Your Hotel Stay- 2010

[FanFicGuru]

So how was your stay this year? Where did you stay? What was good? What was bad?

Let's leave some information for next year's hotel goers!

[Dany]

Where we stayed: Hilton, 1 King bed room.
Was it good or bad: Good!
Would you stay again? Yes!

Other Comments:

VERY happy to have a fridge. Liked that the bar served Starbucks stuff too, though didn't take advantage of that and went to Peets right outside instead. Hilton was also right next to the Masquerade check-in, which made it easy to take care of craftmanship judging, etc. If they do the same setup next year, I'd certainly suggest costumers competing in that to stay there.

Be prepared to sign a waiver stating that basically you will not destroy the room and be a jerkus. There was another thread that came up for that around Friday, but it was a new thing they did this year, I guess, to keep people in line. It basically covered noise and mess, especially in relation to hair dye and makeup. Unfortunately I didn't get an extra copy or I'd scan it for you.

For two people, the room had enough space. I would say that you might find yourself crowded with more than that, especially if there are costumers.  The bathroom lighting was good but may be a bit dim for makeup if you need a lot of light. The closeup mirror made up a little for that.

The only bug I had (mentioned elsewhere) is that we got the bill from the wrong room on Sunday. I was panicking because I swore up and down that I'd reserved us from Friday to Monday, and I didn't realize until my husband looked at it where the room number was.. :D  

[Michi]

I think that waiver was at all of the con hotels. My hotel had it too! It's a great idea. Dunno how well it worked though, because I heard plenty of people being loud in the halls at 2 am and later.

Stayed at: Crowne Plaza Hotel, room with 2 double beds
Good or bad?: Good!
Would you stay again?: Probably!

I say probably because this wasn't the perfect con hotel. For not being one of the two connected hotels it was still pretty darn close, being directly across the street from the Hilton and right down the street from where the masquerade and MusicFest concerts were held.

We stayed on the 2nd floor and this is where frustration came into play. This hotel has no regular stair access, just emergency stair access. This means they're locked from below so you can't walk back up to your room. If you decide to take the stairs out, you land outside which is useless when you need to get to the lobby and now have to walk around the hotel from the outside to do so! I mean, great, if there is an emergency we are totally set, but... I totally felt like a jerk constantly taking the elevator to my 2nd floor room when I would normally have gladly taken the stairs. The elevators were pretty slow too, and on the last day of the con when everyone was checking out one of them was out of order. Blargh.
I know the elevator thing bothered a lot of people way more than it bugged me, so this may be a major thing to consider!

The rooms themselves were very nice. We had four cosplayers in the room and plenty of place to store our stuff. The full length mirror across from the bathroom was perfect for checking out costumes and doing makeup.
The beds were big and comfy, and the bathroom was a good size. The shower got very nice and hot, haha.

The staff were very nice and helpful. There was also a little snack bar near the front desk with pretty fair prices considering it was hotel food. I nabbed a few bottled frappuccinos and chips from there during the weekend when I needed some quick fuel.

The rooms themselves didn't have free internet (though Fanime was nice enough to work out a discounted rate with the hotel). The lobby, however, DID have free internet. It was no big deal to take the trip downstairs to connect with my netbook, for sure.

Oh, and haha, this isn't really a hotel issue but... The clocks in the room were slow. When you are a cosplayer competing in events, thinking you have an extra 5 minutes when you don't gets you into trouble. We could have easily fixed this ourselves but we realized it kinda late!

[Beastcub]

hilton

LOVE the fridge, main reason we chose it, main reason we will go back. with bulky costumes in warm weather nothing beats heading to the room to crash for a bit and have a cold drink.

only real complaint is the door tried to eat us D:
it was very hard to open and with big bulky costumes getting in and out the door was a pain.

it was also kinda further away from the fountains/cosplay gatherings than i thought. i mean when i was told the fountains are in the middle i thought that it would be like "hilton-fountains-mariot" and it was "hilton-extra space-some building-fountains-marriot" BUT it ws okay because we were able to give the costumes some extra exposure by walking through the con to get to the gatherings.

[Dracil]

Stayed at Marriott 5th floor this year.  Was happy with it since it was stair-walkable as more people arrived.  No fridge did suck a bit, but I liked being so close to most of the action (panels, food, artist alley, video rooms).  Hilton side is a little emptier and is only really close to the autograph and game rooms for me.

