Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: anyone using web-based reservation system - guest suite reservations

[Stephan Sylvan (stephan.sylvan]

Hi Jerry, Molly, Patricia, Sharon, and Susan,

Thank you for your very thoughtful responses to my question about guest
room reservations systems.

It really is interesting how the discussions around guest rooms seem to be
so similar across cohousing communities scattered all over the country.
Charge a fee or not? Make it voluntary or not?  Who pays? Who cleans? What
if someone doesn't clean? How to furnish? What if someone uses the guest
rooms far more frequently than everyone else? How to handle the money?

It would be nice if there were a full-time paid Coho US staff person who
could visit any and all cohousing communities when they are in the middle
of a big debate/discussion on a common cohousing issue. That Coho US person
could get up before the discussion begins and inform everyone that (1) your
community is not the first to deal with this issue, (2) here are the major
concerns that many cohousing communities have raised on this topic, (3)
here's the list of objectives many cohousing communities seem to be trying
to meet with their policies on this issue, (4) here's how many have
addressed the major concerns and met the objectives, and (5) if you'd like
any of these approaches to use even as a starting draft, send me an email
and I will send you their policy document(s).

I know this is a pipe dream because this would cost a serious amount of
money unless that Coho US person could be "piped" in via Skype or something
to our meetings when and where they happen. Even then, Coho US probably
doesn't have the resources.

Stephan