FanimeCon 2024 Forums

FanimeCon Events and Discussionmentarianism => Hotel and Facilities => Topic started by: fanimefreak on January 03, 2016, 06:25:54 PM

Title: Hotels....
Post by: fanimefreak on January 03, 2016, 06:25:54 PM
I'm sure at this point everyone is stalying the forums to see if any info on hotel reservations becoming available.

Anyone have any info to share? Secrets?

Fanime why no word!!!!!
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Red_Eye on January 03, 2016, 08:42:21 PM
My advice:  Just watch like a hawk everyday (at least once in the mornings before 9 or 10) for any possible new postings or info.  Odds are once the announcement is made, the reservations will open very shortly afterward.  Much like how the Con tickets themselves opened this time around.

Just keep a close watch.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: echoshadow on January 04, 2016, 11:29:47 PM
Quote from: fanimefreak on January 03, 2016, 06:25:54 PM
I'm sure at this point everyone is stalying the forums to see if any info on hotel reservations becoming available.

Anyone have any info to share? Secrets?

Fanime why no word!!!!!

They have a hard enough time making the schedule release date the week of the con, what makes you think they could release hotel information on time....er... I mean when the contract finalized with CMR?
Come on now. After 4 years of basically the same rodeo you'll think they'll get it right?


Just keep checking the main site, forums, fb and Twitter for info if and when it's up.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: fanimefreak on January 05, 2016, 07:56:11 AM
I was looking for information not the typical echoshadow pessimism. But thanks, I'll do my best to take all my potential fun and the fun I have at fanime with a grain of salt. I should know by now the staff of volunteers who work hard in other avenues of their lives use fanime as a way to just fuck with people and stress them out. Echoshadow please never respond to a post of mine ever again. Your constant negativity and pessimism offers no solution help. I'm tired of looking at the forums and seeing it laden with your hate
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: echoshadow on January 05, 2016, 07:32:42 PM
Quote from: fanimefreak on January 05, 2016, 07:56:11 AM
I was looking for information not the typical echoshadow pessimism. But thanks, I'll do my best to take all my potential fun and the fun I have at fanime with a grain of salt. I should know by now the staff of volunteers who work hard in other avenues of their lives use fanime as a way to just fuck with people and stress them out. Echoshadow please never respond to a post of mine ever again. Your constant negativity and pessimism offers no solution help. I'm tired of looking at the forums and seeing it laden with your hate

Awww :( hug?
It's not me you should be mad at.

If this was the second time you attended fanime I would be nice to you.
But, it's not. You know the deal. It's been the same answer it's always been for the last 5 years.
The info comes out whenever it comes out. Neither me, you, some staff know. When ever the top brass in charge deems it's time, it's then.

If my comments bum you out, too bad. It's the real world. When things go bad for things/stuff you paid for, you have the ok to voice your dislike. When you do that, things get fixed, the problem, corrected to ensure it doesn't happen again. Its been proven year after year. Just have see where the "wheel of fix" lands this year.

There you go. Hugs and kisses.
Loving yours,
Echo.


Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: fanimefreak on January 06, 2016, 12:00:36 PM
Actually, this will be my third year attending and so far it's Ben a great experience. Aside from the chaos of trying to book the hotel rooms, I haven't had any issues.

Ihave enjoyed the convention both years I've been. I loved the panels I saw, the cosplays, the location, the people, the raves, everything. I genreally enjoy myself at the con.

All you do is seem to bash it and hate on it. So, why even go? You seem to have the whole con figured out so why waste your time on the forums? Go do something else, be pessimistic somewhere else. Or offer solutions. How about being something more than cynicism and hate?
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Amanojaku on January 07, 2016, 01:47:45 PM
Quote from: fanimefreak on January 06, 2016, 12:00:36 PM
All you do is seem to bash it and hate on it. So, why even go? You seem to have the whole con figured out so why waste your time on the forums? Go do something else, be pessimistic somewhere else. Or offer solutions. How about being something more than cynicism and hate?
I second this, as a crusty old Fanime vet who still enjoys the con every year.  Maybe its just time for him to move on.  His doom and gloom posts are anything but helpful.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: vralls13 on January 07, 2016, 08:00:38 PM
I have 1-16-16 on my calendar as hotel reg open date, from Facebook.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: phr34kish on January 08, 2016, 08:57:29 AM
Quote from: vralls13 on January 07, 2016, 08:00:38 PM
I have 1-16-16 on my calendar as hotel reg open date, from Facebook.

There hasn't been any formal announcement from what I've seen - do you have a link to the source for that?
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: SweetNiar on January 10, 2016, 10:51:24 PM
A while ago i saw people mention the 19th on facebook and yesterday i saw they confirmed it to be on that date, but always double check by maybe calling CMR housing?  Or just keep checking like crazy everyday....one thing is for sure it is coming pretty soon :)
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: SquishyK on January 11, 2016, 02:32:39 PM
No date has been officially confirmed. The last word I saw on it was posted on twitter on Dec. 21 saying it would likely be January/February (https://twitter.com/AngrySean/statuses/679061902257881088). There has been no word from what I can see on Fanime's Facebook page. They did however say on Facebook that they will provide more advanced notice for hotels then they did for badge registration.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: echoshadow on January 11, 2016, 06:32:33 PM
Quote from: fanimefreak on January 06, 2016, 12:00:36 PM.....
All you do is seem to bash it and hate on it. So, why even go? You seem to have the whole con figured out so why waste your time on the forums? Go do something else, be pessimistic somewhere else. Or offer solutions. How about being something more than cynicism and hate?

Quote from: Amanojaku on January 07, 2016, 01:47:45 PM....
I second this, as a crusty old Fanime vet who still enjoys the con every year.  Maybe its just time for him to move on.  His doom and gloom posts are anything but helpful.

Rofl.
Frist off, you need to look up what hate means one more time. If I really said hateful things it would make you cry. (Which I think I already did, sorry if I did.)
Like I said before if my comments get you bumed out, too freaking bad. It's not me you should be mad at. Unlike you two, I do try to make fanime better each year. I always attend the feedback panel at the end of the convention. I give the chairman(s) my two cents, the good and the bad fanime was.  How else would fanime get better if they never hear the problems. Maybe both of you are shy or don't want to offend anyone but I'm not like you to sit back and keep quiet.
If they didn't listen nor read these silly forum post, fanime would still have the 5 reg booths and those horrible badge printers, and the 3+hour line con.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: SweetNiar on January 11, 2016, 08:32:54 PM
Is it possible to stay on topic here?  I am sorry you got your feelings hurt from people who dont like your attitude, but this is not the place for your ranting.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: DangerHeart on January 12, 2016, 03:16:55 PM
Quote from: vralls13 on January 07, 2016, 08:00:38 PM
I have 1-16-16 on my calendar as hotel reg open date, from Facebook.
I haven't seen any formal announcements yet. Plus I think a Saturday would be very unlikely since I think the CMR company is a Mon-Fri gig(I think). I've seen lots of people in the past suggest a weekend release so more people have to the chance to book without school/work obligations, but I think it's been shot down every year since the company isn't open on the weekends.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OGIGA on January 13, 2016, 12:01:45 AM
The phone recording says January 19, but the person who you would talk to on the phone says it's still subject to change. At this point, I speculate that 1 week notice isn't something they're going to do, so I predict it will be delayed later.

Since they are supposedly going to enforce paid registration to book a hotel, I have to guess that they still hadn't figured out what to do with (wild guess) 10% of the people who don't register the usual way. That means industry, press, vendor, prepaid from last year, and probably some more categories I don't know about.


Lastly, let's stay on topic. A comment like "The info comes out whenever it comes out" is basically "Let's shut down this thread". Where are the moderators to clean up off-topic content? (feel free to remove this paragraph too)
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Amanojaku on January 13, 2016, 04:37:46 PM
Quote from: echoshadow on January 11, 2016, 06:32:33 PM
Quote from: fanimefreak on January 06, 2016, 12:00:36 PM.....
All you do is seem to bash it and hate on it. So, why even go? You seem to have the whole con figured out so why waste your time on the forums? Go do something else, be pessimistic somewhere else. Or offer solutions. How about being something more than cynicism and hate?

Quote from: Amanojaku on January 07, 2016, 01:47:45 PM....
I second this, as a crusty old Fanime vet who still enjoys the con every year.  Maybe its just time for him to move on.  His doom and gloom posts are anything but helpful.

Rofl.
Frist off, you need to look up what hate means one more time. If I really said hateful things it would make you cry. (Which I think I already did, sorry if I did.)
Like I said before if my comments get you bumed out, too freaking bad. It's not me you should be mad at. Unlike you two, I do try to make fanime better each year. I always attend the feedback panel at the end of the convention. I give the chairman(s) my two cents, the good and the bad fanime was.  How else would fanime get better if they never hear the problems. Maybe both of you are shy or don't want to offend anyone but I'm not like you to sit back and keep quiet.
If they didn't listen nor read these silly forum post, fanime would still have the 5 reg booths and those horrible badge printers, and the 3+hour line con.
There is nothing you could do to make me cry, big guy, I promise.

There is a difference between criticism and constructive criticism, and yours always falls to the former rather than the latter.  Heavily slanted, useless and unhelpful, particularly to people new to the con.  I'm not shy, and I give my feedback thoughtfully and tactfully; two things lacking from your equation.  So your criticisms help improve the con and yet you also contend that it continues to get worse.  What an amusing contradiction. ;)
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: echoshadow on January 13, 2016, 07:53:38 PM
Re-read my shitty complaints again. As an example I bitch about 10 things that are bad with fanime with the last 4 or 5 years. Fanime did fix one or two each year. Thus I'm currently bitching about the same 4-5 problems instead of the 10. I see zero contradiction there. Nice try though.

I'm thinking either your friends or their buddies are staff or in some way part of staff. So me "bashing" them makes you upset. I get it. no one wants to hear their buddies getting "trashed talked". Then again if your buddies are slacking off, they should get an ear full. Just like in the real world.

Quote from: OGIGA on January 13, 2016, 12:01:45 AM....
Lastly, let's stay on topic. A comment like "The info comes out whenever it comes out" is basically "Let's shut down this thread". Where are the moderators to clean up off-topic content? (feel free to remove this paragraph too)

Well if it was me incharge of Fanime's PR. I would just put out a blanket general statement like "We're still working on the hotel reg, stay tuned for updates."  About every month. That way it clams the masses, and you know they are working on it thus you won't have these threads.  That's better than zero official post on fb/twitter/forums/etc.

Till that changes, my "it comes out when it comes out" comment is going to be the proper response. I did try to sugar coat it by saying check social media.

I do thank the mods for keeping my bitching post here. That just shows some staff wish they could do more but can't. Unlike fb post where they delete negative posts.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on January 13, 2016, 10:16:30 PM
Too much testosterone in here.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Amanojaku on January 13, 2016, 10:24:36 PM
Quote from: echoshadow on January 13, 2016, 07:53:38 PM
Re-read my shitty complaints again. As an example I bitch about 10 things that are bad with fanime with the last 4 or 5 years. Fanime did fix one or two each year. Thus I'm currently bitching about the same 4-5 problems instead of the 10. I see zero contradiction there. Nice try though.

I'm thinking either your friends or their buddies are staff or in some way part of staff. So me "bashing" them makes you upset. I get it. no one wants to hear their buddies getting "trashed talked". Then again if your buddies are slacking off, they should get an ear full. Just like in the real world.

I don't need to read your shitty complaints again because you post the exact same thing frequently enough that I think we're all aware of what grinds echoshadow's gears about FanimeCon each year.  Don't break your arm patting yourself on the back; the improvements you cited are simply the natural progression of a convention increasing in size born out of necessity, not the ground-breaking ideas of the resident forum troll.  We've doubled in size so we need to rework registration? What a revelation!  So brilliant of the convention center to come up with all that extra space for it too!

I think its funny that for me to enjoy the convention as it is, I simply MUST have some personal bias, such as a friend being on staff.  Yes Echo, the thousands who attend each year are actually all having a miserable time, but they all hide it because their close personal friends are staff.  I guess you caught me red handed; my friend volunteered to run a video room in 2007.  Obviously, this is why I enjoyed the con in 2015.  Your sleuthing skills are beyond reproach.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: megamanjoe415 on January 14, 2016, 11:33:46 AM
Please, lets try to stay on topic. I know as hotel registration goes, it has always been like this. Please be patient. Watch all the social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Forums, and even the website.

Some people have already asked if they have missed the registration deadline. The answer is not yet. More information will be posted at a later date.

There has been some question about the confirmed date January 19th. That date is a possibility, but unlikely, since it is only 5 days away. Fanime has been known to do things in it's last minute, but 5 days is cutting it. Also I have called the registration number to verify and re-verified, it seems they are discussing about an actual date for their website to be ready for.

I know things are hard, especially something so important as Fanime hotel registration. I've been going to Fanime since 2006 and still love going to this convention due to friends new and old. It is important that we help each other, especially some people may be their first time even going. Having an attitude on the forums, if someone new checks it, they may not even want to go to Fanime due to some posts.

Also, for a last note, it has been confirmed that badges are needed to get hotel rooms, and each badge, regarding group registration or not, will have a confirmation number when receiving the badge email.

This is the most help I can give. I actually want to help if I could do more, but please try to stay on topic if possible and be helpful when any of you can.

Anime_Files
Fanime since 2006
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: ewu on January 14, 2016, 03:20:14 PM
Fanime staff have been monitoring these threads, but some of the posters are correct: no announcements have gone out regarding housing. No information in the public sphere is confirmed. We are working to make sure that the messaging is consistent but as you can see, there have been some hiccups. There are announcements in the works, so please stay tuned for those.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: echoshadow on January 14, 2016, 09:26:24 PM
Quote from: ewu on January 14, 2016, 03:20:14 PM
Fanime staff have been monitoring these threads, but some of the posters are correct: no announcements have gone out regarding housing. No information in the public sphere is confirmed. We are working to make sure that the messaging is consistent but as you can see, there have been some hiccups. There are announcements in the works, so please stay tuned for those.

Thanks for the update.

Quote from: megamanjoe415 on January 14, 2016, 11:33:46 AM.......
Also, for a last note, it has been confirmed that badges are needed to get hotel rooms, and each badge, regarding group registration or not, will have a confirmation number when receiving the badge email.....

Are you 100% sure of this? I ask because I see zero official post on the main web site and all other media sites. The only info that was there was from last year's ordeal.


And lastly @Amanojaku,
Ha! Nailed it. So I'm now a troll for complaining? ROFL.
hugs and kisses.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Amanojaku on January 15, 2016, 01:48:01 PM
Quote from: echoshadow on January 14, 2016, 09:26:24 PM
So I'm now a troll for complaining? ROFL.
No, you're a troll for trolling.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Glitch on January 18, 2016, 02:43:39 AM
Since the 19th is one day away, I'm really doubting hotels go up that time.

I'm guessing they're still figuring out the way to make this work with press,industry and vendors. Having been press since 2012, I really hope that specific part is worked out.
My guess is that they could hold aside a small section of rooms for those people.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: BunofGovt on January 18, 2016, 06:16:59 PM
I'm hoping for clarification on the badge requirement.  I pre-reg'd last year and I've got a confirmation number from that, but no badge ID number I guess.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: SweetNiar on January 18, 2016, 09:48:01 PM
Quote from: ewu on January 14, 2016, 03:20:14 PM
Fanime staff have been monitoring these threads, but some of the posters are correct: no announcements have gone out regarding housing. No information in the public sphere is confirmed. We are working to make sure that the messaging is consistent but as you can see, there have been some hiccups. There are announcements in the works, so please stay tuned for those.

Can someone at least confirm that they are not going up tomorrow?  Cause if thats true, it be nice to have notice of when they go up at least a few days in advance :)
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: ewu on January 18, 2016, 10:23:04 PM
we are not going up tomorrow.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Angelx624 on January 18, 2016, 11:51:33 PM
Yeah, I was hearing rumors about Fanime hotels suddenly going up tomorrow. Glad they were false.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: YaoiCat on January 20, 2016, 12:50:14 PM
(https://forums.fanime.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs10.postimg.org%2Fvpdcl2sfd%2FScreen_Shot_2016_01_20_at_12_44_16_PM.png&hash=0a365ac07c5191b17b873a852e181bf976aebf5d)

Finally an announcement!   I'm glad we finally have an official update! Although, I wish they had announced this a month ago when registration went live ... if I'd have known that my ability to reserve a hotel room depended on when I registered, I would have registered right away.

I'm also wondering if this new system means that rooms can potentially sell out before they even become available to people who registered later than others?
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: pantsu on January 20, 2016, 01:03:32 PM
Quote from: YaoiCat on January 20, 2016, 12:50:14 PM
Although, I wish they had announced this a month ago when registration went live ... if I'd have known that my ability to reserve a hotel room depended on when I registered, I would have registered right away.

I'm also wondering if this new system means that rooms can potentially sell out before they even become available to people who registered later than others?

Both of these things are EXTREMELY important points.  Messy though the old hotel reg was, it did give everyone a chance to get a room.  Now, we're looking at possibly not even being able to get a room even WITH "priority," which is pretty crappy IMO.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Nina Star 9 on January 20, 2016, 02:22:40 PM
The priority system seems like a good way of doing this, but I'm also wondering about the selling out before people who are registered have their window.

A little frustrated that this was not announced sooner, so that people could know to register right away. Will be super frustrated if I still can't get a room even with this system. And what does this mean for people who registered for entire groups and need multiple rooms? I'm not in that situation, but I'm wondering if it is based off of number of registrations (as in, number of times through the system, so once for a large group) or number of actual badges bought?



Also, can any staff member confirm if it's based on when the registration process was started, or based on when it was completed?

I started my registration back during the $55 price window, but didn't complete it until now (during the $65 price window). However, I was still able to register at the $55 price, making me think that my registration slot has been counted as far earlier then the time I actually paid for and finished my registration. Is it this time, the time it was started, that counts for my hotel registration window, or is it the much later date that I actually completed the process at?



I'm glad that this con is implementing a change, though. Let's hope this helps the situation, since the previous system was clearly not working at /all/.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: pantsu on January 20, 2016, 02:54:04 PM
An additional HUGE issue is that we don't even have hotel prices yet.  Frankly, I'd like to know those WAY before I buy my badge so I can get "priority" booking....but Fanime's forced my hand with this.  Here's hoping the hotels haven't jumped up a massive amount of $ per night since last year.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Amanojaku on January 20, 2016, 02:58:50 PM
Pleased with this announcement; hopefully it will mean I won't be stuck way out at the Double Tree 3 years running.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on January 20, 2016, 03:18:53 PM
Yeah it makes me pretty sour that it depends on when I registered my badge. I have at least one person in my general group that registered before the end of last year, but still I have a lot of people I need to get into rooms, so I am hoping we have 1 or 2 more people able registered too.

I just finished my registration as an all else fails, but I doubt by the time it gets to me on the list that there will be any rooms left in the general vicinity.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kyra_Maverick on January 20, 2016, 03:49:07 PM
Quote from: pantsu on January 20, 2016, 02:54:04 PM
An additional HUGE issue is that we don't even have hotel prices yet.  Frankly, I'd like to know those WAY before I buy my badge so I can get "priority" booking....but Fanime's forced my hand with this.  Here's hoping the hotels haven't jumped up a massive amount of $ per night since last year.
Someone on the facebook post replied to me about prices. She had just returned from another convention in the area and hotel prices were about $10 higher per night for most hotels. Obviously we won't know if this will apply to fanime, but that's probably a decent number to make estimates off of until actual info is released.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: citrus on January 21, 2016, 01:04:56 AM
Have you guys READ the complaints about this whole new system on facebook? A LOT of people are complaining about it. There are those, who believe this is a good system and says this will give them a chance to actually get a hotel they like and is close to the convention center especially for artists. But from what I'm reading. There are MORE complaints then there are compliments. Because of this new time stamp system this puts off a lot of people who wants to come to the convention. 55-65$ for a badge? Great! Now where are we going to stay? Like some have complained. Each year registration gets more complicated and hectic.

How are people suppose to have fun or attend a convention when there is NOWHERE for them to stay? This system sounds pretty decent but there are SO MANY FLAWS WITH IT.

Fanime is HOPING this new system will reduce traffic or prevent scalping but the problem is... who's to say it will work reduce or prevent all that? There is NO GUARANTEE this will work and like I said the staff is HOPING this will work. I will say this... I maybe one of the more cynical forums members. I've done a lot complaining and for the most part I've decided that I'll still attend Fanime due to many reasons. That doesn't mean I'll stop complaining. It just means I'll try to complain less and even I do I'll do it that sounds more rational instead of mindless bashing.

Even to the positive attendees who love the convention. You CAN'T deny that this new system is flawed and may or may not improve the registration as a whole. I had majors complaints about fanime. 1. is that registering the hotel is getting worse each year 2. Fanime's communication with the attendee's were abysmal during 2015 and the past years. But 2015 I have to say was their WORST communication when it comes to answering attendee's questions and concerns. I commend Fanime for actually getting info and ACTUALLY communicating some of the attendee's on facebook, forums and other social media this year. Let's just see if the staff will actually respond to concerns in the upcoming months...

Oh and one more thing. Technically you can still snag a hotel that's either SUPER far away from the convention or you can get their regular nice hotels WITHOUT the discounts which I should say if you were going to stay for 4 nights without discounts it's going to cost 1-2 grand at most...
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: fanimefreak on January 21, 2016, 08:24:33 AM
Selfishly, I am very happy about badges being required for hotel reservations as I have had my badge the moment registration opened.

But, I feel the communication could have been better. Had Fanime staff announced the change before registration began it would have allowed for betterms planning. Those who come from out of state or out of country don't typically get their badges until they have accommodations secured. Good luck to them getting housing without already having a badge and having anything available when their hiusing block opens
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Nina Star 9 on January 21, 2016, 10:16:58 AM
citrus>
I'm trying to withhold judgment on the new system until we have more information and see it in action, but I'm not entirely entirely happy about it either. I'm happy that the con seems to be actually trying to make a change, and I'm trying to be optimistic that this will be a good change (I think that it'll likely benefit me and people like me, at the least), but I know this con, and the new system has the potentially to really screw a lot of people over. The lack of communication is especially frustrating. (I posted a big rant about this on tumblr yesterday, actually)

If this were another con, I'd trust that they could get AA selections done with enough time before hotels go up that artists could be in a special priority group, but I foresee issues there. This still doesn't answer the question of press, dealer's, and other special categories. A lot of people who wait to find out about guests, panels, and other events before registering will have a harder time, as will out-of-state people who don't buy a badge until they can get a hotel.

I'm also wondering if special accommodations will be made for those with disabilities who may require a closer hotel, but I don't know if those have ever been made in the past.

I mean, the hotels will open up to the general public eventually, but since this system is so new, there's no telling whether they will all sell out before then. If this system works, it may help to reduce hotels panic in future years, which may help the situation, but who knows.

Really, a lot of this could be solved with making badges refundable up to a certain date. It won't fix all the potential issues, but it'll fix some of it. Communicating a lot of this a lot earlier, and having solid plans in place (that have been made public) for particular concerns, as well as overall improved communication and timing (such as getting AA stuff done earlier, getting press and dealer reg up earlier, etc.) would solve most of the issues with this system.

But trying to stay positive: I'm glad that they're trying to do something about the hotels situation, and I hope this works. I think that this system still favors those who attend regularly or who are relatively local and know they are coming (or aren't out a whole lot if they can't get a good hotel room). But it's at least an effort.


I'd still like to know about those of us who had started the reg process early without paying, and paid later. I was able to get the December price, even though I paid yesterday, so I'm assuming that places me earlier in line than if I had started the process yesterday, but I'm not sure.

I'm also not sure if I just found a loophole for those who want to wait until they can get a hotel or on other information before they buy a badge , if it's true that you can start reg without paying and still get your place in line
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Amanojaku on January 21, 2016, 12:14:28 PM
Just because a lot of people complain doesn't mean the complaint is valid.  Most people also say they hate paying taxes.  Human nature is to complain; it makes us feel better when things don't go how we want them to.

