Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

There is at least 225 rooms at the Super 8 alone, not sure how many at the Red Carpet

225 rooms x $1300 for the 10 day stay = $292,500... Little over a 1/4 million! Holy Smokeys! Can't believe there is a hotel in Knoxville with 200+ rooms but never really give it much thought.

What exactly (besides hotels and Gas Prices) is skyrocketing in K'ville??

I happen to LIVE in K'ville, and if anything you get better deals the week of Nationals than you do the rest of th year at a majority of the food establishments.

Ticket Prices?? Can't be those, they've gone up incrementally ($2 per night) about once every 4-5 years and haven't increased since the 50th Nationals (so year 3 with same exact prices). Concessions cost the same at weekly events as they do during Nationals, so it must not be those either.

Yes, I do think the so called Hotels need to be reigned in on pricing. Only problem is, there must still be demand for the rooms or they wouldn't be able to increase the price.

Knoxville is still a bargain compared to many other events I've attended over the years. AC/DC tickets cost me $95 per, the played for 1 hour 45 minutes. Iowa Speedway, $65 to watch the IndyCar race that lasts 2 hours (food and drink are WAYYY more expensive than Kville).

Bottom line is that EVERYTHING is expensive these days. As the consumer, you get to decide if the extra $$$ it costs to stay in town at the Super 8 is worth it (for some it obviously is) or if you'd rather save the extra $$$ on lodging and spend it elsewhere but be inconvenienced by staying out of town (if you are one of the people that like to party after the races and walk back to your hotel, the extra $$$ it costs is NOTHING compared to an OWI ($8500 for first offense last I heard). If your not a drinker and you don't mind driving 20-40 minutes after the races, can't blame you for staying in Pella, Newton, Chariton, Albia or DesMoines.

As far as the extra law enforcement goes, neither the City or County has any control over the State Patrol (who seem to be the only law enforcement that everyone has an issue with writing "so called" speeding tickets). Knoxville recently hired a new City Manager in mid 2012. I know he is VERY CONCERNED about people's issues during Nationals. Best thing that people can do is make sure they obey the laws (if you're walking down highway 14 with an open beer, odds are if local police see you, they will just ask you to pour it out, if state patrol sees you, they will likely write you a ticket).

I think you are taking this off channel a bit. It's about ethics and doing the right thing. The document they send out does not specify any specific nights during the 360 Nationals, just that you must have a minimum of 7 nights for the Knoxville Nationals. I had that covered. I don't want to keep going around the block with you on this, my beef is not with you. It's not with anyone anymore because I ended this business relationship as a hotel guest because of the owners poor choice of not helping a long term customer who has referred others to his establishment. I don't feel he owes me anything, it's his hotel and he can operate it in any manner he wants. If he chooses to treat people like this, he can accept the consequences, if it hurts him in the long run, so be it. He will still rent the room regardless, it's the Knoxville Nationals for Christ sakes. I think the likelihood of the room going un-rented is a far reach, trust me, if someone dropped in or called asking and really wanted it would gladly take if off his hands at any price. I don't think they even bother with a waiting lists as from this action I received, he does not want to put forth the effort to work out small kinks. It's not like he has to do this stuff every week, his hotel sits empty most of the year except on regular season weekends and those weekends are not always full. The exception to that is when the WoO are in town or the Late Model event and weekends when there are large events at Newton. The previous owners always tried to accommodate their regular guests, Mr. Patel could really give a rat's ass who you are, his concern is about the money only and not the guest relationship. Customer service can make or break you. The only exception is this the Southern Iowa Speedweek and it really don't matter what kind of relationship you foster with your guests as this really more about supply and demand in his opinion. The demand for rooms is so high during this period he really doesn't care and is obviously unwilling to take the extra effort to do the right thing. Yes, there 2 sides to every story where you get a third is mystery other than a outsider looking in maybe. My point here is to let as many people know how this guy operates and I think I've done a good job of doing that. I've stated the facts, anyone reading this can make their own decision on whether or not to believe it. If this really didn't happen, why would I waste my time letting people know about it. A lot of people know about the way he operates and some have already commented on it as we have been guests and those who live in Knoxville know the truth. There's been issues with this hotel in the past, we let those stand on their own.

I see in your response above that the contract states 7 nights during the Knoxville Nationals. If this is in writing, you have some firepower to take to the Better Business Bureau.

Yes, there are 3 sides to every story. Neither party in a dispute is EVER entirely correct in their recollection of events. The truth always falls somewhere in the middle (which makes it a different story).

You obviously only come to Knoxville for the races going by your posts. I'll let you in on a little secret. The Red Carpet and Super 8 are generally pretty full year round (especially weekdays with construction workers (and it's going to get fuller soon as Missouri River Services is going to have 600 workers in the Knoxville/Pella area for 3 years converting Red Rock Dam into a HyrdoElectric Plant).

The new hotel slated to open in Knoxville is Cobblestone Inn (www.cobblestoneinns.com) and will have LOCAL OWNERSHIP when it opens (everything I've read states their goal is for Nationals 2012, but I'm not sure they can get it done). Might be worth looking into.

This has nothing to do with the Super 8, but when we went to the Nationals (only been there once. One of the greatest weeks of my life) we called the Chamber of Commerce and they hooked us up with a family in town that rented us their basement for Wednesday-Saturday. We had a bedroom, tv, our own bathroom, plenty of floor space for 3 guys to sleep. Once you get over the weirdness of sleeping in someone else's home, it couldn't have worked out any better. We were right in Knoxville and had a 5 minute ride to the track every day, max.

This was a few years back so I don't know if they do this anymore or not but it worked out great for us.

I've already submitted my complaint to the BBB. Not expecting much, I've dealt with a few companies before and most complaints go unanswered as a lot of companies really don't care what their rating may be. I'm pretty sure I saw a BBB plaque hanging in their lobby, prolly just a nice decoration LOL.

Yes, I only come to Knoxville for races, usually 6-8 visits a year not including the Nationals. Already trying to find out about that LOCAL OWNERSHIP, if there are any connections to Mr. Patel, I wont be touching that place either, his reputation precedes him.

Contact the Chamber of Commerce in Knoxville, they should be able to steer you to some of the ownership group (I've heard 8 local businesspeople are behind the hotel, Mr. Patel is not one of the names I have heard).

There is not an over abundance of law enforcement. In fact, for the number of people in Knoxville, there are not enough. I have been going to Knoxville since the early 80's and never once have had any problems with the law. If you do what you should be doing they will not bother you.