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[Kuudere]

I like to read about others' experiences for their hotel stays and I think it benefits others who want to compare and contrast for next year, so let's hear those reviews!

I stayed at the Marriott Thursday-Monday. Normally, I have mostly positive things to say about my stay here (been staying here for probably 9-10 years straight now), but this year was definitely not its best. I'm thinking that their staff was very limited due to monitoring the entry points into the convention, and those of us that stayed at the Marriott ended up with lackluster service as a result.

Pros:

• Hotel parties were shut down! I know this is a "party con" to many, but this was such a relief.
• Hotel staff was responsive to issues we brought to their attention. (We called in to report that there was a lady bathing and washing her clothes in the hotel jacuzzi and they sent out security fast to take care of it). Though I think they should have also drained the water because the woman was full-on washing her hair with shampoo in there.
• I think mini-fridges were standard this year?
• They actually accommodated our two-rooms-next-to-each-other request! We tried this for years and never were successful until this year.
• Checking out was a breeze as long as you did it before noon.
• Elevator lines were non-existent for some reason. I never waited more than 5 minutes for an elevator, which has never happened before.
• Staff set up a booth to hold luggage on Monday for those who were checking out but needed storage. It was really easy to find and use compared to previous years.
• Lots of stuff had been remodeled to look more sleek.
• Better lighting in the bathroom! There's a vanity light going all the way around the mirrors now.
• Easy access to Netflix and Hulu from the televisions made finding something to watch while getting ready very easy.

Cons:

• We had almost NO hot water the entire stay. I had maybe 10 minutes total of hot showering in that 5 day span of time. The rest were lukewarm or freezing cold. We called to get it repaired and they claimed it was fixed, but it wasn't. This occurred in both of our rooms and I wonder if it happened elsewhere in the hotel.
• This "go green" effort to cut down on room service is nice in theory, but it just made our rooms and the halls look like a disaster. People were leaving trash outside their door to get it picked up, staff allowed trays of food to be left in the halls for days...it was just really not pleasant to look at. I don't mind using the same towel more than once, but trash needs to definitely be picked up.
• Not enough staff around in general. Everyone seemed to be helping out with badge checking
• Using the hotel for badge pickup made it kind of a hassle to enter the convention with all the lines blocking the way.
• The hotel doors kept rejecting our keycards several times.
• The decor looked ridiculous. What's with the weird metal men climbing ropes on the side of the walls?

[TC X0 Lt 0X]

Hyatt

Pros

• Large Room despite 2 beds (but see below)
• Continental Breakfast was high quality. Was able to fill myself up every morning enough where I would last until dinner. With a meal for each person in the room (4) each morning, it takes a good chunk out of food costs for the weekend.
• Elevators were easy to get access to
• Easy access to luggage carts
• Quick Check in/out
• AC remained operational for 90+ hours

Cons

• Got a Handicap room because at the time we had a Handicap person in our group, though they ended up not going. Anyways, turns out Handicap rooms dont have 2 beds even if that is the kind of room you booked. Couldnt change my room type either
• Couldnt request my rooms to be near each other.
• Mini Fridge in both rooms seemed to not work, or at least not well.
• Apparently they decided to schedule a fire safety inspection on friday. I didn't actually see anyone come in and it didnt affect us, but thats the kind of thing that should be done before major events.
• Roommate got his finger smashed in the room door. The Doors slam quickly slam near the end of closing. The nail and finger in general turned purple and he was in pain for several hours.
• Despite the above, doors did not always close all the way.
• Key cards took several tries to work
• A room across the way had someone playing an ocarina for several hours. Pure Autism.
• Came up one night to have a bunch of nerds just sitting in the hallway just talking. Asked if they were locked out of the room or if something else was wrong, but no, they were just hanging out in the middle of the hallway instead of their goddamn room. Pure Autism.
• Saw some girl at breakfast with a plat with about 50 sausages. Pure Autism.
• Saw some girl take out a shit ton of bacon from a skillet, then, after deciding she took too much, returned the bacon back on to the pan. With her fucking hand. Pure Autism.

