Gaston's is requesting feedback

Obviously some people are drowning out the facts with their own verbosity.

It was pointed out to Gaston's management in 2006 that the windsock was ineffective in its original location as the surrounding trees had overgrown the the height of the mast. They moved it to a more visible and wind-responsive location, finishing the relocation the day before the 2007 fly-in. And people noticed the improvement in wind indication.

It was brought to Gaston's management in 2007 that the runway markers could be strike hazards to pilots that were less than marginally skilled at keeping their airplanes on the runway centerline, and that was not without some real life observations supporting the concern. The new flush-mounted runway markers seen at the 2008 fly-in were installed to address that. And they received many compliments for doing so.

Our concerns haven't fallen on deaf ears. Those were no small changes to accomplish.

The staff has been very supportive of our recent trend towards feeding ourselves with the runway grill. This is in direct competition with their restaurant operation. They've brought us ice by the drumload, beverage containers to hold the ice, the grill, chairs, tables, trash receptacles, not to mention allowing us to use their vans to buy food and drink in town and pick up late arrivals at BPK, all without additional charge.

Sure, it costs money to stay at Gaston's. Come up with a better alternative, though, or STFU, imho. I see nowhere in this thread that the staff and management aren't trying to run a business any differently than other comparable establishments. David S. mentioned such, and if you took the time to check other fly-in resorts you'd know the facts before singling out Gaston's for condemnation. There's already enough stereotyping by the general public of pilots wanting special consideration just because they fly a plane. Don't be an enabler of that stereotyping.

mikea said:
So yeah. So there!

Just because a thread is titled "Gaston's is requesting feedback" doesn't mean they might want to know something they should change even though we had the SAME THREAD after last year with many of the same comments

What would make us think they want a hint of a complaint or anything like it? After all, what dy'a think you are? Customers? :dunno:
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Steve said:
Obviously some people are drowning out the facts with their own verbosity.

It was pointed out to Gaston's management in 2006 that the windsock was ineffective in its original location as the surrounding trees had overgrown the the height of the mast. They moved it to a more visible and wind-responsive location, finishing the relocation the day before the 2007 fly-in. And people noticed the improvement in wind indication.

It was brought to Gaston's management in 2007 that the runway markers could be strike hazards to pilots that were less than marginally skilled at keeping their airplanes on the runway centerline, and that was not without some real life observations supporting the concern. The new flush-mounted runway markers seen at the 2008 fly-in were installed to address that. And they received many compliments for doing so.
Our concerns haven't fallen on deaf ears. Those were no small changes to accomplish.

The staff has been very supportive of our recent trend towards feeding ourselves with the runway grill. This is in direct competition with their restaurant operation. They've brought us ice by the drumload, beverage containers to hold the ice, the grill, chairs, tables, trash receptacles, not to mention allowing us to use their vans to buy food and drink in town and pick up late arrivals at BPK, all without additional charge.

Sure, it costs money to stay at Gaston's. Come up with a better alternative, though, or STFU, imho. I see nowhere in this thread that the staff and management aren't trying to run a business any differently than other comparable establishments. David S. mentioned such, and if you took the time to check other fly-in resorts you'd know the facts before singling out Gaston's for condemnation. There's already enough stereotyping by the general public of pilots wanting special consideration just because they fly a plane. Don't be an enabler of that stereotyping.
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Wow. Thank you for saying what I was thinking, but you said it nicer than I was thinking of saying it. :blowingkisses:

I was sorry to see that this thread that I started asking for feedback was turning into a gripe session and I was hoping that we could give some constructive feedback without bitching, engaging in politics, or over-emphasizing the less-than-positive aspects of our fly-in. The fact that this thread has more responses than most of the other threads about our fly-in was making me feel sad somehow. Just call me Pollyanna.
 
you should have seen the first draft...:rolleyes:

the only concern i have about the fly-in is one serious incident that sours the event for all the other participants, and that's something outside of gaston's control, for the most part. but that concern holds true for flying in general, unfortunately.

