Stay to Play

Hink1927

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I am fairly new to this travel softball stuff so I have a question about the 'stay to play' or 'heads in beds' rule. Why is this in existence? Who is getting the benefit or the money? Why should a team or tournament care where our team stays? Is this a way for the tournament to get more money? What is the scoop?
 

OhPhat

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My team will not play in such tournaments just because I would not feel comfortable forcing someone to stay anywhere for any reason. I have heard many reasons behind this but it always comes back to money from what I gathered. Whether it’s the tournament facility or organization holding some where there is money getting back to them.
 

Heavy Hitter

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Who makes money on it? The tournament and a the travel agency in charge of booking the rooms. Yes, it is a way for the tournament to get more money.

There are various ways it could be a % of the room cost like 10% to the tournament and 10% to the travel agency. I know a tournament we played in it went

tournament: $10 per room per day
Travel agent 10% of the room cost

so 12 players per stay 2 nights
20 (2 days) x 12 = 240

60 teams in the the tournament

60 x 240 = is an extra 14,400 to the tournament

and about the same or a little more to the travel agency.
 

FastBat

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/\/\ I've also done the math before, too. They make extra money, that's basically why they have stay to play.
 

sftball follower

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you DO NOT have to stay in their hotels through their link. I have attended STP last 5 years never stayed through their link, and never payed any additional fee. The only time I was questioned, I told the TD where I was staying which was one of their hotels however, I booked it on my own. I told him how much my room was, and what THEY were charging....GUARANTEED lowest price he simply walked away. DO NOT stay in their hotels through their links...simple! Enjoy your TB experience.
 
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My DD played in several of these Pay to Stay tournaments over the past 10 years and we never stayed at the hotels the tournaments tried to force upon you. We usually used reward points to save on the price.

I’d been fine with Pay to Stay if the Tournament hotels actually extended better room rates but every time we compared pricing, booking on our own was always cheaper.
 
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MCS21

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We are attending our 1st one this spring and it was on the entry form that if we chose not to stay at their listed hotels it would be an extra $130.
We contacted the TD and told him we wouldn't be attending the tourney because of this and he said "Don't worry about the hotel fee. Just send me the tournament fee and your team can stay wherever you want"
 

SOFTBALLS14

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Yes stay and play sucks! I get it its about the money ! But we never played in those tourney s or where close enough not to need hotels. So it can be done and still get seen by all the college coaches!! Do your research and find the ones who don't !
Good Luck!
 

FastBat

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/\/\I can almost guarantee that’s easier done if you live near Columbus, “close enough not to need a hotel.” But, for the NEO people or the people who don’t live so centrally located in the state, it’s a little harder. There are advantages to living near Columbus in Ohio softball and that’s one of them.
 

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