ABT in Detroit, Feb. 8-11, 2018

[fondoffouettes]

Apparently the Holiday Inn where they’ve put up the ABT staff and dancers leaves a lot to be desired...

[Fleurfairy]

Gross! Who makes the travel arrangements for the company? Maybe they could have taken some of the $80K raise they gave McKenzie this year and used it for the travel budget instead!

[LadyBubbles]

Some of the dancers left the Holiday Inn, but not all. It makes me wonder whether those who left paid for it out of their own pocket.

BTW, Lane deleted the last pic (the one with the Swan Lake background) from her Instagram story shortly after she posted it. Perhaps it'd be a good idea to delete the screenshot as well? I've noticed that when posts are deleted by the dancers they are often deleted, and even not talked about, here as well.

 

I'm sure ABT didn't mean to do any harm, but they could have researched the hotel a little better. I've had great experiences at Holiday Inns and also terrible ones. I usually research the exact location rather than going by the name.

[nanushka]

Does the company actually make the arrangements for accommodations and pay for them directly, or do the dancers get a per diem and make their own arrangements? The story from Lane with the SL image seems to suggest the former, but I thought I once heard that it was the latter. (I could well be misremembering, though.)

Edited February 6, 2018 by nanushka

[ABT Fan]

That's awful. And, the floor tile looks like it hasn't been cleaned in a long time (unless the pattern is one of those marbled ones that looks dirty up close).

I see safety instructions in most hotels, but this one goes overboard. There should be a #11: Find a safer, and cleaner, hotel.

[abatt]

The company makes the travel arrangement, including the hotel arrangements. 

[its the mom]

18 minutes ago, abatt said:

The company makes the travel arrangement, including the hotel arrangements. 

It used to be that the company members could exclude themselves from the hotel arrangements, make their own arrangements (such as Airbnb), and be reimbursed by the company.  I am not sure if that still holds in late of their latest negotiated contract.  The dancers also receive a per diem for food and usually stay in hotels where breakfast is provided.  Apparently, from speaking with several, those dancers who left the Holiday Inn are paying out of their own pockets to stay elsewhere.

[AB'sMom]

Just a thought, but perhaps they could have checked the list of hotels recommended on the Michigan Opera Theatre website. Seems like a pretty obvious start. 

[nanushka]

1 hour ago, Fleurfairy said:

Gross! Who makes the travel arrangements for the company? Maybe they could have taken some of the $80K raise they gave McKenzie this year and used it for the travel budget instead!

$80K?! And the company's lucky soloists are going to get 0% in the first year of their new contract, 0% in the second year, and 1% in the third year. That's even grosser than the cockroaches.

Edited February 6, 2018 by nanushka

[fondoffouettes]

1 hour ago, LadyBubbles said:

BTW, Lane deleted the last pic (the one with the Swan Lake background) from her Instagram story shortly after she posted it. Perhaps it'd be a good idea to delete the screenshot as well? I've noticed that when posts are deleted by the dancers they are often deleted, and even not talked about, here as well.

Okay — I’ll defer to Helene or any other moderator on this one. I’d like to respect whatever the policy is.

I guess part of me feels that anything anyone posts on the internet essentially becomes a permanent statement, whether it’s taken down or not. There’s no true ephemera in this age. But I also want to be respectful of the dancers. (I screenshotted the images last night and hadn’t checked back since then.)

Moderators — please just delete this post if it goes into “discussing the discussion” territory. It’s truly not my intention, but LadyBubbles brings up an interesting point.

Edited February 6, 2018 by fondoffouettes

[abatt]

Is the Holiday Inn walking distance from the theater where they are performing?  With many companies, that is a significant factor in which hotel they choose.  For example, when the Mariinsky comes to Washington DC I know that they always select a hotel that is walking distance from the Kennedy Center.

[ABT Fan]

The Holiday Inn Express is half a mile from the Opera house, walking distance by NY standards. But, it's 22 degrees there and if they're lugging heavy dance bags w/ extra stuff for the theatre, they might not be walking. It was probably the cheapest hotel.

[its the mom]

18 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

The Holiday Inn Express is half a mile from the Opera house, walking distance by NY standards. But, it's 22 degrees there and if they're lugging heavy dance bags w/ extra stuff for the theatre, they might not be walking. It was probably the cheapest hotel.

Most of their belongings are in their theatre cases which are packed before their tour.  Still, they are carrying bags with daily items.  