Diana said:
Wow. Thank you for saying what I was thinking, but you said it nicer than I was thinking of saying it. :blowingkisses:

I was sorry to see that this thread that I started asking for feedback was turning into a gripe session and I was hoping that we could give some constructive feedback without bitching, engaging in politics, or over-emphasizing the less-than-positive aspects of our fly-in. The fact that this thread has more responses than most of the other threads about our fly-in was making me feel sad somehow. Just call me Pollyanna.
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4763e said:
Can I ever relate to that....;):yes:
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I knew that you would. ;) Sometimes it hard to play "The Glad Game" if no one else wants to play. And it's harder to be happy when crankiness is in the air.
 
Steve said:
It was brought to Gaston's management in 2007 that the runway markers could be strike hazards to pilots that were less than marginally skilled at keeping their airplanes on the runway centerline, and that was not without some real life observations supporting the concern.
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I think my feelings would be hurt if I had any feelings. :yes: :D
 
HPNFlyGirl said:
Ok I googled Pollyanna, but it's nothing like the Pollyanna I think that you are thinking of? Who is she and why should we call you that?
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Brook, have you ever seen the movie? If not, you might want to rent it.
 
now that you mention it, you and kim do remind me of haley mills...in the parent trap....lol

Diana said:
Yes, it's a movie. A Walt Disney movie. It might give you insight into people like Kim and me.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollyanna

The title character is Pollyanna Whittier, a young orphan who goes to live in Beldingsville, Vermont, with her wealthy but dour Aunt Polly. Pollyanna's philosophy of life centers on what she calls "The Glad Game", an optimistic attitude she learned from her father. The game consists of finding something to be glad about in every situation.
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The novel's success brought the term "pollyanna" (along with the adjective "pollyannaish" and the noun "Pollyannaism") into the language to describe someone who is cheerfully optimistic and who always maintains a generous attitude toward the motives of other people. It also became, by extension—and contrary to the spirit of the book—a derogatory term for a naïve optimist who always expects people to act decently, despite strong evidence to the contrary.
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mikea said:
This is the very reason I found another place to stay. I got burned to pay for an empty room for a night when I was delayed by weather last year.
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Burned? Did you not know the cancellation policy? Or did you just choose to agree to it until it didn't favor you any more? :dunno:

If the policy wasn't made clear when you made the reservation, OK. But the weather ain't Gaston's fault any more than it's your fault. Ya pays yer money, ya takes yer chances when it comes to the weather.

FWIW, I got Gary Mascelli's cabin when he decided to cancel... As long as you "cancel" early enough via posting your room's availability here, it's pretty easy to transfer. :yes:

Steve said:
Obviously some people are drowning out the facts with their own verbosity.

It was pointed out to Gaston's management in 2006 that the windsock was ineffective in its original location as the surrounding trees had overgrown the the height of the mast. They moved it to a more visible and wind-responsive location, finishing the relocation the day before the 2007 fly-in. And people noticed the improvement in wind indication.

It was brought to Gaston's management in 2007 that the runway markers could be strike hazards to pilots that were less than marginally skilled at keeping their airplanes on the runway centerline, and that was not without some real life observations supporting the concern. The new flush-mounted runway markers seen at the 2008 fly-in were installed to address that. And they received many compliments for doing so.

Our concerns haven't fallen on deaf ears. Those were no small changes to accomplish.

The staff has been very supportive of our recent trend towards feeding ourselves with the runway grill. This is in direct competition with their restaurant operation. They've brought us ice by the drumload, beverage containers to hold the ice, the grill, chairs, tables, trash receptacles, not to mention allowing us to use their vans to buy food and drink in town and pick up late arrivals at BPK, all without additional charge.

