Group Booking Made Easy
Listen to this: we reserved our respective rooms at this facility. "Kanya-kanya". Five rooms in different categories, that seemed unrelated. That is because, we reserved (from various corners of the globe) without referring to each other. Nge! Why so?
Because of the following reasons:
1) peak season booking - we decided on this "kabalbalan", only on the first week of this month (2 weeks ago). We already knew that it was useless to book as a group.
If we still booked as a group, we won't anyway be able to wing discounts nor perks, even for many more rooms, because nga, it is peak season, therefore fully booked.
Y'know during peak seasons, hotel/resorts have this "take it or leave it" attitude!
So, we told ourselves, "KKB" (as in kanya-kanyang booking)!
2) others were not sure - some of us who were part of the plan were just very willing in spirit, but were not sure they could still hie off at such a short lead time - 2 weeks!
What if one suddenly cancels? Our group's booking would be affected! Hard to keep adjusting. In fact, we couldn't even pick who among us would be the booker. Pasko!
So, since everyone was busy to be "organizer", we agreed: those who think they can join, should themselves do everything to be at the venue (photo above), 24DEC 7PM!
3) there are resorts adjacent or near to Intercontinental Bali Resort - some are a few steps away. If anyone couldn't get rooms at Intercon (which actually happened), the nearby resorts had available rooms. Aw, that one last matter, we researched online!
Done! Christmas Eve Dinner was crazy fun - with "more than expected" attendance!
Me instant sayawan at games pang naganap sa damuhan na ito - at no cost to us!
Lessons:
Now, shout out to travel friends from all corners of this planet, and even to you dear readers: take note of the above options and conditions. That is how to do it quickly!
I keep telling that to everyone I know. It is now almost an advocacy!
Friends, colleagues and even my family members see the practicality of this 'tactic'. They now do it - not only 'when running out of hotel rooms' but even on group tours!
Travel agencies and tour companies will soon hate me for this - but so be it hehe!
A pack of youngsters who listened to me discovered, that it's not just about getting the remaining rooms in a resort. It also "democratizes" group travel for all pockets!
Can you also imagine it now? Ganito...
You are a group traveling to wherever. Will all 30 of you party in 1 bedroom? Will the family of 10 celebrate your birthday in one bedroom? No! Masikip AND Not Allowed.
You have restaurants or function halls for that. All of you walk to a designated place and time, to party. Does/Did your room need to be in that hotel? No. Hindi kailangan.
Do your rooms have to be beside each other in the same hotel or resort? Bodyguard yaya ba kita that my room must always be next to yours? In the first place, only how many resorts or hotels will have available adjacent rooms during our intended stay?
Your room may be at 4th floor by the lobby, others' may be at 67th floor, mine could be at 34F, and so on. Correct? But, there are hotels beside or nearby - and cheaper!
You want to be near each other ba 'kamo? Ay, the distance from your 4F to 67F may be far too much, than it takes from your 4F to many rooms in the next hotel building!
The clencher: some in your group might prefer that cheaper option, yet still near all of you in the group! That's where democracy and equitability to the pocket comes in!
We're a barkada on tour, but not all of us have the same economic status, di ba?
That, is the essence of not insisting on rooms that're together in a floor or even one hotel. It is now passé and dumb to say rooms must be together since we are a group.
Ano yan, field-trip ng Grade 4 pupils with only one teacher to monitor movements of every single child? Duh! Surely your activities won't be just outside your room, right?
Oh so you booked a Day Tour!
Does the day tour provider require that you have all your rooms beside each other? Hindi ah! They say "pickup time is 7AM at so-and-so lobby". You all go to that lobby.
Oh the hotel offers discounts for booking many rooms!
Really? How much of a discount? Is it worth the saves? Remember, for you to wing that discount, someone has to gather all your names and details - including copies of passports and IDs, arrange the names per room, then call (many times) to book.
Who has the time and resources to do that? Ikaw? Go! Aw good luck pala!
Humanda ka maningil sa bawat group member. Siyempre ang pambayad nila, pasa sayo, ikaw 'booker' eh! Then, when all is set, "ay hindi na lang pala ako sasama". Da!
Don't say it, pero alam ko na ang sasabihin mo: "ay putang ina naman o"!
As many say: Travel is not just about the destination. It is also enjoying the going there and coming back. So ba't ikaw stressed na stressed sa kaka-arrange ng lahat? Fair?
Bakit di na lang kasi pa-arrange sa travel agency!
Nice idea, BUT! Hahaha yes, but: it actually becomes more expensive, and the hotel or tour choices are theirs, not yours. Well, if you are that naive, they're your best bet!
I'll give you an example on that one. Tingin ka sa FB post ng mga nag-tour sa Korea. Pare-pareho ang kwento - ubos ang oras kaka-bus-ride at kung anu-anong tindahan!
FYI, my tour guide there told me, they're required by their authorities to bring groups to those malls/stores - tindahan ng makeup, alahas, paayusan ng ilong - and the likes!
If you change the itinerary (which is fine naman), extra bayad ka. Ta!
Okay, now you know!
But it's the same about flights!
Yes kaibigan.., read everything above again, and, apply the "principles" and "tactics" to buying tickets. You'll realize, it's the same story not many are paying attention to.
Why get the same flights - ayii yung iba kelangan pa talaga magkakatabi ng upuan, eh di naman kayo pare-pareho ng circumstances? Fine if you are lovers or spouses.
Others love budget airlines (mura), ikaw (sosyalin) you hate them. Walang pilitan!
Others love direct flights, its quicker but (usually) more expensive. You and I like to hop around via connecting flights and it always comes out cheaper. Aba eh, di sige!
Give freedom to everyone's whims and pockets. Basta, pag sinabi "you must be at X place at Y time at Z date" everyone must be there pronto. We're all adults naman na!
Yes we have friends who are still jologs, bogo, manol, udul, shonga, taga-huron, taga-ER, they have to be guided din naman. But no spoonfeeding. That's proper education!
If that is the case, let them shadow you or 1 or 2 in the group, but not to an extent of creating too simple a trip that those who have been-there-done-that might get bored!
FYI, me and my travel friends stand by the literal meaning of a song's line that says:
In my story above, the important detail was: 7PM 24DEC Sunset Beach Bar & Grill.
Dumating ang dadating, ang hindi, oh eh... hindi makakarating. Ganoon ka-simple!
We did not all check-in at Intercon. Those of us who did, did not even have to know or care which room everyone was. We just agreed to send a group chat msg where anyone was at 3PM that day to see if we must reserve dinner space for them or not.
Ayos!
Aw teka... anyway, back to my notes on Intercon Bali Resort...
Comments
Post a Comment