Anymore Hotels left? (Newbie :P)

[Kupo]

Hi, I'm a new member in the forum and this is my first year going to Fanime. I'm going with a group of friends who have been going to Fanime in the past. Anyhow, we just decided on who's rooming with who, we have a dilemma though. Hotels are hard to find these days. Together we are a group of 13, but we're splitting. One Group has 5 and the other has 8, which I'm in. The two seperate groups are responsible for their own rooms. This is my first time dealing with this, so I don't know what to expect, I'm just lending my friend a hand and helping her find some hotels, which is why I'm posting here haha. Anymore Hotels that are nearby? Preferably cheap, near. Yeah I know I'm shooting for the stars, but I'm hoping to get lucky here.

Sorry for the procrastination. Thanks in Advance.

[SirVincent]

best you could do now is go to the fanime site. then go to the hotel part and book the fairmont , i would do it fast its the last one and its only $105 a night. or to to the looking for room mates board and ask in there.

[Moonblossom]

If the Fairmont is full or too pricey, there are alternatives.

I've booked a room at the Arena. It's about 0.8 miles from the hotel so not ideal if you don't like walking much, or are planning some elaborate cosplays, but it's costing me $69 a night. There are kitchenettes in the rooms, and huge jacuzzi tubs. The decor is a little dated-looking from what the photos show, but it still looks quite nice.

Hotel's site:
http://www.pacifichotels.com/arena/index.html

Nice photos that show the room and tub:
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/XCWjH3xDD-oUzvEXB-OZiA?select=3TTiS08IOtEdwqJq6d4Nlg

There's also a Ramada nearby. I was looking there initially, but the Arena had amenities I was interested in more (oh man that tub!) even if it is a bit further. I don't know much about it though, didn't do much research after I found the smoking rooms didn't have bathtubs at all! Only showers :P It still looks good though.
http://www.ramada.com/Ramada/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=11574

[Kupo]

Thanks guys, but I got one question. It's about pricing.

Let's say I take Fairmont with my group of friends. We're a group of 8 (which includes myself)

1 BEDROOM KING BEDDED SUITE - UP TO 2 RLWYS PERMITTED Available May 21 through May 25
  $ 205.00 Single - 1 person
  $ 205.00 Double - 2 persons
  $ 205.00 Triple - 3 persons
  $ 205.00 Quad - 4 persons

We will split our cash to pay, so does this mean we divide $205.00 into 8 People? aka $25/per night? Sorry for these really newbie questions. But thanks for answering.

[Moonblossom]

Yep. That's the total cost of the room per night, so you'd divide it eight ways. The hotels charge per room, not per person.

[BrightHeart76]

don't forget to budget for taxes and fees that adds a few dollars to the total.

[Moonblossom]

Eep, good point. I usually factor in 11% on top of the total, just to be safe. I think taxes and fees in California come out to just over 10%, but some hotels may charge extra for things like phone, certain TV channels, etc.

[SOawesomeness]

Just to remind you-- It's not a good idea to plan to have more than the legal maximum capacity of people- 4 people to a room (unless otherwise noted).

If ya get caught you can get kicked out of the room and thus, have no place to stay- but not only that, you do also give Fanime a bad name. Because of that, we do frown on it, just to let you know. (:

[Moonblossom]

If it's a suite with room for two rollaways, there's probably room for six or eight people legally. Two in one king bed, two on a sofabed, two in the rollaways, and possibly two on another bed, depending on how the suite is laid out. But Chiri made a good point, you should ask the hotel what the maximum capacity is. It might be better for you to get two regular adjoining rooms with two beds each.

[Kupo]

Just to remind you-- It's not a good idea to plan to have more than the legal maximum capacity of people- 4 people to a room (unless otherwise noted).

If ya get caught you can get kicked out of the room and thus, have no place to stay- but not only that, you do also give Fanime a bad name. Because of that, we do frown on it, just to let you know. (:

Thanks for the heads up. That's why we're most likely getting the suite with two rollaways so that it wouldn't be too stuffy. Hopefully it's legal. I'll go talk to my friend about it.

