Rooms going faster than last year?
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Posted by funny-shaped dice lehane
#26

lehane wrote:
The past few years we have gotten out of block DT rooms prior to the lottery. This year I never saw any available and was checking 3-5 a week. Was this the experience for anyone else that looked out of block?

Guess it depends on when you start looking.  We booked an out of block room back in November.

Completely anecdotal, but seems like if you are going to book out of block, you start looking a few weeks after the current year - so beginning of September or so.  As time goes on, the rates go up.  Back in November, our room ended up being about $60 more than the Gen Con Housing rate.  We are fortunate that we can pay that premium and snagged one.

Posted by mikeboozer
#27

WAIT LIST
An automated Wait List feature will be activated within one week of housing registration opening. This feature will enable users to request additional nights on the front and/or back end of their assigned dates that are currently unavailable for assignment. Nights for which a room is currently unavailable but eligible for wait list will be denoted by a red exclamation point (!) indicator beside the date. Upon requesting dates that include one or more wait list nights, the system will monitor inventory and automatically add the requested nights as they become available. Upon adding a night, the system will also email a confirmation message to the primary guest email address.

Wait list nights included in your room assignment acknowledgement are not guaranteed until confirmed via new assignment acknowledgment.Dates required to meet Nightly Minimum Stay Restrictions cannot be requested via wait list. Attendees needing lodging during the convention peak nights Thu-Sat should check availability online periodically. As other guests modify and/or cancel their room assignments, online inventory will update in real time. Using the wait list function to modify your assignment carries no fee, and you can modify your stay dates at any time during the housing registration period if you no longer need dates that were assigned by the system after submission.


Posted by gitzlaff squirecam
#28

squirecam wrote:
lehane wrote:
The past few years we have gotten out of block DT rooms prior to the lottery. This year I never saw any available and was checking 3-5 a week. Was this the experience for anyone else that looked out of block?
there are out of block rooms right now. You can get one at the Hilton garden inn right now, it will cost you $416 a night or 40,000 HH points.

At 6 am today, we booked a room for Aug 1-4 at one of the DT skywalk hotels for 24,000 points on that hotel’s affinity program. 

This is the second year in a row I’ve done this. I’ve NEVER gotten decent lottery time in many years of trying. 

Posted by kdeeth tusic
#29

jeffrey_48 wrote:
kdeeth wrote:
squirecam wrote:
kdeeth wrote:
Is there any abuse to the system? Year 4 for me. Been very lucky getting DT rooms the first three. We have 4 people all with one badge each and we will double up so we get four lotteries to buy one room.
Couldn't you buy a badge on a few accounts, when you get your time is assigned, if bad, request a badge refund, keep the one with the best time? 
Maybe it's not an issue and more were assigned earlier I just see that as a loophole if I had time.
We had 2:12pm today :(
yes, if you and 3 friends buy badges on 4 accounts, you get 4 times. But in theory all of you are going.i suppose you could buy badges for people who are not going, get those times, and then ask for refunds on those badges, except for yours and the account getting the room. So you are paying extra for a badge you won’t use, just for the room. But that does seem like abuse.

GenCon allows you to refund a badge until June, so what I was hypothesizing is that I could make 3 accounts, buy 3 badges, and ask for refunds one the two with bad times. My friends and I go for the 4 individual badges for the better odds since we will sleep 2 up. But being so important to ones vacation/convention experience I could see the above as a loophole. Maybe have a refund penalty on badges bought before housing. 4 Days don't sell out until well after at most it would curb the above actions if they are an issue.
Luckily the further ones are a little cheaper to make up for transport costs.

All times are assigned on Saturday.  Any new tickets bought after all the times are assigned are placed at the end of queue so you couldn't do what you're hypothesizing here.
Buy 3 tickets last Wed. Get times on Saturday. Book with best time on Sunday. Monday ask for refund. Lose only a small fee apparently.

Posted by funny-shaped dice gitzlaff
#30

gitzlaff wrote:
squirecam wrote:
lehane wrote:
The past few years we have gotten out of block DT rooms prior to the lottery. This year I never saw any available and was checking 3-5 a week. Was this the experience for anyone else that looked out of block?
there are out of block rooms right now. You can get one at the Hilton garden inn right now, it will cost you $416 a night or 40,000 HH points.

At 6 am today, we booked a room for Aug 1-4 at one of the DT skywalk hotels for 24,000 points on that hotel’s affinity program. This is the second year in a row I’ve done this. I’ve NEVER gotten decent lottery time in many years of trying. 

