2022 Reunion Email - Apr 9,2022

Hospitality Room... (Old Glory Room)

Not every hotel has a free hospitality room to offer. Hilton's have a corporate wide policy.

The price to rent it for a day might vary by location, or size of room, but the Promenade charges $500 a day for a room that will hold 120, unless a function brings in $4,000+, let's say for a banquet, which as I noted in the previous email, we are not having it there. I'm sure some of that goes towards paying staff to clean up the place each night, and have it ready for the next day.

I'm not concerned about eating some of the cost personally, if I have to, BUT, based on current attendance, $4 a day per attendee, would pay for it. I'm sure everything will come out fine, one way or another.

I'll put a 'kitty jar' in the room every day.

These are the dates & times that I have requested that the hospitality room be open for us, so everyone has a place to go hang out before or after shopping, shows, attractions, dining, etc.

May 13th - Room open: 12pm-6pm Cash bar: 12p-6pm (you'll have an hour to proceed to the Black Oak Grill for dinner at 7pm)

May 14th - Room open: 12pm-9pm Cash bar: 6pm-9pm

May 15th - Room open: 12pm-9pm Cash bar: 6pm-9pm

May 16th - Room open: Early morning, till maybe 12pm

The reason for the cash bar...

Hotel rules state that no outside food or beverages can be anywhere in the hotel, except in the patron's own private room, other than hotel provided.

Yes, we have had lots of booze & food before at other reunions, but that is a LOT of work to purchase such a large amount somewhere in town, transport it, set it up, and maintain it all over 3 days. I'm going to relax, not work.

As we get older, hey, we don't need to be guzzling as much, right?

Obviously the hotel will provide a bartender at $50 at hour. Probably paid for out of the kitty jar.

If you want to drink, outside of the cash bar hours, go to your room, or next door to Big Whiskey's, or any of the other local establishments within walking distance.

Kind of doesn't sound like you could carry around your own thermos sippy cup with whatever beverage you kept hidden in the cup. But I don't know how strict they are.

Reunion Bank Acct...

The other idea I've had, concerns the reunion account, which had been previously bolstered by auctions.

I don't plan on having an auction this time, because this reunion is supposed to be low maintenance. Either way, our auctioneers for the last two reunions aren't coming this year.

BUT, that isn't the real reason I wish not to have one. I've discussed this with a couple of other people.

The Reunion Bank Acct currently holds approx $6,500, and is currently at BofA, and there are 2 of us on it as co-owners, me and Bob Harp, organizer of the 2017 San Diego reunion.

Previous to that, Dave Perez and I were on the acct for the 2015 Baltimore reunion.

Not knowing what life brings day-to-day, you always need at least 2 people on the acct.

It's sort of a pain to drop someone from the acct, or add someone. It requires that both individuals have to be in a BofA branch near them, at the same time, with a BofA associate at both ends, coordinating the owner transfer paperwork.

Having money in there is always nice, for seed money, deposits, etc, or buy hats, koosies, etc.

However, none of us is getting any younger, and the vast majority of attendees is 70+ now.

I am concerned that this money will get lost in the shuffle of life, with no one alive connected to it.

I would rather go ahead and use it up on reunions, at some point bringing the balance to zero.