The Fanime 2012 Hotel Feedback Thread

Started by BenihimeSama, May 29, 2012, 09:37:44 PM

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Which Hotel Did You Stay At?

Hilton
Marriott
Hyatt Place
Fremont
St. Claire
Ramada
Holiday Inn/Wyndham
Raddisson Inn
Doubletree
Other--Please note in comments

BenihimeSama

So as always we like to have a survey of where you stayed and what you liked and disliked!! Keep in mind that this will help us con-goers next year!

Please Use the following Format:

Hotel Name:
Would You Book Next Year:
Pros:
Cons:
Special Notes to Share:

Thanks all!
Venus Benihime-Sama
Panelist Since 2008
Panels Staff Member since 2010
Proud member of Rena's Rangers! 

Owner of The Geeky Manifestos Blog
Just admit it: Otakus just do it better.

Wabbit98

Hotel Name : Sainte Claire
Would you book next year: YES!
Pros: No elevator drama, only 6 floors tall so easy to take the stairs until Sunday when legs are dead, nice rooms and beds.
Cons: The hallways look like they come from a horror movie from the Shining, breakfast can be slow even for fruit, a problem with my shower that is not the Con's fault but they need to fix in my room specifically.
Special notes: This is a historic hotel, but it is a nice place to stay and as a staffer I would stay there again.
2010 - 2013 :Black and White Ball Staff

2014-2015 : Black and White Ball Department Second

2015 : Extravaganzas Division Second

BenihimeSama

Hotel Name: Doubletree
Would You Book Next Year: Yes-If Clockwork Alchemy stays there

Pros:
Away from the madness that was Fanime
Had Clockwork Alchemy adventures going on there
Free freaking cookies!
Free Wifi
Comfy Beds!
Easy check in and check out!

Cons:
Because it's ten minutes away, I had to rely on the shuttles. Kind of a small pain, but the drivers were incredibly nice!
The shuttle wasn't 24 hours like they had said. So the communication kinda went to hell in a handbasket. But we can work on that.
Longest hallways ever. Ever. Yes I know it's not the hotel's fault, but it's a bitch if you've got a bunch of bags.
Parking wasn't cheap, but it was still better than most hotels!  
Food at the hotel isn't cheap, but you do at least get a decent amount of food for the price you pay. If you do breakfast, get the buffet, cause it's the best bang for your bucks, especially if you don't eat anymore during the day. (16 bucks including tax)

Special Notes to Share: I had heard bad things online, but overall, the hotel isn't as bad. Now keeping in mind, we got good deals with being a part of the Fanime block, but it was still a great hotel. If Clockwork Alchemy stays at the Doubletree next year, I will be hihgly considering staying here, as I prefer the smaller convention feel.
Venus Benihime-Sama
Panelist Since 2008
Panels Staff Member since 2010
Proud member of Rena's Rangers! 

Owner of The Geeky Manifestos Blog
Just admit it: Otakus just do it better.

Stinasaur

Hotel Name: Hyatt Place
Would You Book Next Year: Sure!
Pros: Perfect location! Right across the street from the con and right next to parkside hall (perfect, since i was on staff for BW Ball and had to bounce between there and J Ballroom). Staff was friendly, welcoming and super helpful. Also remotely quiet with not a lot of partying. Perfect place to rest after giving late night ballroom dance lessons. :)
Cons: No microwave, which kinda sucked if I had something I wanted to reheat and take with me to lessons (since con food is expensive and I was pretty much working all day). Parking seemed a little crazy, so I just ended up parking in the open lot across the street from the SJCC and paid $7 each day.
Special Notes to Share: Overall, it was a good experience. Room service was superb and always left the room smelling good and fresh. It was nice to know I had new fluffy sheets and a comfy bed to flop into once lessons were over. They even had a cute little "living room" in our room set up. It was cute. :)

BunofGovt

Hotel Name: Hilton

Would You Book Next Year: Yes, if not already planning on staying at the Marriott (we switch every other year)

Pros: No elevator dramas (we were not there during the power outage); mini fridge; housekeeping staff extremely friendly, responsive to little demands (extra towels, send up toilet paper, etc); called to fix air conditioning and got immediate response; 

Cons: Far from Fairmount, ended up having to drive and park there for the swap meet with our bins; vending machines gave change in quarters but would not take quarters; no valet parking available as of Thursday afternoon when we checked in; no hotel parking available as of Friday evening - ended up at the convention center parking lot (but they took our parking fee off, and we were able to get the discounted parking at the convention center)

