and sleep in my truck tent

(not my truck)

Metalsped, it's funny that you brought this up. I bought an extension tent that's made for suv's called, the Explorer 2 tent. I have a 2006 Nissan Xterra, so I thought it would be cool to get this thing for camping. I just ordered on Friday, so it's not arrived yet. Have you enjoyed using the truck tent?

~Brian~

 

[BABS]

When we were getting a shuttle from the Granada last year the driver had mentioned that the Granada was going to be under new management. He also mentioned that Donald Trump had purchased a large amount of property in the Atlanta area - now I'm wondering if it was Midtown (ha ha).

Last night I was watching House Hunters on HGTV, a lady was looking for a place in Atlanta and the commentator said "Atlanta is considered the Manhattan of the South".

I have a feeling we are all going to have to rethink our strategies for next year, and yes like mentioned above at least we know far far in advance of this.

Maybe we should get the PP trolley to haul our butts around? It could make routine stops from hotel to hotel.

See, somebody very enterprising should do this!

 

[Harvester]

Glenn,

Has anyone ever discussed hiring PPUSA shuttle buses to shuttle fans and bands to surrounding hotels? They could just do the rounds to hotels in the area and run until well after the show ends each night. It's a shame there are are not nearly as many rooms within walking distance as there used to be.

Guy

I cannot afford to hire one myself. I don't think anyone has realistically approached the hotels about it outside of our normal area to see if they wanted to use it as an enticement to get people to stay there. Perhaps someone will do that this year. I'll help out in any way that I can after that.

 

[Harvester]

When we were getting a shuttle from the Granada last year the driver had mentioned that the Granada was going to be under new management. He also mentioned that Donald Trump had purchased a large amount of property in the Atlanta area - now I'm wondering if it was Midtown (ha ha).!

It was indeed.

 

[TheLongshot]

It is stuff like this that really makes it hard for me to justify going to ProgPower anymore. After last year's CF with the Hampton and having to spend more for a hotel farther away from the venue, it has really soured me toward visiting. That and having to spend a ton of money just to attend.

At this point, it would really have to take a great band for me to show up anymore. It is sad, because I love the festival, but I can get my festival fix from some of the more local ones which are drivable and where I don't have to deal with the hotel stupidity in downtown Atlanta.

Jason

 

[Patrick M]

thru no fault to Glenn is becoming an elitist festival. If it were not for an extremely generous metal brother of mine I would not be attending this year. Looks like next year might be the final straw. Airfare and hotels have DOUBLED for me over the last few years. It was a great run while it lasted. Forgive my leftist liberal attitude but this country's all about profit , greed and upscale attitude make me sick ! Somehow directly or indirectly this falls into that catagory. The rich will get richer and a metalhead can't afford his fix anymore.

Pissed and proud

Patrick.

 

[booB]

In all seriousness... having inexpensive hotels right next to the venue is just a perk. In the case of many fests both past and present, this perk doesn't even exist. (Remember when we used to crowd into rental cars to go to Powermad?) Only time will tell what's going to happen, but I don't see this as too much of an obstacle, myself... after all, it's easy enough for fest attendees to crowd into a cab or someone's rental car in order to ride back and forth. Hell, there's still the MARTA for getting to the venue during the day as well.