[wings_of_an_angel]

stayed at the marriot again this year it wasnt as great as a stay as it was in 2009 for some reason there was no room service to clean up the room so everything was a jumbled mess >.> had to ASK for towels,sheets and toilet paper X_X

pros: close to gatherings and just about everything else outside
        king size bedroom: free internet
   

Cons: non lockable bathrooms
        no fridge

[randomtwitch]

Stayed: Marriott, 1 King bedroom.
Was it good?: So-so.
Would you stay again?: No.

We were on the eighteenth floor, and while there were plenty of good things about our stay, I wasn't all that happy with it for the price we were paying. First, the good things:

1) The view was very nice, along with the window seat from which we could admire it.
2) Being next to the con was a HUGE improvement over last year, when I was at the Fairmont. Thank you, shortened walking distance.
3) Their blankets are REALLY fluffy and comfortable. They were also very nice about bringing you extra blankets if you asked for them; we got four extras since we had people bedding down on the floor.
4) They were very free with giving out card keys; helpful since we kept losing ours.
5) Their easy checkout system was very convenient (Though I had trouble understanding all the charge abbreviations).
6) The blinds were very effective in blocking out the morning light.

The bad things:
1) I was under the impression the room would have a mini fridge and that the radio/alarm clock would actually be an ipod dock/alarm clock. Perhaps I was looking up the wrong type of room...but I wish the website would have been more clear. All of my food went bad, since I didn't bring an ice chest, expecting to find a fridge in the room.
2) The elevators, as I'm sure everyone knows, were very slow. They were made more uncomfortable (and a little scary) by how many people ignored weight limits and crammed themselves inside. It seems safer (and more polite) if people would just wait for the next one.
3) There were not enough towels in the bathrooms. This was especially inconvenient as the maids only came one day of the three we stayed. We even hung up several towels so we could re-use them when they dried...but were hampered by the lack of towel racks.
4) The closet was too small; only two of us were able to fit our clothes in it.
5) The carpet was very rough, inconvenient for us the first night, when we didn't have blankets yet and people had to sleep on the bare floor.
6) The floor space was very limited, again inconvenient for our floor-sleepers.
7) The water pressure in the shower was awful.

[BrightHeart76]

Where: Hilton 10th Floor
Good or Bad?:  Good hotel, bad guests next door.
Would you stay again: Yes

Love the Hilton.  The staff is nice, the rooms are comfortable, the bed is my best friend at Fanime.  I love the mini-fridge, couldn't live without it.  I like having room service available until midnight...never know when you're going to need a piece of chocolate cake.  :)

On the down side the behavior form didn't work on my floor.  I was surrounded by a group of the rudest loudest most obnoxious con goers I have been subjected to in 5 years as a Fanime attendee.  Several times at midnight or later large groups would gather for a hall party of sorts, with several people standing in the hall yelling and being a menace.  Once they took to locking each other out of the room at some God awful hour of the night and banging loudly on the door and screaming.  Myself or other guests asked them to be quiet because we were sleeping, they where rude and remained in the hall being loud for several minutes each time, I can only assume they stopped because they knew we were calling the front desk.  This happened Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights  There were people sleeping in the hallway and playing their iPod at loud volume at all hours of the day.  I spoke to the housekeeping lady on Monday.  She said that the room next to mine was so dirty and disgusting that she was going to have to wait for another day to clean it so another person could help her.  She claimed that they had denied housekeeping entrance for days so there was a build up garbage as well as wet towels and linens everywhere and wig hair all over the place that had been ground into the carpet.  I appologized on their behalf.  

I love the Hilton, I will stay there every year as long as I have the choice.  I feel bad that I was roomed near some bad eggs.

[Mango Bunny]

Our Marriott stay was great!
We had to request towels and blankets a few times and we got them without problem, as well as extra room keys. The room was spacious and we had a great view of the fountains and we could see into the con as well. The beds were comfortable and the staff was nice and very helpful.

The cons were that my room smelled like smoke when we got in (we just turned on the fan and headed down to the con. When we got back it was fine and dandy again), and the elevators, which weren't even that bad this year, save for monday.

[Stythys]

fairmont ftw

[abcbadcat]

Stayed at: Marriott Junior Suite
Good or bad?: Meh
Would you stay again?: No

This was my third year getting a hotel and this was by far the worst one. I stayed at the Hilton three years ago and then at the Fairmont the following year and both were awesome.

The "suite" has a common room between two suites but if you don't know the people in the other room, then the space is useless.

For a "suite" the room size was comparable to the standard double/double room at the Hilton but more expensive. I also don't like rooming at the Marriott because I am usually in the game room and the dance 90% of the time, it's not a bad walk or anything but it is annoying.