Special Notes to Share: Getting a low floor (5th) helped bypass any slow elevators (up or down); had a nice view of the construction from above.
Life is too important to take seriously.  Seriously.

royjovero

HOTEL NAME: Fairmont

WOULD YOU BOOK NEXT YEAR: Yes, but we won't next year because we have connections at the Marriott

PROS: Free business Wi-Fi for signing up for the President's Club, which is also free, President's Club-exclusive check in/out area can save time, not too far from the SJCC or Tech Museum, LodgeNet app for iPhone/Android lets you control your TV from anywhere and works faster than the remote, TVs have 2 HDMI and one component video input with easy access to using them

CONS: Bathroom had no vent fan, someone yacked in one of the ice rooms and left towels down to cover it up, one valet parking guy was a total jerk by instantly writing up a valet ticket even though I said I was just unloading, and we asked for a luggage trolley only to have them give it to someone else when I left to park my car.

CobaltTempest

Hotel Name: Fairmont
Would You Book Next Year: Yes if events like the Swap Meet stay at the hotel
Pros:

  • Close to convention center
  • Nearby various restaurants
  • Excellent front desk service
  • Nice view of the Santa Clara mountains and the Silicon Valley
Cons:

  • Elevator wait would be long at times especially when people are returning from large events or checking out
  • Was in a bit of a rush on Monday, so had to resort to using stairs walking down from the 20th floor
  • No free wi-fi (not much of a problem as we were able to use my phone's 4G via hotspot)
Special Notes to Share: It's a pretty decent hotel for what you pay for, but do expect a bit more trouble when staying in the rooms on the upper floors. Be prepared to either be patient or resort to walking down (and a bit of up, you have to be there to know why) many flights of stairs during the last day of the convention, which is when most people are checking out. Lack of free wi-fi might not be too much of a problem for most people, but if this upsets you, either have a phone that you can use as a modem and utilize your mobile network or look elsewhere. All in all, I felt like the Fairmont offered nice accommodations for what it was charging.
Facebook | World Cosplay

Kujo Jotaro - "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure"
Kiryƫin Satsuki - "Kill La Kill"
Champion Cynthia - Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum

PLUMPKIN

Hotel Name: Ramada

Would You Book Next Year: Most likely

Pros:
-Three floors
-Free parking
-Free Wi-Fi
-Free breakfast (eggo waffles, hard boiled eggs, pastries, coffee, juice, milk, cereal)
-Flat screen TV in room
-$65 a night for a clean single bed room
-mini refrigerator in room

Cons:
-10 minute walk to the convention center.  Not the best thing in heels.  It's also not the safest walk at night, and you have to walk past several clubs.  There are usually a bunch of clubbers around during the long weekend, which could be both good and bad.
-The housekeeper woke us up early one morning asking if we wanted the room cleaned.  She ended up coming back at least two more times, despite telling her we didn't need housekeeping services.  When we came back to the room later that day, we found that she had come in anyway.  You'd think that she'd want less work...  Fortunately, nothing was disturbed in the room.
-Someone stole our "Do Not Disturb" sign.  Not the fault of the hotel, though.
-Some idiots started smoking pot one night and the smell permeated into our room.
-Free parking not guaranteed.  Basically you're screwed if they run out of parking.  I parked my car early on Thursday and did not move it until I left on Monday.

Special Notes to Share:  Free parking, breakfast, and Wi-Fi!  The only problem is the distance from the convention center.  I would not recommend walking back to the hotel alone.  Also, if you're a vendor or have a more elaborate cosplay, it might be best to stay at the closer hotels if you can afford it.  Finally, don't forget to sign up for the Wyndam Rewards program.  You might end up with a free hotel stay after a few years!

Xanreo

Hotel Name: Ramada

Would You Book Next Year: No way, San Jose.

Pros: Fridge and microwave.

Cons: Walk to and from Convention Center is horrifying with street brawls and clubbers trying to sell you weed. Serious.

Around the same price as the other hotels so when compared, the Ramada seems like it's ripping you off with its poorly designed and dirty rooms.

Special Notes to Share: I only stayed here for Day Zero and switched over to the Hilton for the rest of the weekend. Thank goodness.

Fanime 2017
Eromanga-Sensei | Digimon World: Next Order

Runewitt

Hotel Name: RAMADA
Would You Book Next Year: YES
Pros: PRICE, FRIENDLY SERVICE, FREE PARKING AND BREAKFAST AND WIFI AND PARKING(YES, TWICE!)
Cons: A BIT FURTHER THAN FAIRMONT TO WALK, NOT THE BEST NEIGHBORHOOD.
Special Notes to Share: MICROWAVES AND DORM-SIZED MINI FRIDGES! SLOW ELEVATORS, BUT SHORT TRIPS UP STAIRS.
Brevity is the soul of Wit.
Confusion is the soul of Runewitt.

