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Roots Volleyball Travel

Kelley Edler, Travel Coordinator

PRESENTATION TITLE�MONTH 2024

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Simply put, Stay-To-Play is a tournament-wide rule which requires all participating teams to meet a minimum hotel stay requirement to be eligible to participate. The requirements vary depending on the housing company being used.

The reason for Stay-To-Play is to provide a group rate at a discount from the rack rate at a particular hotel, as well as to provide the tournament cities with more accurate numbers regarding the revenue a tournament brings to the city. This helps to secure more downtown properties in the future.

The Stay-To-Play rule is set by the tournament, and the rule applies to all teams participating.

Stay-To-Play - What is it?

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Once housing opens for a particular tournament, I block off rooms for your team, and email detailed instructions on how to book the team hotel. Most hotels are able to be booked online, and a link to the booking site will be provided. Most tournaments we participate in use the same booking system, however, there are a few tournaments that use a different housing company with more stringent rules. It will be important to read housing emails carefully so you are aware of the housing rules for that particular tournament. All booking instructions will have HOTEL INFO in the subject line so they are easy to identify.

Booking Instructions

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In most cases, no! With most tournaments, you definitely have the option to choose a different hotel. I will typically block team rooms at a walking distance property whenever possible. I consider price when shopping for hotels, but always make walking distance a priority. Walking distance, especially in a downtown area, is much more convenient, however, it is also usually a higher rate. If you prefer a lower rate, a different hotel chain, or for any other reason want to choose another hotel, simply use the “alternative hotel” instructions provided in the booking instructions for that tournament. As long as you are booking with the housing company and not the hotel directly, you are able to book any of the available properties on the housing website!

**If your team happens to be participating in a tournament where there is not a choice to book outside of your assigned team hotel, I will specify that in the booking instructions.**

Do I have to stay at the hotel chosen for Roots?

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When will housing emails be sent?

For most tournaments we participate in, housing will open November 1. I will block rooms for all teams, and send instructions to book shortly after that. For TX Fest, Tour of TX, and Lone Star Classic and Regionals, we are afforded “pre-booking” opportunities. This gives us access to block ideal location hotels before the general public. You will begin to see emails to book for these tournaments in late October/Early November. These hotel blocks do have a strict deadline, and I encourage you to book your hotels before the deadline. It helps us all, as I’m only allotted the average number of rooms from the previous year for pre-booking. Meaning, if our club is not using the pre-booking opportunity, we can potentially not have enough rooms for all teams to book at the ideal locations (downtown, walking distance). All rooms are 100% cancelable if done by the cancellation deadline, so there is no risk to book early!

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