The water pressure to the shower was pretty low, there weren't enough towels, there weren't enough cups, the description on the website says 2 TVs and there was only one, and the elevators were some of the most rage inducing things I've ever been around.

[jacktchance]

Where: Hilton 11th Floor
Good or Bad?:  Good
Would you stay again: Yes

It was quiet.
Free wired internet, but no wifi  :/
Close to gaming room
Had a fridge
Ample space for 4 people
TVs support external game consoles
Drapes kept out sunlight for the ones who wanted to sleep in
Bathroom was nice
I was checked in 2 hours early  :D

[Sora]

Where: Marriott, double double room
Good or Bad: all right
Will you stay there again?: Most likely

I would say that I didn't get the right room this year, and I will be getting the junior suite next year instead. The primary problem was that the hotel didn't give us the real price until we checked out and we found out that we were short of money and had to ask everyone to pay more to cover it (I really wish we knew the full price beforehand). Another is that I wished we had a fridge. I might just ask for one next year.

In all, I'd say the stay was all right because I liked the location and the beds and everything was nice. Nice view from the 18th floor too (which was where I was). Just gotta tell myself to get a bigger room next year (aka junior suite instead of double double).

[mdarkpoet]

Hotel: Marriott 25th floor 1 king bed
Good or Bad: Good
Will you stay there again?: I kinda want to stay at the Fairmont next time lol but I would stay at the Marriott again and quite happily

Good: Great room the bed was heavenly, the room was very clean, a there was a LOT of space. They provided glasses, a safe, an iron and ironing board, and so on and so forth which all ended up coming in handy. The staff was very kind when helping us check in and out and get our stuff out of our car and into our room. Lots of hangers in the closet for our clothes, good curtains to block the sun in the morning btw (we were on the 25th floor out of 26 and in the morning the sun would blare in through the windows but the curtains when drawn blocked it out beautifully, some hotel curtains don't help much).

Bad: They hid the hair dryer in the closet (not sure if anyone else experienced this problem) and the bottles of shampoo weren't enough for a 3-night stay especially for those people who shower more than once during a 3-day weekend. Thin walls, and no microwave or fridge damn it, I vote they put microwaves and fridges in rooms for us people who bring our own food. Also room service prices = ridiculous and the elevator rides were a bit chaotic to say the least.

[Xanreo]

Where: Hilton 9th floor; King Bed.
Good or bad: Good.
Staying again: Definitely staying there next year.

Pros:
* Quiet
* Lots of space
* Mini-fridge
* Restaurant on 1st was great
* Great staff

Cons:
* Hair dryer is only available in the Double rooms.

Neutral:
* I asked to be away from the ice machine, but ended up really close to it; I could hear it "make ice" when standing close to the door, but the noise stopped bothering me once I moved beyond the closet.
The stay was also extra quite for me since I was all the way at the end of the hallway so it evens out; all noise from the outside became inaudible once I moved past the closet mirrors. :)

* Only had to take the stairs 2 times, and considering it was from the 9th floor, it wasn't that bad; didn't hurt my already hurt feet.
Although it did consume 5 valuable minutes of the con.

* A long walk from most of the convention, but I like walking with my sore ankles... T_T
Feel the burn!!

Staying there again next year.

[Konekogami]

Where I stayed: The Fairmont. 9th floor one bed.
Good or Bad: EXCELLENT
Staying again: Oh god yes.

Good:  The service was prompt and friendly.  Room was great.  Really spacious.  Couch, chair, desk, large bed.  The bathroom was huge as well, shower and bath where seperate, and the toilet had a sliding door for extra privacy.  Vanity with a large mirror and lights for putting on make up, spacious closet, large flat screen TV.  Any time I asked the front desk for anything, they were extremely helpful. ^.^
Also Bijan Bakery is next door. DELICIOUS CAKE THAT IS NOT A LIE.
Bad: It is expensive.  No fridge or microwave, but I believe you can request a mini fridge, I'm not sure.
They charge for internet, but that can be waived by joining their President's Club.

Neutral:  At first I was worried about the distance, but I ended up loving the walk to the convention center.  It gave me a chance to pass by cosplayers, get some fresh air and get in the mood so to speak XD

Additional information:  Don't move anything in the mini bar! XD;; I wasn't aware of this, being that I've never stayed at a hotel with a minibar.. but apparently they have sensors. Almost got charged because I picked up a bottle to read the label.  But the front desk waived the fee with no questions asked.

[BenihimeSama]

Where: St. Claire Hotel-4th Floor--One Bedroom
Good or bad: Very Good!
Staying again: If the price remains right, most definitely!!!