[Konekogami]

Stayed at the Fairmont Friday-Tuesday

Pros:
 - Staff was super nice at check in!  I kept apologizing because I was paying multiple ways (cash from roommates, debit for some, and incidentals on my credit card) Lady checking me in was really nice and kept reassuring me that it was nothing to worry about.
- As always room was super nice.  Ample space, vanity, MIRRORS.
- They have a keurig and an electric kettle now!
- Being next to the Bijan Bakery is always a plus


Cons:
- They didn't hand out trashbags this year.   Well, I was able to get one when I asked the front desk, I just thought it was a bit strange since normally they give you two bags at check in.
- It was IMPOSSIBLE to get warm water from the sink bath and shower were fine, sink.. nada.. which made washing my face a pain.
- .. There was like a radio playing in the bathroom..  For those of you who haven't stayed in the Fairmont, the toilet is in a seperate nook behind a sliding door in the bathroom.. well it sounded like there was a radio with a broken transmission.. lots of static and voices.
- Not the hotels fault, but someone pulled the fire alarm

[Alyxiane]

Holiday Inn
Friday-Monday

Pros:
- It's one of the hotels that's far away, so it's much quieter and easier to get the needed beauty sleep.
- Has a 7-11 in the corner just a crosswalk away, and a Denny's a little further out.
- Room was nice and spacious. Came with a mini-fridge and a simple coffee maker.
- Front desk had the info sign that says how frequent the shuttle comes on certain times.

Cons:
- It's one of the hotels that's far away, so it comes with the inconvenience. Using the shuttle and light rail weren't too bad though, but it does require good timing to catch them.
- My room had the misfortune of having the lock itself malfunctioning on Saturday, even when the key cards were supposed to go through fine. It took the next day for it to finally be fixed.

Overall: This was my first year in staying at a hotel that far away from the con. Aside from having to plan accordingly with the shuttle and/or light rail (and that trouble with the lock), staying there went a lot more better than I anticipated. I wouldn't mind having this hotel again if I don't get the closer hotels next year.

[Xanreo]

Hilton San Jose
Friday - Monday

Pros:
Convenient
Great service
Bathroom has a vanity mirror that's awesome
Quiet

Cons:
I always have this problem at this Hilton. The bathroom faucet has either cold or burning hot water; there is no in-between. Can be slightly annoying.
Not only that, this year I got one with incredibly low pressure. By the end of the weekend, the faucet did nothing but dribble water when turned up all the way. Could've called and switched rooms but I waited for a while for this particular room to be open.
(The Hilton had better not blame and charge me for a faucet that was already malfunctioning)

[Vasyenka]

Stayed at the Hilton this year!

Pros:
CONVENIENCE.
Had a problem with my bank during check in and management did a WONDERFUL job handling the situation. Like, I've never had hotel staff arguing with my bank on my behalf before lol
Stayed on the fourth floor, and it was wonderfully quiet!
Elevators were amazingly not terrible whenever we did decide to use them, which I haven't had in previous years.
Spacious room as always with a fridge that worked~ c:

Cons:
Cockroaches in the pool area. Not just little ones, but two roaches that came with their own boss theme music.
Water pressure got progressively worse throughout the weekend! By the end of our stay there was hardly any pressure at all.
Garbage in the hallways also got progressively worse as the weekend progressed.