Somebody

Hotel Name: Hyatt Place

Would You Book Next Year: Unsure (I hope to!)

Pros:Great location, calm setting, nice room accommodations, friendly staff, and the atmosphere felt quite safe.

Cons: Hotels keys had to be replaced about 5 times as they randomly stopped working often for both rooms and parking, power outages in some rooms, lots of small parts of the room falling apart (shower control, bathroom doors, etc.), occasional extensive waits for the elevator and stairs weren't clearly marked for everyday use, extensive waits for repairs of issues within the rooms, mini-fridge temperature would not drop to proper levels to refrigerate food

Special Notes to Share: Most of these problems only occurred with only one of three rooms my group had booked, so half our experience was perfectly fine and the other half was bombarded with troubles. I would like to stay here again, however I don't believe all of the other members of my party will agree.
Cosplay 2013
Friday night: RWBY (incomplete)
Saturday morning: Arrietty
Sunday afternoon: Ruby w/ Adam (RWBY, no scythe)
Monday: Arrietty

Mango Bunny

Hotel Name: Marriott
Would You Book Next Year: Always!
Pros: Really accommodating, friendly staff, clean rooms, thorough housekeeping, no parties (where i was at least), comfy beds, great views, short walks, fast check in, and so on
Cons: No lock on the bathroom, a very 'loud' bathroom
Special Notes to Share: The staff was nothing short of awesome. Front desk got my special requests done, they were great about getting the room ready, they answered all kinds of questions (directions to places, parking suggestions) the housekeeping staff was great. They tidied the room more than I could have expected! People were friendly there. It never seemed like anyone was bothered by me. Oh, and the stairwell wasn't too creepy at night.

ApacheChief

Hotel Name: Marriott

Would You Book Next Year: Possibly? If I not, then I'll take Hilton.

Pros:
Bed's are really comfy to the point where I had to over slept. D:
friendly staff cept for one.
Connected next to the con.
Housekeeping cleaners were some awesome people.  ;)

Cons:
No mini fridge or microwave.
Kinda far if you want to head out to e-gaming/dealers hall/artist alley
elevator took forever and a day to get down (I stayed on the 19th floor)

Special Notes to Share: Marriott is really a nice place to stay, but I just really hope they will just fix the elevator so it won't take as long. Yes, I really hate the elevator. Only because I had to walk up and down 19 flights of stairs to get up and down quickly.

llaaannniiii

Hotel: Marriott

Would I book it next year? Might wanna try Saint Claire but only because I just wanna try something new :)

Pros: staff was really friendly and helpful. The housekeeping cleaners were super on point! Would really stay again because I trust their cleanliness! The hotel staff assisted me in every way possible and helped me out greatly on my requests. Room is also very nice and bathroom is pretty spacious and our floor was pretty quiet :)

Cons: elevator issues as everyone knows. I don't know what took 20 years to get on an elevator so after attempting on Friday I gave up and just walked the stairs for the rest of the con. Thank goodness I was on one of the lower floors >.< I also wish they provided complimentary fridges or microwaves or something! I was also pretty upset with check in. The front staff needed to have a credit card on hand to check in instead of just taking my cash deposit? I thought they automatically charged it to the credit card account when fanime sent in the rooms data. I don't own a credit card and had to call my friend to leave work to check in for me. I might not stay because of this last year.


Special notes: all in all The Marriott was a pleasant stay. Room service was very fast!

Charis

Hotel Name: Fairmont
Would You Book Next Year: yes

Pros:
- BIG rooms. Granted, I was the only serious cosplayer out of the three of us, but we still had a good amount of space, even on the last day when we had our stuff, things for two friends (including camera gear and more cosplays), and about eight people sitting around the room.
- Vanity outside the bathroom with good light and mirror.  Super-convenient for dealing with cosplay makeup without getting into everyone's way. XD
- TV worked fine with a friend's laptop.
- Roomy, fast elevators.
- Located right next to all sorts of food options.
- Pretty quiet hotel in easy walking distance of con.

Cons:
- Water heaters were wonky.  We had issues with the shower temperature over the course of the weekend, but never intolerably cold.  Still, kind of annoying.
- Hallways are a little twisty and it's easy to get yourself turned around. XD
- Valet-only parking which takes a little while to get your car, and cost is fairly steep.
- The beds we had dipped into the middle, which was hell on a friend's back. Don't know if it's a commonality or if it was just our room (and I didn't have problems because I tend to sleep halfway off the edge of the bed anyway), but still.