Pros:
* Quiet and absolutely beautiful!!!
* Away from the convention, even though it is a part of the convention block.
* Mini-fridge
* Within decent walking distance of EVERYTHING
* Great staff and I really mean GREAT Staff! They let us play Dominoes at 2 in the morning in the lobby and it was great!
* And can I say that $79.00 per night is a freaking AWESOME deal?

Cons:
* No pool  :-[
* The room was a little tight, since my roomie and I had a lot of stuff between us, it made things a little tough to navigate around.
* Had to walk. But maybe that's cause I'm lazy.
* It was weird to see so many cosplayers in our hotel taking pictures all over the place. I was trying to avoid that, but oh well!

Overall, I have to say, that if they keep the prices as low as they kept them this year, perhaps next year, we may upgrade to two beds and remain there!

[Charis]

Hotel: Marriott
Floor: 4th
Good or Bad: overall good

Aside from delays whilst checking in, I have absolutely no complaints about the hotel staff.  I was mistakenly charged for a mini-fridge, but that charge was reversed pronto when I called the front desk upon seeing it on my check-out bill.  The maid was great (and worked around me the two times I came back when she was about to start or had started working on the room); the valet staff were helpful, including getting my sister started loading the car when it came up while I was running back upstairs for the last of our stuff Sunday night (she's gimpy and can't haul heavy stuff, but the valet grabbed it for her).  All in all, a very positive experience with the hotel staff and the room.

The room was good-sized; we were in a corner one backed up to the stairwell (which was a bad thing in terms of the noise level -- seriously, people, after a certain hour be aware that your stairwell noise and your door slamming WILL echo!), which meant our entryway wrapped around and there was something of a hall to stash stuff in.  It was just the two of us, so that was fairly unnecessary -- the sister doesn't really cosplay so I had the entire room to explode over.  I liked the two tables, and actually moved the lower one by the window to let myself lay out the day's cosplays on, which worked out quite nicely.  And I fit in there in my four-bone hoops with minimal squish, which is a good thing.

The elevators were the biggest bit of fail.  Slower than molasses in January in New England, crammed full over three-quarters of the time, and generally made me want to tear my hair out.  Being on the fourth floor was an asset in that we could take the stairs -- in theory -- but that's not the easiest thing in the world sometimes (about half of my cosplays are NOT stairs-friendly).  I wound up going down them in the aforementioned hoops, and the associated cosplay also involves a corset and about thirty yards of white fabric, and the last thing I wanted was to take it down dirty stairs; we also shuffled a friend in her (long-skirted) Masquerade costume down them.  The four elevators is enough even for a normal con, but not so much for one like this, especially when they're so slow.  I believe I waited almost fifteen minutes once before giving up -- and on the last day, climbed down from the seventeenth floor in cosplay after giving up on waiting.  I also wish people would be more considerate and not cram into them, especially when told "there's no more space".

So hotel overall good, inconsiderate congoers bad.  Considering the Fairmont for next year.  Larger rooms and less elevator wait sounds appealing, even with the higher parking fee and *gasp* one block's walk.

[AuroraDreamer]

Where: Marriot
Floor: 10
Good or bad: It was pleasant
Staying again: With less people yes XD

Overall the experience was nice. We had to many people I feel for our room. I also disliked that the bathroom didn't lock. The room was was really nice. The bed was very comfy and everything was lain out nicely. I would have maybe preferred to have a fridge then a safe box personally.

Outside the hotel room, the elevators were crowded and it took forever to get one. Every time one came it was already full.
It was nice being able to just walk right into the con area. The panels were all near us, as well as the video rooms. :)

I would recommend the hotel to anyone going to Fanime. I had no major problems with the hotel.

[ice queen]

Stay: Crowne Plaza Hotel.
Floor: 4
Good or Bad: Not the greatest
Staying again: I rather not, but its up to who I go with.

We only had four people to the room which was nice because we practically made our room into a mini home with the fridge and other household items we brought. But It's like the hotel gave us a broken room. The bell hop told us the window wasn't suppose to open all the way and it did to his shock. Our shower's drain didn't work so it's like we had a mini swimming pool for a bath. One of the sprinklers in our room was broken. If a fire would of happen we probably would of been screwed. The last straw was that the door broke on Sunday just from touching it! Me and another friend of mine kept calling to get all this stuff fixed. They only fixed one problem which was the door thankfully. When we went to check out they took our parking fees off and all we got was a we're sorry.

Walking to the convention was no big deal since it was across the street. But with all the problems we had with the room it wasn't worth the walk. I had to stay at the hotel in pockets missing some of the panels I wanted to go to which makes me a sad panda.