RMFC 2009 Con Report
For starts, allow me to warn peeps that if you ever visit Denver, avoid the Crown Plaza hotel like the plague, I was shocked by the lack of professionalism by the staff and at $150 per night no less. I had no issues with the convention staff, and they did a great job, but the hotel staff left much to be desired. My problems started 2 months ago when I tried to reserve my room. The first time I called I was told they were out of rooms. I e-mailed the con staff and they looked into it, plenty of rooms available, so I called again, no rooms. I actually had to go to the hotel, in person, & ask to speak with the hotel liaison. He had to go into the management end of the system to get the reservation made, I chalked it up to a system glitch. At that time I knew for sure I would have the money in my acct for Thursday night, and that my direct deposit from my job would be put in on Friday Morning. I was assured that charging for Thursday night only wouldn't be a problem, and they could charge the other nights on Friday. I had asked two other managers to verify and was told the same thing. On Thursday after picking up Duncan from the airport we went to check in at 8, and I guess they had a policy change or something, they needed a card with the full amount of funds available, even though they don't charge the acct until after check out. WHAT THE FUCK. The bitch at the counter informs us "your more than welcome to wait until 12 when the money is in the acct. Duncan was ever so kind to cover, despite my reservations about allowing him to. Friday was relatively uneventful, short of some asshole on a bike grabbing on of Duncans balloons on the mall (he got a nasty surprise if he tried to inhale the helium). The real trouble was Saturday, Me and Duncan went on the fursuit parade around 2. When we got back at 3:30 the room had been skipped by house keeping (no, we didn't have the do not disturb sign out). and the housekeeping carts were nowhere in sight, they were clearly done for the day. I called the front desk and asked for service, they said they would be there in 1/2 hr, which was fine since Duncan needed time to freshen up and get back into suit. They arrived 10min early, not really too much of a problem so we asked them to start with the bathroom. On the way out we asked them to finish the room and provide extra washcloths and towels, neither of which they did. We went to dinner and came back at 6. House keeping had not finished, the trash was still full, and they took our coffee cups with out leaving new ones. At this point I was furious, I called the front desk and informed them of the situation, asking again for extra towels and washcloths, 15 minutes later a guy shows up, hands me the stuff and proceeds to leave. I ask "excuse me sir, what are we supposed to do with the trash that's already in here?". He replies, "I'll have to look into it" and disappears for 15 minutes. When he got back, and I kid you not, he said "I guess I'll have to do it myself". Goddess forbid that anyone in a $150/night hotel should actually have to earn their paycheck. Sunday morning, as Duncan was suiting up, I went down to the desk to speak to management to make sure housekeeping cleaned the room. The dumb ass at the front desk said, "is there something I can help you with?", to which I politely replied "no". He said, "are you absolutely sure I can't help you?", I again, politely yet firmly replied, "unless you are a manager no". He again asks, "are you absolutely certain there is nothing I can help you with?". I had to say "no, there is absolutely nothing you can fucking do to help me unless you are a member of fucking management." I eventually got to speak with a manager and house keeping did a decent job on Sunday, it's just sad that I had to speak to management to get basic standard operating procedures done. Later around 1:30 were going down and the suiters are getting ready for an impromptu fursuit parade. We get down right after an incident between one of the fox suiters and a hotel guest. Some asshole made a point of it to grab the back of her suit, yank it, and rip it, then when confronted laughs about it. So, all during the parade I'm in full alert body guard mode, glaring at mall pedestrians, ready and willing to turn anyones face who messes with the group into swiss cheese (I had my spikes on). Suffice to say the parade could have been more enjoyable for me than it was. Around 7 myself, Duncan, a fox suiter, and another, all go to dinner, 2 blocks from the hotel someone starts harassing Duncan, he confronts them, and their just trying to be assholes. Duncan, upset, says "I can't even go out to dinner without something happening". There were tears in his voice, I tried to escort him back to the hotel but he refused and said I'd make him more upset if I and the others didn't go to dinner and enjoy ourselves, he needed some space. Next year, I'm seriously considering not going, or at least staying at a different hotel, or busing to and from the con from home. A few others had problems to. One local came back to his room to find housekeeping had shit and not flushed it. TH Squirrel was having issues with con support from the hotel (electrical load limits for the rooms, water for the fursuiters, etc. so he closed out the weekend on an equally aggravated note. I would like to thank Duncan for an overall good weekend, that man has more kindness, gentleness, compassion, and love in his heart than anyone I have ever known, or ever will know. He is a better man than most of us can ever aspire or hope to be.