Re: [Debconf-team] Online rooms booking systems
On 01/24/2013 07:31 PM, Gaudenz Steinlin wrote:
> Leandro Gómez <leo.telsen@gmail.com> writes:
>> As someone who was involved with the room allocation for dc12 I have to
>> agree with cate. Manual allocation is not perfect, but it'll do a better
>> job than implementing a room registration system, even if we end up using
>> it only on the backend.
>>
>> If we let the atendees do the reservation themselves it will lead to anger
>> and frustration when they end up in another room with other people. And
>> yes, there will be situations when we need to make some adjustments or move
>> people around.
>
> Do you have an example? If the people can see who is already in that
> room at the time they book (or if they book together)
I would say a big NO! For privacy reason I would not allow random people
to check all rooms for all participant.
BTW when I book flights, I regularly change my place, according to the
occupancy of the flight. I still think that a later manual room
assignment will give better results (also from user initial booking).
And I think that this method could delay registering/booking of people
who choose big rooms.
> On the other hand if the room type preference is just an option you can
> click on registration and there is no guarantee that not more people
> will select a room type than available and if we do the room allocation
> at the time we usually do ther will be lots of frustration from people
> that don't get what they expect.
Sorry? (I cannot parse you sentence). We can guarantee a certain "quality".
> I don't see how the allocation of the different room types we have at le
> camp can be done without something like a booking system. Considering
> how many people expressed their view that only some of the available
> room types are acceptable to them. These people need to know fairly soon
> after registration (and certainly before registrations close) if they
> will get what they want. IMHO the situation for DC13 is quite different
> from any previous DebConf I know of.
I find little difference. As example: a person books a bed in a room of
16 beds. With your method, the person will know about few people, but
anyway he don't know who will be the most of roommates. Also on manual
method, people will know know this (but still he can set preference). I
see really no differences.
BTW there was other concern about gender issues. On the booking system,
how you handle it? How to reserve rooms, with estimates of gender shares?
> But perhaps someone proposing to do this as a manual process could
> explain a bit more in detail how this should work in practice.
Speaking of DC12 process:
When registering, people could add preferences about roommates and
rooms. Many without preferences, some "single if possible", some "with
X, Y or Z", few "not with people of my country".
Data go to libre office, and the manual assignment is done. (by a person
who was in many DC and know a lot of DD, so she can possibly estimate
preferences and know the assigment of previous years). We know the
number of attendee per date and the allocated rooms, so she try to
optimize the occupancy (and with fewer as possible change of rooms
during debconf).
Then we sent mail to attendee with the name of room mates. Eventually a
new round (also considering last minute changes). BTW, for DC12 I sent
the definitive room allocation just before taking my flight (the delay
was due to change of an hotel, usually the assignment arrives before
that date).
With leo, we did on site few additional changes (cancelled people, new
people, and few request of changes of room/roommates).
ciao
cate
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