HOUSTON HYATT TO RAISE ROOM RATES!!

Dr. Jerry Ivins, 2015 Co-Convention Director

My friends, as many of you know, contracts with the TheatreFest host hotels are signed years in advance. TETA is bound by these contracts, and this year is no different. However, Houston…we have a problem!!

Hyatt has just informed us that the “cutoff” for reservations at the TETA TheatreFest rate is Dec. 1st. TETA thought we could reserve rooms at our contracted rate until TheatreFest begins.

TheatreFest participants can continue to reserve rooms at the Hyatt after Dec. 1st, but the rate could be much higher. After Dec. 1st, the rate per room could be at the Hyatt “current prevailing rate”, not the current contractual rate for TheatreFest. The contractual rate for TheatreFest is $179 for a double or single. The current prevailing Hyatt rate could be as high as $259! Consider the following:

• TETA no longer requires a one night room and tax for a deposit for the reservation. You need a credit card to reserve the room, but nothing will be charged to your card until after your stay in Jan./Feb. 2015. So no need to put off making the reservation!
• In order to negotiate a lower room rate, TETA committed years ago to a room block of 1660 rooms (total for all three nights of TheatreFest). Currently we have about 670 rooms booked. This means that TETA could be impacted financially if the additional 990 rooms are not booked. WE NEED YOUR HELP!! We need each of you to stay at the host hotel, and reserve the room this week! Do not go into the Thanksgiving holiday without making your reservations!
• Staying at the Hyatt is the best deal for participants of TheatreFest. Staying in the host hotel allows participants to not to have to fight downtown traffic and hunting for parking.

Instructors, exhibitors, students, presenters and supporters of TheatreFest, Auditions, DesignFest and PlayFest, please spread the word and reserve your rooms this week by going to https://aws.passkey.com/event/11101025/owner/3109/home.

If you have questions, please contact the TheatreFest Hotel Liaison, Jessica McCarroll, Jessica.mccarroll@sjcd.edu. Jessica is the Senior Administrative Assistant for Fine Arts at San Jacinto College, but is volunteering to assist TheatreFest participants, and is very knowledgeable.

As a participant of TheatreFest 2015, please remember the following:

• Register online for TETA membership - https://tetatx.wildapricot.org/join-us
• Register online NOW for the Convention, be­fore the deadline -https://tetatx.wildapricot.org/event-1756539
• If you are a college, university or a business, reserve your exhibit booth -https://tetatx.wildapricot.org/event-1760183
• Register NOW to participate in Design­Fest and PlayFest -https://tetatx.wildapricot.org/event-1786621
• Log onto www.tetatx.com for forms and more information

As always, if there is anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Jerry
Jerry.Ivins@sjcd.edu