Now I know what it's like to scream "fire" in a crowded theater.
I had a good discussion yesterday with the general manager at Streamsong. Yes, down in Polk County they follow discussions here on GCA and appreciate the candid feedback -- good, bad or indifferent.
A couple key updates and corrections:
1. I misread the pricing. Yep, and it created quite a firestorm. My apologies for the energy wasted in the process. The contract read that "The Clubhouse Stay + Play Package rate is $839.00 and $1,298.00 per room per night based on single and double occupancy respectively and is subject to tax." The wording is awkward, especially as most golf packages are priced on a per person basis and not a per room basis. (The general manager agreed and they'll change the wording moving forward.)
In the process, I also transposed the figures for the single and double occupancy rooms. It's $839/night (plus tax) for the single occupancy; and $1,298 (plus tax) for the double occupancy, which would be divided by two for the per person/per night rate of $649 (plus tax). While we're at it, package pricing didn't include the tax, I incorrectly added on the local sales tax (5%) instead of the occupancy tax (12%). I updated the initial post with the package pricing, which is also provided below.
2. They don't want to make it so difficult for groups and guests who want to stay in the Clubhouse rooms. They decided to scrap the plan of having the "All Inclusive Clubhouse Golf Package" as the ONLY offering for the Clubhouse rooms in 2014. Instead, they will ALSO offer the existing "Clubhouse Stay and Play Package" that is currently available. This package includes golf (including replays) for each night of stay, breakfast and lodging. Following are the 2014 rates for this package, which are a slight increase ($50/night single occupancy and $40/night/person double occupancy) over the 2013 rate:
PER NIGHT/PER PERSON TOTAL FOR 3 NIGHTS/PER PERSON (incl tax)Single occupancy: $715/night + tax (12%) $2,402
Double occupancy: $535/night + tax (12%) $1,797
3. The pricing for the Lodge rooms is still being reviewed and not yet final. The general manager will provide it to me once the rates are set, which should be in a couple weeks. Additionally, he will kindly provide the group a discount for the rates. I won't post those figures on the site because it's simply not fair to Streamsong. If you previously expressed interest in the outing, I will PM or email the pricing to you once I have it. I'll simply ask that you, in turn, not post the figures on the site. Deal?
4. I almost forgot. The $12 hot dog is off the menu. It's been replaced by a Chicago hot dog priced at $8. That in itself is reason to celebrate. Our next mission: Get Streamsong to serve it without ketchup.
UPDATED
I heard back from the Streamsong sales manager and general manager about the group package for 2014.
Dates: I requested the dates of Thursday, March 13 to Sunday, March 16, 2014. That’s the first weekend after daylight savings, which was suggested by Mike Whitaker and others.
Package details: For starters, I inquired about the clubhouse guestrooms that we had for this year’s trip. (The group package rates for the 212 room Lodge are not available yet.) With the opening of the 212 rooms in the Lodge this winter In 2014, Streamsong will offer two packages for the be offering the Clubhouse Guestrooms:
* “All Inclusive Clubhouse Golf Package" (my name for it): resort within the resort” package. This means that the package for these rooms will Includes all meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) for each night of stay, golf (including replays) and lodging.
PER NIGHT/PER PERSON TOTAL FOR 3 NIGHTS/PER PERSON (incl tax)
Single occupancy: $1,298/night + tax (7%) $839/night + tax (12%) $4,166 $2,819
Double occupancy: $ 839/night + tax (7%) $649/night + tax (12%) $2,693 $2,180
* "Clubhouse Stay and Play Package":[/u] Includes golf (including replays) for each night of stay, breakfast and lodging. (This is the same package as the current Clubhouse Stay and Play package.)
PER NIGHT/PER PERSON TOTAL FOR 3 NIGHTS/PER PERSON (incl tax)
Single occupancy: $715/night + tax (12%) $2,402
Double occupancy: $535/night + tax (12%) $1,797 [/color]
Pricing: The pricing of this Clubhouse Golf Package is somewhat eye-opening, startling, (insert other adjective) particularly in light of what we paid this year and even based on the prime season rates currently offered in the resort’s Stay and Play package (http://www.streamsongresort.com/packages/stay-play-package). Heck, even when benchmarked against Streamsong's peers.
For comparison purposes….
The 2013 Clubhouse Golf package for our GCA outing in March was discounted 20% off the top for a pre-opening rate; it also featured four rounds of golf, breakfasts and lodging. Not included: replay rounds ($90); the optional round ($175) for Thursday arrival day; lunch or dinner:
TOTAL FOR 3 NIGHTS/PER PERSON (incl tax)
Single occupancy: $1,660
Double occupancy: $1,184
Streamsong’s current Clubhouse Stay and Play package includes golf (including replays) for each night of stay, breakfast and lodging. The rate (available from 12/26/2012 - 06/16/2013) that synchs with our March dates:
PER NIGHT/PER PERSON TOTAL FOR 3 NIGHTS/PER PERSON (incl tax)
Single occupancy: $665/night + tax (7 12%) $2,134 $2,234
Double occupancy: $495/night + tax (7 12%) $1,589 $1,663
As you can see, the Clubhouse Stay and Play Package rate in 2014 is $40 (double) and $50 (single) per night more than it is in 2013.
Suffice it to say, I didn’t sign a contract for the rooms in the Clubhouse.
As a next step, the sales general manager will provide me with the group package rates for the Lodge Golf Package once it is available in a couple weeks. I also requested a golf-only group rate for those who don’t want to stay on premises. I’ll post both once I receive them.
More to come….