Did you pay only with points?  
 

Posted by squirecam kdeeth
#31

kdeeth wrote:
jeffrey_48 wrote:
kdeeth wrote:
squirecam wrote:
kdeeth wrote:
Is there any abuse to the system? Year 4 for me. Been very lucky getting DT rooms the first three. We have 4 people all with one badge each and we will double up so we get four lotteries to buy one room.
Couldn't you buy a badge on a few accounts, when you get your time is assigned, if bad, request a badge refund, keep the one with the best time? 
Maybe it's not an issue and more were assigned earlier I just see that as a loophole if I had time.
We had 2:12pm today :(
yes, if you and 3 friends buy badges on 4 accounts, you get 4 times. But in theory all of you are going.i suppose you could buy badges for people who are not going, get those times, and then ask for refunds on those badges, except for yours and the account getting the room. So you are paying extra for a badge you won’t use, just for the room. But that does seem like abuse.

GenCon allows you to refund a badge until June, so what I was hypothesizing is that I could make 3 accounts, buy 3 badges, and ask for refunds one the two with bad times. My friends and I go for the 4 individual badges for the better odds since we will sleep 2 up. But being so important to ones vacation/convention experience I could see the above as a loophole. Maybe have a refund penalty on badges bought before housing. 4 Days don't sell out until well after at most it would curb the above actions if they are an issue.
Luckily the further ones are a little cheaper to make up for transport costs.

All times are assigned on Saturday.  Any new tickets bought after all the times are assigned are placed at the end of queue so you couldn't do what you're hypothesizing here.
Buy 3 tickets last Wed. Get times on Saturday. Book with best time on Sunday. Monday ask for refund. Lose only a small fee apparently.
look at the times thread. There are groups of 4+ who still didn’t get a time earlier than 3. 

So you could do what you are suggesting and still not get a DT room.

Posted by lehane squirecam
#32

squirecam wrote:
lehane wrote:
The past few years we have gotten out of block DT rooms prior to the lottery. This year I never saw any available and was checking 3-5 a week. Was this the experience for anyone else that looked out of block?
there are out of block rooms right now. You can get one at the Hilton garden inn right now, it will cost you $416 a night or 40,000 HH points.
I was meaning the connected DT Hotels. Last year we were in the Marriott and year before that Fairview Inn and Suites. The main place I was looking was the Marriott and associated Hotels as well as Crown Plaza. 

My group is good as we got lucky enough to secure rooms. I was just wondering if the out of block stuff had filled up as well or if maybe they held them until after the lottery since they have had issues in past years with people reserving out of block as a back up if they couldn't get in block (and if they did get in block then cancelled the out of block). 

The policy for the out of block the past two years was payment at reservation and no refunds after a day or two. In block still seems to be first day is paid in June and rest at convention. 

 

Posted by gitzlaff funny-shaped dice
#33

funny-shaped dice wrote:
gitzlaff wrote:
squirecam wrote:
lehane wrote:
The past few years we have gotten out of block DT rooms prior to the lottery. This year I never saw any available and was checking 3-5 a week. Was this the experience for anyone else that looked out of block?
there are out of block rooms right now. You can get one at the Hilton garden inn right now, it will cost you $416 a night or 40,000 HH points.

At 6 am today, we booked a room for Aug 1-4 at one of the DT skywalk hotels for 24,000 points on that hotel’s affinity program. This is the second year in a row I’ve done this. I’ve NEVER gotten decent lottery time in many years of trying. 

Did you pay only with points?  

yes.  8k points per night, three nights. 

Posted by squirecam lehane
#34

lehane wrote:
squirecam wrote:
lehane wrote:
The past few years we have gotten out of block DT rooms prior to the lottery. This year I never saw any available and was checking 3-5 a week. Was this the experience for anyone else that looked out of block?
there are out of block rooms right now. You can get one at the Hilton garden inn right now, it will cost you $416 a night or 40,000 HH points.
I was meaning the connected DT Hotels. Last year we were in the Marriott and year before that Fairview Inn and Suites. The main place I was looking was the Marriott and associated Hotels as well as Crown Plaza. My group is good as we got lucky enough to secure rooms. I was just wondering if the out of block stuff had filled up as well or if maybe they held them until after the lottery since they have had issues in past years with people reserving out of block as a back up if they couldn't get in block (and if they did get in block then cancelled the out of block). 
The policy for the out of block the past two years was payment at reservation and no refunds after a day or two. In block still seems to be first day is paid in June and rest at convention. 
 
then your hotel has a bad system. My out of block rewards hotel has free cancellation until late July and no pre-payment.