[RonnieIsSenpaiKawaii]

Hyatt

Pros

• Fast Check In/Out
• The room was amazing
• Convention center was just outside
• Breakfast Bomb AF
• The Game Room
• A/C
• All the Chill ass people

Cons

• My friend(s) snoring. Apparently one of them was moaning while snoring.
• Had to switch Key card
• Elevators

Overall: 9/10

[keitoghostie]

Marriott (Stayed Fri-Mon)

Pros:

• Convenient location
• Helpful staff - front desk was really nice and didn't mind accommodating for an extra key, checkout was fast, etc
  
• Item check was really appreciated, even though I don't remember if we actually ended up using it
• Bathroom lighting and space was wonderful
• Minifridge came standard
• Had a Marriott staff member monitoring the elevator line at one point (very nice)
• Nice view of the park - one of the things I love at cons is to people watch so it was fun to see the gatherings going on there!

Cons:

• I don't know if it was the fact that we ended up with a room at the end of the hall or all the hotel is this way, but the room
• seemed especially small? Anyone who stayed there have a different experience?
• The double beds themselves - also pretty small
• A/C worked but seemed pretty weak compared to what I'm used to at hotels?
• Elevators were con elevators, especially around check-out
• Shower was pretty sad in terms of water pressure (also according to one of my roommates they had issues with the temperature)

It was my first time staying at the Marriott here, and honestly I've enjoyed the other hotels in the area more (still have yet to stay at the Fairmont!)
I'll probably gravitate towards one of those in the future tbh, but I'm not entirely disappointed in the Marriott!

[phr34kish]

San Jose Marriott
Thursday-Monday

Disclaimer: I wasn't able to secure the room I wanted through the Fanime housing, so I booked through the Marriott directly.

Pros:

• With the mobile check-in/out app I was able to confirm my arrival time the day before the convention and my room keys were ready and waiting for me when I arrived.
• Rewards members get free wifi!
• Refrigerators and lock boxes are complimentary in each room (lock box is particularly helpful for those of us vending in AA, Swap Meet, etc.)
• The elevator situation wasn't so terrifying this year! I don't think I ever had more than a 5 minute wait at the busiest times.
• The staff very helpful, polite, and quick to communicate any issues.
• Speaking of staff, they were very accommodating of payment at check-out. I had everything listed to a card for check-in but wanted to pay in cash for a lot of the fee from AA profits and put the rest of the fee on the card. They were able to help me out with no issues.
• THE LOUD PARTIES WERE GONE. I normally bring ear plugs to cons these days, but I was SO relieved to learn I didn't need them this time!
• Remodeled rooms!
• In and out privileges with the valet. LOVE this.

Cons:

• The air conditioning in my room was pretty weak. I'm assuming it's because I was on one of the top floors, but we had to keep it set at the lowest allowed temperature to keep the room comfortable.
• Seconding the question for the weird climbing metal men. They ended up being a great place to hang my badge up without losing it! lol

[YaoiCat]

Westin (Stayed Thurs - Mon)

Overall very happy with the Westin!  This was my first year staying anywhere other than Hilton, so I was a little worried that my Fanime experience wouldn't be quite the same as I'm used to, but it all turned out great!

Pros:

• Convenient! Right across the street from Marriott, so even though it's technically not attached the the con, it's very accessible.
• Bed was HUGE and very comfy!  We had a king size bed, but it seemed bigger than the average king!
• I LOVED the shower, it had a big rainfall shower head that was sooo nice and also a smaller detachable shower head.
• The elevators were a dream compared to Hiltons!  I'm not sure if it's because the Westin only has 6 floors or if it's because it's not in the main con center, but we never had a line to get up or down the elevators!

Cons:

• Parking was crazy expensive!  They only had valet and it was $40 a night.  We ended up parking our car in the convention center garage for half the price!
• The AC unit was really loud for some reason!  But we had to have it on since it was so hot over the weekend.  Whenever it would switch on during the night, the noise would wake me up!

[SquishyK]

• Rewards members get free wifi!

Wish I had known that!!