Special Notes to Share: I really like this hotel mostly because of the lack of elevator troubles.  I've stayed in both the Hilton and the Marriott, and while I like them for the convenience, being as I tend to have cosplays that are not very stairs-friendly, I think I'll stick to the Fairmont.
Also, it's an awesome place to shoot in. ^_^

The Fairmont does hit you with a pretty steep deposit, which might be an issue for some.  Also, they will apply the deposit to multiple credit cards if you split room charges at the beginning (or so I was told); we bypassed this by splitting at the end.  The lady at checkout was very helpful with getting that set up.
2012 Plans:
  • Gypsy Queen / Kaya Syokka (Trinity Blood)
  • Risai (Juuni Kokki/Twelve Kingdoms)
  • Shusui (Saiunkoku Monogatari)
  • others TBD

mdarkpoet

Hotel Name: Marriott
Would You Book Next Year: Maybe (it was definitely better than the Fairmont stay I had last year. WAY better.)

Pros: Connected to the con which makes it easier for late-night con events
HUGE freakin' bed, uber comfy, tons of pillows
Decent size room with lots of space to put your things
Staff wasn't bad, though we didn't see much of them throughout the con
Pool and hot tub on 3rd Floor (giggity)


Cons:
Elevators...Crowded, slow, had technical difficulties, made worse on check-out day
No microwave, fridge, or anything of that sort for food stuffs
Bathroom door didn't lock, was just a sliding door and not sound-proof.
A door that connected to the room next to us?! O_o why... just... why
Parking. When I left on Thursday to drive back to my house to pick up a few things I forgot and came back I was told by the guy managing the garage that it was "full, even for valet for Marriott" even though I could clearly see people still parking valet cars. He kept waving and shooing me and any other people trying to go in to the garage away. I ended up driving my car back to my house again and having a family member drop me off at the con.


Misc Notes: I've stayed at the Marriott previously, it's never been a bad stay. You have to understand that because it's connected to the con there is going to be a lot of people. My only suggestion to the staff at Marriott next year is to have someone better prepare the elevators due to the amount of con-goers that stay at the Marriott.

Junon

Hotel Name: Hilton

Would You Book Next Year: Yes

Pros:

- It was very quiet this year, they had a security guy roaming the hall ways frequently.

- I also loved that even on some of the busiest moments, the elevators were not a problem.

- Bar & Grill downstairs was convenient.

Cons:

- They still allowed non-guests to take up the limited parking spaces they had. I was limited to remaining in the area in order to NOT lose my parking spot, considering they charged me $40 for it (and they still didn't guarantee I'd have a spot).

- They wouldn't allow anyone to pick up a cart to move stuff to the hotel room, they forced a staffer to tag along. I hate this because it kind of pressures me to tip the guy for doing the work I didn't ask him to do. They claim they've always done this, but having been at Fanime every year since ever, and staying at the Hilton most of the conventions at SJ, this was never the case before.

- Bar closed too early, 12 am really? Also the bartender, tho nice, didn't do a good job with making drinks. None of them were powerful enough to give me as much as a smirk, and that's after drinking $40 worth of random drinks.

Special Notes to Share:

I purposefully chosen the Hilton for one reason, the elevator situation. Everywhere else is a mess, at the Hilton, it was smooth at all times this year.

obliviousedward

Hotel Name: Hyatt Place

Would You Book Next Year: HELL. YES.

Pros:
-The room my friends and I booked had (in addition to the double beds we were expecting) a couch and a mini-fridge. Perks we weren't initially expecting!
-Staff was SUPER nice and helpful
-The first floor was completely redone from last year (when it was still the Crowne Plaza); now contains a relaxing lounge, a full bar, and a 24-hour snack/meal "store" (with filling food worth the price, don't be fooled!)
-Breakfast buffet in the mornings ($5 per person)
-Discounted parking! (plus in-and-out privileges)
-Across the street from the convention center and out of the way of the usual hustle-and-bustle
-Free WiFi!