If it's a suite with room for two rollaways, there's probably room for six or eight people legally. Two in one king bed, two on a sofabed, two in the rollaways, and possibly two on another bed, depending on how the suite is laid out. But Chiri made a good point, you should ask the hotel what the maximum capacity is. It might be better for you to get two regular adjoining rooms with two beds each.

Are rollaways really that big to fit two people on them? If so, that's kinda impressive.

EDIT: Is it true that we have to pay deposits? or is that a bad rumor/fact that I heard? If it's true, how much is it usually?

[Moonblossom]

There are several threads about the deposits, and it's not 100% that you'll have to pay one (personally, I have never been charged) but it's a good idea to budget it in. You will get the money back afterwards.

And I meant one person per rollaway, since it says "UP TO 2 RLWYS PERMITTED", so one per bed.

[ewu]

deposit:

$50-$100 per night of your stay to account for any possible incidental charges that you may incur (hotel restaurant, Starbucks, room service, etc.). If you use a debit card, the funds will actually be temporarily withdrawn or held in limbo so that they are inaccessible. If you would like to avoid this hold/deposit when you stay at a hotel, you can give them cash (equal to the amount of the room plus deposit) then pay at the end with a credit card and get the cash refunded to you. You can just pay in cash as well and not use a credit or debit card. This process is used by hotels so that they can guarantee payment from their guests.

[TC X0 Lt 0X]

Just a friendly post:
The Ramada Limited has a few more rooms left (or it did when I looked at it on Expedia last time, which was today).
Expedia is also a very powerful tool. Use it if needed.

[Avairrianna]

If the Fairmont is full or too pricey, there are alternatives.

I've booked a room at the Arena. It's about 0.8 miles from the hotel so not ideal if you don't like walking much, or are planning some elaborate cosplays, but it's costing me $69 a night. There are kitchenettes in the rooms, and huge jacuzzi tubs. The decor is a little dated-looking from what the photos show, but it still looks quite nice.

Hotel's site:
http://www.pacifichotels.com/arena/index.html

Nice photos that show the room and tub:
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/XCWjH3xDD-oUzvEXB-OZiA?select=3TTiS08IOtEdwqJq6d4Nlg

There's also a Ramada nearby. I was looking there initially, but the Arena had amenities I was interested in more (oh man that tub!) even if it is a bit further. I don't know much about it though, didn't do much research after I found the smoking rooms didn't have bathtubs at all! Only showers :P It still looks good though.
http://www.ramada.com/Ramada/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=11574

Where did you book the Arena for that price?! I've been looking to stay there but can only find $106 a night!

[Moonblossom]

I booked directly with them, but I got a discount because I booked early, and because I'm classed as "Extended stay fare", since we'll be there for five or six nights, not just for the con itself. I wasn't aware I'd gotten such an amazing deal before, so I'm sorry if I got anyone's hopes up!

[TC X0 Lt 0X]

I booked directly with them, but I got a discount because I booked early, and because I'm classed as "Extended stay fare", since we'll be there for five or six nights, not just for the con itself. I wasn't aware I'd gotten such an amazing deal before, so I'm sorry if I got anyone's hopes up!

About 2 weeks ago I looked at the Arena hotel. It was at about the price you stated. I looked again about 5 days ago, and it was like 90. I guess now it's 106. Funny.

[Moonblossom]

Smaller-occupancy hotels do this a lot, they charge low rates to "fill up" rooms and the closer the hotel gets to being booked to capacity, the more they charge. Same as airplanes. It's kind of annoying.

Thankfully I'm vaguely OCD when it comes to trip planning and book things OVER NINE THOUSAND days in advance, so I usually snag good deals.

[LordMoufMouf]

I still can't believe I snagged a room at the Marriott only a few days ago from the Fanimehousing registration. Someone must have canceled their room. O_O I'm so lucky.

[heeroyuy135]

I still can't believe I snagged a room at the Marriott only a few days ago from the Fanimehousing registration. Someone must have canceled their room. O_O I'm so lucky.

Very very very very lucky indeed...
But let this be a lesson to everyone: book early :)

[RadioactiveKitty]

hotels are expensive my friend i dont know if you can still get them through Fanime but DEFIANTLY try, when i was calling around ALL hotels charge 10% room tax. but yeah, it would be a good idea to look around. and if funds happen to be limited for you... than ask about deals for Con goers in surrounding hotels