San Jose Marriott
Friday-Monday

Pros:

• I also noticed the lack of late night parties! Fantastic!
• Short wait for elevators
• I love being right by the con
• No trouble getting extra room keys. I stay by myself but I give out keys to my friends so they can crash or freshen up during the day.
• Personally had no issues un-locking my door (takes a little finess) or with the water.
• Even when I didn't want the room cleaned out they still nocked and asked if I needed more towels.
• Free bag check on Monday
• Starbucks in the lobby

Cons:

• For the second time I have had an issue with my luggage at this hotel that has literally brought me to tears. The first time was 2 years ago. They were going to keep an eye on my stuff while I ran bags up to my room and my things were moved and temporarily misplaced. I was in a hurry and freaked out. This time I was waiting for a bell hop to come to my room on Monday. I waited one hour and then called to make sure someone was coming. They re-assured me that I was on the list, they were backed up but someone should be there in 15 min. Half an hour later I called again and they said they would radio someone and make sure they got to me right away. I was in the room all by myself and going stir crazy. After another half an hour I called again to just tell them "forget it, I can't take this waiting" but in my sleep deprived state I broke out in tears and they said they would personally come up right at that minute. 2 minutes later she showed up with someone I think she had grabbed from the bag check area and a luggage cart. To the Marriott's credit in both situations the staff was very friendly, understanding, and helpful. Even though I was in a very difficult situation I felt like the staff was doing their upmost to help me and provide excellent service.
• Walking past the badging line was a bit awquard. But all-in-all a two second minor inconvenience.

I liked the little metal men. I feel they are both decorative and functional. If you wanted you could probably hang out your cloths for the day on them. Or a small purse.

[_Kai_]

Doubletree Thursday - Monday

Pros:
 - As an HHonors member, I could check in and make a specific room request off a hotel map on Thursday morning. When we arrived, keys were already programmed, we were handed cookies and water, and that was that.
 - Zero problems with keys working the whole weekend
 - Easiest checkout ever, took the keys, asked if a receipt to my email on file was good, and done.
 - Shower was always hot, ice bucket actually kept ice for several hours
 - Never heard any sort of loud racket, and elevators were all working

Cons:
 - The bed...was not terribly comfortable.  Slept on worse for sure, but it was quite hard and the pillows quite floofy but with no actual support.
 - The shuttle shuffle.  Never waited more than 10 minutes for one, but it made planning days harder when it could be 2 minutes or it could be 15 until a shuttle arrives.
 - Nothing nearby for food.  Hotel cafe and bar were okay but pricey, everything else was near the convention center or Fairmont

[novaks47]

Four Points by Sheraton San Jose Airport
Fri-Mon

Pros :

- Check in! Even though my room wasn't ready at around 1PM, they found an available room and put me there instead. Very nice!
- Bed was comfy
- Wi-Fi was good and speedy
- Free parking, in a shaded parking garage no less
- Attached restaurant was good
- Cheap!
- Check out was quick and easy
- A/C worked very well
- A 7/11 and Denny's not too far away, about a five minute walk

Cons :

- Pillows were ridiculously soft. I had to take one pillow, and fold it in half just to have any support at all.
- Noise! I could hear people coming and going at all hours. I could also hear the traffic and next door parking lot noise. Also heard a leaf blower in the hotel parking lot at 6:30AM on Saturday.
- No mini-fridges

[thepharaohinleather]

Stayed at the Fairmont for the first time for fanime! Usually stay at the Marriott but switched it up this year~

~Fairmont~

PROS:

• Getting the car into the roundabout was pretty easy and could leave it in the hands of the valet. Very helpful valet staff in getting our two cars worth of stuff out and onto carts!
• Checking in was very easy as was getting our rollaway bed and mini fridge which was standard size
• Very friendly staff, both at the desk and housekeeping
• Room was spacious, much more so than the Marriott. Looking it up beforehand I realized 150 extra square feet really helps
• Plenty of hot water and housekeeping did a great job replenishing towels, garbage bags (even though we brought our own, tips kids!), and cups in the bathroom
• Great internet and TV, nice view, nice decor, and five elevators to accommodate guests
• Staff kept guard over the pool area and came running the moment someone called for them
• Towels available for guests at the pool (this is very important to me lol)