Cons:
-My key seemed to short out from around Sunday on; it would take about two or three trys for it to work. Not sure if that was my own fault for gripping the barcode (if that's even possible), but it got just a tad frustrating the more it happened.
-Not really the hotel's fault, but on Friday night (Saturday morning, technically) my friends and I got woken up around 3am because the people in the room next to us were talking and laughing really loudly. I went over and told them to keep it down, which they eventually did. If anything, the walls may be a tad thin; it helps to keep your voice and antics down once it gets late.
-Drinks at the bar were a tad overpriced; it was cheaper to just walk somewhere else if we really wanted to have a drink or two
-One of the elevators got stuck up on the ninth floor and it didn't seem like it was going to be fixed by the end of the con; it only slowed the elevator traffic by a bit, but it was still noticeable

Special Notes to Share: The Hyatt may be small, but in my opinion its staff and services blow the Marriott and Hilton out of the water. I loved staying at this hotel back when it was still the Crowne Plaza, and I still love staying at it now, if not even more. Overall our stay was quiet and relaxing (minus the first night, lol). I would HIGHLY recommend this hotel for anyone, especially those who aren't built to party day and night and would like a temporary escape from that atmosphere, hehe. ;D
Fanime '16 Cosplay:
To be announced...!

Vasyenka

#18
Hotel Name: Sainte Claire

Would You Book Next Year: More than likely!

Pros:
*Close to the convention center and all the little shops behind the Fairmont~
*GORGEOUS HOTEL!
*Amazing staff! They were so friendly and accommodating! They were quick to respond to requests as well~
*Absolutely no wait for the elevators! I think we were able to cross the street, get to our hotel room on the top floor (6th), then return back to the con center in less time than it took our friends at the Marriott~
*Sizable refrigerators in the hotel rooms! We went grocery shopping on Thursday and were able to store all of our food that needed to be chilled in the said fridge for the entire con. :3 We even had a cake from Bijan fit in there!
*I've read online that some of the rooms were small while others were big, and we were kind of worried that we'd get a small room (we're cosplayers lmao). We winded up with a pretty spacious room with a really high ceiling! It's no Fairmont, but there was definitely tons of space~
*Really comfortable beds! Again, we read reviews stating otherwise, but our bed and pillows were WAAAY comfortable~
*DVD players and MP3 cables in our rooms!
*The business center, although small, had quick computers and color printing. We used our user/password given for the internet, but no charges on the printing that we did~ :O
*Speaking of, FREE INTERNET! And it was FAST!

Cons:
*Across the street from the con, so you have to go outside~
*It's obviously an older hotel, so I wouldn't recommend it for those who like more modern things~
*The rooms got really stuffy! We had to open our window a few times~
*For some reason, we smelled bacon in our room, lmao. We figured it might've been from opening the window, or because of the restaurant down stairs. It wasn't over powering, just something we noticed on occasion when we'd enter our room.
*The walls were pretty thin. Although we really couldn't hear our neighbors, when our side of the room got quiet (like working on cosplay stuff or getting to sleep), we'd be able to hear their mumbling/laughing. They got really loud a couple of times, but at that point I don't know if it was because of the walls or because they were just being loud~

Special Notes to Share:
Although we didn't think the air conditioner was loud at all, I've read reviews of people complaining about them being too loud for light sleepers~
We heard that sleeping in a room facing the streets were really loud as well, but we had an interior room so we had no problems with that~
The hotel allowed us to split the cost of the room between cash and cards, as well as putting our security deposit on another card. There was a wedding going on I believe Sunday of the con, so the lobby got a little crowded with that, ha ha~

We did a lot of research on this hotel, since my girlfriend and I are picky and wanted the weekend to go as smooth as possible regarding our hotel accommodations (especially considering that we were arriving earlier/departing later than usual). I've stayed at the Hilton, Fairmont, and Crowne Plaza/Hyatt since I started attending Fanime, and I gotta say, I really enjoyed staying at the Sainte Claire. I'd totally recommend it if you wanna stay within close range of the con, but don't want to deal with those awful elevators~ :D
Fanimu 2022 Cosplay Lineup:
[Rutile] [Zhongli] [Sakuya Izayoi] [Tifa Lockhart] [Chain Chompette]

Barnes

#19
Hotel Name: Marriott
Would You Book Next Year: Likely, if I can't get the Hilton
Pros:
-They let me use a fridge for free: I forgot to request one at check in, but found one in my room anyway. I told the lady at the front desk about it and she let me use it :)
-I like the fitness room
Cons:
-Elevators, blah blah blah
-Internets download speeds >_<
-My mom told the lady at check out time that she was paying for half of my bill via debit card. Turns out the hotel charged her for the full bill. Edit:Since then, our bank has made a correction on that charge  :)
Special Notes to Share:
-Nothing to add except to say that I simply like to be connected to Fanime itself. I'm too lazy to cross the street to go to bed XD
Also a Proud Fanime Con Attendee since 1998!
Yay, Haruko.
http://myanimelist.net/profile/CapeBarnes