Gen Con | Gen Con Indy 2025

Hotel Strategies?

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Posted by truelink gib_rebeg

 ayoung98683 wrote:
Hi Everyone,
My gaming group is planning our first GenCon trip for 2016, ...The JW Marriot looks like (one of) the place(s) to be,
Any advice appreciated. Thanks!

JW Marriot's rooms are tiny. For groups it may prove to be worthwhile looking elsewhere. That and they charge for everything they can.

They can be tiny. They can also be alright, but you have no control over which you get. Last year we were able to fit two single air mattresses in a two queen room. The year prior we had to move both beds to fit one air matress and the fourth person slept in the chair. You are basically playing the housing lottery twice--hope for a corner room!

P.S. They don't clean behind those beds because they don't expect people to move them. :p

Posted by garhkal nscott

#27

 nscott wrote:Probably because you can't really bring a suit against a computer algorith. The room has a rate, the program is constantly discounting the rate trying to maximize profit. The gen con room block being on the books a year out is pretty much guaranteed to kick the rate up to full price. Oddly the hotels really don't want full occupancy, they need to be able to move people around if there is an issue with a room and many of the hotel operating companies are contractually obligated to be able to provide a room at any time to a platinum or diamond or whatever is the hotel chains highest level reward customer who shows up.

That to me is what i consider excess price gouging. Much like say a hotel/motel charges 45 a night, but the weekend after a disaster where people are flooding out of the area, they jack it up to 200 a night... How is it THOSE kinds of 'price rises' for supply and demand get people arrested for, but not this type?

Posted by garhkal

#28

As for me and my hotelling. Since i don't work full time enough to be flush, i always GM the 8 slots needed for a 'compped' room. Even if i am sharing it with 3 other people. Of the past 5 Gencons i have been to, only 2 of them did i actually have the full 3 other people. One year i had only 1 other show up (the other 2 it was slated for decided to "camp out' with friends for the first night and never bothered leaving), the other 2 years, i had only 2 of the 3 show up (one was a late cancellation for medical reasons)..

Posted by nialith garhkal

#29

 garhkal wrote:

It may be 'supply and demand', but no where else in that realm, does the cost of an item fluctuate so greatly.. Take one of the hotels i stayed in for a Job fair in Cincinnati.. 85 a night for Fri-sat. The following weekend due to an 'event in town' it bumped up to almost double (145 a night for fri-sat), and during home week games, it was 179 a night.. Even though it was no where NEAR the stadium.That to me is what i consider excess price gouging. Much like say a hotel/motel charges 45 a night, but the weekend after a disaster where people are flooding out of the area, they jack it up to 200 a night... How is it THOSE kinds of 'price rises' for supply and demand get people arrested for, but not this type?

This happens routinely in Vegas. I was just out there recently and stayed at the Hard Rock Towers. It was $65 for a suite on Wednesday night but my Saturday night was $235. Nearly 4x the price. It's not price gouging but I understand your point.

Posted by jeff321 ayoung98683

#30

 ayoung98683 wrote:
Hi Everyone,
My gaming group is planning our first GenCon trip for 2016, and I'm curious about hotel strategies. Is it worthwhile waiting for the GenCon Hotel Lottery, or is wise to book rooms through the desired hotel ahead of time at the full rate? The JW Marriot looks like (one of) the place(s) to be, and I'd rather pay more to be guaranteed a room there... as long as it isn't TOO MUCH more ;-)
Any advice appreciated. Thanks!

Yes I book a backup hotel now, already did so. If you do so early enough you can get an ok price. The housing block will still be cheaper though so I will try that too, and if I get better I can simply cancel my reservation.

Posted by jobeth66 jeff321

#31

 jeff321 wrote:

You just have to pay attention to options. I booked out of block for less than housing block price. When I booked in August, it was more, and the rate went down briefly in September and I updated my reservation. Yes, I have to be there for 8 days to get that rate, but we normally do 6 anyway. Yes, I have to check out on Sunday and not Monday, but that's ok. We'll go to the Con on Sunday, leave when it's done, and drive a few hours, then finish the rest of the 10-hour trip on Monday. Or you can book a hotel out of block for Sunday night only - those were cheap as well for many of them (including some downtown hotels).

I think we've decided we're not going next year, the anniversary craziness & stress means we'll likely go visit friends in Seattle and go to Pax Prime instead. No hotel fees, just the cost of the airfare & the tickets.

Posted by rutherfordr

#32

Good luck getting tickets to Pax Prime -- there's a limited number, and they sell out quickly.

Posted by jobeth66 rutherfordr

#33

 rutherfordr wrote:
Good luck getting tickets to Pax Prime -- there's a limited number, and they sell out quickly.

We have an in, there. :)

Posted by gib_rebeg jobeth66

#34

 jobeth66 wrote:

 jeff321 wrote:

Our group also has a long drive. Not as long as yours but bad enough.

We usually show on Wed. to get there, then rest up before the Con starts, so we're not tired from the long drive. We've years past would book a room for the Wed. night out side the DT block, something cheaper, but still nice, then shift over to the DT room. Saving a nice hunk of change for us.