Sure, it costs money to stay at Gaston's. Come up with a better alternative, though, or STFU, imho. I see nowhere in this thread that the staff and management aren't trying to run a business any differently than other comparable establishments. David S. mentioned such, and if you took the time to check other fly-in resorts you'd know the facts before singling out Gaston's for condemnation. There's already enough stereotyping by the general public of pilots wanting special consideration just because they fly a plane. Don't be an enabler of that stereotyping.
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A-freakin'-men, Steve. :yes:
 
I would just like to state that my comments were never meant to indicate that I felt that anybody had been burned up to this point. As a matter of fact, I do believe that the policies that Gaston's has in place are very clear. My comments were simply a suggestion for future improvement. I specifically didn't book a room in advance this year because I wasn't willing to take the chance of losing my deposit. If I made it to the fly-in and if they had a room available, I was going to take it...and that's exactly what happened. I do manage a business and I would be the last one to suggest that they take any type of a loss on the room or in any other way give away their services. If I reserve a room and it goes unoccupied, then I think that compensating them for one night is completely fair. The only change that I was suggesting is that they reconsider the loss of deposit in the event that the room is occupied by a different member of our group.

The bottom line is that I think that we were treated phenomenally well while we were there, and I see no reason for us to act like they did anything other than what was advertised.
 
I agree with Jason, but think that it makes more sense (for Gaston's) that we continue to reallocate the rooms amongst ourselves as we have done. As far as I know, they've never had any problems with our doing that. They aren't saying that the person whose name is on the reservation must be the one staying there!
 
Gaston's (Ron) called this morning and said that three rooms were not used on that Saturday night. Mine was one of them. This contradicts what I have read here.
How many other people lost their deposit this year? (RSVP):blueplane:
ApacheBob
 
ApacheBob said:
Gaston's (Ron) called this morning and said that three rooms were not used on that Saturday night. Mine was one of them. This contradicts what I have read here.
How many other people lost their deposit this year? (RSVP):blueplane:
ApacheBob
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If he said that, then I'd believe him. I don't see why he'd have a reason to be untruthful. I called a few days before and was told that one double cabin was available (the really expensive ones). I arrived on Thursday and asked for a motel style room and was told that one had just opened up and it was the only real opening. That said, most of the cancellations for wx didn't take place until Friday, so I guess that it is likely that things never did fill back up after people started dropping out. My knowledge of their availability ended at about 2pm on Thursday.
 
I tried to rent a room Saturday evening and was told they were full. I would have been happy to pay for one if they would have said it was available. Stayed with Bruce instead.

Best,

Dave
 
Two contacts:

  • Hi, I can't get there tonight due to weather. Can I cancel? NO.
  • Hi, I'm at the front desk. You have any rooms available? NO.

Then Horrors! AND THREE ROOMS WE'RE UNOCCUPIED. :hairraise:

Anybody but me see a solution to make both the above requestors happy?
 
gprellwitz said:
They aren't saying that the person whose name is on the reservation must be the one staying there!
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It's very easy to transfer free.

Pilot 1 makes the original reservation. Pilot 1 decides to cancel, and Pilot 2 offers to take over the reservation. Pilot 2 sends Pilot 1 the amount of the deposit. Pilot 1 calls Gaston's and adds Pilot 2's name to the reservation. Pilot 2 calls Gaston's and removes Pilot 1's name from the reservation (optional).

Done deal. :yes:
 
Dave Siciliano said:
I tried to rent a room Saturday evening and was told they were full. I would have been happy to pay for one if they would have said it was available. Stayed with Bruce instead.

Best,

Dave
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Things are tough all over. I was hoping someone would be able to use my room (and pay for it). I called the clerks on Saturday morning and made this very clear. I know that Diana works hard to make this a good event. I don't appreciate being told to "STFU."
If Ron was straight with me, I would STFU. Ron said that the rooms were not rented. I would feel bad for the guy, if he was on the up and up.
But a group like POA brings in a pretty penny to Gastons. I would expect that they would do right by us. If they didn't want anything but positive feedback, take care of your customers! I would like my money back.
ApacheBob
 
ApacheBob said:
But a group like POA brings in a pretty penny to Gastons. I would expect that they would do right by us. If they didn't want anything but positive feedback, take care of your customers! I would like my money back.
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Seriously Bob, that was the rule and always has been the rule. You booked it, you didn't make it, and you paid for it. If you don't want it to happen don't come. But I think you're missing out. I'm sick of people whining about this crap.

