First time hotel takeover QUESTIONS

I have to concur that while contacting other attendees you are interested in beforehand is a good idea, your plans probably won't be realized. However, it does give you someone to talk to at the party and that is a real plus. You are always more interesting to other couples if you are already engaged with other couples. If you've corresponded with 5 or 6 couples and are engaged in discussions with some of them, other couples will say, "Hey, those folks must be interesting. Look how many people they know." It adds to your allure!

Have fun and just do what makes you comfortable. That's the golden rule of swinging.

Where we attend most rent their own room in the block to secure at least a floor (with conduct clothing strictures as the hotel specifies, determined for the most part by how well they can limit access of the floor to vanillas). On occasion the entire hotel has been taken over and become a free zone. There is usually a meeting room for meals, games , newbie meet n greets, and any organizational meeting that may be needed.
There is a party room or two for public group play, and many who retire to a private room for encounters. How public those encounters are is limited by the position of our doors. (open come on in , ajar knock but you are outside until invited in, closed leave us alone.)

Again, our limited experience with take overs is that there are a number of planned meets, like the pool party or bondage seminars or an evening mixer/dance, but in the evening, some people will leave their door propped open and will be looking for others to join them.

There was public room play as well, but we saw little if any swapping going on. A lot of the people seemed to go as a group, and only played with others in their group as far as we could tell. No way to tell how much closed door play happened.

Thanks for the info about how a takeover operates differently from a party with a block of rooms. I’ve never felt the need for a separate room when there is a block, but that’s because the rooms there are clearly the main play rooms.

So, in a takeover does it mostly work out to be people mingling in the public areas and going to a more private room to play? I imagine mileage varies of course…

I think the reach out ahead suggestions were aimed at just having someone to say hello to, in order to get the ball rolling. You are right about not over planning.

While it is good to reach out ahead of time to attending couples, very little actually ever goes as planned. As HB basically said, go with the flow rather than trying to execute a plan. This applies to pretty much all parties.

The suggestion about contacting people beforehand is a good one. Exchange room numbers if you can.
Just having someone(s) to say HI to helps break any ice.

Letting those you contact know that the takeover is a new experience for you wouldn't hurt either.

Friction does a great job of putting together takeovers. You can easily answer "yes" to most of the questions that you asked. The party will cover the entire hotel from the pool to the dance floor and can seem a bit chaotic or overwhelming. Getting a room at a takeover is most always the best option because most couples don't slow down till really late. Disregard what MS said about rooms because it wouldn't apply here.

Take some time and go through the guest list on the Friction site ahead of time, maybe 2 weeks or so, and begin messaging couples you might be interested in. Chances are about 1/3 who sign up may not show. Messaging ahead of time works well in most cases to help you have at least one or two couples to meet when you arrive. By no means limit yourselves to who you chat with ahead of time.

This won't be radically different than a club in terms of how you want to engage folks. Be friendly, forward, and not scared to approach groups. You will find people mingling all over the hotel and take your time and enjoy yourselves. Generally, there will be a few rooms that will be designated as play or party rooms. These will be open for people to play in so that they can have an audience. Also, some will leave their doors open so that people may come in and watch. It is not an open invitation to come in and play. Always be courteous and get permission. People do get thrown out of parties because they do things without getting permission first. That's a good thing. Just relax and have a good time and naturally let yourselves move from conversation to conversation as you go through the hotel. You all should have a great time.

It sounded like MS was commenting about a hotel room party, which is different than a hotel take over.

I believe a hotel take over will require you to get a room. They will usually have various activities planned at various times, so even if you don't need to get a room, you'll probably want to get one.

House parties (in my limited experience) tend to have more action. Any party that gives people the opportunity to play in private means nobody knows if or how you played, so no reason to feel uncomfortable.

Just be up front about this being a new experience for you. Everyone has been there. In that light any faux pas will be overlooked.

Every party, even with the same group, is a bit different so ,in a sense, all are in the same boat.
People are constantly meeting new people. You might be more popular than you think.
Some groups are more reserved and at comfort with those they know. (Some see that as cliquish) Then you might be less popular than you would like.

In either case wear a smile , enjoy each other, participate in everything,(including set up and cleanup, and games as it presents itself.) I have never been in a group that genuine friendly people are not welcomed. Take neither yourselves or anything else too seriously.

You can say yes or no according to your own rules. Stay comfortable as a couple and keep in contact as much as you need.

Oh and yes people commonly bounce around from room to room.

And probably quite a few of the people will have met and/or played before and will spend much of the evening hanging out and talking.

It is understandable to have questions like these! I can only tell you from my experience, of course, and I’m sure it varies.

First, very little you might do will be considered weird. Do what you are comfortable with and what which like. If you just want to watch, if you just want to play with each other, that’s fine.

You don’t need to get a room of your own unless what you want to do is find some number of people you want to play with more privately. That might be just the two of you or it might be ten people, that’s entirely up to you.

Often there is an expectation of a donation to cover the room cost, and it is good form to bring some food and/or drink. It is best to be on the safe side and bring your own condoms, particularly if you need large or non-latex.

Probably the best guide will be the organizers. If they didn’t post that information already you can ask. If they’re not forthcoming with information then that might be an indication that it isn’t a respectful scene.

We are new to the lifestyle and trying to sample all the various activities available to us. We've attended some clubs, house parties, a local meet & greet, and met with a few couples privately. My husband and I have now signed up to attend a hotel takeover (hosted by Friction) in September, and this will be our first time attending one of these. We are wondering what to expect. Do we have to get a room, or do some people attend and then leave later in the night? Is this going to be similar to a house party, but bigger? Do people settle in with one group in one room for the bulk of the evening, or are people bouncing from room to room? If we only feel comfortable watching and playing with each other, is that going to be weird in that environment? Is there anything else we should know/expect about a hotel takeover?

Sorry for all the questions! We honestly just don't know what to expect...we just heard some good things about them and wanted to check one out.