I don't think one can fairly decide that this new system is worse until we've actually experienced the results.  Every system has flaws, and I don't think anyone has denied it.  Obviously hotel registration has been a hassle the last few years as the convention has grown; how about we try the wait and see how this works method out before we rant and rave? 

There will always be a lack of hotels, that is just a reality that will exist unless San Jose wants to build more hotels, or hotels offer more discounted room blocks for the con.  There will always be people who can't get a room because they've all sold out.  So, they have tried try to develop a system that more fairly decides who does or doesn't get a room.  Is registration date more fair than who squeaked through the overloaded website first?  Personally, I think it is.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Konekogami on January 21, 2016, 12:39:23 PM
Quote from: Amanojaku on January 21, 2016, 12:14:28 PM
Just because a lot of people complain doesn't mean the complaint is valid.  Most people also say they hate paying taxes.  Human nature is to complain; it makes us feel better when things don't go how we want them to.

I don't think one can fairly decide that this new system is worse until we've actually experienced the results.  Every system has flaws, and I don't think anyone has denied it.  Obviously hotel registration has been a hassle the last few years as the convention has grown; how about we try the wait and see how this works method out before we rant and rave? 

There will always be a lack of hotels, that is just a reality that will exist unless San Jose wants to build more hotels, or hotels offer more discounted room blocks for the con.  There will always be people who can't get a room because they've all sold out.  So, they have tried try to develop a system that more fairly decides who does or doesn't get a room.  Is registration date more fair than who squeaked through the overloaded website first?  Personally, I think it is.

I have to agree with all of this.   A lot of people are saying that this new system is unfair to people who pre-registered later, but you know what else is unfair?

Having a better connection than other people ( One year, I was at a coffee house when Fanime housing opened, now the site crashing in 10 seconds is bad enough, imagine that with the wireless going out every 30 seconds.  Yup )

Knowing lots of people who will help you reserve your room

Not having school, work, responsibilities that would keep you from being online/on your phone the moment housing opens.

Reserving 10+ rooms in order to scalp them to attendees.

All of those things can be considered "unfair" as well.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: SquishyK on January 21, 2016, 12:59:18 PM
Hotel Reg last year was the worst I've seen it EVER. It's always bad but last year it seemed as though the site was entirely in-operable for the first couple hours. The same sort of thing happened with badge pick up. It finally got to the point that people waited 8+ hours in line and they had people fainting on them in line. Then fanime found a solution that really worked. It seems like it has to get bad to the point of being in-tolerable for any real improvement to be enacted. Fanime has been proposing that badges be required for hotel registration for some time now and to me this looks like the best solution they have come up with so far. My main concern is that next year instead of the servers crashing when hotel reg goes up they will crash when badges go on sale. It's likely been a big problem that people could reserve rooms almost without limit and without any consequence for canceling those reservations later on (which is why refundable badges would just re-create the same issue). This is not a perfect solution, and they really should have notified us before badges went online, but there really isn't a perfect solution and at least it's an attempt at improvement. If they find that rooms at hotels are selling out entirely before they even open up to the general public to be purchased they might tweak the system further in the future. Perhaps they can make rooms available in blocks so they are guaranteed to at least still have some available when reservations open to the general public.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on January 21, 2016, 01:00:02 PM
I have to agree with both these posts.  No point in complaining until we actually see how it all works out. Also not everyone can be on their phone or computer 24/7 so it'll give those who have work or school and already pregistered a fighting chance to get rooms.
Quote from: Konekogami on January 21, 2016, 12:39:23 PM
Quote from: Amanojaku on January 21, 2016, 12:14:28 PM
Just because a lot of people complain doesn't mean the complaint is valid.  Most people also say they hate paying taxes.  Human nature is to complain; it makes us feel better when things don't go how we want them to.

I don't think one can fairly decide that this new system is worse until we've actually experienced the results.  Every system has flaws, and I don't think anyone has denied it.  Obviously hotel registration has been a hassle the last few years as the convention has grown; how about we try the wait and see how this works method out before we rant and rave? 

There will always be a lack of hotels, that is just a reality that will exist unless San Jose wants to build more hotels, or hotels offer more discounted room blocks for the con.  There will always be people who can't get a room because they've all sold out.  So, they have tried try to develop a system that more fairly decides who does or doesn't get a room.  Is registration date more fair than who squeaked through the overloaded website first?  Personally, I think it is.

I have to agree with all of this.   A lot of people are saying that this new system is unfair to people who pre-registered later, but you know what else is unfair?

Having a better connection than other people ( One year, I was at a coffee house when Fanime housing opened, now the site crashing in 10 seconds is bad enough, imagine that with the wireless going out every 30 seconds.  Yup )

Knowing lots of people who will help you reserve your room

Not having school, work, responsibilities that would keep you from being online/on your phone the moment housing opens.

Reserving 10+ rooms in order to scalp them to attendees.

All of those things can be considered "unfair" as well.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: DangerHeart on January 21, 2016, 04:57:40 PM
I'm actually quite happy with this new system. I'm sure there will be issues since it's the first year it's being tested, but I'll hold my opinion until it launches. If this system does work out I'll definitely register at con this year for next years show so I could be higher on the list for hotel opening. My only complaint at the moment is I wish they announced this new system when the registration went up in December. Like others have said though, hotels will always be an issue since there will just never be enough rooms to go around. It's an unavoidable reality.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Angelx624 on January 21, 2016, 05:37:59 PM
I also agree that this is more fair than who has a better internet connection/who can get a room the fastest without the website crashing??

True, they should've told us this much earlier. But they didn't, so now it puts some attendees at risk of whether or not they'll be able to get a room.

But I doubt they'll be sold out so quickly with this new system. It definitely prevents scalpers, that's for sure. So there's one good thing.

Let's not judge or jump to conclusions until we see this new system actually play out.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: echoshadow on January 21, 2016, 06:33:42 PM
I for one like the new 1 room limit per reg. It weeds out the hotel scalpers/hoarders. I think that was the major problem that pledged Fanime hotel booking. And this coming form a dude that has not got their badge yet.

We'll have to see how things work out during the mad rush.
Maybe it could be time for Fanime to move to a new location with better accommodations.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Red_Eye on January 21, 2016, 07:00:35 PM
Good to see at least some positive thinking for this new tactic.

We gotta give every new idea at least a first run, don't we?  Here's hoping this method turns out for the best, so it may help improve overall preparation anxiety.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Nina Star 9 on January 21, 2016, 09:22:10 PM
Quote from: Konekogami on January 21, 2016, 12:39:23 PM
I have to agree with all of this.   A lot of people are saying that this new system is unfair to people who pre-registered later, but you know what else is unfair?

Having a better connection than other people ( One year, I was at a coffee house when Fanime housing opened, now the site crashing in 10 seconds is bad enough, imagine that with the wireless going out every 30 seconds.  Yup )

Knowing lots of people who will help you reserve your room

Not having school, work, responsibilities that would keep you from being online/on your phone the moment housing opens.

Reserving 10+ rooms in order to scalp them to attendees.

All of those things can be considered "unfair" as well.
Oh, I completely agree. The old system was COMPLETELY unfair. Hopefully this balances it.

But I'm still skeptical about it. Trying to stay positive and not judge it until we see it in action, but there's still the potential for a lot of people to be screwed over by this (press, artists, dealers, etc.), and so far no evidence that the con is working to fix those issues, or at least give information about what they are planning to do about those groups. Set aside room blocks just for them? Have a special priority registration? It's good to at least think about these things.

I'm what you would call cautiously optimistic, I guess. I really hope this works, and it has the potential to, since almost anything would be better than the old system. It would be more fair if this were announced from the beginning, but  at least it's something. It's a step. Time will tell if it's a step in the right direction.

(Also, was scalping really that big of a thing before? I still wonder how much of the room problems are from there simply not being enough vs. people scalping rooms or holding onto more than they need.)

(It would also be nice to have things like room rates... guests and events announced so people know the con is worth going to... )
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: pantsu on January 22, 2016, 12:30:13 AM
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on January 21, 2016, 09:22:10 PM
(It would also be nice to have things like room rates... guests and events announced so people know the con is worth going to... )

THIS TIMES 5 MILLION.  We know absolutely NOTHING about the con, except that it's happening memorial day weekend in san jose.  No announcements of any kind.  Communication from Fanime staff has been abysmal the last few years....looks like this may be the worst year yet. 

(Many other cons of Fanime's size start announcing guests and events for their next con a few months after that year's con ends.  It feels like Fanime's top folks take 6 months off post-con and don't even think about the coming year before trying to implement things for the next con.)
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Amanojaku on January 22, 2016, 09:22:38 AM
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on January 21, 2016, 09:22:10 PM
(Also, was scalping really that big of a thing before? I still wonder how much of the room problems are from there simply not being enough vs. people scalping rooms or holding onto more than they need.)
Its hard to say... a few years ago I was able to get a room for the full weekend in the Hilton about a month after hotel booking opened up no problem.  Then the last couple years, I can't get into the site the first day it opens, and by the middle of the week I would get a stray Double Tree room for 1 day (all that was left, save the airport hotel) and was added to the waitlist for the full weekend.  And every time, I've had my waitlist granted.  So I guess its impossible to know how much of that was room hording and how much was simply an increase in attendees needing a room, but I do recall the occasional craigslist add of people trying to "sell" their Hilton/Marriot rooms.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: SquishyK on January 22, 2016, 11:37:49 AM
Quote from: DangerHeart on January 21, 2016, 04:57:40 PM
If this system does work out I'll definitely register at con this year for next years show so I could be higher on the list for hotel opening.

Same. My only concern is that so many people will start doing this that it becomes impossible to get rooms at certain hotels unless you pre reg at con for next year. Which also means my Monday of con could turn into waiting for hours in line. Won't that be fun after running around all weekend on minimal sleep.  ::)

Quote from: pantsu on January 22, 2016, 12:30:13 AM
(Many other cons of Fanime's size start announcing guests and events for their next con a few months after that year's con ends.

What con does this? AX has 0 guests announce. Kraken con has 1 announced. SacAnime has 1 announced. Back your claims up with specific examples rather then throwing around generalizations. Really guests are the only thing we don't know about for next Fanime. All other programming is likely to be comparable to the year before. The only guest that makes any sort of difference to me for Fanime is who they are going to get for Music Fest. And if I really don't like who they get there is plenty of other programming going on. I couldn't imagine getting an autograph or photo making the difference between spending $55 + hotel or not.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: fanimefreak on January 22, 2016, 12:07:35 PM
I'd have to agree with a lot of the things people are saying. I think this system is a great idea. You can't hope to please everyone. No matter what system is implemented or not implemented there will always be those who have something to say.

My only hope is that/suggestion is that fanime staff communicate foe effectively and strive to create time lines for fanime announcements and events/changes. Overall I am very excited and looking forward to this year's Fanime.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Nina Star 9 on January 22, 2016, 12:24:19 PM
Quote from: pitin on January 22, 2016, 11:37:49 AM
Quote from: pantsu on January 22, 2016, 12:30:13 AM
(Many other cons of Fanime's size start announcing guests and events for their next con a few months after that year's con ends.

What con does this? AX has 0 guests announce. Kraken con has 1 announced. SacAnime has 1 announced. Back your claims up with specific examples rather then throwing around generalizations. Really guests are the only thing we don't know about for next Fanime. All other programming is likely to be comparable to the year before. The only guest that makes any sort of difference to me for Fanime is who they are going to get for Music Fest. And if I really don't like who they get there is plenty of other programming going on. I couldn't imagine getting an autograph or photo making the difference between spending $55 + hotel or not.
AX has their organizational problems as well, but they have a guest announced -- Yoshitaka Amano. A huge name. They also have hotels already up, and event applications up, which is /way/ ahead of Fanime.

Kraken-con is nowhere near Fanime's size so that isn't a fair comparison. They also don't have the same organizational problems that Fanime does, so again, not a fair comparison. ;]

I can't speak to Sac-Anime, but they usually get a lot of good guests, at least American VAs. They also usually have more guests lined up than announced -- I don't feel like digging my program guide from last con out of my car, but they usually have an ad for next con on the back page that announces a few guests. It's also twice a year, so the timescale is a bit different than Fanime's.


Looking at cons closer to Fanime's size, using the 2014 North American con numbers and assuming Fanime has ~25,000 attendees, since that was the original comparison:
ACen doesn't appear to have any guests yet, but they have programming submissions open, and their Dealer's list is full.  Not sure if they have accepted AA members yet.
Anime North doesn't have much announced, but they do have a few panels up. Canadian con, if that matters.
A-Kon has made several guest announcements.
AWA has several guests announced and they are in September/October
Otakuthon is a bit smaller and in Canada, but has a number of guests announced guests announced

Not using anything from March and sooner (so things like Sakuracon that's in March, Katsucon next month, etc.).


Not sure if this really "proves" anything, but if we're going to base arguments on what other cons do, we should at least have the facts on that.

It looks like (counting AX), of the larger non-Fanime cons in NA, 4/6 have guest announcements, and 6/6 have some form of content announced, whether that is programming submissions, Dealer's applications, etc. I also don't know whether these cons tend to have the same paltry guest lineup and poor communication that Fanime typically does, since I don't keep up with them. (Also programming "likely to be comparable to the year before" isn't enough for a lot of people, especially when some of that programming -- most famously the Masquerade -- has a reputation for being a bit of a mess.)


I'm not the type where a guest will make or break my attending a con (with very few exceptions for very few guests -- if I had money and time for it, I'd travel for Yoko Shimomura, Kotono Mitsuishi, and possibly a few others), but I know that for many people, that does factor in heavily.

I think the bigger issue here is the general lack of communication by this con, whether that is on guests, hotels, etc., rather than whether a specific announcement has been made yet for this particular year. It's more about the overall pattern.



Quote from: Amanojaku on January 22, 2016, 09:22:38 AM
Its hard to say... a few years ago I was able to get a room for the full weekend in the Hilton about a month after hotel booking opened up no problem.  Then the last couple years, I can't get into the site the first day it opens, and by the middle of the week I would get a stray Double Tree room for 1 day (all that was left, save the airport hotel) and was added to the waitlist for the full weekend.  And every time, I've had my waitlist granted.  So I guess its impossible to know how much of that was room hording and how much was simply an increase in attendees needing a room, but I do recall the occasional craigslist add of people trying to "sell" their Hilton/Marriot rooms.
Now that you mention it, I have seen some posts around on places like cosplay.com where people are trying to fill large room blocks. Mostly that was on person, though. I don't have Facebook, so I don't know if that kind of thing is happening more often over there or not.

So scalping may be a legitimate issue. But I still feel like at /least/ half the problem is with there simply not being enough rooms, as well as the ensuing room panic where people know that there aren't enough rooms and thus try to snap up whatever they can get. Hopefully, rationing the rooms out like this will help with that part of it, and it won't then cause a "badge panic" where everyone tries to be first in line to buy their badges.



So I'm really hoping this system works, and that it doesn't screw over people like artists and dealers. Increased communication from the con and a solid timeline on when things will be announced would really help out, so that people don't have to worry about whether they can get a room or not because of XYZ circumstance.

The system seems good for a lot of your "average" attendees, and will (hopefully) be better in future years for people coming from far away who hesitated on a badge because of unknown rooming situations but may not hesitate in future years now that they know this system is in place. It's the special categories of attendees that I'm most worried about, especially give this con's late timeline for most things (and notoriously long AA wait times). Do you want to keep attracting people who provide programming to your con (like artists do), especially ones who are trying to run a professional business? You have to treat them well, and this isn't doing it.


Sorry if I seem overly salty. I'm really hoping that this new system works, and I'll probably be one of the ones to personally benefit from it. I'm really glad that they are trying to do something about this abysmal hotel situation, but there are too many unknowns at this point, and the con has a habit of not communicating information in a timely manner, so it's hard to know how well this will actually be implemented.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: SquishyK on January 22, 2016, 01:14:49 PM
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on January 22, 2016, 12:24:19 PM
especially when some of that programming -- most famously the Masquerade -- has a reputation for being a bit of a mess.

I'm not disagreeing that Fanime has had communication problems. On a couple of occasions I've sent emails to fanime that this or that event wasn't listed in the program or didn't have accurate information. But I just don't think fanime telling us "we will have a masquerade" is any indication of how good it will be or if there will be technical issues and so on. And thus attendees can't base whether they will or will not go based on an announcement like that. Programming quality (aside from guests) has less to do with announcing said programming to the general public and more to do with execution. To get a general idea of what the con will be like it is not unreasonable to say "look at least year's programming" and then decide if you want to go or not. I just feel like it is a wild exaggeration for pantsu to say "We know absolutely NOTHING about the con, except that it's happening memorial day weekend in san jose.  No announcements of any kind."

Considering they got badge reg up before Christmas that's actually much earlier then some years. AA selection is taking a while but the actual submission process was also punctual by Fanime standards. They probably can't open masquerade or panel submissions too early or they are likely to get quite a few cancelations.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: pantsu on January 24, 2016, 12:22:39 AM
Quote from: pitin on January 22, 2016, 11:37:49 AM
What con does this?

Mostly large cons in the Midwest and East: ACen, AnimeBoston, Megacon, to name a few.  It's normal for there to have been at least 1 or 2 announcements of guests and/or events before badge and hotel registration opens (usually ~6 months pre-con).  (Dragoncon is notorious for announcing guests quickly post-con, however their hotel reservation system is a whole other hot mess that I won't bring up here, and usually happens 1-6 weeks post-con.)

Yes, WE can look at the events from last year, but will they be the same?  Maybe there won't be enough $ to do Musicfest for example.  Or we can't get the hall for the B&W ball.  Also this doesn't help total newbies, as all the events just say "coming soon" on the website.  Not everyone who comes to Fanime is from CA (or the west coast for that matter)...and traveling for a con means that there is some holycrapamazing thing/person/event you want to participate in.  In any case, we won't know unless it is communicated, and communication has been horrendous the last several years.

I'm not asking for the moon here...right now we're roughly 4 months out and nothing has been announced.  Not hotel prices, which are kind of important since hotel reg is looming.  Every year it feels like everything is cut closer and closer to the wire.  IMO, this is not really the best way to market a convention to its attendees...rather, it feels as though Fanime is "riding its laurels" instead of striving to be better.  Maybe I'm just spoiled by decently run cons back east (I'm a recent transplant), but for its size and supposed reputation, Fanime really should be bringing the big guns when it comes to communication, programming, and event planning.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on January 24, 2016, 05:14:42 PM
You know, isnt this just going to cause a giant rush to prereg next year, the same problem we have with Hotels anyways?
Also, now that scalpers would know they just need to prereg to get themselves room priority, wouldn't they just prereg and wrap that in with the investment cost? In the grand scheme of things the difference between 350 and 400 isnt going to stop scalpers all that much.
Hell, they could sell the badge with the room, its not like there is much name checking between the name on the badge and IDs besides +18 content, and even that can be bypassed easily sense staff doesn't have much time to check any details other then age when they need to push 100+ people into a room.

The only thing ive seen that really helps out is just limiting rooms to one per badge. Scalpers would only have so much they can initially invest into getting badges for the hotel rooms, and would think twice about grabbing more then a few badges.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on January 24, 2016, 06:30:24 PM
There is a limit 1 room per badge that fanime had stated in a facebook posts. Also prior to paying for the badges for the following year my friends and I have always had our IDs checked prior to buying it. I'm sure there's ways to get past it, but there's not much we can do for that. There's always possibility of shady people out there but like everyone else is saying, we don't truly know if this is a horrible system to put in place until we actually see results. Who knows maybe if they do have more people pre-reg earlier we could get more funding for better programs.

Quote from: TC_X0_Lt_0X on January 24, 2016, 05:14:42 PM
You know, isnt this just going to cause a giant rush to prereg next year, the same problem we have with Hotels anyways?
Also, now that scalpers would know they just need to prereg to get themselves room priority, wouldn't they just prereg and wrap that in with the investment cost? In the grand scheme of things the difference between 350 and 400 isnt going to stop scalpers all that much.
Hell, they could sell the badge with the room, its not like there is much name checking between the name on the badge and IDs besides +18 content, and even that can be bypassed easily sense staff doesn't have much time to check any details other then age when they need to push 100+ people into a room.

The only thing ive seen that really helps out is just limiting rooms to one per badge. Scalpers would only have so much they can initially invest into getting badges for the hotel rooms, and would think twice about grabbing more then a few badges.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on January 24, 2016, 07:08:50 PM
Quote from: OtakuAngel87 on January 24, 2016, 06:30:24 PM
There is a limit 1 room per badge that fanime had stated in a facebook posts. Also prior to paying for the badges for the following year my friends and I have always had our IDs checked prior to buying it. I'm sure there's ways to get past it, but there's not much we can do for that. There's always possibility of shady people out there but like everyone else is saying, we don't truly know if this is a horrible system to put in place until we actually see results. Who knows maybe if they do have more people pre-reg earlier we could get more funding for better programs.

Quote from: TC_X0_Lt_0X on January 24, 2016, 05:14:42 PM
You know, isnt this just going to cause a giant rush to prereg next year, the same problem we have with Hotels anyways?
Also, now that scalpers would know they just need to prereg to get themselves room priority, wouldn't they just prereg and wrap that in with the investment cost? In the grand scheme of things the difference between 350 and 400 isnt going to stop scalpers all that much.
Hell, they could sell the badge with the room, its not like there is much name checking between the name on the badge and IDs besides +18 content, and even that can be bypassed easily sense staff doesn't have much time to check any details other then age when they need to push 100+ people into a room.

The only thing ive seen that really helps out is just limiting rooms to one per badge. Scalpers would only have so much they can initially invest into getting badges for the hotel rooms, and would think twice about grabbing more then a few badges.

Yes I am well aware of the one room per badge limit, which is why it was in my post. Group Registration gets past the need to check IDs for each badge, all you need is your own ID to pick them all up. Im not saying the system will necessarily be terrible, but there appears to be some glaring flaws with it.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Firefury Amahira on January 25, 2016, 12:16:30 AM
I think my biggest concern about this new system isn't necessarily how it will play out this year, but what it will mean for 2017 and onward assuming it works and they continue to use it. Arranging priority by when you get your badge strikes me as just passing the server stress up the line from hotels to registration; instead of everyone swarming the website when hotels go up, everyone will be swarming registration as soon as that goes up in the hopes of snagging that earlier priority window on the hotels.

The idea of priority windows isn't a bad one, since it would spread out the assault on the servers to hopefully manageable levels; but in the interest of preventing registration from getting DDOSed by everyone trying to register first, it might be a better idea to randomly assign the priority windows. Arguably a bit more fair, though there's certainly a fairness argument to be had for "I registered first, I should get priority first!" too.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on January 25, 2016, 05:47:08 AM
Quote from: Firefury Amahira on January 25, 2016, 12:16:30 AM
I think my biggest concern about this new system isn't necessarily how it will play out this year, but what it will mean for 2017 and onward assuming it works and they continue to use it. Arranging priority by when you get your badge strikes me as just passing the server stress up the line from hotels to registration; instead of everyone swarming the website when hotels go up, everyone will be swarming registration as soon as that goes up in the hopes of snagging that earlier priority window on the hotels.

The idea of priority windows isn't a bad one, since it would spread out the assault on the servers to hopefully manageable levels; but in the interest of preventing registration from getting DDOSed by everyone trying to register first, it might be a better idea to randomly assign the priority windows. Arguably a bit more fair, though there's certainly a fairness argument to be had for "I registered first, I should get priority first!" too.

Yeah basically it is the same thing. You are putting information into fields and doing a debit/credit transaction. The Hotels might be a bit more resource consuming if they have to send data through to the hotels as well, but not by much. Really the best solution for dealing with both rushes is just put up temporary servers for the launch days to deal with the heavy traffic. Even renting a few servers for a month is pretty dirt cheap in the grand scheme of only a few thousand hits at once, and I am pretty sure there are services out there that will rent out servers for those that just need them for a few days.