[LadyBubbles]

I re-watched Loyola's story. I can't quite make out what Forster is saying when talking about the hotel furniture (or did he say fixture?) but it didn't sound like something good.

If they went with this hotel without doing a thorough research (hello, there are reviews literally everywhere) simply for the price the shame on them. I feel for the dancers who can't afford to go elsewhere and had to stay. Roaches aren't just gross, but they are a sign that there's a hygiene problem. Unless you happen to be in a tropical area where they coexist with nature, but Detroit (in February, especially) is not it.

 

[CharlieH]

This is not the last stop on ABT’s tour. Let’s hope that the hotels on remaining stops are being thoroughly checked out now.

[fondoffouettes]

It looks like rates are only around $125 a night, which for a hotel in an urban area is pretty inexpensive (at least compared to major coastal cities). I'm sure ABT would have gotten a group discount for a block of rooms, too. The reviews online are mixed but not terrible. A lot of them point to a lack of cleanliness and a run-down quality, though. But yeah, it's pretty close to the Opera House. 

I wonder where they put up the dancers the last time they were in Detroit. I have to imagine it was someplace different, as I recall no posts about their hotel experience last time...

Edited to add:

Well, it looks like at least Stella Abrera stayed at the Hilton last time:

 

Edited February 6, 2018 by fondoffouettes

[ABT Fan]

21 minutes ago, its the mom said:

Most of their belongings are in their theatre cases which are packed before their tour.  Still, they are carrying bags with daily items.  

Yes, but as a former dancer, I know all too well all of the "stuff" that they're probably schlepping to the theatre on their own. 

[orangerose]

There's really no excuse for this, what a shame. The Hilton Garden is only a 5 minute walk from the theater, is much nicer, and is a whopping $5-10 more expensive than the Holiday Inn...

 

 

[fondoffouettes]

3 hours ago, LadyBubbles said:

I re-watched Loyola's story. I can't quite make out what Forster is saying when talking about the hotel furniture (or did he say fixture?) but it didn't sound like something good.

This is what he says in that story: "Oh, look at that. That's like f*ing Dexter. Like, you've got a plastic sheet [up?] right there. Like this smell, I'm like, I wonder what has gone on in here."

Edited February 6, 2018 by fondoffouettes

[AB'sMom]

In his Instagram story Patrick Frenette posted a copy of those safety rules and wrote something about how they went from the Fairmont in D.C. to this. I’m not a snob, but if a review says, “not the dirtiest hotel I’ve visited,” I try to stay away. 

[vagansmom]

I feel so awful for the dancers. Has it passed through anyone else's mind that it could be related to the recent contract negotiations?

[abatt]

I suspect the reservations for the large block of rooms was made a long time ago, before the contract negotiations.

[theo]

Begin rant: 

Disgusting and unhealthy hotel accommodations are just one of MANY reasons why union contracts are so important.  No matter what though, it's the dancers that pay; whether it be with their health from staying in fetid accommodations, or with their hard earned dollars that are spent on union dues.   

I know that there is plenty of ABT management bashing on this board, but honestly I feel as if  their management has  been sinking to an all new low.  I feel like it headed for new depths  with their treatment of Veronika, then Marcelo and now all of the dancers that are forced to stay in a place that looks like it should be shutdown by the Health Department, or at least tented for pest removal.  

ABT management and any person involved in setting up this vile hotel,  SHAME on you and how dare you insult the dancers and place their health and well being in jeopardy.  You also insult your patrons by treating your dancers  like crap.  We come to see them, not you.  I have already boycotted your latest Run at the Kennedy Center based on your treatment of Veronika and Marcelo.  This incident only turns me off further.   There is plenty of ballet in this town.  I don't need to give my money to a company that not only does not share it with their dancers, but instead puts it in the pockets of management, and otherwise squanders it while their dancers share their rooms with cockroaches.   I Wonder if Mr. McKenzie would stay in such a place. 

ABT should pay for the dancers to stay in some place suitable and comfortable. Their bodies are their instrument. They  should not be put up in a 'sleazy joint 'that is hazardous to their heath.  Get them the heck out of there. 

End rant. 

 

[orangerose]

I sure hope the dancers don't have to walk, because there's a snowstorm watch Friday! Crossing my fingers it doesn't get so bad I can't make it to the theater...

edit: aaaand it's become a snow emergency with 5-9 inches expected!

Edited February 9, 2018 by orangerose

[nanushka]

I'm excited to hear any reports that come in from Stella's Juliet on Saturday!

Edited February 9, 2018 by nanushka