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Housing Portal Doesn't Open Til Noon EST But I'm Already Set to 3:30pm?

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Housing Portal Doesn't Open Til Noon EST But I'm Already Set to 3:30pm?

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Posted by fiddlemaster foodiddiedoo

 foodiddiedoo wrote:
I made a reservation as a "backup plan" for the Homewood Suites that is about .6 miles away since it wasn't part of the hotel block. The thing that stinks is there's 4 of us (me, my husband, and our two male friends) so we need 3 sleeping surfaces. This room is more than I've paid staying at like the Hilton or any of the other close to convention hotels in the past, and we're all crammed in one space.

It's one reason why GenCon has become a less than enjoyable con. The popularity has gotten too big for even Indy to handle. They have perhaps tripled the hotels downtown in the last 10 years, maybe more, and it's still not enough spaces.

A few years ago, there were hotels under $200/night downtown. Now they're all $200+. It's just nuts and not much fun anymore.

Posted by hahnarama

#27

Wow! I guess the email that went out on 2/1/22 at 5:04 PM EST that said in BIG BOLD letters was not clear enough.

OP I get it your upset, but Gen Con does tends to OVER communicate via multiple channels on this topic.

If it's any conciliation I bought my badge weeks ago and still got a 2:59 PM slot. Then again I get my room, if I need one, outside of the block

There are 33,000 rooms in the Indy Metro, but only 7900 of those are withing downtown aka walking distance.

I know there is nothing that anyone can say or do to change the anger you feel, but you cannot blame Gen Con for lack of communication on this topic.

Posted by fiddlemaster hahnarama

#28

[This post has been removed]

Posted by funny-shaped dice fiddlemaster

#29

 fiddlemaster wrote:
As I knew, hotels downtown are all sold out long before 3:30.
This is so ridiculous how absolutely CRITICAL it is to buy a badge by February 11 and it's not on the front page of GenCon Indy. Don't JUST put Housing Registration date, put the freaking Badge Deadline right below it on the main page.
Absolutely absurd.

Just came back to say, yep - you were right. Splitting hairs: you're original post was "Nothing under the sun will be available 15 minutes after this goes live" not just downtown hotels...but either way, yeah, they are all sold out. Hasn't ever happened before so those of us that were urging everyone to stay calm had strong reason to do so. FWIW, if your Gen Con experience is dependent on a downtown hotel, that's unfortunate; there is just too much demand for a limited supply.

Your other statements about checking back with the portal to pick up a room being impossible are factually incorrect though. Bitter pill - but still true. I - and many others - have picked up downtown hotels multiple years in a row by checking the portal before work, on lunch, after work and before bed every year that I've wanted one. It takes persistence, it is not guaranteed, but it can be done.

FWIW, I bought a badge day one within minutes of them being available and my wife and I got times of 3:07 and 3:08. /shrug. With limited supply, a lottery is the only way to manage this fairly. No other strategy is going to be completely fair and unbiased.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do with Gen Con this year.

Posted by seanscian foodiddiedoo

#30

Keep a hard eye on that reservation. I’ve seen attendees lose their out-of-block hotel rooms over the years for various reasons, often likely by accident but canceled nevertheless.

Posted by mbroadwater fiddlemaster

#31

 fiddlemaster wrote:

 mikeboozer wrote:
You can also find it stuck to the very top of this forum.
https://www.gencon.com/forums/91-travel-housing-and-dining-2022/topics/17135-housing-portal-tips-and-tricks
Mike

Mike, it really is a simple process of putting it at the very top of the place that people are going to look first. You guys made a guide and point us to it on the front page. Forums aren't going to be where I first look
This is such an easy change to make sure newcomers are aware of this really important feature. I have no idea why it isn't at the very top of the main guide page or even on the FRONT PAGE showing people who come to GenCon to know there's a deadline to buy badges for housing.

There are several important points in that page and, depending on your situation, others might be "more important" to you. If knowing how to book a room is important, one would think you would have at least checked the "Housing Portal Access Scheduling" section. It was point 4 in the list you posted. It isn't hard to find. You just didn't look for it and assumed things worked like they had 5+ years ago and are lashing out.

Posted by foodiddiedoo seanscian

#32

 seanscian wrote:

Keep a hard eye on that reservation. I’ve seen attendees lose their out-of-block hotel rooms over the years for various reasons, often likely by accident but canceled nevertheless.

Good call, thanks for that suggestion!

Posted by maijstral2 seanscian

#33

 seanscian wrote:

Keep a hard eye on that reservation. I’ve seen attendees lose their out-of-block hotel rooms over the years for various reasons, often likely by accident but canceled nevertheless.

