My son has a soccer tournament coming up in a couple of weeks. It will be about a three hour drive one way for us and the tournament lasts for 2 days. With the price of gas being as high as it is, we figured it would be just as affordable (not to mention less stressful) to spend the night near where the tournament is being played. We asked the coach for hotel information and he sent an email from the tournament directors saying that all teams/players and their families are required to stay at certain approved hotels if they are not commuting. The hotels are supposed to have special rates, but they are still more expensive than where we usually stay. We also don't know how clean the rooms are or anything like that. The tournament is on the Kansas side and the place we like to stay is on the MO side. My question is, can they really say you have to stay in a certain hotel? What if we drove back to the MO side to stay? The tournament email says that teams can be disqualified if families don't stay in the designated hotels!
*** The coach is commuting, so he hasn't done anything with reservations. He has 7 kids, so the commute may be more affordable for him than the rooms. For our little family of 4, the room at the usual place would be less than gas and is really nice!***
Sounds illegal.... Sounds like someone has their own agenda and are most likely getting a kick-back of some sort. I'd ask for the RULES or just stay where you want and not say anything.
I would talk to someone hirer up, I would not think they could make you stay in the hotel of their choosing if you are paying for it.
I would ask to see a copy of the tournament rules and regulations.
What would happen if you told them you were staying with friends and then just chose the hotel you wanted? Is it mandatory for your son to stay overnight or is it an option to drive back home for the night? If it is an option, don't tell them where you are staying!
Good luck!
That's kind of crazy. It sounds like the tournament might be getting a kick back from the designated hotels. I can't imagine that the tournament could enforce the rule that all families have to stay in "their" hotels. What are they going to do... call every hotel in a 50 mile radius and ask if there are any soccer families staying there?
I say stay wherever you want. And if you're concerned about someone giving you a hard time, just don't talk about where you're spending the night.
Don't tell them. I think they are getting a part of your "special rate" and I would not believe this.
I would do what I wanted and not say anything. If asked say you're staying where you need to stay and if they don't like it, they're free to pay for ypur lodging at an approved hotel next time. This would really piss me off!
I would also ask for a copy of the policies/rules. If this rule is in there, and you signed the paperwork, then you're SOL. It also wouldn't be fair to risk the whole team getting disqualified so you could save a little money. Just remember that even if it isn't policy, you will be labeled the "problem" family & your child might suffer as a result of it.
Also, it's normal for teams to stay together when travelling for a tournament. My stepson was in competitive soccer for years & no one ever separated from the group. The coaches like to keep the kids together to keep the team spirit/morale going. The kids would hang out & bond & get pumped up about the tourney. The coach could get a hold of everyone & knew where everyone was. Imagine if everyone stayed at different hotels, I think it would be a bit stressful & chaotic. Our coaches did choose the hotels, but it was always a clean, affordable one.
I get where you're coming from, but, honestly, competitive sports are expensive & tournament play with overnight stays are a normal part of the culture. We couldn't really afford it, but we made it work, because we knew my DSS loved to play. If you can't afford it, then you might want to find a more affordable sport for your child to play. If he takes it seriously, and plays for a long time, it only gets more expensive as they get older.
I can't understand why the tournament directors think they have the authority to tell parents where they must stay. Unless they are paying for it, I would blow it off. Stay wherever you want to spend your money. They have no authority over you. For all they know, you drove home at night. Seriously, it's soccer, with their parents. If they are being responsible to chaperone unaccompanied children, that is totally different.
Typically, yes the tournament adminstrators set it up so that the area businesses benefit from the outside traffic. Why only certain businesses I don't know. Also, though, typically the coach will get a block of rooms so the team can stay together. If your coach has not done this & has left it up to you to make your own hotel arrangements I would stay where I preferred & just not say anything. If the team is staying in one spot it is customary for the team to stay together. I couldn't imagine them disqualifyiing the team over one family but I could see it if the coach deliberately booked outside of the requested hotel. Quick story... I got stuck in a marriott in KS ($120/night - 2 nights) for a soccer tournament once because of this, everything costed, internet ($16.95), breakfast (we didn't eat there but was $$), etc...there was nothing for free & there was a Drury Inn across the street that offered everything for free, including snacks!
Unless they are paying for it, they really can't dictate where you stay. They can say we would like you to say at X hotel, but they can't make you! Do what works best for your family--- GL!
M
This is common practice at big tournaments. Some hotels help sponsor the tournament and the tournament in turn has everyone stay there. They really can't enforce it unless it is really obvious some team broke this rule- If you decide to stay elsewhere just don't tell anyone else and be careful about your child roaming the halls in their jersey. However if a lot of your child's team mates are staying at one of the approved hotels- I would shell out the extra $ so my child could have the extra team bonding time- that's part of what these out of town tourneys are about!
Sounds like socialism to me
No, they cannot require you to stay at a certain hotel. If it's uncomfortable, just tell them you are staying with relatives or friends in town. It's none of their business. Just tell them you need to know where to meet the next day and be done with it.
I have to say, too, that my folks had arranged a block of rooms for family coming to my grandfather's funeral and it was terrible. My dad had to push and push, and eventually talk to corporate before they finally gave him a partial refund. You pay, you pick your lodgings.
this happened with us during baseball. the directors are making money off this. just tell them you are commuting. I think this is a crock. this happened to us in branson and some of our dads got it worked out that our hotel was part of it. I really dont know how they handled it but it all worked out for us. these are high end hotels and we just couldnt afford it.
I have never heard of such a thing, but we never had to travel more than an hour from home for such things when my son was young. It may take a bit of investigation to learn the reasons behind it. One possibility may have something to do with how the tournament's insurance extends to cover activities away from home. It could be as simple as signing a wavier that says you are taking responsibility. It does seem to me that they are a bit out of line and, as someone else suggested, if they are not willing to at least pay the difference they should not have the right to make the decision for you.
But, asking us is only going to provide you with our assumptions. If I were you, I would start asking questions. However, I would step lightly and ask very respectfully. If this is just some sort of good ol' boy agreement that puts money into the pockets of the directors or because those hotels sponsor the tournament, you might want to keep in mind that your decision could ruffle feathers with people that could make things difficult for your son. It might make your decision a bit difficult, but one thing I would not recommend is telling them you are commuting home and then staying in another hotel. Not only would I not recommend dishonesty in general, I certainly would not recommend encouraging your children to participate in covering up a lie.