Posted by funny-shaped dice gitzlaff
#35

gitzlaff wrote:
funny-shaped dice wrote:
gitzlaff wrote:
squirecam wrote:
lehane wrote:
The past few years we have gotten out of block DT rooms prior to the lottery. This year I never saw any available and was checking 3-5 a week. Was this the experience for anyone else that looked out of block?
there are out of block rooms right now. You can get one at the Hilton garden inn right now, it will cost you $416 a night or 40,000 HH points.

At 6 am today, we booked a room for Aug 1-4 at one of the DT skywalk hotels for 24,000 points on that hotel’s affinity program. This is the second year in a row I’ve done this. I’ve NEVER gotten decent lottery time in many years of trying. 

Did you pay only with points?  

yes.  8k points per night, three nights. 

Nice.

Posted by squirecam funny-shaped dice
#36

funny-shaped dice wrote:
gitzlaff wrote:
funny-shaped dice wrote:
gitzlaff wrote:
squirecam wrote:
lehane wrote:
The past few years we have gotten out of block DT rooms prior to the lottery. This year I never saw any available and was checking 3-5 a week. Was this the experience for anyone else that looked out of block?
there are out of block rooms right now. You can get one at the Hilton garden inn right now, it will cost you $416 a night or 40,000 HH points.

At 6 am today, we booked a room for Aug 1-4 at one of the DT skywalk hotels for 24,000 points on that hotel’s affinity program. This is the second year in a row I’ve done this. I’ve NEVER gotten decent lottery time in many years of trying. 

Did you pay only with points?  

yes.  8k points per night, three nights. 

Nice.
is 8k pts the normal rate?
 

Posted by hikeeba
#37

Yeesh.  Glad I booked an airport room.  Seems my time didn't have close to a chance at downtown.  

Posted by gitzlaff squirecam
#38

squirecam wrote:
funny-shaped dice wrote:
gitzlaff wrote:
funny-shaped dice wrote:
gitzlaff wrote:
squirecam wrote:
lehane wrote:
The past few years we have gotten out of block DT rooms prior to the lottery. This year I never saw any available and was checking 3-5 a week. Was this the experience for anyone else that looked out of block?
there are out of block rooms right now. You can get one at the Hilton garden inn right now, it will cost you $416 a night or 40,000 HH points.

At 6 am today, we booked a room for Aug 1-4 at one of the DT skywalk hotels for 24,000 points on that hotel’s affinity program. This is the second year in a row I’ve done this. I’ve NEVER gotten decent lottery time in many years of trying. 

Did you pay only with points?  

yes.  8k points per night, three nights. 

Nice.
is 8k pts the normal rate?
 

I’m pretty sure it was - no upcharge for the convention, surprisingly. 

Posted by squirecam gitzlaff
#39

gitzlaff wrote:
squirecam wrote:
funny-shaped dice wrote:
gitzlaff wrote:
funny-shaped dice wrote:
gitzlaff wrote:
squirecam wrote:
lehane wrote:
The past few years we have gotten out of block DT rooms prior to the lottery. This year I never saw any available and was checking 3-5 a week. Was this the experience for anyone else that looked out of block?
there are out of block rooms right now. You can get one at the Hilton garden inn right now, it will cost you $416 a night or 40,000 HH points.

At 6 am today, we booked a room for Aug 1-4 at one of the DT skywalk hotels for 24,000 points on that hotel’s affinity program. This is the second year in a row I’ve done this. I’ve NEVER gotten decent lottery time in many years of trying. 

Did you pay only with points?  

yes.  8k points per night, three nights. 

Nice.
is 8k pts the normal rate?

I’m pretty sure it was - no upcharge for the convention, surprisingly. 
it differs from hotel to hotel. The normal Hilton rates are anywhere from 20-40k a night. Last year the Conrad had it at 70k a night for their cheapest room.

I just try to do the math on the normal room rate vs the upcharge in dollars. If it’s twice normal, but the points rate is reasonably normal, it’s an easy call to just book a rewards room.

