RE: Early bird special for COMMON - COMMON Housing

>> I haven't studied the details of the conference, yet, but saw mention of
Opryland Hotel someplace.  If that's where it's located, you guys are IN
LUCK...!  The place is a HUGE complex of hotels, with the acres of atriums
between them under glass.  (IOW, it's a site to behold.)

>> If that's where it is, I've stayed in the AmeriHost just across the way. It's
within walking distance, and is a fraction of the cost of Opryland Hotel.

>> I've also had pleasant stays at Holiday Inn Express, on Elm Pike Rd.  If you
have car transportation available, it's about 5 or 10 minutes from Opryland.
Used to be around $70 - $90, awhile back.

Just a quick reminder...  Part of the reason we had to raise COMMON's rates is
because we've had to pay some VERY high attrition charges to the hotels when our
room blocks weren't filled.  Staying at a close by 'cheap' hotel may seem
attractive in the short run, but in the long run, if too many of you do it,
we'll have to make up for it with higher and higher conference fees.  THERE IS
NO FREE LUNCH!

We do understand the need for including lower priced hotels as alternatives, so
that you can use the COMMON housing bureau without paying extravagent rates, and
we've instructed our staff to do their absolute best to meet that need.

Our challenge comes from that fact that in most cites, the convention centers
and the high-priced hotels work together as a team -- it is simply not possible
for us to rent the amount of convention space we need without writing contracts
with both the convention centers and the hotels -- they are only being sold as
complete packages.

Please consider working through the COMMON housing bureau if at all possible; it
makes COMMON sense!

Janet Krueger
COMMON Treasurer