I put up with high meal and drink prices and ordinary kitchen service (coz the kitchen can't cope with the simultaneous group bookings) at Bells Hotel because I want to share a meal and the company of my fellow Club members every month.   

And now we have to change the Club meeting location (which is usually the biggest monthly meeting of the year because friends want to catch up before the Xmas break) because the (I believe) new owners of Bells Hotel have double booked the room where we have our meetings.     This is despite the Club having a standing booking for every second Wednesday of the month (except January) for at least the past 10 years!

So, perhaps if the Kent Hotel is ok, then this maybe a permanent change??   

What's the parking like around this place?

For the sake of the Club, I agree.  Despite the pricing and service, it is a good meeting location and it is central to most members.

I would assume that the Committee have told the owners of Bells in no uncertain terms of the Club's displeasure of this double booking "error", and the possiblle consequences if it happens again!

On the basis that a South Melbourne pub (with function room) is centrally located for all members and a move may be necessary, how about  looking into the idea of finding another similar pub?

Clarendon St precinct or Bay St Port Melb have plenty of good pubs and are centrally located with good freeway access.

Obviously you require the following criteria to be met:
 *  central location with parking availability
 *  well priced food & drink
 *  good kitchen and service to match volumes on busy nights
 *  a usable function room with seating to hold meetings

Just an idea but I can see some further investigation is needed.

Cheers.

Oh-Oh!  I may started something here!   


In addition to John's criteria, I would say:
* SAFE parking availability.
* AUDIO/VISUAL capabilities if we want to show a video or DVD or Powerpoint presentation.
* FREE function room.  The assumption is that the pub would make the money on the food and drinks of which they would not have otherwise if the meeting wasn't held there.

Wish list:
The Anchor & Hope pub (where the Club held it's meetings eons ago) had an area where we could display a special car.  Similiar to Bells, but don't have to sacrifice seats/table to do so.

It is a real pity that another pub close by, the Town Hall Hotel (cnr Moray and Bank St) doesn't have a function big enough to hold us.  They have specials like $10 porterhouse!

In the absence of a better proposal (of which Neil can lead a fact finding subcommittee to sample said pubs!  ), Bells had better lock all our Club meeting dates in for 2008!

Cheers