Back to scolding
Sorry to say, the High Point Enterprise was back at it today:
"Prep for Market"
"16 days until the official opening for the 2005 fall International Home Furnishings Market. High Pointers need to polish their southern hospitality."
As I wrote yesterday, High Pointers don't need a nagging newspaper.
But let's just examine the logic of this approach for a moment.
High Point is competing with Las Vegas for the furniture market.
Vegas has more and cheaper hotel rooms, more restaurants, more entertainment, more flights in and out, more glamour and excitement.
High Point has more showrooms, more product on display, more furniture gravitas ... for now.
It's got to work on making the market experience more convenient and affordable for visitors.
One thing High Point leaders have always touted as an advantage has been this market's Southern hospitality. And it is.
I think, in its clumsy way, the Enterprise is alluding to that.
But what it's literally saying is, "High Pointers need to polish their southern hospitality."
If our Southern hospitality is in such need of polishing that the local newspaper has to nag us about it daily, we may be in more trouble than I thought.
But, maybe the Enterprise is right. After all, hospitality -- Southern, Eastern, Northern or Western -- is more than charm and grace.
It's treating guests with respect and consideration for their well-being.
Which means not overcharging them for services while they're here.
I wouldn't be too impressed with a hotel demanding $250 a night for an $80 room, no matter how polite the staff.
Comments (5)
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Maybe the HPE is hoping some of the out of town visitors are reading and it will distract them from the fact that HP and G'boro seeks to soak them for every dime they can. Your last sentence sums it all up perfectly. No amount of good ole southern hospitality can make up for nailing you to the wall for $250 on a oft times shabby $80 room not to mention the cost of meals and entertainment.
My neighbors in Jamestown use to move out and open their home to 4 guys who came to the show each year. They had the best deal of anywhere I saw. It cost them about $1200-1600 per week. For that they had maid service and laundry service. My daughter who was 14-17 yrs old duing those years, use to provide the housekeeping services for the neighbors so they did not have to drive back into town each day. When she worked at a cleaners the last two years of high school she took the guys shirts, suits etc and had them laundred and cleaned for nothing since she had an allowance at the cleaners that allowed her so many pieces per month. Occassionaly she even slipped in a home baked cake for the guys to enjoy. On top of the amount the neighbors paid her, she was tipped very well by the gentlemen who stayed there for the week. Bet even Vegas couldn't offer that good of a deal.
Posted on October 4, 2005 2:31 PM
You won't get all that at the Radisson.
Posted on October 4, 2005 2:40 PM
Speaking of market....how do you feel about the proposed changes in the dates for the furniture market from October and April to September and March? September would not be that much of a problem, but think back to some of our bigger snow storms...they occur usually in March. How can a city that can barely function during any snow event function with an additional 70,000 people in town? It's not like you could cancel market. Also, I am not a huge basketball fan, but isn't the ACC tournament in March? Could the area handle both events? I don't think so.
Posted on October 5, 2005 11:42 AM
Ann,
Thanks for your post.
I did a couple of posts late last month about the possible change in market dates, "March Mayhem" and "Shakespeare and the furniture market."
I had talked with Matt Brown, director of the Greensboro Coliseum, about a possible market shift to March, when the coliseum tries to attract post-season basketball tournaments. He expressed some concern. No wonder. Will the ACC or NCAA schedule tournaments when all the hotels are already booked by market guests? Of course, there wouldn't necessarily be a conflict of dates, but that would depend on when in March the market was held.
The main conflict in September would be with the Shakespeare Festival, which plays in High Point Theatre (located inside the International Home Furnishings Center) all month. I suggest that the market hire the Shakespeare Festival for one week, providing tickets to market visitors. That would be good for the festival and good for market, which needs more entertainment options for visitors.
The most positive side of this story is that market officials seem to be listening to what the industry wants. If it's better for business to have market in March and September -- as this survey seems to indicate -- then change market to March and September.
Posted on October 5, 2005 12:15 PM
I don't see the prices as the major problem at market. As a market attendee myself, I have no problem paying what I pay to stay at the Radisson. It's just a matter of supply and demand for me. I would expect to pay more at the beach during the summer, or on Times Square on New Years Eve. Overall, High Point is just not a good place to have 70,000 people. Vegas can host people in these numbers much better giving them a lot more to do. Ever been in downtown High Point at night... Neither has anyone else. The city is actually quite sad looking when Market isn't in town.
Posted on October 22, 2005 9:44 AM