The thing is. We don't make Gastons ALL that much money. If we weren't there they would STILL be booked with MORE PROFITABLE customers. These customers would:

  • Rent boats
  • Eat as the restaurant
  • Rent fishing guides
  • AND SPEND MORE MONEY AT GASTONS
We show up and:

  • Make a bunch of noise.
  • Try to avoid spending money there
  • Hardly buy any fuel
The fishing customers are WAY more profitable than we are. I wouldn't push our luck. They have treated us well. If you don't like the policy don't show up. This is a privately ran business that is in business to PROFIT. They don't make money by giving up space for profitable customers to less profitable ones that may not show up.
 
jesse said:
Seriously Bob, that was the rule and always has been the rule. You booked it, you didn't make it, and you paid for it. If you don't want it to happen don't come. But I think you're missing out. I'm sick of people whining about this crap.

The thing is. We don't make Gastons ALL that much money. If we weren't there they would STILL be booked with MORE PROFITABLE customers. These customers would:

  • Rent boats
  • Eat as the restaurant
  • Rent fishing guides
  • AND SPEND MORE MONEY AT GASTONS
We show up and:

  • Make a bunch of noise.
  • Try to avoid spending money there
  • Hardly buy any fuel
The fishing customers are WAY more profitable than we are. I wouldn't push our luck. They have treated us well. If you don't like the policy don't show up. This is a privately ran business that is in business to PROFIT. They don't make money by giving up space for profitable customers to less profitable ones that may not show up.
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Wow, what a great post. Thank you Jesse. :) :cheerswine:
 
Diana said:
Wow, what a great post. Thank you Jesse. :) :cheerswine:
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amen!

I cancelled, before the 15 day cut-off. Paid a $50 cancellation fee. I wasn't happy, but, hey, those are the rules and they're up front and in writing.


I thought about posting my cabin's availability for others here to grab but...

Consider that:

Had I worked out something with another POA member...
and then that person couldn't make it due to weather or a last minute conflict...
then we could really have a peeing contest on our hands.

I thought it was far better to sacrifice $50 than potential friendships here.
 
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As I said, I won't. I was okay with losing the money. Until other POA-ers got screwed out of a room. Jesse, you went and had a good time. So you got your money's worth.
I was okay with losing the money, until I realized that they were not telling the truth. While my room sat empty (so they did not have to clean it), other POAers were sleeping on the floor.
It's great that you don't want to rock the boat. It was a great event and you enjoyed it. But if you are okay with your fellow members getting screwed out of a room, then you need to start thinking about others beside yourself.:blueplane:
ApacheBob
 
some of us prefer to sleep on the floor instead of rent an entire cabin just to ourselves. $$$
 
And some of us can afford to not have to buy Michelob Golden Light....:D:D:D
 
shoot where I come from Golden light is the expensive beer!
 
jesse said:
If you don't like the policy don't show up.
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I say give Bob a break here. I'm on his side.

Gaston's keeps his money but have people who are trying to rent cabins? Yea, that sounds like Jim. I've got a $20 bet that they kept Bob's money and still rented his cabin to someone, just not in our group. Any takers?

Jesse makes an interesting point. I'll keep it under advisement.
 
But...

It is a plainly pubished policy that all of us accepted when we made the reservations. There's no other argument to be made.

As dad used to say:

"Son, there is one thing and one thing only that is fair in life and that's where the 4-H kids take their animals"
 
Please, mods! Let's put this one to bed! On the grounds that it is no longer productive and has the potential to injure friendships!
 
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Let'sgoflying! said:
Please, mods! Let's put this one to bed! On the grounds that it is no longer productive and has the potential injure friendships!
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Dave, I've already requested that this thread be closed. I'm disappointed in how it has deteriorated.
 
If there is a potential RoC violation in this thread, please report the offending post or posts along with an explanation as to how you feel the RoC has been violated.

Thank you.
 
Greebo said:
If there is a potential RoC violation in this thread, please report the offending post or posts along with an explanation as to how you feel the RoC has been violated.

Thank you.
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I guess there's no "beating a dead horse" rule?
 
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