CONS:


• Elevator line was worse than the Marriott's some nights. The line went out past the front desk and into the atrium.
• Room service food was not up to par. My friend's nachos were made without the right cheese and it wasn't even fully melted. Another friend's sushi that was supposed to have crab and tempura had absolutely no crab. A third friend's burger was inconsistently salty. Mine, however, was great~
• Walking distance to the convention center wasn't bad, just not what we were used to having stayed in the marriott every time before.
• The lack of an available staircase made me very peeved, not only because it was difficult to find in the first place, but because of the staff's attitude's toward it. I think this was one reason why the elevator lines were so long, because no one was encouraged to use the stairs. The staff gave the impression they only wanted the stairs used for emergencies, and I understand that. But really why not use them to decrease the volume of people trying to use the elevators? Marriott lets us use the stairs and it's very convenient when you're on a low floor.
• Getting out on Monday was HELL. Checking out was fine, but getting the stuff down to the basement for valet was an absolute nightmare. I was on the phone several times, once on hold for nearly 20 minutes trying to get a bell hop to help us since we just had so much stuff and elevator volume was at max capacity. It took over an hour to get the bell hop up to us, who was very nice!!!, and then we had to wait for the valet to bring the car. Now I understand the volume of people and I expected a wait, but I waited for an hour and a half if not more to get my car. And the only way I did was because I noticed they were lining cars up in areas besides the main circle so i walked around and found my car in one of those areas ready, but no one called out the number or my name or anything! It must have been there at least half an hour. The whole getting out of the hotel experience was a nightmare, so next year if we stay there, we're leaving on tuesday instead because I am not going through that again.

Overall, besides things because of the number of people, it was pretty good. I think the bellhop situation for checking out should have really been better planned out and the system for returning vehicles needs to be seriously looked over. It's a very nice hotel, there's just a lot of people staying there ;w;

[mryekcim]

San Jose Hilton  (First Time Getting A Hotel Booking Through Fanime Con) Thursday- Monday

The Hilton was my first choice and I was happy to get it an book it. It's a little far from the Con life but I like that like that distance. Everyone there was nice once I checked in and I really hope I can book at the Hilton again, next year.

Pros
1) Staff were super friendly and helpful after check-in.
2) Elevators were not too bad as the other hotels.
3)Convenient(Right next to the gaming hall for quick access.)
4)The mini Fridge helped when storing cold water.
5)Rooms were nicely designed and great to just sit in a bit to recharge those batteries.
6) Gave out these vouchers. (If you wanted the houskeeping to take out the trash and switch out the towels you got a 5 dollar voucher for each night you were staying to use at the hotel.)
7)Easy to get a replacement key. The guy was super nice and even let my pick out the character.
Parking was close and was about 12 bucks a night per car with in and out privileges.
9) Check out was quick. All you had to do was leave but double check to see if you owe anything. I forgot I had to pay for parking at the front desk.
 
Cons
1)Check in was a hastle. Long story short. Tried to check in a couple of times. The front desk was little rude each time. It was weird in that they would not give me a estimated amount of time to check in. One dude keep cutting me off and saying that he did not want to lie to me over and over again.  Check in was at 3PM and I did not get a room until 4PM because I was finally offered a room that was at least on the same floor. I do have to say that they later tried to make it up to me, which helped.
2) Tried to get to settle with a room that looked directly into the pool and people could look in if they wanted to.
3) It's expected but it was faster to take the stairs then wait for the elevator.
4) Not much of a pumping con-life like the other hotels but that is also a plus side.
5) I really wanted both a digitial key card and a physical one but I did not want everyone to download the app.
6)When checking in I could not get any help with my bags.
7)The hotel pillows sorta sucked.
9) No options for food really. You're better off bringing your own.