Lotterys are messy. It can be argued it is fair, sure, but I don't think anyone likes the idea that they are at the mercy of some random number generator somewhere. Old Hotel Reg isn't even too much of a lottery, just a practice of persistence and cleverness.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: SquishyK on January 25, 2016, 11:11:47 AM
The advantage of a required badge purchase prior to reserving a hotel is the initial monetary investment. You can't get that money back as opposed to the no-risk system that has been in place hereinto. It also prevents people for booking extra rooms early on for friends that end up making other arrangement. While the latter is a good intentioned legitimate practice it does hold up the very limited supply of rooms. This results in people being wait listed and also reserving a hotel room at their available second choice. Which in turn fill up causing more people to be wait listed. Then as the cancellation deadline draws closer and people start dropping rooms and others are notified that they got a room from the wait list they then have to drop their back up room. All-in-all it's a rather messy system. It's possible that groups who need 2+ hotel rooms have had 4-5 of their members reserving 2+ rooms each and then dropping them later just so they could get their best chances at high demand rooms.

My feeling is that those who reserve badges right off the bat should get first crack at rooms (no loto system). For one, a per-badge loto system might make it difficult for families (or other groups) who need 2+ rooms to reserve them at the same hotel if they end up with drastically different priority times for each badge. Secondly there are people who try so hard to ensure they get a close hotel because they would be significantly inconvenienced by being at a distance from the con-center (sellers, cosplayers with large props/costume pieces, people with handicaps).

This also strikes me as the most handicapped friendly system. They can get badges at con for the next year (in a priority line if the regular line would be too long). And then get in an early hotel reservation group and likely be able to get a hotel close to the con center. I can't imagine the system that we have had up to this point would be considered highly accessible unless there are other avenues for hotel reservations that people with a handicap could go through that I am un-aware of (this is quite possible, I am not all-knowing).
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: fanimefreak on January 25, 2016, 12:53:52 PM
I want to know exactly how they are choosing the reservation blocks. Like, if you registered at con on Monday I'm sure you get priority reservation. So what about when the con opened up for registration on the 21st? Do the people who registered in the first hour go into a priority block or is it people who registered within the first 5 days? It would be nice if they'd tell us.

It'd also be nice if they told us how they are doing the block system in case you are supposed to be in the block but they somehow missed you when they sent out emails
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: SquishyK on January 25, 2016, 02:21:23 PM
I don't think they'll give us time frames for who got into which priority block. It will likely depend greatly on the number of people who registered during any one time frame. I have a feeling though that when email notifications go out we might see some "I registered on X date and have Y priority date. What did you get?" posted by fans on the forum and/or social media.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Nina Star 9 on January 25, 2016, 05:21:41 PM
I agree that this might cause a rush on badges, but I doubt that it'll be just as easy for scalpers, or for people to grab up a bunch of hotel rooms, since the one-room-per-badge policy and the hotel booking priority windows remove the incentive for grabbing up a bunch of hotel rooms that there is now. I'm still worried for the safety of the servers on opening badge day next year though!

I'm glad that AA notifications have gone out. Hopefully artists will be put on a higher priority for hotels. Still doesn't solve the issue of industry, press, etc.


I get the feeling that the hotel booking windows won't be by even or pre-determined blocks of time, but rather by number. So the first 200 badges are the first window, the next 200 badges are the next window, etc., even if badge 200 and 201 were bought seconds apart. (Just using example numbers since I have no idea how large the blocks will be.) So with this system, it could easily mean that several weeks of buying time are a single window, and then the next window spans only a few minutes or hours of buying time. It would make a lot more sense than splitting it up by time.

Though, it would still be nice to get an estimate of blocks of time, which will probably only be able to be sussed out with a bit of detective work and people comparing hotel booking windows, since we don't know what number our badge is (bought first, second, 200th, etc.) or what the windows will be.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: fanimefreak on January 27, 2016, 06:58:47 PM
Okay, it's January 27th guys, starting to lose my patience a little bit.  Can we get any info at all on what's in store and when???
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: pantsu on January 27, 2016, 07:43:07 PM
My kingdom for AT LEAST a hotel price breakdown by property/occupancy.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Avairrianna on January 28, 2016, 09:55:43 AM
I hope that the time blocks for rooms are based off a numbering system. Like the first 500 badges are this date and time, 501-1000 are this date and time and so on. That way the rush of people who bought on the day of the announcement (like myself) get separated out some from each other.

Also I hope that when on the phone (cause who has faith that the website will stay up even with blocks of people) that if I have 2 badge numbers in my hand I'm allowed to book 2 rooms on one call. I have my friend's badge information but I'm still the one most likely to be available when hotels open so I hope I can book another room with my name but another badge/or can book a hotel on their behalf.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: fanimefreak on January 28, 2016, 10:08:28 AM
I wonder what the actual room availability will be like once they factor in at con registration last year and artist alley/dealers hall attendees.  Since they get first dibs it's probably going to be slim chances of good hotels even for the people who registered right when it opened this year
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: SquishyK on January 28, 2016, 03:15:52 PM
Quote from: fanimefreak on January 28, 2016, 10:08:28 AM
I wonder what the actual room availability will be like once they factor in at con registration last year and artist alley/dealers hall attendees.  Since they get first dibs it's probably going to be slim chances of good hotels even for the people who registered right when it opened this year

I don't think there has been any official confirmation that people registered for artist alley/dealers hall will get special priority for hotel booking.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: DangerHeart on January 29, 2016, 10:47:35 AM
Quote from: pantsu on January 27, 2016, 07:43:07 PM
My kingdom for AT LEAST a hotel price breakdown by property/occupancy.

YES YES YES. And hopefully a real breakdown unlike last year that just had the cheapest price and highest price for each hotel. I prefer to know the difference between one bed/two bed for each hotel.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: SquishyK on January 29, 2016, 12:11:25 PM
I have a feeling they won't release official prices until after the Super Bowl. Especially if they need any kind of confirmation/cooperation from the hotels at this point. They will all be rather preoccupied for the next week.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: MaliciousKittie on January 30, 2016, 12:58:50 AM
Im gonna ask a question that's slightly off topic.
Fanime is going to email us our priority window in a separate email from our Reg confirmation right? I know it's a silly question, but I just want to clarify.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on January 30, 2016, 02:25:41 AM
that's what my understanding of what they said
Quote from: MaliciousKittie on January 30, 2016, 12:58:50 AM
Im gonna ask a question that's slightly off topic.
Fanime is going to email us our priority window in a separate email from our Reg confirmation right? I know it's a silly question, but I just want to clarify.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: fanimefreak on February 01, 2016, 01:06:25 PM
I want info!  So impatient!!
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: echoshadow on February 01, 2016, 09:05:18 PM
Quote from: fanimefreak on February 01, 2016, 01:06:25 PM
I want info!  So impatient!!

They said sometime this month. My guess middle of the month.

You want faster service? Complain.  :P ;D
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: fanimefreak on February 03, 2016, 11:37:43 AM
I told you not to comment on any of my posts again echoshadow please refrain from doing so. Please refrain from even being "part" of the forums.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on February 03, 2016, 09:10:17 PM
Quote from: fanimefreak on February 03, 2016, 11:37:43 AM
I told you not to comment on any of my posts again echoshadow please refrain from doing so. Please refrain from even being "part" of the forums.

While echo may be a bit to obtuse for me, he is well within his rights to respond to anyone he pleases or be part of the forums.
My suggestion would be to just put him on your ignore list, if you really don't want to see his posts.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Melphina on February 05, 2016, 08:02:03 AM
Does the wait remind anyone else of watching DBZ when Goku is charging up the spirit bomb. We know its coming soon but the suspense is kill us. 
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Firefury Amahira on February 05, 2016, 11:36:42 PM
Quote from: Melphina on February 05, 2016, 08:02:03 AM
Does the wait remind anyone else of watching DBZ when Goku is charging up the spirit bomb. We know its coming soon but the suspense is kill us.
Eh, more the infamous "five minutes until Namek blows up." :P
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: echoshadow on February 06, 2016, 02:37:47 AM
Quote from: fanimefreak on February 03, 2016, 11:37:43 AM
I told you not to comment on any of my posts again echoshadow please refrain from doing so. Please refrain from even being "part" of the forums.
(https://forums.fanime.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F4zYKtHv.gif&hash=16645749c1a116ef4501148281a305f3d56cbac9)

Sorry I couldn't resist. (not really sorry though...)

Quote from: Firefury Amahira on February 05, 2016, 11:36:42 PM
Quote from: Melphina on February 05, 2016, 08:02:03 AM
Does the wait remind anyone else of watching DBZ when Goku is charging up the spirit bomb. We know its coming soon but the suspense is kill us.
Eh, more the infamous "five minutes until Namek blows up." :P
LOL true that.


Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Nina Star 9 on February 10, 2016, 06:16:44 PM
For those who did not see it on the Facebook page:

QuoteHousing Priority windows will open for registration on February 24th, 2016. Emails will go out to all of the pre-registered attendees on 2/17 informing you of your booking window with more information on next steps.

General housing reservations will open on February 29th, 2016.

For information on room types, amenities, and rates for housing, please visit: https://staging.cmrhousing.com/fanime2016/gp/INFO/Housing/ResHotel

At least we have a timeframe, specific dates, and hotel pricing info. I'm glad.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Ecchi ja Nai on February 10, 2016, 11:52:49 PM
Wow.  The initial post from FB stating that attendee housing would be opening "soon" was published back on January 20th.  Today, three weeks later, we finally get information on when hotel reg will be opening.  It'll be another week until the booking window emails are sent out, and then an additional week on top of that before people can actually begin to register.

Apparently when they said "soon," they actually meant "in a little more than a month."  At this rate, Fanime 2017 will also be here soon.

Yeah, I'm glad we finally have some decent information to go by, but come on.  You really can't say that it's "better late than never" in this case when you consider what's involved for hopeful attendees.  I mean, unless the blocks of time allotted to each group of people to register for a room is only a couple of hours long - which it better not be - you're almost definitely going to have people who wind up just starting the process of signing up for a room less than three months before the start of the con.  I'm hopeful this new process reduces, if not eliminates, the waitlist this year, but if it doesn't it's going to be really tight for those waiting to see if any rooms free up.  I don't even remember how long a window there is to cancel a reservation, but yikes.  People better plan carefully.

I actually thought rolling out the rooms in blocks based on when people registered was a welcome change.  We won't really know how well it works until housing actually opens, but at least it's an attempt at an improvement rather than sticking with the tried-and-terrible.  Despite that, we really should have been able to book rooms by now.  Teasing us with the promise of progress only to make us wait an additional 35 days before we can actually do anything was just a low blow.

I even double-checked the post to make sure I wasn't being unfair, but no, the second sentence in the post specifically said the actual registration was opening soon:
QuoteHello FanimeCon community!

FanimeCon attendee housing will be opening soon. This year we are implementing a new process to improve the room booking experience. Here are some more details about our new booking process.
Only towards the end does it mention posting date information soon, and now we finally know how look it took to get that out.

At this point there's not much we can do.  I can only hope that the actual registration process works out... and in the mean time add snark to my posts here.  That, and check to see if there's been any updates to other important con information.

Guests: Coming soon
MusicFest: Coming soon
Swap Meet: Coming soon
...
dang.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Angelx624 on February 11, 2016, 12:19:38 AM
Well, Ecchi, at this rate, those "coming soons" probably mean a month and a half from now..... (._.)"

At least we finally have a date on when hotels start opening up for the pre-regged people. Now I have til the 24th(or later) to figure out my exact room situation....... XDD (I have an idea of it, but need to confirm who's rooming with me. Siiigh...)
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: citrus on February 11, 2016, 01:19:59 AM
Meanwhile, in animazement!

*Looks at the crazy amount of guests they're bringing and the information they have available to give attendees an idea on what they have install for that convention. And compares it to fanime's lack of communication and information about ANY EVENTS as well lack of guest announcements.*

Yep... Fanime has not changed that much in the past 4 years. The only thing that has changed for 2016 is that their communication towards attendees are a LITTLE better but not by much. I can guarantee you the staff are reading this and yet they won't comment about our concerns at all on the forums. They are communicating on facebook but communication is still not as good as it should be. At least instead of claming up and instead they are answering very important questions. And despite the changes in the hotel system, we don't know whether or not it's GOING to work.

Okay so this is what I am understanding.  February 17th is the day informing you of your booking window with more information on next steps. Meaning what exactly? What time we can register for hotels and how to book a room? Housing Priority windows will open for registration on February 24th. Meaning those that have registered to whatever day or month will be available to all and register it?  General housing reservations will open on February 29th, 2016. This I can understand. CHAOS WILL NOW ENSUE. I hope this year's hotel system will be better then last year's...

Honestly, to me all that Fanime has got it going for me is that 1. That it's cheap and is close by where I live 2. Musicfest and 3. the vendor's hall. The reason why I have been so salty since I joined the forums was because of Fanime's Abysmal communication 1. I feel like Fanime has not changed and the quality of programming has gone downhill since 2012 3. Late, late EVERYTHING is SUPER late and hamstringed together. 2015 everything felt so rushed!  and definitely for me 4. What else is there to do at the memorial weekend? and 5 a big factor for me. Guest quality and programming has gone downhill or not changed in my eyes. We have the same panels and the same 2 guests that come to Fanime every year.

Fanime's tagline "For fans, by fans"? Does that mean that the entire Fanime show is run by a bunch of amateurs? I remember Fanime use to felt like it was ran very professionally but as time goes by... I feel like it's amateurs, that run the show now because on how every is late and for it's lack of communication. The conventions get's bigger and bigger each year, shouldn't the attendee's money be going towards improvements significant improvements instead of remaining the same?

*Sigh* there I said my pieces of salty complaints and get it out of my system...


Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Ecchi ja Nai on February 15, 2016, 11:09:05 AM
Heh, I suppose in an attempt to rub salt into open wounds, I just got an email notifying me that the hotel blocks for Anime Expo are now open.  We still have another two days until we hear when we're able to reg for Fanime's hotels.  So, yeah...
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: fanimefreak on February 17, 2016, 10:34:31 AM
Does anyone have their email yet? Or have any idea when they plan on sending out emails today?
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on February 17, 2016, 10:40:09 AM
I was just about to ask same thing... I'd assume they would email throughout the day and I've been checking every hr, still nothing :(
Quote from: fanimefreak on February 17, 2016, 10:34:31 AM
Does anyone have their email yet? Or have any idea when they plan on sending out emails today?
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: novaks47 on February 17, 2016, 11:08:18 AM
I just got my email. Looks like we get a date, and a 3-hour window to book. Mine is Feb 25, at 3PM, for example.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: svatoid on February 17, 2016, 11:08:30 AM
I just got me e-mail. It was time stamped at 11:01 AM
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Avairrianna on February 17, 2016, 11:11:40 AM
Got my time block for 2/25 at noon
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on February 17, 2016, 11:16:22 AM
I just got mine too, however, I thought it was 1 confirmation per badge?? How does it work if your a group leader? My date is 24th at 6 am >. <
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: YaoiCat on February 17, 2016, 11:34:57 AM
Quote from: OtakuAngel87 on February 17, 2016, 11:16:22 AM
I just got mine too, however, I thought it was 1 confirmation per badge?? How does it work if your a group leader? My date is 24th at 6 am >. <

I'm wondering the same thing, I'm a group leader and I have a couple of other people in my group that will need to get their own room, but I'm the only person who received the email about hotel booking window.

The 24th at 6am though, that's a good time slot!!  Mine isn't until the 25th at 12pm, I hope there are still rooms available :/
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Dracil on February 17, 2016, 11:39:03 AM
I think everyone in the group should have received an email separately with their reservation info.  That was the case for us.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on February 17, 2016, 11:39:24 AM
I'm sure there will be rooms by time u get to your time block. I'm hoping they get back to me asap regarding the issue for teams that will need multiple rooms.
Quote from: YaoiCat on February 17, 2016, 11:34:57 AM
Quote from: OtakuAngel87 on February 17, 2016, 11:16:22 AM
I just got mine too, however, I thought it was 1 confirmation per badge?? How does it work if your a group leader? My date is 24th at 6 am >. <

I'm wondering the same thing, I'm a group leader and I have a couple of other people in my group that will need to get their own room, but I'm the only person who received the email about hotel booking window.

The 24th at 6am though, that's a good time slot!!  Mine isn't until the 25th at 12pm, I hope there are still rooms available :/
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on February 17, 2016, 11:40:49 AM
I don't think fanime has my other group members emails. When I got original confirmation for the badge I was sent everyones info. That kind of sucks, would have been nice if we were told ahead of time.
Quote from: Dracil on February 17, 2016, 11:39:03 AM
I think everyone in the group should have received an email separately with their reservation info.  That was the case for us.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: YaoiCat on February 17, 2016, 11:57:36 AM
Quote from: OtakuAngel87 on February 17, 2016, 11:40:49 AM
I don't think fanime has my other group members emails. When I got original confirmation for the badge I was sent everyones info. That kind of sucks, would have been nice if we were told ahead of time.
Quote from: Dracil on February 17, 2016, 11:39:03 AM
I think everyone in the group should have received an email separately with their reservation info.  That was the case for us.

Same, I used my e-mail address for everyone that I registered in my group.  I emailed fanime housing about it and all they told me was that they were unable to send my group members' booking information since they all used my email.  But they didn't tell me how to get my group members' booking info :(
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on February 17, 2016, 12:04:19 PM
well all we can do is play the waiting game and hope we will b able to get more rooms for groups
Quote from: YaoiCat on February 17, 2016, 11:57:36 AM
Quote from: OtakuAngel87 on February 17, 2016, 11:40:49 AM
I don't think fanime has my other group members emails. When I got original confirmation for the badge I was sent everyones info. That kind of sucks, would have been nice if we were told ahead of time.
Quote from: Dracil on February 17, 2016, 11:39:03 AM
I think everyone in the group should have received an email separately with their reservation info.  That was the case for us.

Same, I used my e-mail address for everyone that I registered in my group.  I emailed fanime housing about it and all they told me was that they were unable to send my group members' booking information since they all used my email.  But they didn't tell me how to get my group members' booking info :(
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: pantsu on February 17, 2016, 12:54:41 PM
got my email... 2/25 at noon.  here's hoping i can get something decent by then.

i registered pretty late, actually.  did it right after they announced the priority hotel thing on FB.  i'm interested to know how many badges were binned per 3 hr time slot (10? 100? etc.).  anyone have insight on that?
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kyra_Maverick on February 17, 2016, 01:01:42 PM
Quote from: YaoiCat on February 17, 2016, 11:57:36 AM
Quote from: OtakuAngel87 on February 17, 2016, 11:40:49 AM
I don't think fanime has my other group members emails. When I got original confirmation for the badge I was sent everyones info. That kind of sucks, would have been nice if we were told ahead of time.
Quote from: Dracil on February 17, 2016, 11:39:03 AM
I think everyone in the group should have received an email separately with their reservation info.  That was the case for us.

Same, I used my e-mail address for everyone that I registered in my group.  I emailed fanime housing about it and all they told me was that they were unable to send my group members' booking information since they all used my email.  But they didn't tell me how to get my group members' booking info :(

It looks like all that is needed to book the room is the attendee's last name and their registration number. You can access this info for your group by logging into the registration website. I imagine everyone in the group has the same booking window.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on February 17, 2016, 01:23:28 PM
thanks ill try that last time I tried to log in though it said it couldn't find my info, b ut  ill try again
Quote from: Kyra_Maverick on February 17, 2016, 01:01:42 PM
Quote from: YaoiCat on February 17, 2016, 11:57:36 AM
Quote from: OtakuAngel87 on February 17, 2016, 11:40:49 AM
I don't think fanime has my other group members emails. When I got original confirmation for the badge I was sent everyones info. That kind of sucks, would have been nice if we were told ahead of time.
Quote from: Dracil on February 17, 2016, 11:39:03 AM
I think everyone in the group should have received an email separately with their reservation info.  That was the case for us.

Same, I used my e-mail address for everyone that I registered in my group.  I emailed fanime housing about it and all they told me was that they were unable to send my group members' booking information since they all used my email.  But they didn't tell me how to get my group members' booking info :(

It looks like all that is needed to book the room is the attendee's last name and their registration number. You can access this info for your group by logging into the registration website. I imagine everyone in the group has the same booking window.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Amanojaku on February 17, 2016, 01:26:31 PM
2/25 at 9am, not bad.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Gwydion on February 17, 2016, 01:48:23 PM
I registered 3 other people under myself shortly after the Twitter post for reg appeared on the first day. Each one using their actual info, Including email addresses. We all got the email for the same date and time. Checking with one to see if the confirmation numbers are the same...they aren't.

Interesting.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: InsaneDavid on February 17, 2016, 01:59:30 PM
Quote from: Kyra_Maverick on February 17, 2016, 01:01:42 PM
It looks like all that is needed to book the room is the attendee's last name and their registration number. You can access this info for your group by logging into the registration website. I imagine everyone in the group has the same booking window.

Yeah, was just about to post this.  In the Fanime Hotels e-mail it states:

"If you have registered any guests, it is your responsibility to inform them of this booking window. If they reserve a room separately from you, their Confirmation Code and Last Name will be required to complete their reservation."

Sounds like everyone in a group will have the same window as the group leader and it is the responsibility of the group leader to distribute the information to their group.  It also sounds like each person who would like to book a room will use THEIR individual confirmation code and THEIR last name.

Of course no one will know for sure until that first window opens up.

Additionally your original Confirmation of Registration e-mail / receipt should list the confirmation number of each person in your group in the section after your "Profile" in an area titled "Registration Summary" - there should be one for each person.  It should say -

"Registration Summary -- (CONFIRMATION CODE) (NAME ON BADGE)" (Group Leader)
(List of leader's membership and rest of group along with badge cost for each)
(Table with Fees, Payments, and Payment Date / Type)

"Registration Summary -- (CONFIRMATION CODE) (NAME ON BADGE)" (Second Member)
(Their membership and registration fees)

"Registration Summary -- (CONFIRMATION CODE) (NAME ON BADGE)" (Third Member)
(Their membership and registration fees)

etc.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on February 17, 2016, 02:24:02 PM
thank you so much, ill definitely forward that info to my team :)
Quote from: InsaneDavid on February 17, 2016, 01:59:30 PM
Quote from: Kyra_Maverick on February 17, 2016, 01:01:42 PM
It looks like all that is needed to book the room is the attendee's last name and their registration number. You can access this info for your group by logging into the registration website. I imagine everyone in the group has the same booking window.

Yeah, was just about to post this.  In the Fanime Hotels e-mail it states:

"If you have registered any guests, it is your responsibility to inform them of this booking window. If they reserve a room separately from you, their Confirmation Code and Last Name will be required to complete their reservation."

Sounds like everyone in a group will have the same window as the group leader and it is the responsibility of the group leader to distribute the information to their group.  It also sounds like each person who would like to book a room will use THEIR individual confirmation code and THEIR last name.

Of course no one will know for sure until that first window opens up.

Additionally your original Confirmation of Registration e-mail / receipt should list the confirmation number of each person in your group in the section after your "Profile" in an area titled "Registration Summary" - there should be one for each person.  It should say -

"Registration Summary -- (CONFIRMATION CODE) (NAME ON BADGE)" (Group Leader)
(List of leader's membership and rest of group along with badge cost for each)
(Table with Fees, Payments, and Payment Date / Type)

"Registration Summary -- (CONFIRMATION CODE) (NAME ON BADGE)" (Second Member)
(Their membership and registration fees)

"Registration Summary -- (CONFIRMATION CODE) (NAME ON BADGE)" (Third Member)
(Their membership and registration fees)

etc.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: InsaneDavid on February 17, 2016, 02:34:23 PM
Quote from: OtakuAngel87 on February 17, 2016, 02:24:02 PM
thank you so much, ill definitely forward that info to my team :)

No problem.  Keep in mind I'm NOT staff or anything, that's just the way I'm interpreting the information in the hotels e-mail and the earlier conformation receipt e-mail.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on February 17, 2016, 02:37:20 PM
yep... Still doesn't hurt to pass info on to team members. Hopefully they will officially respond to my email and I can get accurate info
Quote from: InsaneDavid on February 17, 2016, 02:34:23 PM
Quote from: OtakuAngel87 on February 17, 2016, 02:24:02 PM
thank you so much, ill definitely forward that info to my team :)

No problem.  Keep in mind I'm NOT staff or anything, that's just the way I'm interpreting the information in the hotels e-mail and the earlier conformation receipt e-mail.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: novaks47 on February 17, 2016, 04:10:52 PM
Quote from: YaoiCat on February 17, 2016, 11:34:57 AM
Quote from: OtakuAngel87 on February 17, 2016, 11:16:22 AM
I just got mine too, however, I thought it was 1 confirmation per badge?? How does it work if your a group leader? My date is 24th at 6 am >. <

I'm wondering the same thing, I'm a group leader and I have a couple of other people in my group that will need to get their own room, but I'm the only person who received the email about hotel booking window.

