Republicans are supposed to be all about supporting small businesses and free market and all that crap, right? This week in Tampa, hotel owners across the Tampa Bay region found out that Republicans aren't so crazy about those principles after all. The Republican National Committee gathered together these small business owners and told them: screw you. The GOPers demanded that the hotels tear up their year-old room contracts with the 2012 Republican National Convention's organizers and sign new agreements with lower room rates. "There were a couple hundred folks in the room slightly gasping,'' said one hotel manager.
The pro-business Republicans should want to honor legitimate contracts they signed with hundreds of local business owners, right? WRONG.
A crowd of hotel managers gathered in the ballroom of the Wyndam Tampa Westshore on Wednesday expecting a routine update on plans for the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa.
Instead, a new convention contractor delivered a shock: Hotels are expected to throw out year-old room contracts with the convention's Republican organizers and sign new agreements with lower room rates.
"There were a couple hundred folks in the room slightly gasping,'' said Ron Alicandro, general manager of the Westin Tampa Bay. "We've all got signed contracts. None of us can understand it."
Um, it's the hypocritical Republican Party. Can you understand that?
You'd think that Republicans would advocate for the free market to do its magical work to set the appropriate hotel room rates when they're in town for their convention, right? Not so much. Seems they're afraid that all the free-market Republicans coming into town will be upset if their room rates aren't pushed to the lowest possible rates by any legal or illegal methods.
Looking at industry data and the local market, the company found the contract rates needed to be adjusted, said Ken Jones, CEO of the 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee. Organizers want delegates and other visitors to have a positive experience and that includes not being overcharged for a hotel room.
You'd think that the pro-business Republicans would want to make sure that local businesses make a fair profit from the Republican Convention, right? Think again.
Now, hotel executives worry their rooms will bring in much less cash. Not only do convention officials want to cut hotel rates, a fee hotels pay to help cover convention operating costs would jump from $30 per room to 10 percent of each guest's hotel bill.
That would cut revenues to the TradeWinds Island Resorts in St. Pete Beach by $150,000, said president Keith Overton. The property already set a bargain $158 nightly rate, he said, and won't budge from the contract price.
"We did everything by the book,'' said Overton. "We didn't inflate our rate at all. I don't have any flexibility.''
You think that the Republicans care that you did everything by the book in working with them? HAHAHA!
I predict growing troubles for the 2012 Republican Convention in Tampa.