[Luna Scamander]

Cons:
- They didn't hand out trashbags this year.   Well, I was able to get one when I asked the front desk, I just thought it was a bit strange since normally they give you two bags at check in.

- .. There was like a radio playing in the bathroom..  For those of you who haven't stayed in the Fairmont, the toilet is in a seperate nook behind a sliding door in the bathroom.. well it sounded like there was a radio with a broken transmission.. lots of static and voices.

I also stayed at the Fairmont, they gave me 2 giant black trashbags for our room when we checked in?  I wonder if they were out by the time you got there?  No clue when you checked in, we checked in at like, 10 am Friday.  And I think the bathroom thing was just your room unfortunately, never experienced that myself.

Everything else I agree with when it comes to your review.  Overall it was a great experience there.

[KyraEnsui]

Fairfield Suite and Inn SJ Airport

PROS:
1. Room was spacious with balcony.
2. Mini-fridge
3. Quiet rooms. Best sleep ever. It was quiet despite being near the freeway and casino
4. Staffs were great and free breakfast!
5. Starbucks in walking distant.
6. Free parking!

CONS:
1. Shuttle. I would have to take the Doubletree route to get back if I missed it plus it takes the longest to wait. Luckily, it was only a block away.

I don't mind staying here again. It was so quick to hop on the freeway too.

[ELDEMONIO]

Fairmont

Pro's
1.Room was clean and there was room to put random stuff on the floor since we had some cosplay and props around
2.Workers where nice and friendly.
3.Check-in was good. We ended up requesting our room sooner due to exhaustion.
4.Workers parked my car pretty fast and helped keep my stuff secured. Nothing was lost
5.Didn't have a problem with keys

Con's
1.Took like 40 minutes to get my car in check out.
2.Stairs where closed the entire time. So we had to take the elevator with everyone which would take a long time.

But overall it was good. Just not sure why the closed the doors that lead to the stairs since it would of been easier to get to our rooms.

[dankeykang]

Had a pretty interesting stay at my hotel last year:

Fairmont

Pros
1. Firstly, I was upgraded to a suite without having to pay for it but I have my own idea as to why they did that when it seemed like my room has been given away.
2. Was given the two trash bags at checkin for the mess.
3. Having been given a suite, it was amazing and way more room than what was needed for my friend and I. The shower fit 10 people and the mirror in the bathroom had a tv in it!
4. Had relatively bumping parties on Saturday and especially Sunday but never received any complaints.
5. Was able to walk around the con area late at night since it's close
6. Alcohol being given away in the elevators, but this could be happening at other hotels as well.

Cons
1. The checkin was an absolute mess. Granted, we checked in kinda late Friday night but that doesn't mean it should take half an hour to get us a room. As I said before, it seemed to me like they gave away my room prior to me arriving and I just lucked out with the suite.
2. The ice machines ran out on like half the floors? Even if you were on like floor 12, you'd have to go down to like 5 to get ice. Everyone was having parties though so it's understandable.
3. The elevators are always horrendous, and I think it's like that at any of the main famine hotels. And I believe they closed off the stairs because they didn't want tens of thousands of people walking up them at all hours of the day, but I thought it seemed a bit like a fire hazard to me?
4. They give you the tiniest little ice bucket but I was able to fix that by taking a garbage can using one of our trash bags as covering to put the ice in. Worked great as a makeshift cooler.
5. Checkout took like an extra hour to get us a luggage cart but it's crazy busy at the end and it gave us some bonus time in the suite.


I stay at the Fairmont every year because I think the price is worth it for the quality and size of the room. This year, it was an overall amazing experience but I can't really speak to what it would have been like had I not gotten a room.

My question to everyone else is, did any of you who thought/knew their room was given away get upgraded to a suite like I did?

[ELDEMONIO]

My question to everyone else is, did any of you who thought/knew their room was given away get upgraded to a suite like I did?

That happened to me one time in Vegas. But i'm pretty sure you're right. You got it because they gave your room away by accident.