The 24th at 6am though, that's a good time slot!!  Mine isn't until the 25th at 12pm, I hope there are still rooms available :/

You and me both! I live too far away to not have a hotel room! Add to that, the regular rates are way out of my budget.  :o Fingers crossed!
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Angelx624 on February 17, 2016, 06:00:51 PM
I got an email, too. Though I'm not really planning on booking a room myself this year, still nice to see the emails being sent out. XD
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Freud on February 18, 2016, 08:35:32 AM
24th @9am unfortunately haven't found any roommates so I'm not sure if I want to risk booking it. I guess I can always cancel but this is my first time even considering a hotel room so I'm way too new to this.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on February 18, 2016, 09:09:26 AM
well it never hurts to book it and look for roommates later on. There is bound to be people looking for a room who couldn't reserve one themselves. As u said u could always cancel it. Since you have a really good time block and considering a room, id recommend going for it. They don't charge your card until you check out
Quote from: Freud on February 18, 2016, 08:35:32 AM
24th @9am unfortunately haven't found any roommates so I'm not sure if I want to risk booking it. I guess I can always cancel but this is my first time even considering a hotel room so I'm way too new to this.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Nina Star 9 on February 18, 2016, 10:42:25 AM
The 25th at noon, paid for my registration right after the hotel announcement.

I hope there's still connected hotels available at that time. I wonder what my odds are?
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on February 18, 2016, 07:17:39 PM
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on February 18, 2016, 10:42:25 AM
The 25th at noon, paid for my registration right after the hotel announcement.

I hope there's still connected hotels available at that time. I wonder what my odds are?

I guess Im going to have to sabotage you aye?
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Runewitt on February 18, 2016, 09:30:12 PM
I still havent gotten my email.. should i be worried? I know that it is just info on when hotel booking will be open, but it will be nice to know.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on February 18, 2016, 10:29:32 PM
when did u pre-reg? I know people who pre-reg in Jan already got theirs. Worse case u could wait til general release of rooms on the 29th xp.
Quote from: Runewitt on February 18, 2016, 09:30:12 PM
I still havent gotten my email.. should i be worried? I know that it is just info on when hotel booking will be open, but it will be nice to know.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: fatlifts on February 18, 2016, 10:43:13 PM
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on February 18, 2016, 10:42:25 AM
The 25th at noon, paid for my registration right after the hotel announcement.

I hope there's still connected hotels available at that time. I wonder what my odds are?
Got the same day, the 25th, at 9am. Personally, when I saw the time slot, I immediately went to register at my second choice (The Westin), probably the most convenient hotel (just across the street) besides the connected Hilton and Marriott hotels and a bit cheaper as well than either of those at the full rate.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Runewitt on February 18, 2016, 10:48:17 PM
Quote from: OtakuAngel87 on February 18, 2016, 10:29:32 PM
when did u pre-reg? I know people who pre-reg in Jan already got theirs. Worse case u could wait til general release of rooms on the 29th xp.
Quote from: Runewitt on February 18, 2016, 09:30:12 PM
I still havent gotten my email.. should i be worried? I know that it is just info on when hotel booking will be open, but it will be nice to know.
it looks like my payment went through on the 4th of this month.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on February 19, 2016, 12:02:38 AM
since the priority registration was based on badge purchase dates, u might get an email sometime this weekend, but due to late registered date, u might have to wait for the general public reservation period.  However don't quote me I'm not staff this is all an assumption, hopefully you r still able to reserve a room
Quote from: Runewitt on February 18, 2016, 10:48:17 PM
Quote from: OtakuAngel87 on February 18, 2016, 10:29:32 PM
when did u pre-reg? I know people who pre-reg in Jan already got theirs. Worse case u could wait til general release of rooms on the 29th xp.
Quote from: Runewitt on February 18, 2016, 09:30:12 PM
I still havent gotten my email.. should i be worried? I know that it is just info on when hotel booking will be open, but it will be nice to know.
it looks like my payment went through on the 4th of this month.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Angelx624 on February 19, 2016, 01:02:05 AM
I might book a room after all just in case, cause I'm feeling super picky this year, compared to last year's room experiences. :X (I realize now that shoving 7-8 people into a room really isn't my thing, no matter the costs. But if I get my own room then I can choose how many people I want staying with me...)

And I can always cancel the room if I end up not needing it. But if I can find enough people to room with me by the 25th, I guess this'll be my first time booking. >_<"
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on February 19, 2016, 07:50:02 AM
that's true, u can always cancel the room if u dont end up needing it, plus they usually have a later cancelation date then fanime
Quote from: Angelx624 on February 19, 2016, 01:02:05 AM
I might book a room after all just in case, cause I'm feeling super picky this year, compared to last year's room experiences. :X (I realize now that shoving 7-8 people into a room really isn't my thing, no matter the costs. But if I get my own room then I can choose how many people I want staying with me...)

And I can always cancel the room if I end up not needing it. But if I can find enough people to room with me by the 25th, I guess this'll be my first time booking. >_<"
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Runewitt on February 19, 2016, 04:36:40 PM
Finally got my email. It said they recieved a bounceback message so it couldn't send originally. Friday the 26th at 9am. Thanks.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on February 19, 2016, 04:44:49 PM
that's good to hear :)
Quote from: Runewitt on February 19, 2016, 04:36:40 PM
Finally got my email. It said they recieved a bounceback message so it couldn't send originally. Friday the 26th at 9am. Thanks.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Gtamute on February 20, 2016, 11:32:27 AM
I'm thinking we all might be fine. I understand people are worried, but how many people are actively staying ontop of these things? Count how many people have been posting in this thread for the past few weeks... Multiply that by like 10 and I think that gives an rough estimate of how many people are going to REALLY pay attention to hotel reg times.

Now think about how many rooms the convention is reserving per hotel? I'm willing to bet it'll be more than a handful.

And NOW think about how many people are paying for their hotels with their own money, not their parents, or a pool of cash with friends? Those are the people who will most likely be getting the hotel immediately.

Breath, we'll all be neighbors in the Marriott. (Or whatever the connected hotel is.)
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Nina Star 9 on February 20, 2016, 05:48:35 PM
I admire your optimism, but if you honestly think that only a handful of people are going to be trying for hotels when they open, you've clearly never been part of a Fanimecon hotel booking experience before.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kyra_Maverick on February 21, 2016, 09:30:06 AM
Take a look at how many followers fanime has on facebook and twitter, then multiply that by 10 and you might have a more accurate idea on how many people are staying on top of hotel bookings.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on February 21, 2016, 08:26:40 PM
I got anxious and wanted to see how many rooms are available in the area.

2145.

If you multiply that by 4, that is 8580 occupants, assuming that most people fill to capacity, and those that only have 1 or 2 people will be covered by those that stick 6 or 7 in a room.

Fanime 2014 had an attendance of about 27000 people. Worst case, only ~32% of the attendees get a room. But I imagine this number of course includes the many locals that come for only 1 day or commute over from home and otherwise do not have a hotel room. Id spit around the ballpark of at least a 3rd of that number are those, so id imagine something along the line of ~48-50% of attendess seeking a room will have a room.

Of course I am assuming the rooms listed available on the hotel website are the actual number of reservable rooms and that attendance does not skyrocket and people stuff there rooms to capacity and that indeed a good number of locals and casuals attend and commute over.

Good Luck Sweethearts...
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: SquishyK on February 23, 2016, 10:22:08 AM
Quote from: TC_X0_Lt_0X on February 21, 2016, 08:26:40 PM

~48-50% of attendess seeking a room will have a room.


funny, 100% of my friends and acquaintances that look for lodging at Fanime have always been able to make some arrangements. No matter how late in the game they start looking.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on February 23, 2016, 10:39:39 AM
Quote from: pitin on February 23, 2016, 10:22:08 AM
Quote from: TC_X0_Lt_0X on February 21, 2016, 08:26:40 PM

~48-50% of attendess seeking a room will have a room.


funny, 100% of my friends and acquaintances that look for lodging at Fanime have always been able to make some arrangements. No matter how late in the game they start looking.

Sounds anecdotal.
While Im sure there are some glaring flaws with my loose guesstimation, 100% of people getting a room seems fairly unlikely.
Though the number is of course ignoring people who book a hotel outside the system, so there is that.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Runewitt on February 23, 2016, 12:26:17 PM
Quote from: Gtamute on February 20, 2016, 11:32:27 AM
Breath, we'll all be neighbors in the Marriott. (Or whatever the connected hotel is.)
i'm not going to the Hilton or Marriot, heading back to the Ramada, close, free parking, free wifi, free breakfast.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on February 23, 2016, 08:49:53 PM
Does anyone know how many windows there are each day?
I thionk all I have seen is 6am and 12pm mentioned.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on February 23, 2016, 09:25:09 PM
Im fairly sure there's at least 3 cuz I've seen people say 6 am 9 am and noon. Idk if there's any afterwards
Quote from: TC_X0_Lt_0X on February 23, 2016, 08:49:53 PM
Does anyone know how many windows there are each day?
I thionk all I have seen is 6am and 12pm mentioned.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: svatoid on February 24, 2016, 06:07:15 AM
Well that went smoothly. Had my reservation at the Marriott in under 5 minutes.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: kyosuke on February 24, 2016, 06:09:38 AM
For all you 6am-ers out there, reg is up, got my room, no lag or delays, all very quick and easy! Hope everyone gets what they wanted tho. Good luck everyone :)
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Konekogami on February 24, 2016, 06:13:13 AM
I got my room with no issues either!
♥
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: fanimefreak on February 24, 2016, 06:24:50 AM
wooohoooo!

It only took 1 minute to make my reservation!
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: spookdy on February 24, 2016, 06:31:39 AM
Tried to book the Hilton Doubles from Thursday-Tuesday, immediate a lot of hotels became unavailable. As soon as I was booking the Hilton, it said it would be overselling for me to book and to call the number. They put me on a waitlist and I had to book the Ramada. We'll see if the waitlist works. They said I would know if the waitlist pops by the 17th of May, but to me that is really cutting it close to knowing what hotel you are staying at.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: fanimefreak on February 24, 2016, 06:33:05 AM
Quote from: spookdy on February 24, 2016, 06:31:39 AM
Tried to book the Hilton Doubles from Thursday-Tuesday, immediate a lot of hotels became unavailable. As soon as I was booking the Hilton, it said it would be overselling for me to book and to call the number. They put me on a waitlist and I had to book the Ramada. We'll see if the waitlist works. They said I would know if the waitlist pops by the 17th of May, but to me that is really cutting it close to knowing what hotel you are staying at.


really? because i'm looking at it right now and it says available
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: spookdy on February 24, 2016, 06:38:57 AM
Quote from: fanimefreak on February 24, 2016, 06:33:05 AM
Quote from: spookdy on February 24, 2016, 06:31:39 AM
Tried to book the Hilton Doubles from Thursday-Tuesday, immediate a lot of hotels became unavailable. As soon as I was booking the Hilton, it said it would be overselling for me to book and to call the number. They put me on a waitlist and I had to book the Ramada. We'll see if the waitlist works. They said I would know if the waitlist pops by the 17th of May, but to me that is really cutting it close to knowing what hotel you are staying at.


really? because i'm looking at it right now and it says available

Yeah, for 4 adults from the 26th to the 31st it says unavailable for both doubles from the Hilton and the Marriott.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kyra_Maverick on February 24, 2016, 06:56:30 AM
I also was able to book smoothly, only a bit of lag while sending out confirmation emails.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: fanimefreak on February 24, 2016, 06:57:21 AM
lag in confirmation emails? They keep sending me a confirmation email every 15 minutes, lol
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kyra_Maverick on February 24, 2016, 07:03:58 AM
Quote from: spookdy on February 24, 2016, 06:38:57 AM
Quote from: fanimefreak on February 24, 2016, 06:33:05 AM
Quote from: spookdy on February 24, 2016, 06:31:39 AM
Tried to book the Hilton Doubles from Thursday-Tuesday, immediate a lot of hotels became unavailable. As soon as I was booking the Hilton, it said it would be overselling for me to book and to call the number. They put me on a waitlist and I had to book the Ramada. We'll see if the waitlist works. They said I would know if the waitlist pops by the 17th of May, but to me that is really cutting it close to knowing what hotel you are staying at.


really? because i'm looking at it right now and it says available

Yeah, for 4 adults from the 26th to the 31st it says unavailable for both doubles from the Hilton and the Marriott.
This is likely due to your Thursday arrival date. In the past when I stayed at the Hilton I would always need to be waitlisted for Thursday.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: YaoiCat on February 24, 2016, 07:24:23 AM
Quote from: spookdy on February 24, 2016, 06:31:39 AM
Tried to book the Hilton Doubles from Thursday-Tuesday, immediate a lot of hotels became unavailable. As soon as I was booking the Hilton, it said it would be overselling for me to book and to call the number. They put me on a waitlist and I had to book the Ramada. We'll see if the waitlist works. They said I would know if the waitlist pops by the 17th of May, but to me that is really cutting it close to knowing what hotel you are staying at.

I wonder if they'll be opening up new rooms with each priority booking block or if this means that Hilton doubles are unavailable from here on out.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kyra_Maverick on February 24, 2016, 07:31:41 AM
Quote from: YaoiCat on February 24, 2016, 07:24:23 AM
I wonder if they'll be opening up new rooms with each priority booking block or if this means that Hilton doubles are unavailable from here on out.
It's just the dates he's after. Friday - Monday and even Friday - Tuesday are open at the Hilton.
When I've stayed at Hilton in the past I would need to book Friday - Monday and waitlist for Thursday.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on February 24, 2016, 08:02:36 AM
was able to get my room, had a bit of issues when I was paying but I was able to call and reserve my room pretty quickly, so overall I am happy :)
Quote from: kyosuke on February 24, 2016, 06:09:38 AM
For all you 6am-ers out there, reg is up, got my room, no lag or delays, all very quick and easy! Hope everyone gets what they wanted tho. Good luck everyone :)
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Freud on February 24, 2016, 09:06:36 AM
Yay booked my hotel with no problems whatsoever. Good luck guys hope your booking goes as smoothly as mine did.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: luffy77 on February 24, 2016, 09:52:17 AM
I was able to get in right at 9 and had no problems and a lot of hotels still looked available.  Something to note though is don't go to the home page because the "reserve a hotel" button still doesn't go anything.  Make sure to click on the link in the reservation e mail that was sent to you and on the left side click reserve a hotel.

For those of you who already reserved were you able to select your dates?  I wanted to check in on Thursday, but the reservation automatically gave me the 27-30th.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: SquishyK on February 24, 2016, 10:02:24 AM
Quote from: luffy77 on February 24, 2016, 09:52:17 AM
I was able to get in right at 9 and had no problems and a lot of hotels still looked available.  Something to note though is don't go to the home page because the "reserve a hotel" button still doesn't go anything.  Make sure to click on the link in the reservation e mail that was sent to you and on the left side click reserve a hotel.

For those of you who already reserved were you able to select your dates?  I wanted to check in on Thursday, but the reservation automatically gave me the 27-30th.

This gave me issues too. Before you select your hotel and room you have to select the dates at the top of the page. The default is 27-30th but you can change that. For some reason mine was at 27-29th and at 6 am I was not with it enough to realize (after going back to the page after almost making the reservation and then realizing it never asked for the dates and thinking WTF is up with this?) that I wanted to check out on the 30th. So now I'm wait listed for the 30th even though it says my hotel and room are still available for the 30th when I look at it online. grrrr. But I called up and they tell me that those days aren't available that I had to get on the wait list.

p.s. if any of that was difficult to follow I apologize. I don't function well when asked to wake up at 6am.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on February 24, 2016, 10:20:32 AM
So Past odd dates there are still rooms available even at the Hilton and Marriott?
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kyra_Maverick on February 24, 2016, 10:40:40 AM
Quote from: TC_X0_Lt_0X on February 24, 2016, 10:20:32 AM
So Past odd dates there are still rooms available even at the Hilton and Marriott?
Yes. You should be able to check the website yourself following the link in your email, you just wont actually be able to book anything until your window.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on February 24, 2016, 11:10:45 AM
Well my windows are 6am and 12 pm tomorrow, but I guess I am a little more at ease knowing they are available.
I probably am going to aim for the Hyatt again this year though, the rooms are large and the complementary breakfast is a lifesaver.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: joyene on February 24, 2016, 11:51:27 AM
I'm actually pretty scared haha. It's my first time going to this convention and my window isn't until Friday at 6am :( I booked backup hotels, but I'm aiming for a hotel near the con ><
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on February 24, 2016, 12:00:05 PM
you should be fine with that time, if you want u could always call in instead of going thru it online. However, it's very simple just make sure u got all ur info ready that makes it quicker
Quote from: joyene on February 24, 2016, 11:51:27 AM
I'm actually pretty scared haha. It's my first time going to this convention and my window isn't until Friday at 6am :( I booked backup hotels, but I'm aiming for a hotel near the con ><
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: kookiekween99 on February 24, 2016, 12:29:55 PM
I think this is the first time ever that reserving hotels hasn't given me a headache.

Also, pro-tip: if you've already reserved your room but you want to get on the waitlist to change your dates, you can actually add yourself to the waitlist without going through CMR support. After you've made your reservation, go back to the "Make a Reservation" tab, change the dates to what you actually wanted, and there will be an orange "Waitlist" button next to the room type you had selected. Click that, and you'll be taken to a form where you can edit the nitty gritty details of your waitlist request.

If you've already closed the window and you want to go back, just do the "Modify Reservation" tab, enter your existing reservation details. On the next screen scroll all the way to the bottom and click "Make New Reservation", then follow the rest of the steps outlined above.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: dogdays on February 24, 2016, 12:33:12 PM
Question: On the hotel booking page, the Fairmont lists "Queen or King" at $100.  Does this mean it's a 50/50 chance of getting one or the other?  Is there a way to guarantee that I get a King bed?
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Purelovely on February 24, 2016, 02:39:29 PM
I got my hotel room at 9 AM PST (noon for me in Indiana) today. I was really impressed with how easy and fast it was to book a room. I had to call soon after because I didn't get the dates right but it was fixed quickly.  :D

I got a King bed room at Marriott for Thurs 26 - Sun. 29. We'll check into a king bed room - city view (awesome room btw) on the 29th and stay until June 2nd because I'm staying longer for my vacation.

To all those who still need to book their rooms: I believe the new system is very good, quick and fair. There aren't thousands of people flooding the system at once.

May the odds be ever in your favor.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: YaoiCat on February 24, 2016, 03:09:26 PM
My booking window isn't until tomorrow but I've been checking the hotels page just to see how it's going.  Looks like king and double rooms at the Hilton are gone already :(
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Xanreo on February 24, 2016, 03:30:02 PM
Phew, my 3PM block cut it close for the room I wanted.

What took me 4 hours last year only took me 4 minutes this year. And 2 of those minutes were to look up my hhonors code.
Personally for me, this year's system was obviously better but from here on out, everyone will try to pre-reg as early as they can.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Angelx624 on February 24, 2016, 06:17:11 PM
Well, I'm glad to hear the booking seems to be a lot better this year.

I just don't think I'll even be functional at 6 am. Eugh. XD
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: AnimeJet on February 25, 2016, 08:16:15 AM
All the 2 bed rooms for the hotels closer to the con (i.e. not airport) are gone now, and there are barely any king rooms left even. Artists couldn't buy tickets till they were accepted in to the alley, and that puts our registration blocks at 3pm today, so fanime is making us shuttle or uber with our items  :-\ this is the opposite of better. Last year i found out about registration late and i still got a 2 bed at marriot, this time there's no chance.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: phr34kish on February 25, 2016, 08:45:23 AM
Quote from: AnimeJet on February 25, 2016, 08:16:15 AM
All the 2 bed rooms for the hotels closer to the con (i.e. not airport) are gone now, and there are barely any king rooms left even. Artists couldn't buy tickets till they were accepted in to the alley, and that puts our registration blocks at 3pm today, so fanime is making us shuttle or uber with our items  :-\ this is the opposite of better. Last year i found out about registration late and i still got a 2 bed at marriot, this time there's no chance.

What makes me even more upset about this particular situation is that whoever is running the official Fanime FB page has disclosed that there is a special room block set aside for professional registration. Uhhh, really? Would that have been so hard to do for the artists alley as well? You don't even have to set aside a random number. There's a finite number of tables available in the AA, just hold back that many rooms and let us decide first. Anything not taken can get released back to the general public.

Oh, but wait. There I go again asking for artists to be treated as more than an afterthought. Did we get a much better application run this time? Sure did! And thanks for that! But lugging my wares up and down the street to a decent hotel (or heaven forbid on a tiny bus) is sure gonna ruin the mood.

https://www.facebook.com/FanimeCon/posts/738962006136027?comment_id=738965396135688&reply_comment_id=738969526135275&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R9%22%7D (https://www.facebook.com/FanimeCon/posts/738962006136027?comment_id=738965396135688&reply_comment_id=738969526135275&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R9%22%7D)
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: novaks47 on February 25, 2016, 09:15:09 AM
Wow, just about everything is gone. My window is today at 3PM. I clicked the link in my email, and the only ones left are the Westin, Fairmont, and Ramada. I think people that have blocks on Friday will be outta luck. :( I didn't think all the singles would be taken that quick. All the doubles are gone too.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: raltga on February 25, 2016, 10:20:09 AM
Marriot was first choice but not available as of the 9am block today.
Managed to reserve a room (single) at the Fairmont. I hope the panels are at the Fairmont again because lately I've been going to more late night panels than late night anime. It's also closer to where I typically eat so I am happy. First time staying there. Hope it's a better hotel than the Marriot (where I have had issues before).
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: crystalsoul on February 25, 2016, 10:46:40 AM
Wont lie, im really salty about how this years hotel reg turned out. i bought my ticket less than a half hour after they made the announcment about how buying your ticket sooner = earlier hotel reg...and my block is today at noon. But everything i wanted is gone. I checked this morning around 8am and the marriot had some rooms left, but the 9am block must have swiped those up.

Idk, i was looking forward to this year despite how crowded everything has become the last few years (especially the midnight dance and hentai nights @.@), but the fact that i cant get a hotel connected to the convention center is almost off putting enough to make me not want to go -_-
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: raltga on February 25, 2016, 10:54:33 AM
I wonder why, for this year only, they didn't do a lottery system for when your hotel slot would be. Then next year base it on when you Reg.

Seems it would have been more fair than not knowing your chances of getting a hotel hinged on when you registered. Then next year they could have implemented it so people know what to expect.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: YaoiCat on February 25, 2016, 11:09:16 AM
Quote from: crystalsoul on February 25, 2016, 10:46:40 AM
Wont lie, im really salty about how this years hotel reg turned out. i bought my ticket less than a half hour after they made the announcment about how buying your ticket sooner = earlier hotel reg...and my block is today at noon. But everything i wanted is gone.

Same!  And if they'd made the announcement when registration first became available, I would have registered right away.  It's such a bummer.  I've been attending this con since '08 and have stayed at the Hilton every time, but now I'll be stuck with some other hotel.  It won't be the same experience that I look forward to every year :(
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: crystalsoul on February 25, 2016, 11:17:54 AM
Quote from: YaoiCat on February 25, 2016, 11:09:16 AM
Quote from: crystalsoul on February 25, 2016, 10:46:40 AM
Wont lie, im really salty about how this years hotel reg turned out. i bought my ticket less than a half hour after they made the announcment about how buying your ticket sooner = earlier hotel reg...and my block is today at noon. But everything i wanted is gone.

Same!  And if they'd made the announcement when registration first became available, I would have registered right away.  It's such a bummer.  I've been attending this con since '08 and have stayed at the Hilton every time, but now I'll be stuck with some other hotel.  It won't be the same experience that I look forward to every year :(

This will be my 10th year going and im the same way, always at the hilton (marriot for 2 years).



