Looking for hotel advice for Gen Con 2011

[WSmith]

It looks like for the first time in my 40 years of life, I may be going to Gen Con next year. I have done a lot of searching on the net for tips. I have found all I need concerning eating, scheduling, sanitation, shopping, etc. What I seem to not be finding in the level of detail I am seeking, but seems the most important issue for me. are tips on the hotel situation. That is going to be the major cost and I need to estimate that.

I am wondering if those that have been to Gen Con have any tips or opinions on the hotel situation. What I am getting so far is that downtown near the convention center is outrageously priced but by the airport is not which means paying for parking. What about splitting a room or suite? The new convention center has skywalks to several hotels. Is it worth the extra price to stay there? My instinct says yes, but I did a quick look at the prices for the Marriot and had sticker shock.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Chrono22]

Indianapolis does have a local transit system, IndyGo. I live a few miles from the convention center, and use it to get there in the mornings and leave in the evenings. It doesn't cover the entirety of Indianapolis, however, and the bus schedule is different on Sundays.
Here is the bus line that runs from the airport to downtown. Paying for parking downtown would be far more expensive, and carries the risk of having to navigate our downtown's numerous 1-way streets and intersections. The benefit is, I suppose, you could stay at the con for overnight events and leave at your leisure.
I haven't checked out hotel prices for obvious reasons, but just how much more would you be spending? It can be a long drive from the airport, especially with all the construction being done on I-465.

 

[WSmith]

I haven't quite worked the budget yet, but I do appreciate the tip about the construction and the transit. I am seeing prices of $165 a night which I think is mega-outragous considering you just need the room for a nap and a shower.

 

[Piratecat]

Share with other people. I really recommend that you be in a downtown hotel within easy walking distance of the convention center. It makes a huge difference in terms of fun, because it affects how many ENW/CM parties and games you're hanging out at late at night.

Embassy Suite has a free morning breakfast, but slow elevators. It's usually the hotel many folks from here stay at.

 

[darjr]

If your worried about long term parking I was told, too late for me, about the state building garage that is closed down for everything except con goers and it's something like $20 for the whole con.

I have not confirmed it yet.

As for where to stay, I'd stay downtown if I could. I did't and the con was worse for it, though I still had a fantastic time.

Just as a side note, I hear that there are a ton of folks that go and don't actually get a badge and ticket because there is so much unscheduled gaming in the hotels and outside of the con.

 

[Crothian]

The big advantage I found with the hotels down town is when the game is over at 11pm and Piratecat says "Let's all go to Steak and Shake" you don't have to worry about getting back to your hotel as it's within walking distance.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I say, get a connecting hotel and damn the price. Nothing beats the easy walk from the Center back to the hotel to drop off stuff and take a nap.

 

[Rel]

Stay downtown. You won't regret it.

Yes, the cost is higher. But honestly I've seldom talked to anybody who was staying in the outlying areas and driving/bussing in for the day who felt happy about having done so. Perhaps that's because all the parties and other events where I might have talked to such a person were ones they couldn't attend due to the bus schedule.

Traditionally the Embassy Suites is a place where lots of ENW/CM folks stay. Rooms there are in the neighborhood of $200 per night but generally that is split among 4 people sharing the room. Last year several of us booked one of the penthouse suites there, which ran $300 but we had 6 people in there so it was the same price and had TONS more room.

If you weren't planning on sharing a room with somebody to cut the cost, I'd suggest you reconsider. Because, in my opinion, the Con is MUCH more fun when you have people to share it with. I've often said that I never had any interest in going to GenCon before I knew lots of folks from ENW. And if those folks stopped going to GenCon then so would I. There are simply tons of cool folks here who I love spending time with. Find some in your area or find some on the site who you think you click with and room with them.

 

[invokethehojo]

I have to agree with the general sentiment here: last year was my first gen con and we decided to stay downtown to get a good feel for what the experience was like and then decide what to do from there. We didn't sign up for any events, we just winged it, and because we stayed downtown there wasn't a minute that we weren't doing something cool (and free) at the con. One of the guys at pathfinder ran a impromptu trial for us at 1:00 am. We went to one of the free game rooms totally smashed at 5 am and played sonic 3 for an hour. Also, found out that the hentai events (which the second night, the voiceover, was way more fun) were free after an hour or so because (despite the long line) people didn't stick around very long. Not sure if you want to party while you are there, but having the choice of drinking at your room and then going out saved us some money for sure.

We stayed at the westin, and while it was nice to have the skybridge and the anime events right in our hotel, I do have to say that if you can save a few dollars staying a couple blocks away from the con do that. We didn't go back to our room as often as I though we would, and the cooler of food we brought to offset costs didn't last as long as we planned either. I was not impressed with the westin's service, and their parking fees were rediculous (we were charged an extra day at $30 a day for staying 2 hours past the 24 mark, no hourly rate).

If you can share a room with someone to cut the cost (and possibly hang out with) I think that is your best bet.

 

[Eridanis]

My wife and I stayed downtown only one year (2006, I think?), and it was very nice to be able to park for a few days and walk everywhere we needed to. Being able to walk back to your room to drop off swag is a very nice perk. However, you need to be online in the first few hours the booking site comes online to book a room downtown, or you're out of luck. (this is not an exaggeration.) With that in mind, here are a few good things about staying elsewhere in the city.

(1) $$$$! Obviously, the downtown hotels charge a premium for being downtown. Rel quoted $200 for the Embassy, and while you might find something slightly cheaper, that's pretty much what you're looking at. Add whatever it costs to park your car per day at the hotel ($20 or so? not sure), and you're looking at $200 to $250 dollars a day for lodging.

Staying 10 minutes out of town at a decent hotel that charges $80 a night, and paying $5 for parking downtown for the day, means you'd have $115 to $165 PER DAY to either spend on games or keep in your pocket. (Plus, maybe you'll be in a hotel with some of the exhibitors and can game & swap stories with them; our hotel this year was where the Out of the Box Games folks were staying. They can't afford to stay downtown, either!) In exchange, you'll have to plan your evening activities a little better (no drinking and driving! Make sure you're awake enough to drive back to your hotel!), and add 10 minutes or so each way onto your travel. How much time do you really plan to stay in your room, anyway?

(2) See #1. I thought I had more to say, but that about sums it up.

(N.B.: we have three kids, so we can't share a room with others. Thus, we're always having to figure paying the full price for the room. If you're playing bachelor and sharing with others, as has been mentioned above, then that's a very sweet deal.)