NewsLanc received the following message from a reader, regarding the March 24-27 American Quilter’s Society show at the Lancaster County Convention Center, expected bring up to 17,000 attendees to the county:
“…The centerpiece of my concerns are the fact that a user of a PDCVB hotel shuttle must either book a hotel reservation through their system, at a $15 per room night commission, or pay $15 a day to go back and forth to the CC. How does this system encourage usage of that shuttle when you can park downtown for $14/day and it would cost a carload of four $60 to ride the shuttle? … I would suggest that you have someone contact either Janet Wall or Monica Thomas at the PDCVB asnd simply ask questions relating to this, and other issues, as we are about to host what is really the first true county-wide convention.”
NewsLanc’s Cliff Lewis followed up on the suggestion and received the following response from Mike Messina, Managing Director of Sales with the PDCVB:
“The $15 per room night charge is a commission the PA Dutch CVB has instituted for reservations made through its Reservation Center, to help offset some of the expenses of online booking and other activities the CVB is providing in support of the AQS Show & Contest in Lancaster.
“Show attendees booking overnight rooms through the CVB will receive a complimentary shuttle pass. Guests who do not book through the CVB may purchase a shuttle pass for $15 per day.
“Currently, we have more than 3,000 room nights booked through the CVB for the show, most of which are at lodging properties located outside of Downtown Lancaster and all of which have access to the complimentary shuttle pass.
“We believe that the transportation arrangements for the show should be more than adequate, between the shuttle system, the designated parking areas, and the downtown parking garages/lots.”