On an off topic, for those who did reserve their hotel rooms, did you receive one or two confirmation emails? my friend got two and he cant figure out if he somehow managed to get two rooms or if this is normal
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on February 25, 2016, 11:19:52 AM
The worst part is that this new system does not solve any problems besides scalpers. Next Year we will have a race all the same, just with badges instead of hotel rooms. And considering some people travel from afar and need a place to stay to attend, if they can't get a room then they just wasted $55-60 on a badge they cant refund.

In my opinion they should just go back to the old system, and just invest in extra servers for the launch date so we dont have any massive site crashes. Maybe have two groups of rooms that become available at different times for those that might be unable to book at a specific time.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on February 25, 2016, 12:21:16 PM
Well Im glad I made it through my reservation before all these timeout errors popped up at least, even if the room I got is away from my groups other room.
This system doesn't even solve the issue with the site locking up apparently.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: phr34kish on February 25, 2016, 12:24:52 PM
And everything for Thursday/Friday-Monday within walking distance of the convention center is officially gone. At least with first come first serve I knew what I was getting. This new system has done nothing to help me or any other artist showcasing at this convention.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: YaoiCat on February 25, 2016, 12:25:16 PM
I'm so mad!  The site is crashing just as badly as every other year, I tried calling and I was on hold for 20 minutes and had to give up because I'm at work.  This is even worse than previous years, the new system has solved NOTHING.  Now I don't have a room.  SO MAD.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: citrus on February 25, 2016, 12:31:04 PM
"Timeout expired.  The timeout period elapsed prior to obtaining a connection from the pool.  This may have occurred because all pooled connections were in use and max pool size was reached." *Double facepalm* Thank you Fanime... Thank you Fanime... THANK YOU for screwing up hotel registration YET AGAIN!!! Even with the new system I STILL face the same error that many people have experienced in the past. You guys HOPED it would fix the problem. Guess what? IT DIDN'T!!! Hoping is not enough. If you guys ask me you should be ashamed of yourselves for making all your attendee go through this crap every year! You guys rarely answer our questions or concerns, EVERYTHING IS LATE AGAIN! All you staff are bunch of amateurs  that still can't fix the same problem we face time and time again! The new system is a LITTLE better but not by much!
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on February 25, 2016, 12:31:28 PM
One of these days Ill have a decent enough income to just reserve rooms without going through these awful reservation sites.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Vasyenka on February 25, 2016, 12:33:46 PM
Same! I managed to get a confirmation before the site started crashing, but it took me ages just trying to modify my reservation so we'd be on the waitlist (right now we're not even staying during the main days of the convention lol). This morning my friend had absolutely no issues getting her room, and from what I'm reading, others as well.

Just a hunch, but I kind of feel like Fanime shoved too many people into one time slot, at 12pm today. Juuuust a teeny tiny hunch. Just a little one.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: pantsu on February 25, 2016, 12:35:52 PM
Quote from: TC_X0_Lt_0X on February 25, 2016, 12:21:16 PM
This system doesn't even solve the issue with the site locking up apparently.

I think this is the most infuriating part of this year's hotel reg.  Even SEVERELY REDUCING the number of people trying to get a hotel at once STILL made their servers crash/have errors.

Fun fact: a very large professional meeting I attend also uses CMR web apps for registration and hotels.  Average attendance for that meeting is ~35,000 scientists from all over the world and there's always a big rush when housing opens (I should note that even they do not require you to have bought a badge to reserve a hotel, and even so, their badges can be refunded up to a certain date).  I don't think I've ever experienced the crashing/timeout errors for that meeting as I have with Fanime.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Nina Star 9 on February 25, 2016, 12:37:19 PM
I got plenty of timeout errors and I was there right at noon. :| My sister has been trying but she can't get anything because she gets timeout errors and by the time she gets through, the rooms are oversold.

I currently have a single night at the Hilton, which isn't going to do me much good. I'm waitlisted for the rest of the nights and praying that I get through.

The new system is TERRIBLE.

Still full of server errors and timeout issues. The only people who this benefits are the 6AMers and maybe 9AMers from yesterday. The fact that the AA people got really late reservation times really makes me probably even angrier than the fact that I can't get a room within walking distance. It's hardly worth it for me to even go to this con without a connected room.

Pretty mad about all this.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Avairrianna on February 25, 2016, 12:46:11 PM
This year is way worse! I'm getting all the error codes and hangups as everyone else in this time block! They probably put too many people in this time block because we we're the, "Oh shit I have to register NOW to get my hotel!" people! I thought they'd put a cap by people for the time slots but I guess not just everyone that panicked got noon today!

The website wont even let me waitlist on my husband's reservation it's so glitched! But it did FOR SOME STRANGE F*UCKING REASON suddenly opened up the Fairmont for those days and I think I successfully got it to modify to that hotel...yet I was trying to waitlist...

This system has brought nothing to the table except all the luck ones that bought their regs ahead of time. Our time slot was the real test of the system and we broke it! Congrats Fanime you did solve anything! I've gotten better service both online AND by phone in previous years but this year just sucks! Maybe things will cool down by 2 and we can actually use the site?!
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Ginkage on February 25, 2016, 12:58:07 PM
Every year without fail this happens. I got my badge the day after they made the announcement and I actually had some extra money. My booking window isn't until 3pm... Alas all the hotels are either out already or will be gone by then. Even last year having all the issues and spending  6 hrs on the phone I got a Fairmont room. I expected there to be room added in each booking window but doesn't look like that happened. This also doesn't include the rooms for Staff and Vendors which are decidedly going to be at the 4 hotels next to the convention center. It boggles my mind lastly that there are the random days at some hotels leftover... like seriously? May be my last year
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: SquishyK on February 25, 2016, 12:59:12 PM
Quote from: Vasyenka on February 25, 2016, 12:33:46 PM
Just a hunch, but I kind of feel like Fanime shoved too many people into one time slot, at 12pm today. Juuuust a teeny tiny hunch. Just a little one.

My theory on this is that today's 12 PM time slot included most of the people who rushed to buy badges right away when they found out it would affect when they could get a hotel. While most of the previous time slots were a mix of people interested in getting a hotel and locals that just happened to purchase their badge early but have other lodging plans. So the noon slot probably didn't have any more people in it then previous time slots but everyone in the noon slot rushed the servers.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Nina Star 9 on February 25, 2016, 12:59:56 PM
My sister was also having a hard time accessing the waitlist. If you go to https://www4.cmrhousing.com/fanime2016/Housing/WaitlistChange/[your hotel confirmation number] you can access it directly. The links weren't even showing up for her.


I feel like most people I've seen post their times have said that they had 12PM today, so I have a feeling that it was by date/time range and not by number of registrations, which is the worst way to go about it. I wish we could have some staff confirmation on how they actually split up the hotel reservation blocks.


This whole thing has been a nightmare.

I've been coming to this con since 2003 and haven't missed a year. This will be my 14th Fanimecon. But I don't know why I keep coming back. :|
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on February 25, 2016, 01:09:19 PM
You  know its pretty weird just how many rooms are available only on Saturday =P
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: novaks47 on February 25, 2016, 01:50:32 PM
Quote from: phr34kish on February 25, 2016, 12:24:52 PM
And everything for Thursday/Friday-Monday within walking distance of the convention center is officially gone. At least with first come first serve I knew what I was getting. This new system has done nothing to help me or any other artist showcasing at this convention.

Yep,I just checked it,and the nearest available is just shy of 3 miles away. Good thing I'm getting back in shape.  >:(

EDIT : Scratch that, the closest single is 3.5 miles away. I wonder if anything will be available by 3PM.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: iAteTheRamen on February 25, 2016, 02:13:36 PM
As someone not new to Fanime, but new to booking a hotel room on my own, the timeouts had me screaming. ;__; At first I genuinely thought something was wrong with my laptop or my connection.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: novaks47 on February 25, 2016, 02:16:18 PM
For those who have gone in recent years, is getting on a waiting list worth it?
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: YaoiCat on February 25, 2016, 02:30:11 PM
Quote from: novaks47 on February 25, 2016, 02:16:18 PM
For those who have gone in recent years, is getting on a waiting list worth it?

This year is the first year I personally have had to get on the waitlist, but my friends have done it in past years and it worked out for them.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: novaks47 on February 25, 2016, 02:34:54 PM
Thank you! I'll give that a go then, maybe I'll get lucky. Last time I attended, was in 2007, and back then I lived close by, so no hotel was needed.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: SquishyK on February 25, 2016, 02:51:08 PM
Quote from: novaks47 on February 25, 2016, 01:50:32 PM

Yep,I just checked it,and the nearest available is just shy of 3 miles away. Good thing I'm getting back in shape.  >:(


Fanime has a free shuttle service to most if not all of those 3+ mile hotels. I've used it in the past to get to Clockwork Alchemy and it really wasn't that bad.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: novaks47 on February 25, 2016, 03:06:12 PM
Oh, that's cool, I didn't know that!  :)

Although, it's really no big deal, 3-ish miles of walking is pretty easy. I was just hoping for a close hotel, like everybody else, lol.

I just reserved a room at the Four Points Sheridan. The process was very smooth and quick, no time-outs or hangups. Lucky I guess!  :)
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Ginkage on February 25, 2016, 03:18:11 PM
Got in on the waiting list for Fairmont and Hilton. So here's to hoping I'll get one as people cancel due to another member of their group having a hotel already.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Gavino on February 25, 2016, 05:44:34 PM
I bought my badge in January, and my booking window was today (Feb 25 at 3pm).
I really wanted a hotel within walking distance of the con.
But all the hotels within the con area were fully booked for friday-monday.

I WAS able to get a Friday night stay at the Westin, which is a 5 min walk to the con. And then got lucky when I called the Four Point by Sherada across the street and they had just one room open for Saturday and Sunday night.

So I am set for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night. Just a bit of extra work and research.
The Westin I booked under the fanime site for ~157 total(after taxes)
And the Four Point Hotel across the street was not under the fanime list, but still had a cheap rate at $144(before taxes) a night for sat/sun night.

(I advise everyone to register for badges asap for next year if you want the Marriott / Hilton. And with this new system of booking windows, I feel there will be a lot more early registrations for 2017)
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kyra_Maverick on February 25, 2016, 06:37:47 PM
I really wish Fanime was able to get Four Points Downtown and Hotel de Anza to sign on as partner hotels. Having 2 more hotels in walking distance would really help ease the stress of hotel booking.

The airport hotels were a great add, especially with the shuttle service. But nothing beats the convienience of a quick walk.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Angelx624 on February 25, 2016, 07:09:52 PM
I decided to not attempt booking a room myself this year and stick with the room with friends plan. Sometimes it's good to know a lot of people who attend Fanime.....

Nonetheless, if worse comes to worse, I can always book a room once the final cancellation day hits and some rooms start popping up again.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Barnes on February 25, 2016, 08:10:40 PM
I got my Ramada room around 6:30am yesterday. But a friend of mine tried to book his room today and got crashed out. He's now on a wailist.

Quote from: Vasyenka on February 25, 2016, 12:33:46 PM
Just a hunch, but I kind of feel like Fanime shoved too many people into one time slot, at 12pm today. Juuuust a teeny tiny hunch. Just a little one.

That reminds me of what I thought earlier today. Fanime may have indeed let too many people into booking slot times.

I swear, sometimes Fanime staffers try something new, but something goes wrong for a lot of attendees.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: DangerHeart on February 25, 2016, 08:42:27 PM
After 30 minutes of website crashes and being on hold over the phone I got a room at the Holiday Inn and emailed to be put on the waiting list for Marriott and Hilton. I ended up checking on hotels.com and got a room at another hotel on 2nd street outside of the fanime hotel block for 145/night double beds. I hope my wait list pulls through, but I'm glad I checked for a backup hotel that's way closer to the con. Not happy with how this years housing situation went down, but at least I have a plan. Just more complicated then I'm used to it being...I haven't heard many good reviews of this years housing.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: novaks47 on February 26, 2016, 11:33:26 AM
I think no matter what changes, or what is done, somebody is going to be outta luck. There's only so many reserved rooms after all, especially at connected/close to the convention hotels. I also think it can only be improved upon so much, before there's nothing more than can be done about it.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on February 26, 2016, 01:24:29 PM
well said :) sadly there will always be someone who isn't happy with whatever system is in place
Quote from: novaks47 on February 26, 2016, 11:33:26 AM
I think no matter what changes, or what is done, somebody is going to be outta luck. There's only so many reserved rooms after all, especially at connected/close to the convention hotels. I also think it can only be improved upon so much, before there's nothing more than can be done about it.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on February 26, 2016, 06:16:21 PM
Id argue that the only thing that was improved was maybe preventing scalpers from getting rooms.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OldOtaku on February 27, 2016, 03:28:21 PM
The fundamental problem is that there is just not enough housing to go around.  According to Wikipedia, when Fanime first moved to San Jose in 2004, there were a little over 6,000 attendees.  By 2013 (last reported data), there were over 25,000 attendees.  I doubt that the Con has shrunk since then.  It sounds like it may have outgrown its venue, so that there is simply no way to provide housing fairly to everyone who wants it.  Does anyone know if a large number of people either can't attend, or pay exorbitant hotel rates, because they can't get the Con rates?  Is there some alternative Bay Area venue that could affordably accommodate this event?
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Nina Star 9 on February 27, 2016, 07:54:17 PM
I've been saying it for years and I'll say it again: there simply aren't enough hotel rooms for all the attendees, though a lot of the issues also come from the perception of a lack of hotel rooms, which causes a rush on them at first and then people cancel later due to rooming with others/not going to the con/etc. I think that this year's new system made the hotel panic slightly worse in some ways, since it's a huge unknown. This system would be much more fair than the old system...if it worked. And if we had advance notice of it. And if the artists got priority instead of getting a terrible hotel reg time. (Which is still what makes me most angry about this whole thing.)

Let's hope there will be room cancellations this ear, like every year, and that some of the waitlisters go through. I know I'm hoping for my waitlist hotels. Any of them. Anything in walking distance would be fine. I'm usually the roomholder for my group (I mean, someone has to be the roomholder!), so it's not like rooming with friends who are closer to the con is much of an option in my case.

Quote from: novaks47 on February 26, 2016, 11:33:26 AM
I think no matter what changes, or what is done, somebody is going to be outta luck. There's only so many reserved rooms after all, especially at connected/close to the convention hotels. I also think it can only be improved upon so much, before there's nothing more than can be done about it.
See, I'd agree with you, if this system worked. There was still a rush on hotels. There were still server crashes that screwed a lot of people over. The AA folks got terrible timeslots instead of being put into a priority booking window as they should have. No one knew about the system until far too late for it to really be effective. And there's lots of speculation about long lines for at-con reg for next year, as well as a giant rush for badges as soon as they open online for next year, and still getting terrible hotel timeslots because everyone else is rushing the system (and, of course, I'm sure there will be plenty of server crashes).

I'd agree that there's only so much that can be done (see above point about how there's only so many hotels), but this year;s system is still terribly broken, and there's a lot more that can be done to fix it.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on February 28, 2016, 08:08:06 AM
Quote from: novaks47 on February 26, 2016, 11:33:26 AM
I think no matter what changes, or what is done, somebody is going to be outta luck. There's only so many reserved rooms after all, especially at connected/close to the convention hotels. I also think it can only be improved upon so much, before there's nothing more than can be done about it.

That is true to a point. Part of the problem is the perceived fairness element. In my opinion we shouldn't have punished those who waited to register for a con that is still months out. For many people it is hard to predict life that far ahead, especially with careers and so on. Because there was no immediate and pressing need I would hazard a guess that many people, like myself, waited. The result of that was a later time slot, meaning we didn't get the hotels needed. Now, if this had been the announced plan in December that would be a different story.
The problem is that Fanime didn't really give everyone a fair shot. It was presented as 'more fair' which is sort of infuriating.

Also, I disagree with the notion that nothing more can be done about it. With a con this size and problems this ongoing you sort of have to keep chipping away with different options.

If I could improve one thing with Fanime, it's the communication. It has really broken down through the past years. We don't have guests announced, hotel changes came up late in the game, there aren't enough people responding to attendees, and a host of other related issues. It's disappointing because we all love attending this con, and also spend a load of money on it.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Jebus on February 28, 2016, 02:26:03 PM
Quote from: pitin on February 25, 2016, 02:51:08 PM
Quote from: novaks47 on February 25, 2016, 01:50:32 PM

Yep,I just checked it,and the nearest available is just shy of 3 miles away. Good thing I'm getting back in shape.  >:(


Fanime has a free shuttle service to most if not all of those 3+ mile hotels. I've used it in the past to get to Clockwork Alchemy and it really wasn't that bad.

Shuttles are nice, considering I've got a reservation at the furthest hotel on the fanime block, but then it's a matter of scheduling. How long are the shuttles going to run? And how often? Considering those options, certain after midnight panels could be completely written off and even a minor cosplay snafu, like forgetting a prop, could lose a half an hour or more of time. I may still be fine with the hotel I have reserved, but I'm still betting more on the waitlist
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: novaks47 on February 28, 2016, 05:07:43 PM
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on February 27, 2016, 07:54:17 PM
I've been saying it for years and I'll say it again: there simply aren't enough hotel rooms for all the attendees, though a lot of the issues also come from the perception of a lack of hotel rooms, which causes a rush on them at first and then people cancel later due to rooming with others/not going to the con/etc. I think that this year's new system made the hotel panic slightly worse in some ways, since it's a huge unknown. This system would be much more fair than the old system...if it worked. And if we had advance notice of it. And if the artists got priority instead of getting a terrible hotel reg time. (Which is still what makes me most angry about this whole thing.)

Let's hope there will be room cancellations this ear, like every year, and that some of the waitlisters go through. I know I'm hoping for my waitlist hotels. Any of them. Anything in walking distance would be fine. I'm usually the roomholder for my group (I mean, someone has to be the roomholder!), so it's not like rooming with friends who are closer to the con is much of an option in my case.

Quote from: novaks47 on February 26, 2016, 11:33:26 AM
I think no matter what changes, or what is done, somebody is going to be outta luck. There's only so many reserved rooms after all, especially at connected/close to the convention hotels. I also think it can only be improved upon so much, before there's nothing more than can be done about it.
See, I'd agree with you, if this system worked. There was still a rush on hotels. There were still server crashes that screwed a lot of people over. The AA folks got terrible timeslots instead of being put into a priority booking window as they should have. No one knew about the system until far too late for it to really be effective. And there's lots of speculation about long lines for at-con reg for next year, as well as a giant rush for badges as soon as they open online for next year, and still getting terrible hotel timeslots because everyone else is rushing the system (and, of course, I'm sure there will be plenty of server crashes).

I'd agree that there's only so much that can be done (see above point about how there's only so many hotels), but this year;s system is still terribly broken, and there's a lot more that can be done to fix it.

I hear ya. It could be better, but there will still be a big rush, and I'd bet server crashes to go along with it. I do agree completely with the AA folks getting shafted though. That's not cool at all. Myself, I was going to get on a wait list, but decided against it, as I can always walk. I'd rather it go to the AA folks, or to someone else who really needs to be close by.

Mango Bunny : No no, I was not trying to imply that this couldn't be improved upon, but rather it will eventually get to that point(although probably not any time soon). And I hear you on the point of those who have a hard time planning that far ahead due to life's interference's. Heck, this is the first chance I've had to plan this far ahead, since 2007! Even then, I registered on the late side, and got in by the skin of my teeth. I got lucky this time around! Hopefully, next time round will be better. Send those running the show your feedback, I'll do the same, and let see what happens.  :)
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Angelx624 on February 28, 2016, 06:40:59 PM
It does really suck that AA people didn't get priority. They have to be at the con at a certain time, plus haul all their stuff from their hotel room to the artists alley. So them not having a close by hotel would be a major problem.

But, with Fanime being slow with communicating as it is, we probably won't see AA people getting booking priority til next year, or the year after.

Well, I wish all of those who haven't booked a room yet the best of luck. I'll be staying at the Ramada, myself, with a few others. Haven't really checked out that hotel yet, so it should be fun. And I'm ok with a few minutes of walking back and forth. I've stayed at the Fairmont enough times to be used to it.

(And Fanime really does need to fix its communication. As stated before, it's just plain slow. I love Fanime, but they really could try harder with letting us know things. I can understand that guests take a lot of time to confirm, but there's so many other things that they could announce earlier, such as this new hotel reg for example. They really aren't the best with letting us know things early on.)
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on February 29, 2016, 01:23:45 PM
I thought Fanime was opening general bookings on the 29th... What time did it open on the 26th? I booked that night at around 9 pm. That's pretty awful of them to do.

Also pretty cheesy they haven't updated the book hotel button on the front page, but I guess it doesn't matter much now.

I wonder how many people are SOL this year. This is the worst. I'm wait listed for three closer hotels. I do have the whole weekend though, so that's good. Even if it's at the far away land of the Double Tree.

The 800 number customer service was nice though.

Maybe we can have some guest announcements soon so we can find out what we did all this for!

Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Konekogami on February 29, 2016, 02:40:30 PM
So, I went to Trivago (hotel booking site) and I set the dates for May 27th-May 31st set the address to the Convention center, and set the distance to under 2 miles away..  and I did get some results, and the prices are about equal to the Fanime housing prices.  So people may have some luck with that.  Of course being further from the convention center is a pain.  But public transport and such may make it a bit more manageable.

Also hopefully the roommate thread will start seeing more activity soon.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Amanojaku on February 29, 2016, 04:54:15 PM
Quote from: novaks47 on February 25, 2016, 02:16:18 PM
For those who have gone in recent years, is getting on a waiting list worth it?
Last year, I only was able to get a stray doubletree room about a week after housing opened.  I got on the waitlist, and in a couple weeks, they were able to get me the whole weekend.  Definitely worth it to waitlist.

This year, I was fortunate enough to get the full weekend at the Fairmont.  My room booking time was 2/25 at 9am, and Hilton, Hyatt and Marriot were full by that point.  But the Fairmont is nice and close enough to walk without it being a hassle; I've stayed there before.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Muuka on February 29, 2016, 11:50:47 PM
Also interesting for myself and maybe others.

The Westin still has rooms. I called and they had no two rooms connecting for the three nights I wanted. ( Thursday, Friday, Sat ) but were able to do it somehow.. magically... All with the Con price rate. I had to book the rooms separate but it all worked out and I'm amazed that this somehow happened. So maybe you can call and get lucky too!

For Hilton which is completely booked; if you're a Diamond member for the Hilton they can get you a room for that weekend and time, but you will be paying anywhere from 270 for the Thursday to 340+ for the weekend. If someone is in desperate need and can fork out the money well being a diamond member. That is an option. They will NOT honor the con rate by any means.

Called around a bit places do have rooms but they want to charge crazy amounts if they do.

Good luck everyone.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: DangerHeart on March 04, 2016, 09:37:06 AM
Quote from: Konekogami on February 29, 2016, 02:40:30 PM
So, I went to Trivago (hotel booking site) and I set the dates for May 27th-May 31st set the address to the Convention center, and set the distance to under 2 miles away..  and I did get some results, and the prices are about equal to the Fanime housing prices.  So people may have some luck with that.  Of course being further from the convention center is a pain.  But public transport and such may make it a bit more manageable.

Also hopefully the roommate thread will start seeing more activity soon.

I did the same as soon as the Fairmont and Westin booked up on the 25th. I have a room at the Holiday Inn and wait list request for three closer hotels, but I also booked a hotel on 2nd street outside of the fanime site just to be safe.

Personally I think this was the worst booking year so far. Such a major lack of communication and information.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mizuki on March 07, 2016, 01:29:19 PM
I'm writing this as a con goer now, as last year was my last year staffing Fanime.

This is pretty much utter horseshit. I've staffed Fanime for quite a few years, and have basically put in countless amount of hours to make sure the department I worked for did well and expected little to nothing in return.