Every year I get shut out by the housing portal and every year I am patient and lurk and get a downtown hotel room usually by June. Heck last time I went I kept jumping hotel rooms till I got the one that would have been my first choice had I won the housing lottery. In my experience the closer to the July deadline the more rooms will become availible even if only for a few hours at a time. I work 9-5 but still manage to find a room by just going to the housing portal when I'm at home and just watching videos or surfing the web, every once in a while I go check and so far it has always paid off.

Posted by cinnibar fiddlemaster

#34

 fiddlemaster wrote:

 helenbb wrote:
There will be rooms at 3:30. They may not be the ones you would like most, but there will be something there. You can always keep checking regularly over the next few months (particularly as we approach the hotel and badge refund deadlines) and grab things that show up.

And you were incorrect....Sorry bud

Hate to say it, but top and bottom placement can't defeat the TL;DR syndrome.

Fortunately, I imagine the sell-out will prompt both sides back to add in more to the block before long.

Posted by wewantthefunk funny-shaped dice

#35

 funny-shaped dice wrote:
Update: just saw other notes about time compression with latest times being after 3PM so...yeah...hard to say but not looking good for downtown hotel. Just do keep in mind that you can keep swapping out your room in the portal right up until rooms transfer to the hotel in July. I've gotten downtown hotels every year I've tried by checking the housing 2-3 times a day until I grabbed one. Especially useful around key cutoof dates (like event registration, badge cancellation, etc.)
ORIGINAL:
You're not screwed.
Housing Portal is run on a lottery. Your badge got you an entry into the lottery. There will be plenty of hotels available at 3:30PM. There may not be plenty of downtown hotels - hard to say.
Last year, downtown hotels were available much of the day. 2019 I think they sold out by around 2PM - but that year badges sold out as well.
Good luck!

This prediction aged like milk

Posted by funny-shaped dice wewantthefunk

#36

 wewantthefunk wrote:

 funny-shaped dice wrote:
Update: just saw other notes about time compression with latest times being after 3PM so...yeah...hard to say but not looking good for downtown hotel.

ORIGINAL:
You're not screwed.

This prediction aged like milk

:smirk:

Yeah. This was a crazy year. Downtown Hotels are always tricky to get -- but the Housing Portal has never sold out before. Obviously, could not have predicted that.

I'm still optimistic that Gen Con is going to negotiate more rooms into the block. With hotels not selling out last year, I'm sure many were hesitant to commit supply to the housing block. Hopefully, that will open up.

Posted by austicke funny-shaped dice

#37

 funny-shaped dice wrote:Downtown Hotels are always tricky to get -- but the Housing Portal has never sold out before.

It has completely sold out before but not recently.

Posted by mikeboozer

#38

Less properties at the beginning this year. More rooms will be added. Keep checking back.

Mike

Posted by armadilloal funny-shaped dice

#39

 funny-shaped dice wrote:

 wewantthefunk wrote:

This prediction aged like milk

:smirk:Yeah. This was a crazy year. Downtown Hotels are always tricky to get -- but the Housing Portal has never sold out before. Obviously, could not have predicted that.
I'm still optimistic that Gen Con is going to negotiate more rooms into the block. With hotels not selling out last year, I'm sure many were hesitant to commit supply to the housing block. Hopefully, that will open up.

The only reason it didn't sell out in the past is the portal was full of rooms out by like the airport where the block rate was well above what you could get by booking the hotel directly. Nobody took those rooms because they were obviously a bad deal.

Gen Con drops those rooms because what's the point?, and boom, you get a sell out.

Posted by lanogironu funny-shaped dice

#40

 funny-shaped dice wrote:
FWIW, if your Gen Con experience is dependent on a downtown hotel, that's unfortunate; there is just too much demand for a limited supply.

GenCon is enjoyable IMO no matter where staying, but having gotten a close skywalk hotel for the first time last year - I do believe it's a significantly better experience.

Posted by foodiddiedoo mikeboozer

#41

 mikeboozer wrote:
Less properties at the beginning this year. More rooms will be added. Keep checking back.
Mike

Mike, did some of the hotels that are sold out hold back rooms? I don’t really get room blocks, I would assume if something like say a Hilton didn’t allocate all of the rooms to GenCon, then some rooms would have been available to book separately. Do hotels hold back all the rooms and then release more to your blocks? If you can’t answer that question I understand. Just trying to get a gauge on whether or not there will be more rooms in any of the hotels that were previously on the list.

Posted by funny-shaped dice lanogironu

#42

 tellis42 wrote:

 funny-shaped dice wrote:
FWIW, if your Gen Con experience is dependent on a downtown hotel, that's unfortunate; there is just too much demand for a limited supply.

GenCon is enjoyable IMO no matter where staying, but having gotten a close skywalk hotel for the first time last year - I do believe it's a significantly better experience.

Agree. It is definitely a different experience and one I certainly enjoy.

But it is always disappointing to see people rage-quit Gen Con every year because they can't get a DT hotel when the housing portal first opens. There is never going to be enough downtown - let alone connected - hotel rooms to meet current demand.