New package at the hotel

[king4aday]

So we just had a new package start at the hotel where I work...you get the room, 3 meals a day at our restaurant, and unlimited alcohol. Yup..you read that right...UNLIMITED alcohol. How much you would pay for this?!

$500?
$400?
$300?
$125!! (per person per night with a 2 night minimum)

Needless to say the package is selling out pretty fast, but its causing a whole lot of problems. Here is the short list of minor problems:

-Check in lines are horrendously long (getting package vouchers and info)
-Front desk staff having to make up 500 vouchers per day.
-reservations getting yelled at for package not being offered on weekends.

Here are the major problems:
-DRUNKS: they are everywhere!
-Housekeeping: have to clean up after drunks getting sick everywhere.
-Security: chasing after drunks all night
-Wait staff: Free food and drinks = NO TIPS.

This whole package is a piece of crap and I cant see how they are making money off of it.

[icmedia]

All-inclusive resorts have been offering packages like this for ages...perhaps you guys could look into how they deal with things?

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Probably with a higher room rate, for starters.

How anybody can think unlimited alcohol is a good idea is beyond me. Not just the costs of cleaning up and chasing around after drunks, but potential liability if somebody on this deal gets into a car, and then into an accident.

[HiddenMica]

The tips are included in the package rate and at the end of the day or week you write down who gets the tips from the package or you have them run the voucher card (same as the room key card) to take the tip. At least that was how it was run on the cruises my mom goes on all the time. She paid for the trip so she dolled out the tips. :3

[Teysa]

I'm surprised the free alcohol thing is legal where you are. But yeah. the whole thing sounds like a lot more trouble than it's worth.

[bhskittykatt]

$125?!! Dang, at my resort, our cheapest rooms don't even come that cheap at the base rate! I can see offering that package for, say, $300+, depending on how fancy your hotel is. Even without seeing your place, though, how any place can expect to profit off that package at $125, I cannot figure it out. You have increased labor costs thanks to the drunks, and they're not purchasing additional food or alcohol, so...yeah, I got nothin'.

[Slayer]

$125 isn't that cheap when you consider $400 can buy the same thing but for an entire week at a resort in Cuba, for example.

At the same time, in my area, that would be cheap lol.

What's the percentage of drunks causing damage? I've been to open bar settings and it really wasn't that bad... Do people act worse in hotels? Bartenders can cut people off just like they would paying customers so I can't imagine they'd lose control that fast or that easily.

[king4aday]

Thankfully the package has now been limited to a certain number of guests per day. But that's creating a new headache for reservations to keep track of how many packages they have available. I also had someone that said that him and his wife were "screwed" when they made the reservation because they weren't told about the package. I looked up their reservation and it was made before we offered the package. The package details say that you have to reserve 7 days in advance and you can't cancel or move the dates. This guest moved their dates 5 times since they made their reservations. So I told them there was nothing I could do.

As far as making money, like I said I have no idea how they are making money on this package. I have tried to figure it out, and the only people who seem to come out ahead on it are the customers. One member of wait staff has been fired for informing a guest that tips are not included in the package. I have heard a desk clerk got disciplined because she was following policy and charged a guest $50 to replace a dining voucher. According to management she should have just made the guest happy.

As far as legality of giving away free alcohol, I'm not sure. I'm sure the vast majority of the people on the package aren't driving because they are staying right in the hotel, but I'm seriously waiting for the day when someone gets alcohol poisoning or even worse someone dies from alcohol consumption. I know that DUI laws in my state are VERY lax and nothing really ever gets done. I personally know someone who is on her 35th OWI/DUI ticket and she just gets a fine most of the time. She has served a little jail time for driving on a suspended license, but that was a separate charge from the DUI. I'm guessing that there really aren't any laws about unlimited alcohol and if there were the hotel could say that they are charging for the alcohol and they are giving away the room.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Bartenders can cut people off just like they would paying customers so I can't imagine they'd lose control that fast or that easily.

And then the front desk staff gets to deal with these people complaining "I paid for unlimited alcohol!!!!!111!eleven."

And management probably would just go ahead and comp the whole stay.

So then why even offer it, unless you really, truly, want to be the go-to place for weekend booze parties?

[Sapphire Silk]

IIRC a previous post said guests were complaining that it wasn't being offered on weekends . . . makes perfect sense actually.

[EricKei]

I can see the chain (read: executives who do not, probably never have/never will work at "ground level") wanting to do this as a way to establish customer loyalty. The thing is, anyone made "loyal" because of this will expect a similar promo, or the same one, every time they come. 99% of the people coming for this will probably never return until and unless the promo comes back.

[freespirit114]

As far as legality of giving away free alcohol, I'm not sure. I'm sure the vast majority of the people on the package aren't driving because they are staying right in the hotel, but I'm seriously waiting for the day when someone gets alcohol poisoning or even worse someone dies from alcohol consumption. I know that DUI laws in my state are VERY lax and nothing really ever gets done. I personally know someone who is on her 35th OWI/DUI ticket and she just gets a fine most of the time. She has served a little jail time for driving on a suspended license, but that was a separate charge from the DUI. I'm guessing that there really aren't any laws about unlimited alcohol and if there were the hotel could say that they are charging for the alcohol and they are giving away the room.

Wow! 35 DUIs? Around here 2 gets your license yanked for a year with an automatic 30 days in jail if you get caught driving during that time. 3 gets it yanked for 5yrs and 4 is forever.

With the free alcohol and drunks running around are your bartenders still allowed to cut people off? If not then this could get dangerous real quick.

[HotelMinion]

Ugh. I know I would hand in my resignation in the day if my GM decided to give out free booze. Been there, done that, never again ever.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Ugh. I know I would hand in my resignation in the day if my GM decided to give out free booze. Been there, done that, never again ever.

Only because he was giving it to the customers and not the staff. The staff needed it more.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Wow! 35 DUIs? Around here 2 gets your license yanked for a year with an automatic 30 days in jail if you get caught driving during that time. 3 gets it yanked for 5yrs and 4 is forever.

If the OP is still in the state I think they're in, 35 DUIs is an amateur.

Trust me on this.