Posted by gitzlaff squirecam
#40

squirecam wrote:
gitzlaff wrote:
squirecam wrote:
funny-shaped dice wrote:
gitzlaff wrote:
funny-shaped dice wrote:
gitzlaff wrote:
squirecam wrote:
lehane wrote:
The past few years we have gotten out of block DT rooms prior to the lottery. This year I never saw any available and was checking 3-5 a week. Was this the experience for anyone else that looked out of block?
there are out of block rooms right now. You can get one at the Hilton garden inn right now, it will cost you $416 a night or 40,000 HH points.

At 6 am today, we booked a room for Aug 1-4 at one of the DT skywalk hotels for 24,000 points on that hotel’s affinity program. This is the second year in a row I’ve done this. I’ve NEVER gotten decent lottery time in many years of trying. 

Did you pay only with points?  

yes.  8k points per night, three nights. 

Nice.
is 8k pts the normal rate?

I’m pretty sure it was - no upcharge for the convention, surprisingly. 
it differs from hotel to hotel. The normal Hilton rates are anywhere from 20-40k a night. Last year the Conrad had it at 70k a night for their cheapest room.I just try to do the math on the normal room rate vs the upcharge in dollars. If it’s twice normal, but the points rate is reasonably normal, it’s an easy call to just book a rewards room.
Agreed. Going into this, our hotel account was at zero points. A minute before locking the reservation, we just xfered 24k pts from our Chase card account to the hotel account.  Great deal, we got around 3 cents value per mile spent, going off of the published rates for the Gen Con “discounted” block.  But 20-40-70k per night never would’ve been worth it to me.

Posted by squirecam gitzlaff
#41

gitzlaff wrote:
squirecam wrote:
gitzlaff wrote:
squirecam wrote:
funny-shaped dice wrote:
gitzlaff wrote:
funny-shaped dice wrote:
gitzlaff wrote:
squirecam wrote:
lehane wrote:
The past few years we have gotten out of block DT rooms prior to the lottery. This year I never saw any available and was checking 3-5 a week. Was this the experience for anyone else that looked out of block?
there are out of block rooms right now. You can get one at the Hilton garden inn right now, it will cost you $416 a night or 40,000 HH points.

At 6 am today, we booked a room for Aug 1-4 at one of the DT skywalk hotels for 24,000 points on that hotel’s affinity program. This is the second year in a row I’ve done this. I’ve NEVER gotten decent lottery time in many years of trying. 

Did you pay only with points?  

yes.  8k points per night, three nights. 

Nice.
is 8k pts the normal rate?

I’m pretty sure it was - no upcharge for the convention, surprisingly. 
it differs from hotel to hotel. The normal Hilton rates are anywhere from 20-40k a night. Last year the Conrad had it at 70k a night for their cheapest room.I just try to do the math on the normal room rate vs the upcharge in dollars. If it’s twice normal, but the points rate is reasonably normal, it’s an easy call to just book a rewards room.
Agreed. Going into this, our hotel account was at zero points. A minute before locking the reservation, we just xfered 24k pts from our Chase card account to the hotel account.  Great deal, we got around 3 cents value per mile spent, going off of the published rates for the Gen Con “discounted” block.  But 20-40-70k per night never would’ve been worth it to me.
40k is pretty good for Hilton’s. The normal rate I see is 30-40k. It can go to 20k for lower class options. Also the 5th night is free when paying with points.

I run my spending through my HH card. Try to save my points for Gencon trips, knowing that it’s the hardest to get dt rooms. But I agree that 70k for the Conrad isn’t worth it.

Posted by maijstral2
#42

I had 1:58 and thought I was a shoe in for multiple choices, maybe not my first but there would be a few. When I logged in exactly on time only two left the Sheraton and Columbia Club. I got the Sheraton and am satisfied but wow those rooms went fast. Last year I had a late 2 o'clock time slot and got the Westin and saw at least half a dozen others.

Posted by wells
#43

I had a 5:40. Zero chance of anything close. Not going now. This is supposed to be a vacation. I am getting too old, not being able to go back to a room to drop stuff or take a break makes it more of a chore than I want.

Posted by cerealkiller195
#44

to anyone that didn't get a downtown room, just wait till events go up. Once a few people don't get their events there are a few people who drop their rooms.

Posted by dynel
#45

The best time we had (three people, three chances, no system gaming) was 2:52 pm.  Fortunately, I reserved a room downtown back in December as a "back-up ."  Looks like the back-up is the first-string option now.  It's more than the block prices - pretty sure it's more than the far in-block rooms + Uber/Lyft or car rental + parking pass.  But I'll pay more for convenience.

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