I don't pre-reg at con for obvious reasons, I was a staffer every year minus one, Last year I didn't pre-reg. We staffers knew nothing of this new priority system. Now as a staffer, I really don't expect much, it's just a big volunteer gig and I really don't mind that. What I do mind is not being informed of what is to come in the future, there has to be some plan, right? I didn't pre-reg at con last year because I make up my mind to go to Fanime in January, I never know if I am not going to be around for Fanime a literal year in advance, sometimes I have to go back to NY for family, I'm not going to just blindly throw away money for the off-chance I will be attending a whole year later. So here I am, no room. I always get my own room and share it with a friend or two to maintain a quiet atmosphere. I can't do that this year because the very con I put a lot of my blood sweat and tears into did not inform me that this would be happening. No updates, no emails, no tweets, no nothing. This is a fucking joke.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Angelx624 on March 07, 2016, 05:01:40 PM
Fanime really is lacking in communication this year. Yeah, they did the past few years, but this year really seems bad as far as communicating goes.

They should've announced this new system at the end of last year's Fanime. At least they should've said something during closing ceremonies. I mean, I don't know, it's just common knowledge to me.

I mean, we're in March, already, and on the website the last update was back in January. I mean, I still enjoy Fanime, I really do, but they need to work on communication and telling us things way ahead of time instead of at the last minute and thus leaving its attendees in a panic.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Amanojaku on March 07, 2016, 05:28:23 PM
Quote from: Mizuki on March 07, 2016, 01:29:19 PM
I don't pre-reg at con for obvious reasons, I was a staffer every year minus one, Last year I didn't pre-reg. We staffers knew nothing of this new priority system. Now as a staffer, I really don't expect much, it's just a big volunteer gig and I really don't mind that. What I do mind is not being informed of what is to come in the future, there has to be some plan, right? I didn't pre-reg at con last year because I make up my mind to go to Fanime in January, I never know if I am not going to be around for Fanime a literal year in advance, sometimes I have to go back to NY for family, I'm not going to just blindly throw away money for the off-chance I will be attending a whole year later. So here I am, no room. I always get my own room and share it with a friend or two to maintain a quiet atmosphere. I can't do that this year because the very con I put a lot of my blood sweat and tears into did not inform me that this would be happening. No updates, no emails, no tweets, no nothing. This is a fucking joke.

What is the obvious reason?  Also, you didn't need to pre-reg at the con to get a room this year.  I registered the second day registration opened up, and I got a room.  Its kind of amusing; its a great system if people got a room, and if they didn't, it sucks.  Every year somebody doesn't get a room.  Better luck next time.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on March 08, 2016, 12:55:57 PM
Quote from: Amanojaku on March 07, 2016, 05:28:23 PM
Quote from: Mizuki on March 07, 2016, 01:29:19 PM
I don't pre-reg at con for obvious reasons, I was a staffer every year minus one, Last year I didn't pre-reg. We staffers knew nothing of this new priority system. Now as a staffer, I really don't expect much, it's just a big volunteer gig and I really don't mind that. What I do mind is not being informed of what is to come in the future, there has to be some plan, right? I didn't pre-reg at con last year because I make up my mind to go to Fanime in January, I never know if I am not going to be around for Fanime a literal year in advance, sometimes I have to go back to NY for family, I'm not going to just blindly throw away money for the off-chance I will be attending a whole year later. So here I am, no room. I always get my own room and share it with a friend or two to maintain a quiet atmosphere. I can't do that this year because the very con I put a lot of my blood sweat and tears into did not inform me that this would be happening. No updates, no emails, no tweets, no nothing. This is a fucking joke.

What is the obvious reason?  Also, you didn't need to pre-reg at the con to get a room this year.  I registered the second day registration opened up, and I got a room.  Its kind of amusing; its a great system if people got a room, and if they didn't, it sucks.  Every year somebody doesn't get a room.  Better luck next time.

Unless they change the system from what they did this year, going through pre-reg at con might be almost mandatory to get a room next year. I am quite positive that pre-reg at con is going to be overrun with people hoping to secure a room for next year.

I dont think the system is good or not because I didnt get a room or not. I Actually got 2 rooms for my group. The system was bad because they announced it several weeks after registration went up, and it didn't solve anything with the booking process except for perhaps deterring scalpers (which I dont believe is a huge issue anyways), sense they apparently broke the booking blocks up based on when people registered rather then as set number of people, causing the booking site to crash like it does every year anyways, and most glaring of all, just shifted the race from a room booking race to a badge registration race.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Amanojaku on March 08, 2016, 01:22:21 PM
Quote from: TC_X0_Lt_0X on March 08, 2016, 12:55:57 PM
Unless they change the system from what they did this year, going through pre-reg at con might be almost mandatory to get a room next year. I am quite positive that pre-reg at con is going to be overrun with people hoping to secure a room for next year.

I dont think the system is good or not because I didnt get a room or not. I Actually got 2 rooms for my group. The system was bad because they announced it several weeks after registration went up, and it didn't solve anything with the booking process except for perhaps deterring scalpers (which I dont believe is a huge issue anyways), sense they apparently broke the booking blocks up based on when people registered rather then as set number of people, causing the booking site to crash like it does every year anyways, and most glaring of all, just shifted the race from a room booking race to a badge registration race.
Well that is a fair point; pre-reg may be the most successful way to go in the future but I'm not sure we are there quite yet.  To me, this system seems the most fair though.  Aside from just a free-for-all for who has the best internet connection, what would be a better method?  There is a finite number of hotel rooms, and one method or another, someone is going to come up empty handed.  I am curious as to whether or not there is a way to get more convention rate rooms in the area; I really have no idea what goes into that process.  I imagine they got as many as they were capable of.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Angelx624 on March 08, 2016, 04:54:30 PM
Well, if the pre-reg lines for next year's Fanime are over-run, I probably won't bother and will just wait til it goes up online, and then pre-reg as soon as it does. Cause next year I think I have a pretty good idea of who I'm gonna be staying with, and we'll all have to work together to make sure we get a room.

And I'm sure that if Fanime is gonna keep this system, that they'll tell us this earlier on this time.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mizuki on March 08, 2016, 05:53:05 PM
Quote from: Amanojaku on March 07, 2016, 05:28:23 PM
Quote from: Mizuki on March 07, 2016, 01:29:19 PM
I don't pre-reg at con for obvious reasons, I was a staffer every year minus one, Last year I didn't pre-reg. We staffers knew nothing of this new priority system. Now as a staffer, I really don't expect much, it's just a big volunteer gig and I really don't mind that. What I do mind is not being informed of what is to come in the future, there has to be some plan, right? I didn't pre-reg at con last year because I make up my mind to go to Fanime in January, I never know if I am not going to be around for Fanime a literal year in advance, sometimes I have to go back to NY for family, I'm not going to just blindly throw away money for the off-chance I will be attending a whole year later. So here I am, no room. I always get my own room and share it with a friend or two to maintain a quiet atmosphere. I can't do that this year because the very con I put a lot of my blood sweat and tears into did not inform me that this would be happening. No updates, no emails, no tweets, no nothing. This is a fucking joke.

What is the obvious reason?  Also, you didn't need to pre-reg at the con to get a room this year.  I registered the second day registration opened up, and I got a room.  Its kind of amusing; its a great system if people got a room, and if they didn't, it sucks.  Every year somebody doesn't get a room.  Better luck next time.

I used bad wording, I'm just mostly used to staffing and getting a refund from a pre-reg when staffing just is kind of a pain in the butt, and I didn't know for sure if I was officially done staffing at the end of the year.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on March 08, 2016, 06:14:23 PM
Quote from: Amanojaku on March 08, 2016, 01:22:21 PM
Quote from: TC_X0_Lt_0X on March 08, 2016, 12:55:57 PM
Unless they change the system from what they did this year, going through pre-reg at con might be almost mandatory to get a room next year. I am quite positive that pre-reg at con is going to be overrun with people hoping to secure a room for next year.

I dont think the system is good or not because I didnt get a room or not. I Actually got 2 rooms for my group. The system was bad because they announced it several weeks after registration went up, and it didn't solve anything with the booking process except for perhaps deterring scalpers (which I dont believe is a huge issue anyways), sense they apparently broke the booking blocks up based on when people registered rather then as set number of people, causing the booking site to crash like it does every year anyways, and most glaring of all, just shifted the race from a room booking race to a badge registration race.
Well that is a fair point; pre-reg may be the most successful way to go in the future but I'm not sure we are there quite yet.  To me, this system seems the most fair though.  Aside from just a free-for-all for who has the best internet connection, what would be a better method?  There is a finite number of hotel rooms, and one method or another, someone is going to come up empty handed.  I am curious as to whether or not there is a way to get more convention rate rooms in the area; I really have no idea what goes into that process.  I imagine they got as many as they were capable of.

Honestly, when the website gets to the point where it is effectively being DDoSed by the hordes of people trying to access it, short of a dial up connection level service a fast internet connection is not going to be helping you out that much. You can only be as fast as the slowest connection effectively. Really its just a luck of the draw of connecting at the right time over connecting faster once the site gets overloaded.

There are quite a few more hotels in the Downtown area that dont work with convention housing. I imagine they dont work with housing for the simple reason that they know they would be able to fill all there rooms at their full rates. Some others might instead not meet some standards or requirements of convention housing as well, particularly the low end non chain hotels.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: citrus on March 08, 2016, 07:45:54 PM
Anybody find it strange that the button for hotel registration is still grey and not Yellow? They said that on February 29th General attendees would be open to the public. As of this post it is March 8th. And the button is still grey... boy do I sure feel sorry for the people the didn't register before the cut-off date which was 2/17.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on March 09, 2016, 09:04:41 PM
Quote from: citrus on March 08, 2016, 07:45:54 PM
Anybody find it strange that the button for hotel registration is still grey and not Yellow? They said that on February 29th General attendees would be open to the public. As of this post it is March 8th. And the button is still grey... boy do I sure feel sorry for the people the didn't register before the cut-off date which was 2/17.
Oh, they randomly opened it on the 26th at 6pm I guess. I found it through the help and FAQs... Secret link!

Fanime is really screwing up this year.

Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on March 09, 2016, 10:17:20 PM
At the very least the department in charge of Social Media and Website Management is.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Nina Star 9 on April 02, 2016, 08:12:31 PM
Has the waitlist moved for anyone yet? Even anecdotally, heard through the vast networks of the web?

I feel like people are going to be holding onto their rooms tighter this year because of all the hotel drama, but I'm curious if it's moved for anyone yet. I want to give myself some hope, haha
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on April 02, 2016, 10:02:09 PM
Not for me, though admittedly Im just waiting for a room change to a different location so all my rooms are in the same location, and I imagine I would be low on the priority list
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Vasyenka on April 03, 2016, 06:19:33 AM
I've been wondering that myself! Neither my or my friends' waitlists have moved at all. >:
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: citrus on April 03, 2016, 09:18:42 PM
Has anybody noticed that the housing/registration button is now blank and unclickable? I guess it just means General attendees can no longer be put on a waitlist or search for other hotels now... There is always a fiasco in hotel registration but it seems even worse... but all of you know that already. What I don't understand is if Fanime has THIS much trouble with anything every single year, Why can't they just invest money to hire professionals? More people are already attending the convention so their budget should be bigger...
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on April 04, 2016, 11:42:52 AM
Nothing over here! I'm on the waitlist for anything at the Hilton or Marriott. I keep checking... I've always had better luck than this with the list! Hoping people will drop closer to the 29th.

If anyone gets something from the waitlist I would love to hear about it. I need hope.

I have a room at the Doubletree but little interest in staying there... Considering not going for the first year since 2006 if I can't get something closer.

And I do know there is a shuttle, but I don't love it. Especially late nights.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Konekogami on April 04, 2016, 12:51:31 PM
Quote from: citrus on April 03, 2016, 09:18:42 PM
Has anybody noticed that the housing/registration button is now blank and unclickable? I guess it just means General attendees can no longer be put on a waitlist or search for other hotels now... There is always a fiasco in hotel registration but it seems even worse... but all of you know that already. What I don't understand is if Fanime has THIS much trouble with anything every single year, Why can't they just invest money to hire professionals? More people are already attending the convention so their budget should be bigger...

I thought hotel registration was already handled by an outside group?  CMR?   Unless it's just a shared name.. *shrugs*

Which leads me to ask myself how much communication goes on between Fanime and the CMR staff..

At any rate, at this stage in the game, there's really nothing that can be done.. the only "solutions" would be..

A. Add more hotels to the convention block.  This would help a LOT, however, if hotels don't wish to house us, then there's nothing that can be done.

B. Cancel everyone's reservation and start from scratch on the hotel booking. - This is barely a solution, and would lead to a lot of pissed off people.


That said, I like the idea that the earlier you register for the convention, the earlier you get to book your hotel room.  Early bird catches the worm and all that.   But it does have some major kinks that need to be worked out ( making sure that those on staff, dealers and artist alley are taken care of being a huge one)

Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: OtakuAngel87 on April 04, 2016, 02:31:52 PM
b shouldn't even be considered an option that will cause more drama then anything, it won't even seem like a step in fixing the issues. Especially this late in the game.
Quote from: Konekogami on April 04, 2016, 12:51:31 PM
Quote from: citrus on April 03, 2016, 09:18:42 PM
Has anybody noticed that the housing/registration button is now blank and unclickable? I guess it just means General attendees can no longer be put on a waitlist or search for other hotels now... There is always a fiasco in hotel registration but it seems even worse... but all of you know that already. What I don't understand is if Fanime has THIS much trouble with anything every single year, Why can't they just invest money to hire professionals? More people are already attending the convention so their budget should be bigger...

I thought hotel registration was already handled by an outside group?  CMR?   Unless it's just a shared name.. *shrugs*

Which leads me to ask myself how much communication goes on between Fanime and the CMR staff..

At any rate, at this stage in the game, there's really nothing that can be done.. the only "solutions" would be..

A. Add more hotels to the convention block.  This would help a LOT, however, if hotels don't wish to house us, then there's nothing that can be done.

B. Cancel everyone's reservation and start from scratch on the hotel booking. - This is barely a solution, and would lead to a lot of pissed off people.


That said, I like the idea that the earlier you register for the convention, the earlier you get to book your hotel room.  Early bird catches the worm and all that.   But it does have some major kinks that need to be worked out ( making sure that those on staff, dealers and artist alley are taken care of being a huge one)
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Nina Star 9 on April 05, 2016, 01:07:34 PM
That's what I was afraid of. :[

Quote from: Mango Bunny on April 04, 2016, 11:42:52 AM
Nothing over here! I'm on the waitlist for anything at the Hilton or Marriott. I keep checking... I've always had better luck than this with the list! Hoping people will drop closer to the 29th.

If anyone gets something from the waitlist I would love to hear about it. I need hope.

I have a room at the Doubletree but little interest in staying there... Considering not going for the first year since 2006 if I can't get something closer.

And I do know there is a shuttle, but I don't love it. Especially late nights.

I've never been on the waitlist before, but I've always heard that you're pretty much going to get a room if you're on it in years past. I feel like with all the added drama this year, people are hanging onto the rooms more tightly than in previous years, and that's why the waitlist isn't moving at all.

Also hoping for more people to drop later on. Though I have a single night at the Hilton booked in order to keep my spot on the waitlist, so I'll need to drop that if I can't get a full weekend stay. :| This system where you need to have something booked to be on the waitlist really isn't much good in that kind of situation.

I also don't want to take the shuttles. There are two things about this con that I love: the cosplay scene, and late nights (mostly spent in the karaoke room). I know that I won't feel safe taking the shuttles back from the karaoke room at 2 or 3AM, so I'll probably have to cut my singing short, and that's unfortunate. I also doubt that I'll be able to do as many costume changes as I usually do, or even wear some of the larger and more impressive (but difficult) costumes I have planned to wear if I have to take the shuttles, both for time reasons and because I don't know if I'll fit with 27" horns strapped to the top of my head (and I wanted this to be my last hurrah with Condesce because Homestuck is ending). I also don't know how feasible it will be to wait for shuttles and do the extra time it takes in costumes that are already painful and I get grumpy in.

I'd seriously consider not going next year if the hotel situation doesn't get cleared up this year. I've been going since 2003 and haven't missed a year.

Yes, something needs to change, but there needs to be better communication and better implementation. This con has also created a problem for itself where it's known to have a lack of hotels, so people already have room panic and rush the hotel reg, but then with the new system, people are reluctant to give up their hotels. (I'm also somewhat buying in the conspiracy theory that the con did this method to lock people into buying badges!)

I'm also still salty about the artists and other people not getting priority hotel reg. I mean, it'll be an inconvenience for me to not have a close hotel, and I won't be able to attend this con in the same way that I usually do (so my enjoyment will be diminished), but I can live with it. People like the AA folks NEED the close hotels, and couldn't get them because they got shafted. A con can't treat the people who are part of the con and bringing content to the con this poorly and expect people to continue to want to bring content to this con. It doesn't work like that. Still my biggest issue with the hotel situation.

Sorry for the giant rant. Looks like I'm turning into citrus, lol
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: pantsu on April 06, 2016, 02:07:37 AM
Quote from: Konekogami on April 04, 2016, 12:51:31 PM
I thought hotel registration was already handled by an outside group?  CMR?   Unless it's just a shared name.. *shrugs*

Jumping in to defend CMR a bit here, as they also do the housing and registration for a ~35,000 person scientific professional meeting I attend almost every year in SF.  As far as I can tell, CMR only provides the web apps/code (aka the thing that lets you make bookings and buy your badge) for Fanime, along with some telephone support (this is also what they provide for the science meeting).  I don't know whose servers we're using when we access the Fanime version of CMR's housing app...when we register for the science meeting, it's via the sponsoring society's server, not CMR's.

Much like Fanime, when housing opens for this other meeting, it's always kind of a mad dash, as graduate students try to get the cheapest hotel rates before the hotels fill up (for comparison, I think we usually have like 25-30 hotel options for that meeting, though).  HOWEVER...I have never experienced the website crashes and issues with reservations that I have with Fanime's version of housing.  This leads me to believe that it's a Fanime-exclusive issue, and not tied to CMR.  I've had great experiences with CMR over 8 or so years of attending this other meeting.

Just my $0.02
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on April 06, 2016, 10:28:24 AM
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on April 05, 2016, 01:07:34 PM
That's what I was afraid of. :[

Quote from: Mango Bunny on April 04, 2016, 11:42:52 AM
Nothing over here! I'm on the waitlist for anything at the Hilton or Marriott. I keep checking... I've always had better luck than this with the list! Hoping people will drop closer to the 29th.

If anyone gets something from the waitlist I would love to hear about it. I need hope.

I have a room at the Doubletree but little interest in staying there... Considering not going for the first year since 2006 if I can't get something closer.

And I do know there is a shuttle, but I don't love it. Especially late nights.

I've never been on the waitlist before, but I've always heard that you're pretty much going to get a room if you're on it in years past. I feel like with all the added drama this year, people are hanging onto the rooms more tightly than in previous years, and that's why the waitlist isn't moving at all.

Also hoping for more people to drop later on. Though I have a single night at the Hilton booked in order to keep my spot on the waitlist, so I'll need to drop that if I can't get a full weekend stay. :| This system where you need to have something booked to be on the waitlist really isn't much good in that kind of situation.

I also don't want to take the shuttles. There are two things about this con that I love: the cosplay scene, and late nights (mostly spent in the karaoke room). I know that I won't feel safe taking the shuttles back from the karaoke room at 2 or 3AM, so I'll probably have to cut my singing short, and that's unfortunate. I also doubt that I'll be able to do as many costume changes as I usually do, or even wear some of the larger and more impressive (but difficult) costumes I have planned to wear if I have to take the shuttles, both for time reasons and because I don't know if I'll fit with 27" horns strapped to the top of my head (and I wanted this to be my last hurrah with Condesce because Homestuck is ending). I also don't know how feasible it will be to wait for shuttles and do the extra time it takes in costumes that are already painful and I get grumpy in.

I'd seriously consider not going next year if the hotel situation doesn't get cleared up this year. I've been going since 2003 and haven't missed a year.

Yes, something needs to change, but there needs to be better communication and better implementation. This con has also created a problem for itself where it's known to have a lack of hotels, so people already have room panic and rush the hotel reg, but then with the new system, people are reluctant to give up their hotels. (I'm also somewhat buying in the conspiracy theory that the con did this method to lock people into buying badges!)

I'm also still salty about the artists and other people not getting priority hotel reg. I mean, it'll be an inconvenience for me to not have a close hotel, and I won't be able to attend this con in the same way that I usually do (so my enjoyment will be diminished), but I can live with it. People like the AA folks NEED the close hotels, and couldn't get them because they got shafted. A con can't treat the people who are part of the con and bringing content to the con this poorly and expect people to continue to want to bring content to this con. It doesn't work like that. Still my biggest issue with the hotel situation.

Sorry for the giant rant. Looks like I'm turning into citrus, lol

I have a lot of problems with this system. I'm getting really concerned about the waitlist at this point. Last year I didn't register until late-late. I still got a room at the Hilton for Friday-Monday. This year I am just sitting with my Doubletree room and hoping. I can say I think the second booking my friend has is going to be dropped, but he's keeping it for waitlist purposes right now.

I'm right there with you on safety! I've had really weird things happen in years past even in the main concourse late at night (being followed, having the doors blocked to the hotel so I can be catcalled by a group of older men, etc) so I don't feel safe waiting outside for a shuttle at 3am. I also remember the years where the area by the jack in the box was closed down due to police activity/fights/etc.

The biggest problem is communication, I agree with you. You aren't being a citrus!

I'm so stressed over this year. It's taking my fun vacation (which this is for me) and turning it into way too much work.

At least we have 2 guests announced now.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kuudere on April 06, 2016, 04:02:22 PM
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on April 05, 2016, 01:07:34 PM
Looks like I'm turning into citrus, lol

Quote from: Mango Bunny on April 06, 2016, 10:28:24 AM
You aren't being a citrus!

I'm laughing at the fact that this is a thing now. Can we use it like a verb, too?

I agree with the general sentiment that, while there was a step forward in hotel booking (yeah, the website crashed once, but it was actually a short amount of time compared to previous years), there was also a step back in communication. Even though it worked out great for me because I bought my badge early on a whim this year, it wasn't fair to just drop this on everyone without a fair warning for people to plan accordingly. Not to mention artist alley getting pretty screwed over.

I think ideally, they should have announced the plan prior to badges going live, then do everything pretty much the same, except release rooms in batches so that it wasn't a first-come-first-serve free for all like it was. That way, Marriott and Hilton wouldn't have been sold out on the very first day. Though I'm sure we'd still not have enough rooms because there simply aren't enough hotels for the amount of attendees that come. At least the people who ghost the con had a harder time taking rooms away from paying attendees this year.

Two people in my group* are holding on to two other rooms at lesser-desired hotels because we're hoping something else opens in the Marriott (probably unlikely). I know they're for-sure going to just drop those rooms at the deadline if nothing opens up, so for those without any rooms at all, you'll probably be seeing a bunch become open at the end of this month. I'm betting there are many other people in that exact same situation who are planning to drop their rooms and squeeze in with a friend (or strangers) somewhere else.




*I should specify that my group is a large one that justifies the number of rooms we're holding. We're not just holding rooms to hold them.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Nina Star 9 on April 07, 2016, 02:04:40 PM
I third the motion to make "citrus" into a verb for unnecessary and excessive complaining. (Sorry, citrus. ;])


I like the idea of releasing rooms in blocks, though I'm sure that people who are in early booking windows would get upset at that.

Of course, the idea situation of them announcing all this ahead of time didn't happen, so I hope that it's better next year. I'm also wondering about how far in advance the con knew about it -- did the implement the plan last-minute, or did they have this plan and just not tell anyone?

It's certainly better than just a mad rush for rooms, but it's causing more stress and even more room panic (I think -- hence the waistlist not moving) because everything is so uncertain, and then it feeds back into that loop of people seeing the waitlist not move -> people getting more scared -> people keeping their rooms because they won't be able to get others -> the waitlist not moving.

I mean, I've been saying for years that the lack of available rooms is a problem, but it's not like there are fewer rooms this year and a significant amount more attendees, that would cause things like Mango Bunny's situation of being able to get a room at the Hilton off the waistlist last year, but nothing moving at all this year. It's people holding onto rooms because of the new system.

And, really, is this really helping with the (dubiously existent to begin with) scalping problem? Yes you need a badge, but only one person in the room needs a badge to book a room. If there are two badged people in a room, one can book another room and still scalp it. It seems like there's even more incentive to scalp rooms this year than before, since so many people have gotten screwed over.