Something to consider if you're booking a week long for Gencon. Book a seperate room further out, or even in an outlaying town for a fraction of the cost. Then shifting to the DT when the con kicks over.

Posted by jobeth66 gib_rebeg

#35

 gib_rebeg wrote:

 jobeth66 wrote:

 jeff321 wrote:

Our group also has a long drive. Not as long as yours but bad enough.We usually show on Wed. to get there, then rest up before the Con starts, so we're not tired from the long drive. We've years past would book a room for the Wed. night out side the DT block, something cheaper, but still nice, then shift over to the DT room. Saving a nice hunk of change for us.
Something to consider if you're booking a week long for Gencon. Book a seperate room further out, or even in an outlaying town for a fraction of the cost. Then shifting to the DT when the con kicks over.

We couldn't get a decent rate at the Embassy unless we did 8 nights. If I wanted to do Wed-Sun, it would've been in excess of $300/nt. Doing Sat-Sun was $189/nt. Kind of a no brainer for a nice corner king.

Posted by nellybelle

#36

The lottery can certainly be scary and it can be hard to get the exact room you want. I recommend keeping a list of the top hotels you are itnerested with you when housing opens and logging on right when the button comes live. Usually on the forums and Facebook group people will try and drop rooms to people who need them, so keep an ear to the ground.

Also, if you drive and wanna pinch some pennies you can usually get a hotel further away without issue.

Posted by kjelstad a dark rider on a pale ... unicorn?

#37

 the wandering monster wrote:
Something else I just remembered; The Gen Con block doesn't include every hotel in Indianapolis.
It doesn't even cover every hotel near the Convention Centre.
You might have some luck finding a backup room that way, though I've no idea how price-gougey they get.

I only found one hotel three blocks away that would let me book at 600+ a night. Everything across the street North looked to be locked up.

This is my first year going.

Posted by gib_rebeg kjelstad

#38

 kjelstad wrote:

I only found one hotel three blocks away that would let me book at 600+ a night. Everything across the street North looked to be locked up.This is my first year going.

Let me guess. Marriott?

If so, that is typical for them. They ususally keep a few rooms not in the block offering just for people looking to book outside the block and they double the price for them.

Posted by kjelstad

#39

Staybridge looks to be selling rooms but they are southwest. I'm not sure that is the optimal location but the rooms looked nice. 600 a night was the double bedroom but they have $400 rooms listed. I was going to use it as a backup but I think I can get a good room with my badge.

Posted by mrshiny

#40

You can try (in the future) to shoot for hotels not in the block as soon as they open up reservations (typically a 330 days - 1 year out). For instance, Homewood Suites has never been in the Gen Con block. Watch as new hotels come on line as they might have good deals (Homewood was much more affordable when it first opened).

Also look for hotels on the shuttle route. Even in driving distance can work - you could save enough to rent a car if you don't have one and pay for parking (although that can get scarce).

Posted by marimaccadmin mrshiny

#41

 mrshiny wrote:
You can try (in the future) to shoot for hotels not in the block as soon as they open up reservations (typically a 330 days - 1 year out). For instance, Homewood Suites has never been in the Gen Con block. Watch as new hotels come on line as they might have good deals (Homewood was much more affordable when it first opened).
Also look for hotels on the shuttle route. Even in driving distance can work - you could save enough to rent a car if you don't have one and pay for parking (although that can get scarce).

FYI, in 2016, Gen Con will not contract with prior shuttle providers. Instead, Gen Con is investigating other non-shuttle transportation options for attendees. Attendees are encouraged to find the transportation and parking needs that best suit their convention and housing plans.

Posted by dballing ayoung98683

#42

1.) Get a VIG badge, if you can. That ship has sailed for this year at any rate.
2.) If you can find a room you like, outside the block, at a price you're willing to pay, which you cancel (most high-rate ones you'll find available you can do so), book it. This is your "safety net"
3.) The saturday night before hotel reservations open up, find a virgin. On a mountain-top altar, with a knife of the purest silver, sacrifice her to Passkey, demon of hotel block reservations.
4.) In the morning discover you actually sacrificed a Barbie doll using your favorite steak-knife, and are in fact, quite screwed.
5.) Throw your hat into the hotel lottery on Sunday at noon, see what happens.
6.) If you get something as good or better than what you have booked out of block, take it. Hang on to your safety net. You might need it (Passkey has been known to screw people before...it's happened).
7.) If you don't get anything good, keep your safety net.
8.) A week or so out from Gen Con, if you're still holding onto the safety net you don't need, see if anyone on the forums wants it, and then work with the hotel to transfer it into thier name (and their credit card!!). Otherwise, just cancel it and be done with it.

Posted by ayoung98683 ayoung98683

#43

Thanks for all the advice, everyone. While I ended up doing well (but not great, +56 minutes) in the room lottery I wasn't able to beat the backup rooms I booked in December. If I didn't check in with you all here, I'm sure I'd be pretty disappointed right now.

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