Looking for hotel advice for Gen Con 2011

[Lanefan]

I've been twice. The first time I stayed out of town and drove in each day. The second time I stayed downtown, a few blocks from the convention centre.

There's pros and cons to both. Staying downtown costs a *lot* more but you can come and go to the con. as you please - it really is pretty much a 24-7 event after Wednesday night - without having to be awake enough to drive. (you think drinking and driving is bad, try sleeping and driving. It's worse.)

I'm going again this year, assuming all remains as it is, and I'm strongly leaning toward staying downtown again.

That said, don't be too put off by the hotel rates you're seeing right now at the hotels' own websites. GenCon book a huge block of rooms for Con attendees - the challenge there is getting at them before everyone else does and-or before their online booking site crashes, as far as I can tell - and the rates for those are less than what you'll see on the hotel sites. (the hotels jack up the rest of their rooms for that week)

If you go to the GenCon site { Gen Con LLC : Home } there's a community forum there with some people who are pretty good about answering questions.

Lanefan

 

[Lalato]

As others have noted, staying downtown offers the best experience. It is, however, more expensive. The best way I know to mitigate the expense is to share the room with other people.

That's what I've done every year I've gone and it definitely lowers the cost of staying downtown to a reasonable level. If you can get a room at a connecting hotel do so, otherwise try to stay within 3 blocks of the convention center.

If you're looking to spend the least amount of money you can possibly spend on lodging and you plan on having a car, you might want to try the hostel on the northside of town. I stayed there a couple of nights two years ago and while it's not exactly a perfect hotel experience, the price is definitely right.

Enjoy your first GenCon!

 

[dcampbez]

I have to echo the general sentiment here: Stay downtown, connected. This will be my fourth year; we've stayed at the Westin each year... and yes, it's pricey: I think it was $179 base this year... then it's an additional $10 for the third and then fourth person; so $199 a night BEFORE the 17% room tax. And then, $25 a night parking at the hotel.

It's worth it. Down the elevator and across the covered, elevated walkway to the Con. I can be in the vendor hall, spot that big board game I want, and drop it off in the room five minutes later, and still make my next session.

If you ask early, you can also get a small room fridge at the Westin as well; the service there is always good, and the beds (for the few hours a night you will sleep) are VERY comfortable.

 

[IronWolf]

(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?

(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.)

Yeah, the years I have gone I've stayed downtown. And while the convenience is nice, I tend to come with the family as well, so no room splitting leaving me paying for the whole room. This gets very expensive very quickly and has kept me away for a few years as I just couldn't justify the cost to stay downtown.

If I left the family at home and went by myself then I would certainly look for a downtown hotel to split four ways or something like that. That makes it quite affordable, especially considering the convenience.

But if the family comes I am seriously considering a hotel a little ways away to save some money.

 

[WSmith]

First, I would like to say thanks to everyone for a lot of good tips and info. If money were not the issue I would certainly stay at a connected hotel. I have done that at other conventions I have been to and the convenience is such a benefit.

Realistically, I know it is going to be tough to stay that close. However, I didn't know about the Gen Con reservation system. That is good to know now.

 

[Inferno!]

There will be many more rooms available this year. The new 32 floor J.W. Marriot opens in February, adding 980 rooms a block west of the convention center. Of course it'll be expensive, but it's a lot on new rooms to add to the mix.

 

[mr_outsidevoice]

A nearby hotel is good, but I understand the cost. I travel with and meet a group of friends. splitting the cost 4-5 ways eases the pain Really, you just need a place to store stuff, sleep a few hours, and shower