LOS ANGELES MEETUP-IMPORTANT UPDATE

DTLA-LOS ANGELES WC MEETUP CHANGE IN PLANS!!! UGH!!

Soooooo originally we had arranged a secret event space within the Hotel Figueroa that was accessed by a sliding bookcase within our Suite, the Casablanca Room. We've stayed and held many events here over the years though there has been a recent change of ownership and a full renovation.

Within our suite, the Casablanca Room, normally when the right book is tilted....

The bookcase slides open...

And reveals this, our intended meet up space

HOWEVER only after we checked in and were arranging the food and beverages for our WC Meetup were we informed that the sliding bookcase door is broken and we can't use the hidden room!!!

The Hotel maintenance staff were aware of the inoperative doorway and were waiting for the part needed to fix the sliding bookcase but it will not arrive in time for our event.

Somewhere between the Maintenance Staff, Event Staff and the Front Desk NO ONE informed us, the party that had actually booked the Casablanca Room!

We are now having to change our meet up plans and we are scrambling to adjust. The worst part of this development is that this is the only event space within the Hotel where we can serve food and beverages not supplied by the Hotel.

This means that even though I've already bought this...

The only place within the Hotel where I can serve guests outside food and beverages is in my Suite. It is not a large enough space to accommodate more than a few guests, bar and food prep and watch display space so I'm in crisis management mode and trying not lose my mind. The best laid plans yada yada yada.

The Hotel is a beautiful space with alternate places to congregate...

HOWEVER these alternate spaces are common areas open to all guests of the Hotel Figueroa so we wouldn't have a private WC space where we could all gather together and lay out any watches crunchers were wanting to display.

We would not be permitted to consume our own food and beverages in any of the common areas.

While there are food and beverages available for purchase in some of the common areas...

They are VERY expensive and can add up quickly to a small fortune.

I'm now envisioning some combination of common area space and using my suite. Those wanting free refreshments and to see watches could go up to my suite while others wanting to hang together and order from the Fig's bar could dominate one of the hotel's common areas. Frankly I'm just spitballing here.

Fortunately my insistence on an RSVP means I will have all morning to contact people with this development. A few people not from WC and also staying here at the Fig are wanting to gather anyway.

I'm frankly frustrated that I didn't get a heads up in time to arrange an alternate space. I'll be reaching out to the 20+ RSVPs from several watch groups and soliciting their feedback.

Pethaps this will just result in a scaled down gathering in my suite but I wanted to be up front with those making the trek who had the expectation that we would have our own safe space with free food and beverage provided.

My deepest apologies to all that may be inconvenienced by this development!