Originally Posted by
TMOliver
They may be at the meetings you go to, but the ones I run and those I attend are billed on "consumption". At up to $3.75 a can (plus tax & tip), the expense mounts up. Even coffee is billed by the gallon. I just priced a Continental Breakfast in an upscale hotel. For a dollar more, I could buy all the Continental's ingredients plus eggs and bacon with a plated breakfast for the group. The reason? "Looting" from meeting buffets has become enormous and hotels pass along the projected loss-cost.
There's another topic going on this specific subject.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=655451
At our meetings we wear badges and have spotters who defend our grub and beverages. I can tell you that the guy who organizes these spotters is very good at his job. We don't have 'squatters' or 'looters' at our meetings.
Hotels are in it for a profit. If they are pricing based on looters and squatters, you need to defend your territory.