I've also had scary encounters on the main concourse late at night (hopefully the new badge check policy will help some of this, but it's not like all creepers are randos who wandered in without a badge), so I'd be worried about late nights having to wait for and then ride on shuttles. :|
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: InsaneDavid on April 07, 2016, 10:35:45 PM
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on April 07, 2016, 02:04:40 PM(hopefully the new badge check policy will help some of this, but it's not like all creepers are randos who wandered in without a badge), so I'd be worried about late nights having to wait for and then ride on shuttles. :|

New badge check policy? More details please!

EDIT: Just saw it - http://forums.fanime.com/index.php/topic,20521.0.html - Woohoo!!
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on April 08, 2016, 12:04:17 AM
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on April 07, 2016, 02:04:40 PM

I've also had scary encounters on the main concourse late at night (hopefully the new badge check policy will help some of this, but it's not like all creepers are randos who wandered in without a badge), so I'd be worried about late nights having to wait for and then ride on shuttles. :|

Oh wow! I didn't see that! All my encounters have been with con attendees though and on the concourse floor or entrances to the hotels. I mean, most of us women have crap happen all the time. It's just scarier in a city not my own and in the early hours of the morning (when I normally stay indoors to keep safe.) I'm really worried about shuttles. I guess the alternative is just going in around midnight or before when there are a ton of people around. Too bad. Thumbs down for female anatomy limiting my life.

I would love to see confirmation that the system will remain in place for next year before this com is done... Seeing as we sell badges at the end of the con!

I'm really worried the farther we move into April. I really want one of the connecting hotels .. Or the Fairmont!

I don't have access to any data regarding the scalping issue obviously, but I can't see it helping so much. Hypothetically those attending but staying elsewhere or in another room can easily turn a profit, and I can't imagine that this happens a lot from outside the community. Now it seems demand has increased over other years. Again, referencing the seemingly quiet wait list.

Ah I miss fanime of my early years! I never was stressed like this. Boo to stressful vacation.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: citrus on April 08, 2016, 12:25:42 AM
I guess I'm the butt of Puns and jokes? Yeah I'm fully aware of my reputation and I got nothing to be ashamed about it. Not that I don't mind anyways, since most of you still treat me with decent respect despite my complaints. Which I thank all of you who have still treat me well.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kuudere on April 08, 2016, 06:53:50 AM
Quote from: citrus on April 08, 2016, 12:25:42 AM
I guess I'm the butt of Puns and jokes? Yeah I'm fully aware of my reputation and I got nothing to be ashamed about it. Not that I don't mind anyways, since most of you still treat me with decent respect despite my complaints. Which I thank all of you who have still treat me well.

I don't think any of us are being malicious with our joking. I used to be annoyed by you, but now you're like part of the forums family. I read all of your opinions, and while I don't agree with the way that they're expressed most of the time, I do understand the passion behind them is driven from a desire to see Fanime become the best it can be. I think that's what we all want, here.


On topic: I saw a few pieces of anecdotal evidence that the hotel waitlist has moved for people recently. I'm still waiting on getting Thursday, myself, and I'll report back when my waitlist request is fulfilled (or if my friends' requests to get into the Marriott are filled).
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Nina Star 9 on April 12, 2016, 05:06:00 PM
Oh no! I don't mean anything bad by it, citrus. As much as I critique your methods, I do admire your passion, and I enjoy reading your posts, even if I don't find them entirely effective. No need to be salty about it. :]




I've also seen anecdotal evidence that the waitlist has moved...let's have hope!

Has anyone here been on the shuttles? How big are they? I really want to wear a couple of costume that are somewhat...oversize, if you will, and I'm not sure how well I'll fit. One costume is very wide (wings, wide horns) and the other is very tall (tall horns). What are my chances of getting to con in these costumes?

I have to wear the very tall one, because Homestuck is ending and I need to wear it one last time to the gathering. :[

EDIT:
Have hope, people of Fanimecon! My waistlist pushed through today. :D

I got my first choice of rooms, too. Connected hotel, two doubles, all weekend.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on April 13, 2016, 08:09:27 PM
Nothing meant, citrus!

And oh my gosh. Can I ask when you added your wait list request???
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Barnes on April 13, 2016, 09:12:45 PM
QuoteHas anyone here been on the shuttles? How big are they?

From what I remember, the buses are bigger than a local public transit bus.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Nina Star 9 on April 13, 2016, 09:17:53 PM
Quote from: Mango Bunny on April 13, 2016, 08:09:27 PM
Nothing meant, citrus!

And oh my gosh. Can I ask when you added your wait list request???
I put in my waitlist early in the noon timeblock (so maybe 12:15 or 12:20 or so? I did have to deal with some server crashes) on 2/25. So people from that timeblock should be getting close to the top of the list for the next available rooms.

I'm really happy about it. :] Now I don't have to worry about not fitting onto the shuttles in some of my costumes! And I can stay out late!
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kuudere on April 13, 2016, 09:31:10 PM
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on April 13, 2016, 09:17:53 PM
I put in my waitlist early in the noon timeblock (so maybe 12:15 or 12:20 or so? I did have to deal with some server crashes) on 2/25. So people from that timeblock should be getting close to the top of the list for the next available rooms.

I'm really happy about it. :] Now I don't have to worry about not fitting onto the shuttles in some of my costumes! And I can stay out late!

I'm happy you got your request fulfilled! I thought it probably wasn't going to go well for you to have (what I'm guessing is) Condesce horns on the shuttle. The year I used the shuttle, we were packed like sardines and it was a really fast drive so we were tossed around a bit. Did you request Thursday too, by any chance? I'm still waiting for that day to clear for Marriott and I booked on the first day. I might have to check up on things if they're granting Thursdays already.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Nina Star 9 on April 13, 2016, 10:38:59 PM
Between Condesce and Ultimecia, I wasn't sure about that shuttle thing at all!

(Can't wait to retire Condesce, oh my god. Love the costume, but it's a pain.)


I only requested Friday-Monday. I also had my booked room to get me on the waitlist as one night at the hotel I was waitlisted at. Not sure if that factors into waitlisting at all (if they give people would would need the whole weekend but can only book a day more priority than people with the full weekend at a different hotel) or if it's just a straight list in order of the time you signed up.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kuudere on April 20, 2016, 03:49:38 PM
I said I'd update when I got Thursday added to my Fri-Mon Marriott reservation. Today, I got it.

For reference, I was in the 2/24  3:00pm block.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on April 20, 2016, 04:55:34 PM
Ugh! Happy for you guys but still fretting for myself! Nothing yet.

Getting anxious!!!!
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: phr34kish on April 21, 2016, 08:54:30 AM
Aahhhhh - I'm glad to see it's at least moving SOME! I was getting anxious it wasn't going to move at all given the setup this year. I'm still not holding out much hope my waitlist will push through though. I didn't get to register till the 3:00PM block on the 25th and there are already lots in front of me. xD
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on April 21, 2016, 10:23:59 AM
Ugh that email about the cancellation deadline got !y hopes up this morning. It's still a good thing though! Maybe people will cancel before the deadline!!!

Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: AnimeJet on April 21, 2016, 11:15:35 AM
I hope the email encourages people to drop cancel! Still no movement for me  :'( (Or other artists as far as I know)
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on April 21, 2016, 11:28:29 AM
I think we may be in a game of hotel chicken....

I'm still deciding whether to drop and just save money this year and not go. I won't release my room until the 11th hour though!!! I feel others may be doing the same.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Nina Star 9 on April 21, 2016, 02:16:59 PM
I feel like there's going to be a number of cancellations in the next day or two because they sent out that mass email about it. I agree with the "hotel chicken" thing though -- I actually just texted my sister using that exact phrase LOL

Good luck to those who are still gambling on getting their waitlists before the cancellation deadline! :D
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on April 25, 2016, 09:45:12 PM
Well, still Nada. No word on the wait list. It's almost the 29th!
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: crystalsoul on April 26, 2016, 12:02:19 PM
Mango what was your reservation date and time slot?
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: YaoiCat on April 26, 2016, 02:11:11 PM
My time slot was the 25th at 12pm and I got my waitlist confirmation by 1pm, haven't heard back yet though.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on April 26, 2016, 05:55:34 PM
Quote from: crystalsoul on April 26, 2016, 12:02:19 PM
Mango what was your reservation date and time slot?

Admittedly I booked the 26th- general reg. I didn't have extra money when badges opened and figured there was no harm in waiting....
Luckily I did notice they opened general on tfe 26th rather than the 29th like they said they were going to do.

I feel like I'm SOL.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: jm1991 on April 27, 2016, 12:03:39 AM
Quick question and advise needed. So i been going to fanime for a couple of years now and i usually just shared the room with my bf for the weekend. Due to unfortunate events im left with a room at the Residence Inn Airport from friday-monday. The room is a 1bedroon king suite 450sqf + Pullout sofa, mini kitchen. Its a brand new property with large clean rooms and hot breakfast every morning and the light rail stop less than a block off which will drop you off at the convention center. I have never shared a room with anyone so im not quite sure as to how much a spot would go for and looking for suggestions.. im willing to give up the bedroom (private)(would that be 1 spot or 2 if shared?) and the couch and im willing to sleep on the floor. Also how does one take care of the transactions? or if someone bails out? Any tips and suggestions will be appreciated either as a reply to this or on a PM :) Thanks in advance
here are some pictures of the hotel and room.. taken from the hotel site

Sorry but you are not allowed to view spoiler contents.

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Sorry but you are not allowed to view spoiler contents.

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Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: AnimeJet on April 28, 2016, 12:54:07 PM
Quote from: YaoiCat on April 26, 2016, 02:11:11 PM
My time slot was the 25th at 12pm and I got my waitlist confirmation by 1pm, haven't heard back yet though.

same slot and i think i got on the waitlist even earlier (like immediately after picking) but no movement for me either :/
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on April 29, 2016, 12:48:03 PM
This is honestly really upsetting. Today is the drop cut off.

It's not happening.

I know I'm just being a spoiled brat, but I'm really upset about this!

As a side note, does anyone know anything about parking at or around the Doubletree?
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Amanojaku on April 29, 2016, 01:53:00 PM
Quote from: Mango Bunny on April 29, 2016, 12:48:03 PM
This is honestly really upsetting. Today is the drop cut off.

It's not happening.

I know I'm just being a spoiled brat, but I'm really upset about this!

As a side note, does anyone know anything about parking at or around the Doubletree?
I've stayed at the Double Tree 2013-2015, and parking there wasn't a problem.  Arrived 9-10am ish Friday each time.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on April 29, 2016, 01:59:12 PM
Quote from: Amanojaku on April 29, 2016, 01:53:00 PM
Quote from: Mango Bunny on April 29, 2016, 12:48:03 PM
This is honestly really upsetting. Today is the drop cut off.

It's not happening.

I know I'm just being a spoiled brat, but I'm really upset about this!

As a side note, does anyone know anything about parking at or around the Doubletree?
I've stayed at the Double Tree 2013-2015, and parking there wasn't a problem.  Arrived 9-10am ish Friday each time.

Good to know... What about cost? I usually end up finding somewhere around $7/day around the com center.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kyra_Maverick on April 29, 2016, 04:17:37 PM
Quote from: Mango Bunny on April 29, 2016, 01:59:12 PM

Good to know... What about cost? I usually end up finding somewhere around $7/day around the com center.
According to the housing website, Double Tree parking should be $7 for self and $27 for valet.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Xeluu on April 29, 2016, 11:13:14 PM
Quote from: Mango Bunny on April 29, 2016, 12:48:03 PM
This is honestly really upsetting. Today is the drop cut off.

It's not happening.

I know I'm just being a spoiled brat, but I'm really upset about this!

As a side note, does anyone know anything about parking at or around the Doubletree?

If it makes you feel any better, I've been attending since 2002/2003 (not 100% sure which year it was), and I've had a hotel room since 2005/2006ish. This is the first year I've been unable to get a hotel room attached to the convention center.

This is also my second year staffing, and since 2/4 of us in the room are staff, and the other two register late due to their own circumstances, we we're unable to attempt to book a hotel room until it opened to the general public.

I can understand why they made the changes they did, but I wish that they'd announced it much further in advance.

But this is just my own personal comment on the situation, and in NO way should be considered a view of Fanime as a whole.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kuudere on April 30, 2016, 07:08:36 AM
Quote from: Mango Bunny on April 29, 2016, 12:48:03 PM
This is honestly really upsetting. Today is the drop cut off.

It's not happening.

I know I'm just being a spoiled brat, but I'm really upset about this!

I think you're fine in being upset. I would be, too. I wouldn't give up hope entirely, though. I know people canceled their room right at the deadline, which means that CMR was probably processing all those cancel requests on Friday. I'd expect next week (starting Monday) that they'd be working to get those newly-opened rooms out to those on the waitlist. I'm hoping that that's the case for you. I hate to see Fanime veterans in situations like this.

Is your waitlist request for multiple nearby hotels rather than just the connected ones? I think that would help your chances, but if you don't have them already added, I'd call them to make sure that adding new hotels would not push you to the bottom of the list.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kuudere on April 30, 2016, 07:28:41 AM
Quote from: jm1991 on April 27, 2016, 12:03:39 AM
Quick question and advise needed. So i been going to fanime for a couple of years now and i usually just shared the room with my bf for the weekend. Due to unfortunate events im left with a room at the Residence Inn Airport from friday-monday. The room is a 1bedroon king suite 450sqf + Pullout sofa, mini kitchen. Its a brand new property with large clean rooms and hot breakfast every morning and the light rail stop less than a block off which will drop you off at the convention center. I have never shared a room with anyone so im not quite sure as to how much a spot would go for and looking for suggestions.. im willing to give up the bedroom (private)(would that be 1 spot or 2 if shared?) and the couch and im willing to sleep on the floor. Also how does one take care of the transactions? or if someone bails out? Any tips and suggestions will be appreciated either as a reply to this or on a PM :)

I'd recommend posting in the roommates thread (http://forums.fanime.com/index.php/topic,19695.0.html) with some contact info so they can get ahold of you if they're interested. Also, post on the unofficial Fanime group on Facebook. While it's a beautiful room, it probably won't be super high on the desired hotels list because it's not as close as many others. Advertise with information on how to get to the convention from it (I'm not sure if the shuttle goes to this one) and you might get some bites. How you split the cost of the room is up to you - you can make it fair and split it evenly among everyone, or you can have them pay more for taking the bed, or you can cut them a deal and take on more of the cost yourself. If you can justify it ("I'm charging 60% the cost of the room because I will be giving you the bed"), it's fine to ask for more. The bedroom would count as two spots in my opinion. This room is large, so you could probably fit up to 5-6 people (but be aware of your hotel room's occupancy policy - it might only be for 4 people). Though I've never looked for roommates online myself, I'm pretty sure everyone either pays through paypal or cash in person. If you want to cut down on flakers, ask for a percentage of the money to hold as a deposit 2 weeks ahead of the convention. You're more likely to get more serious responses when they know that they have to pay up ahead of the convention. If you want to be very thorough, set up all the deadlines of when you need the money from them, give them an itemized breakdown of the cost so they understand you're not trying to rip them off, and have them agree to all of that before accepting them as a roommate.

These are the things I'd do if it were me in this situation.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Amanojaku on April 30, 2016, 12:31:56 PM
Quote from: Mango Bunny on April 29, 2016, 01:59:12 PM
Quote from: Amanojaku on April 29, 2016, 01:53:00 PM
Quote from: Mango Bunny on April 29, 2016, 12:48:03 PM
This is honestly really upsetting. Today is the drop cut off.

It's not happening.

I know I'm just being a spoiled brat, but I'm really upset about this!

As a side note, does anyone know anything about parking at or around the Doubletree?
I've stayed at the Double Tree 2013-2015, and parking there wasn't a problem.  Arrived 9-10am ish Friday each time.

Good to know... What about cost? I usually end up finding somewhere around $7/day around the com center.

Cost I'm not sure... somehow I don't remember paying anything, and I'm not sure if I just forgot because it was affordable, or if its because I'm a Hilton Rewards member.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: RedGxHenshin on April 30, 2016, 04:43:39 PM
Quote from: Kuudere on April 30, 2016, 07:08:36 AM
Quote from: Mango Bunny on April 29, 2016, 12:48:03 PM
This is honestly really upsetting. Today is the drop cut off.

It's not happening.

I know I'm just being a spoiled brat, but I'm really upset about this!

I think you're fine in being upset. I would be, too. I wouldn't give up hope entirely, though. I know people canceled their room right at the deadline, which means that CMR was probably processing all those cancel requests on Friday. I'd expect next week (starting Monday) that they'd be working to get those newly-opened rooms out to those on the waitlist. I'm hoping that that's the case for you. I hate to see Fanime veterans in situations like this.

Is your waitlist request for multiple nearby hotels rather than just the connected ones? I think that would help your chances, but if you don't have them already added, I'd call them to make sure that adding new hotels would not push you to the bottom of the list.


I actually wasn't even thinking about it taking more time to process empty rooms for waitlisters. Thanks for mentioning that, now I still feel like there's some hope left. It does make sense because thats alot of moving around to do, like someone from Hyatt/Fairmont/Westin into Hilton/Marriott and then that Hyatt/Fairmont/Westin spot becomes available for the ones who already have the far away hotels like DoubleTree.
Honestly I already have Fairmont but I'm on the waitlist for Ramada, Hilton, and Marriott. My priority window was Feb 25th at 12pm when it was just Fairmont left and another hotel (I forgot which one) but all I wanted was Ramada because of price. I'm hoping at least some Hilton or Marriott rooms become available and I move to one of them and my Fairmont spot becomes available after I move for those who need that one. I have a feeling everyone who has Ramada won't be giving up those rooms.
If it fails, I'm still okay with Fairmont but I was just aiming to get even closer to the con or my favorite hotel Ramada.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on April 30, 2016, 08:36:46 PM
Quote from: Xeluu on April 29, 2016, 11:13:14 PM

If it makes you feel any better, I've been attending since 2002/2003 (not 100% sure which year it was), and I've had a hotel room since 2005/2006ish. This is the first year I've been unable to get a hotel room attached to the convention center.

This is also my second year staffing, and since 2/4 of us in the room are staff, and the other two register late due to their own circumstances, we we're unable to attempt to book a hotel room until it opened to the general public.

I can understand why they made the changes they did, but I wish that they'd announced it much further in advance.

But this is just my own personal comment on the situation, and in NO way should be considered a view of Fanime as a whole.

Thanks. I guess I never had to worry before so it's just extra hard to adjust. Change is hard. This has been a bumpy transition! I hope you get the hotel you want.

Quote from: Kuudere on April 30, 2016, 07:08:36 AM

I think you're fine in being upset. I would be, too. I wouldn't give up hope entirely, though. I know people canceled their room right at the deadline, which means that CMR was probably processing all those cancel requests on Friday. I'd expect next week (starting Monday) that they'd be working to get those newly-opened rooms out to those on the waitlist. I'm hoping that that's the case for you. I hate to see Fanime veterans in situations like this.

Is your waitlist request for multiple nearby hotels rather than just the connected ones? I think that would help your chances, but if you don't have them already added, I'd call them to make sure that adding new hotels would not push you to the bottom of the list.

I should have any room on Hilton and Marriott (maybe Fairmont too??) On my wait list. I actually intend to call Monday with a few questions. I may add more hotels to the wait list if it won't ruin anything.
Thanks, I was actually wondering how the wait list works (automatic/algorithm vs. Manually) and it does make sense that it would be manual. I hope so!!!! I checked my email obsessively on Friday. Also every day.

Man I don't even know. I love fanime so much, I hope the con comes together better than the communication has run.

Quote from: Kyra_Maverick on April 29, 2016, 04:17:37 PM
Quote from: Mango Bunny on April 29, 2016, 01:59:12 PM

Good to know... What about cost? I usually end up finding somewhere around $7/day around the com center.
According to the housing website, Double Tree parking should be $7 for self and $27 for valet.

You win. I apparently couldn't figure it out! Thanks!
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kuudere on April 30, 2016, 09:55:40 PM
Quote from: Mango Bunny on April 30, 2016, 08:36:46 PM
Thanks, I was actually wondering how the wait list works (automatic/algorithm vs. Manually) and it does make sense that it would be manual.

I assume it's probably a mixture of manual and automation... When I called to ask questions regarding where my place was on the waitlist, the woman on the other end of the line assured me that she does not have access to that information, so there's likely some automation in there. She was able to pull up my waitlist request and alter it herself, though.

I haven't seen anyone talk about their waitlist request being granted on Friday (the last cancellation date), so it seems like CMR were probably focusing on the cancellations. Usually people are excited they got the room they wanted and you see a ton of people talking about it (especially on more casual places like the FB fanpage). It's all anecdotal evidence, but some hope is better than none. Good luck and keep us updated!
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kyra_Maverick on April 30, 2016, 10:57:17 PM
Quote from: Mango Bunny on April 30, 2016, 08:36:46 PM
You win. I apparently couldn't figure it out! Thanks!
The website is set up weird this year. You have to click the 'compare' box and then 'view amenities' at the top of the list.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on May 01, 2016, 12:27:39 PM
Quote from: Kuudere on April 30, 2016, 09:55:40 PM
Quote from: Mango Bunny on April 30, 2016, 08:36:46 PM
Thanks, I was actually wondering how the wait list works (automatic/algorithm vs. Manually) and it does make sense that it would be manual.

I assume it's probably a mixture of manual and automation... When I called to ask questions regarding where my place was on the waitlist, the woman on the other end of the line assured me that she does not have access to that information, so there's likely some automation in there. She was able to pull up my waitlist request and alter it herself, though.

I haven't seen anyone talk about their waitlist request being granted on Friday (the last cancellation date), so it seems like CMR were probably focusing on the cancellations. Usually people are excited they got the room they wanted and you see a ton of people talking about it (especially on more casual places like the FB fanpage). It's all anecdotal evidence, but some hope is better than none. Good luck and keep us updated!

That makes sense. I hope we get a flood of waitlist updates tomorrow! Fingers crossed. I know someone I know cancelled a room for Friday-Monday, so hopefully everything gets moving.

Quote from: Kyra_Maverick on April 30, 2016, 10:57:17 PM
Quote from: Mango Bunny on April 30, 2016, 08:36:46 PM
You win. I apparently couldn't figure it out! Thanks!
The website is set up weird this year. You have to click the 'compare' box and then 'view amenities' at the top of the list.

It is! I can't easily get to the hotel page nor can I easily move around it, especially on mobile. I also have had some weird time outs when trying to log in. Thanks again! At least parking should be okay if I'm stuck there...
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Vasyenka on May 01, 2016, 06:56:07 PM
Also, if you're worried about being stuck with a hotel room that you don't want now that the deadline has passed, remember that you can always cancel with the hotel directly and you won't be charged~ c: Though it'd be best to cancel at least 48 hours prior, given the new deposit policy (https://www4.cmrhousing.com/fanime2016/Housing/Info).
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Nina Star 9 on May 02, 2016, 09:52:42 AM
Oh no! So sorry that everyone is /still/ stuck in waitlist hell. I'm curious to know if there are any updates today.

I'm not sure how I managed to get so lucky -- if it was the time I put in my waitlist request, or if it was the fact that the room I booked in order to get onto the waitlist was the same type of room I put at the top of my waitlist (so they either gave priority to me because I didn't have the whole weekend, or because the days I didn't manage to snag when booking were easier to fill than filling the whole weekend). Either way, looking at this thread, I feel super lucky that I managed to get the room I wanted.



Also, I've heard the unconfirmed rumors that are swirling (okay, people are posting them on /cgl/) that the Marriott will be cracking down on room parties this year. How true is this, and how strict will the Hilton be? I've heard a lot of people talking about switching their room parties to the Hilton instead of the Marriott, and I'm worried that I'm going to get stuck next to some super loud party room.

I realize that this con doesn't want a party con image and hotels may not like it because rooms can easily get trashed, but I think that every large con needs a party floor or a party block so that when loud parties inevitably happen, they can at least be quarantined away from the rest of us who want to actually get some sleep. Maybe charge a higher rate or make people leave a higher deposit for those rooms. Hotels should also crack down on noise complaints, but that won't be a perfect solution.

Sorry, getting a little off topic here. ;]
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: AnimeJet on May 02, 2016, 12:25:03 PM
No movement here.. :) I don't see anyone else moving either so the hopefullness of friday cancellations being processed today was that just.. hopefullness. Blegh. Good job screwing over your artists in some new way, fanime lol.

@Nina: to be honest i have no idea why you are worried. If they are loud and disruptful ANY hotel would kick them out if they were reported once or twice, or they would voluntarily move you. No one gets stuck next to a crap room all weekend unless they for some reason do not report it.

Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on May 02, 2016, 12:41:52 PM
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on May 02, 2016, 09:52:42 AM
Oh no! So sorry that everyone is /still/ stuck in waitlist hell. I'm curious to know if there are any updates today.

I'm not sure how I managed to get so lucky -- if it was the time I put in my waitlist request, or if it was the fact that the room I booked in order to get onto the waitlist was the same type of room I put at the top of my waitlist (so they either gave priority to me because I didn't have the whole weekend, or because the days I didn't manage to snag when booking were easier to fill than filling the whole weekend). Either way, looking at this thread, I feel super lucky that I managed to get the room I wanted.



Also, I've heard the unconfirmed rumors that are swirling (okay, people are posting them on /cgl/) that the Marriott will be cracking down on room parties this year. How true is this, and how strict will the Hilton be? I've heard a lot of people talking about switching their room parties to the Hilton instead of the Marriott, and I'm worried that I'm going to get stuck next to some super loud party room.

I realize that this con doesn't want a party con image and hotels may not like it because rooms can easily get trashed, but I think that every large con needs a party floor or a party block so that when loud parties inevitably happen, they can at least be quarantined away from the rest of us who want to actually get some sleep. Maybe charge a higher rate or make people leave a higher deposit for those rooms. Hotels should also crack down on noise complaints, but that won't be a perfect solution.

Sorry, getting a little off topic here. ;]

No idea on the parties, but please make sure to call the Hilton staff ASAP if you are having problems! I know they are going to be really busy, but honestly it's really helpful for them to know when it happens rather than get 10 different complaints at check out (possibly with comps being handed out, etc) I say this as someone in the service/hotel industry! Do not be afraid to be the party pooper! I totally will.

OKAY! I called housing and there is a note that it may be up until May 11th that they are working on the wait list allocations. So... there's still hope!!!

No movement for me. I will keep obsessively checking through May 11th. Also probably after that.

Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Nina Star 9 on May 02, 2016, 12:59:57 PM
Good luck! I'm sure that there will be a lot of movement on the list if it'll take them until May 11th to process it all. That seems really hopeful. :]



I'm only worried about the party thing because last time I was at the Marriott, I was stuck next to a very loud party room with very rude guests and calling in noise complaints to the hotel did nothing to stop it. I just don't even want to hassle with any more 3AM calls to the front desk because the room next door won't stop blasting music and yelling in front of our room's door, and having the hotel do nothing while the party continues all weekend. That was not a good experience and understandably makes me not want to stay at the Marriott again! Hopefully the Hilton staff is better if I get stuck next to a room like that again.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on May 02, 2016, 02:36:52 PM
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on May 02, 2016, 12:59:57 PM
Good luck! I'm sure that there will be a lot of movement on the list if it'll take them until May 11th to process it all. That seems really hopeful. :]



I'm only worried about the party thing because last time I was at the Marriott, I was stuck next to a very loud party room with very rude guests and calling in noise complaints to the hotel did nothing to stop it. I just don't even want to hassle with any more 3AM calls to the front desk because the room next door won't stop blasting music and yelling in front of our room's door, and having the hotel do nothing while the party continues all weekend. That was not a good experience and understandably makes me not want to stay at the Marriott again! Hopefully the Hilton staff is better if I get stuck next to a room like that again.

Ugh! That's horrible! I hope Hilton is better! If not... keep taking the complaints up the chain. Even if they fail to stop it at the time hopefully you can have something in return to make you happy. I know it's a convention but still. I hate parties!
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: RedGxHenshin on May 07, 2016, 01:31:12 AM
Any news about waitlist fulfillments yet? I see Fairfield Inn, Holiday Inn, and SpringHill rooms are available. Not sure if that means the people there cancelled their rooms or got transfered to other hotels.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on May 07, 2016, 08:07:59 PM
Quote from: RedGxHenshin on May 07, 2016, 01:31:12 AM
Any news about waitlist fulfillments yet? I see Fairfield Inn, Holiday Inn, and SpringHill rooms are available. Not sure if that means the people there cancelled their rooms or got transfered to other hotels.

Nothing on my end! Feeling despondant!
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Amanojaku on May 09, 2016, 02:01:38 PM
My friend just cancelled a Double Tree reservation for the whole weekend, so something may free up there soon.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Angelx624 on May 09, 2016, 06:35:30 PM
I wish you all good luck in hotels!! :( Hate seeing people have to stay far away. I had to do that once, and I hated it. ;_;
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Vasyenka on May 10, 2016, 01:44:10 AM
Great news on my end: my waitlist went through! My hotel block was on 2/25 at 12pm, and my waitlist confirmation was at 1pm. Originally I snagged a room for a single night at the Hilton and joined the waitlist to extend my days there with a different room type. If it helps any, I also gave my Hilton Honors number when I first made my reservation~

Anyway, good luck to everyone else! ;w; <333
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: kameifan5x on May 10, 2016, 04:39:23 PM
Room at the San Jose Marriott for 2 double beds opened up. Go grab them before they are out.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: AnimeJet on May 10, 2016, 05:26:55 PM
Quote from: kameifan5x on May 10, 2016, 04:39:23 PM
Room at the San Jose Marriott for 2 double beds opened up. Go grab them before they are out.

Do you mean full price rooms or on the block. Why would they go up for the block, people like me are on the waitlist for those rooms..

With no movement still here.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: kameifan5x on May 10, 2016, 05:33:34 PM
There was available rooms for 2 double beds at $135/night, but it looks like those rooms are booked up now.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on May 10, 2016, 05:41:27 PM
Nothing here on the end if the 10th. I feel like we are about done here.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Vasyenka on May 10, 2016, 06:13:01 PM
If it helps any, my waitlist confirmation e-mail was sent to me at a really weird time, like 11pm PST. I can understand a delay in said e-mail confirmations, but still~ :v
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: AnimeJet on May 10, 2016, 06:58:21 PM
Quote from: Vasyenka on May 10, 2016, 06:13:01 PM
If it helps any, my waitlist confirmation e-mail was sent to me at a really weird time, like 11pm PST. I can understand a delay in said e-mail confirmations, but still~ :v

Unfortunately your waitlist movement is different from artists. You're just trying to get more days at the hotel  you're in already. All the artists were in 3pm block and are in airport hotels trying to get to the closer ones. That's why I find it weird that someone claims that 2 bdrooms opened at the marriot. I'm trying to switch into a 2bdrm at the marriot, shouldn't wait list get priority?
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Vasyenka on May 10, 2016, 07:08:25 PM
Quote from: AnimeJet on May 10, 2016, 06:58:21 PM
Unfortunately your waitlist movement is different from artists. You're just trying to get more days at the hotel  you're in already. All the artists were in 3pm block and are in airport hotels trying to get to the closer ones. That's why I find it weird that someone claims that 2 bdrooms opened at the marriot. I'm trying to switch into a 2bdrm at the marriot, shouldn't wait list get priority?
Well yes, I never stated I was an artist (though we do have an artist with us) when it came to my reservation~ :v Also I already listed why I think my waitlist went through in my previous post. I recall someone saying that it may be a mix of automatic and manual attendance in regards to the waitlist itself, which would also apply to my getting an email confirmation so late at night, if not it just took hours for it to show up in my inbox! And I agree with so many others that artists should've gotten priority, especially with the nightmare that the AA is going through.

I also saw that the Marriott had open rooms for their doubles, which is strange considering that there are still people on the waitlist!
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: kameifan5x on May 10, 2016, 07:37:45 PM
I was only able to obtain a room at the Double Tree during my hotel reservation time-slot, and after getting that room I called in and put myself on the wait list for Marriot, Fairmont, and the Westin. I do check the hotel reservation site periodically ever since they added more hotels to the list.  Earlier today I saw that the Marriot had the twin double beds on the housing site as available, so I attempted to reserve through the housing site. It didn't work because my convention ID, needed for reserving the room, already had a reservation with the Double Tree. I called the Fanime hosuing number, requested to switch my rooms.  Person on the phone asked for my convention ID and saw that I had a reservation with the Double Tree and saw that I was on the hotel wait list.  Person told me that he would take me off the wait list, and swapped the hotel.  I got a confirmation email for the Marriot.  I called up some friends that I know and told them about the $135/Night Marriot rooms, and after about an hour the room was no longer available on the housing site.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on May 10, 2016, 09:28:13 PM
Quote from: kameifan5x on May 10, 2016, 07:37:45 PM
I was only able to obtain a room at the Double Tree during my hotel reservation time-slot, and after getting that room I called in and put myself on the wait list for Marriot, Fairmont, and the Westin. I do check the hotel reservation site periodically ever since they added more hotels to the list.  Earlier today I saw that the Marriot had the twin double beds on the housing site as available, so I attempted to reserve through the housing site. It didn't work because my convention ID, needed for reserving the room, already had a reservation with the Double Tree. I called the Fanime hosuing number, requested to switch my rooms.  Person on the phone asked for my convention ID and saw that I had a reservation with the Double Tree and saw that I was on the hotel wait list.  Person told me that he would take me off the wait list, and swapped the hotel.  I got a confirmation email for the Marriot.  I called up some friends that I know and told them about the $135/Night Marriot rooms, and after about an hour the room was no longer available on the housing site.

ARE YOU FRAKING KIDDING.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: AnimeJet on May 11, 2016, 08:48:22 AM
Quote from: Mango Bunny on May 10, 2016, 09:28:13 PM
Quote from: kameifan5x on May 10, 2016, 07:37:45 PM
I was only able to obtain a room at the Double Tree during my hotel reservation time-slot, and after getting that room I called in and put myself on the wait list for Marriot, Fairmont, and the Westin. I do check the hotel reservation site periodically ever since they added more hotels to the list.  Earlier today I saw that the Marriot had the twin double beds on the housing site as available, so I attempted to reserve through the housing site. It didn't work because my convention ID, needed for reserving the room, already had a reservation with the Double Tree. I called the Fanime hosuing number, requested to switch my rooms.  Person on the phone asked for my convention ID and saw that I had a reservation with the Double Tree and saw that I was on the hotel wait list.  Person told me that he would take me off the wait list, and swapped the hotel.  I got a confirmation email for the Marriot.  I called up some friends that I know and told them about the $135/Night Marriot rooms, and after about an hour the room was no longer available on the housing site.

ARE YOU FRAKING KIDDING.

Yea that's hella unfair wtf? Why are they doing that? And obviously no staff is going to answer or help ~_~ I'm calling them right now so they know about this incase this is just made up to mess with us

Edit: They couldn't find any record of any hotel rooms going up. They said they were going to look into it and i told them they could find the post here but we'll see. If kameifan5x is just trolling hope it gets quashed.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on May 11, 2016, 11:14:11 AM


Yea that's hella unfair wtf? Why are they doing that? And obviously no staff is going to answer or help ~_~ I'm calling them right now so they know about this incase this is just made up to mess with us

Edit: They couldn't find any record of any hotel rooms going up. They said they were going to look into it and i told them they could find the post here but we'll see. If kameifan5x is just trolling hope it gets quashed.
[/quote]

Thanks, let me know if you hear anything else.

kameifan5x, could you show us proof? I'm freaking furious about this.

Too bad fanime isn't a business and they probably couldn't care less. I'm feeling quite jaded. Today was their deadline for waitlists too.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kyra_Maverick on May 11, 2016, 12:23:57 PM
I don't think staff would be able to help much in this situation anyway since housing is handled through a 3rd party.

If rooms were availiable on the website but not assigned to people on the waitlist that's a huge issue/oversight on CMR's part.

Unrelated but another weird thing with CMR's system - I booked my room under my friend's name who was rooming with me since she had an earlier booking window. The system was orginally set up so you couldn't adjust the name on the reservation through the website. You had to email them with all the information so they could switch it for you. I even tried it just to test it out and it wouldn't let me. On Monday I tried again since my friend wont be available to check in until 9pm and even though the website had the same warning that you couldn't update the name on the reservation it let me do so. They sent me a new confirmation email and everything with the updated information.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on May 11, 2016, 03:53:43 PM
I called the housing team again and they told me basically not to get my hopes up because hardly anything has moved.  So... yeah.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: PacificPikachu on May 16, 2016, 09:21:18 PM
I'm really disappointed that I'm still stuck on the waiting list (I've been on the waiting list since day two of the hotels being open), and currently have a reservation for the Sheraton... It's so far away! I do Swap Meet both Thursday and Friday nights and I have a TON of stuff, so I'm struggling to figure out how to make this work. I have other people depending on me for a room, too, so I can't just switch to someone else's room. I've been going to Fanime since 2004, I've always been within easy walking distance of the con, and it makes me really nervous to be staying far away. :( I'm not sure what to do...
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on May 16, 2016, 10:24:04 PM
Quote from: PacificPikachu on May 16, 2016, 09:21:18 PM
I'm really disappointed that I'm still stuck on the waiting list (I've been on the waiting list since day two of the hotels being open), and currently have a reservation for the Sheraton... It's so far away! I do Swap Meet both Thursday and Friday nights and I have a TON of stuff, so I'm struggling to figure out how to make this work. I have other people depending on me for a room, too, so I can't just switch to someone else's room. I've been going to Fanime since 2004, I've always been within easy walking distance of the con, and it makes me really nervous to be staying far away. :( I'm not sure what to do...
I'm still at the Doubletree... I feel really sad, and I think I feel extra sad because I've been going so long and fanime does mean a lot to me. It's sort of like an old friend letting you down. I don't have the swap meet like you do but I get it. It's really disheartening. I opted to keep !y booking with some lingering faith I would get a connected hotel but it didn't happen. It may be my last fanime year, I don't know. Maybe if the actual con hits it out of the park I will continue but I feel really neglected about now.
Best of luck! I hope it turns out to be an awesome con and a comfortable stay despite the distance.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: kameifan5x on May 17, 2016, 11:58:05 AM
Again..... but with a pic now..

http://imgur.com/Ekx9J8b
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Vasyenka on May 17, 2016, 12:35:02 PM
Hey everyone! There are rooms available at both the Hilton and Marriott~!

http://prnt.sc/b58rok

http://prnt.sc/b58ryn
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kuudere on May 17, 2016, 12:36:06 PM
Wow. I just saw it too. Kameifan5x is not making it up.

I wonder why they're doing that? Not good.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Barnes on May 17, 2016, 12:37:56 PM
I've seen it happen before and I don't know why either.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Vasyenka on May 17, 2016, 12:38:58 PM
Quote from: Kuudere on May 17, 2016, 12:36:06 PM
Wow. I just saw it too. Kameifan5x is not making it up.

I wonder why they're doing that? Not good.
This is the second time I've seen this happen (first time I didn't think to grab a screenshot). A friend of mine was on the waitlist for the Hilton as well, and despite the site saying that they're available right now, she hadn't received a reservation change~ D:
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: RedGxHenshin on May 17, 2016, 12:52:50 PM
Quote from: Vasyenka on May 17, 2016, 12:38:58 PM
Quote from: Kuudere on May 17, 2016, 12:36:06 PM
Wow. I just saw it too. Kameifan5x is not making it up.

I wonder why they're doing that? Not good.
This is the second time I've seen this happen (first time I didn't think to grab a screenshot). A friend of mine was on the waitlist for the Hilton as well, and despite the site saying that they're available right now, she hadn't received a reservation change~ D:

I saw that Marriott was available a few minutes ago for the days AND the type of room that I had on waitlist but my waitlist wasnt fulfilled. I checked now and the room isn't available now. I guess waitlisting isn't reliable.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: InsaneDavid on May 17, 2016, 12:54:28 PM
Has anyone attempted to call said hotels since this has started happening?
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kuudere on May 17, 2016, 01:04:30 PM
Quote from: InsaneDavid on May 17, 2016, 12:54:28 PM
Has anyone attempted to call said hotels since this has started happening?

I don't believe hotels will have any information just yet, since the reservation info hasn't been transferred over yet. I spoke with CMR today for a different reason, and he told me the "first part" of the information will be going to the hotels tomorrow and Thursday. On the website, it says everything will be transferred over by the 20th.

Best bet is to call CMR and ask what's going on...
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on May 17, 2016, 01:09:40 PM
Thanks to this I snagged a room at the Hilton, I could literally cry.

I did briefly question the agent on the phone and he really didn't have an answer more than speculation of "Could have accidentally been opened up by an agent's mistake" or something of the sort.

I'm super ridiculously happy I got the Hilton, but am still confused and sort of annoyed at the lack of fairness!
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Kuudere on May 17, 2016, 01:19:12 PM
That's a pretty darn big oversight on their part, especially for it to happen at least twice that we know of. I guess the message that we should take from this is to check the hotel reservation website frequently for opened rooms.

Regardless, glad you got your room, Mango Bunny!
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: PacificPikachu on May 17, 2016, 01:50:34 PM
Nooo, it seems I missed out again! Ugh, I'm so frustrated!  :'( Nothing available again. If only I had checked a little earlier...

Going to give them a call and see what happens, I guess...

EDIT: I called, there was nothing they could do and representative didn't seem to know why people weren't being moved from the waiting list into the rooms that became available.  :-\
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: YaoiCat on May 17, 2016, 02:43:43 PM
So is the waitlist a lie, or what?  Seems super unfair :(
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: PacificPikachu on May 17, 2016, 02:46:44 PM
Quote from: YaoiCat on May 17, 2016, 02:43:43 PM
So is the waitlist a lie, or what?  Seems super unfair :(

I've heard of a few people getting bumped up from the waiting list, but not many... I don't get what the deal is. :(
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: InsaneDavid on May 17, 2016, 03:19:20 PM
Quote from: Mango Bunny on May 17, 2016, 01:09:40 PM
Thanks to this I snagged a room at the Hilton, I could literally cry.

I did briefly question the agent on the phone and he really didn't have an answer more than speculation of "Could have accidentally been opened up by an agent's mistake" or something of the sort.

I'm super ridiculously happy I got the Hilton, but am still confused and sort of annoyed at the lack of fairness!

Yay!

It looks like this year you have to do a lot of your own legwork to get a room, contrary to what the "official" information may say.  Most of the people I've seen get the rooms they want, have done so because they called themselves.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: PacificPikachu on May 17, 2016, 03:39:24 PM
Oh, I was refreshing wildly and suddenly... The Marriott was open! Switched it over in about two seconds, and now everything is exactly how I wanted it. I'm SO happy and relieved! Fingers crossed for anyone still waiting on a better hotel--don't give up hope!
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Oniko on May 17, 2016, 03:57:18 PM
omg you guys it's true.  I too noticed marriott with "select" instead of waitlist.  I called housing and they were able to move me!  I dont know if I still have to pay for one night at my old hotel but really it's worth it as a AA Artist.  Now I dont have to shuttle.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: YaoiCat on May 17, 2016, 03:57:25 PM
Quote from: PacificPikachu on May 17, 2016, 03:39:24 PM
Oh, I was refreshing wildly and suddenly... The Marriott was open! Switched it over in about two seconds, and now everything is exactly how I wanted it.

Seriously?  I'm happy for you and totally don't blame you for seizing the opportunity, but this is very unfair for people on the waitlist :(

I emailed fanime booking to ask why hotels are being made available via the website instead of going to people on the waitlist, and they responded with an email that basically said that I personally will not be getting through on the waitlist because of out 470 people I'm halfway down the list and blah blah, which doesn't answer my question at all.

So annoying!

EDIT:
I just called Fanime booking in hopes for a more direct response, but they also didn't know why rooms are going to the website instead of the waitlist.  They also told me that everything as far as they could tell in their system is unavailable, and that the deadline for all changes is 6pm tonight so things "don't look promising"  -_-
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: AnimeJet on May 17, 2016, 04:20:30 PM
Hey i JUST got an email saying i was moved off the waitlist! I'm now in a 2 bed room at hilton xOX So even tho i missed those openings (wtf?) i still got off the waitlist and i'm a 12pm 25th slot
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Mango Bunny on May 17, 2016, 04:25:30 PM
Quote from: YaoiCat on May 17, 2016, 03:57:25 PM
Quote from: PacificPikachu on May 17, 2016, 03:39:24 PM
Oh, I was refreshing wildly and suddenly... The Marriott was open! Switched it over in about two seconds, and now everything is exactly how I wanted it.

Seriously?  I'm happy for you and totally don't blame you for seizing the opportunity, but this is very unfair for people on the waitlist :(

I emailed fanime booking to ask why hotels are being made available via the website instead of going to people on the waitlist, and they responded with an email that basically said that I personally will not be getting through on the waitlist because of out 470 people I'm halfway down the list and blah blah, which doesn't answer my question at all.

So annoying!

EDIT:
I just called Fanime booking in hopes for a more direct response, but they also didn't know why rooms are going to the website instead of the waitlist.  They also told me that everything as far as they could tell in their system is unavailable, and that the deadline for all changes is 6pm tonight so things "don't look promising"  -_-

That's.... infuriating.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: YaoiCat on May 17, 2016, 04:25:46 PM
Quote from: AnimeJet on May 17, 2016, 04:20:30 PM
Hey i JUST got an email saying i was moved off the waitlist! I'm now in a 2 bed room at hilton xOX So even tho i missed those openings (wtf?) i still got off the waitlist and i'm a 12pm 25th slot

Hmm this raises more questions for me.  I was also a 12pm 25th slot, got on the waitlist right away, and yet the email that I got from from Fanime booking earlier today said I am still halfway down a waitlist of 470+ people.

Well, in any case, congrats! At least the waitlist is working out for someone!
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: Vasyenka on May 17, 2016, 04:30:05 PM
Quote from: YaoiCat on May 17, 2016, 04:25:46 PM
Quote from: AnimeJet on May 17, 2016, 04:20:30 PM
Hey i JUST got an email saying i was moved off the waitlist! I'm now in a 2 bed room at hilton xOX So even tho i missed those openings (wtf?) i still got off the waitlist and i'm a 12pm 25th slot

Hmm this raises more questions for me.  I was also a 12pm 25th slot, got on the waitlist right away, and yet the email that I got from from Fanime booking earlier today said I am still halfway down a waitlist of 470+ people.

Well, in any case, congrats! At least the waitlist is working out for someone!
25th/12pm slot here too, my waitlist went through back on the 9th. Friend of mine was on the waitlist 25th/6am and she still hadn't heard anything on hers. This year's hotel situation is just a nightmare all around!
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on May 17, 2016, 04:44:10 PM
Yep my wait list went through, now all my rooms are at the Hyatt and I dont have to deal with the headache of having my goup booked in at multiple places.
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: AnimeJet on May 17, 2016, 04:46:32 PM
Quote from: YaoiCat on May 17, 2016, 04:25:46 PM
Quote from: AnimeJet on May 17, 2016, 04:20:30 PM
Hey i JUST got an email saying i was moved off the waitlist! I'm now in a 2 bed room at hilton xOX So even tho i missed those openings (wtf?) i still got off the waitlist and i'm a 12pm 25th slot

Hmm this raises more questions for me.  I was also a 12pm 25th slot, got on the waitlist right away, and yet the email that I got from from Fanime booking earlier today said I am still halfway down a waitlist of 470+ people.

Well, in any case, congrats! At least the waitlist is working out for someone!

It probably depends on your exact request and such?  I know people who are just adding extra days got theirs first, but i was moving from 1 bed room in westin to hilton/sheraton/hyatt. It might be different if you were moving from fairmont or a different room configuration, etc
Title: Re: Hotels....
Post by: TC X0 Lt 0X on May 17, 2016, 04:48:41 PM
Its possible for those on thye waitlists not being moved because of the days they selected Id imagine. Friday to Monday will probably be more often available then Thursday to Monday. I have seen instances of rooms only being booked for Thursday nights and shit.