Messages

I hear you, Fanime is being absurd with this stuff. Anyways, you'll have to contact your credit card company to initiate a chargeback. When you do, be clear that you contacted Fanime twice, and got no response, and that you are seeking a refund because they changed their policy for attendance after you already paid(no need for details here unless they ask). Basically that means you agreed to the terms, paid, then they changed the terms afterwards. The credit card companies really only care to see that you did what you could within reason, and could not settle the matter due to the other party(Fanime) not cooperating. That should be enough to get the credit card company to back you and get your refund. This no guarantee, but it's the only recourse we've got.

Your best bet will likely be a chargeback if you can't get ahold of them. I'm about to find out myself as with their latest update, they doubled down on the nonsense.

Yep, happens every year. You won't really know what's available until your block comes up. If you don't get your preffered hotel, contact CMR and get on a waitlist. We've got a ways to go before the convention, and people will cancel in the meantime. In 2019 I got my preffered hotel about two weeks before the con, really had me worried for a bit there, lol.

Thank you! I'll see if I can get the Hilton then, if there's any rooms left once my block comes up. I'm sure it'll come down to luck though, as my block is in the afternoon, and the Hilton is one of the first hotels to get filled up, haha! I've never stayed that close to the con before, so it would be a nice change to not have to wait for shuttles this year.

And yeah, it's $30 a day for parking, but if you can get the hotel through Fanimecon, it's $15 a day, which is much better.

Does anyone know why so few hotels are available this year through Fanimecon/CMR? Only six this time 'round, and only one that isn't near the convention center.   ???

Anyways, this question is for those that stayed at the Hilton attached to the convention center. How is parking, enough spaces? Are there in and out privileges? How'd you like the hotel in general?

Regardless of all that, I look forward to attending this year! It was very strange not being able to go last year.

Hey guys, I called to be on a waitlist for any rooms that become available.
I just got a call from a sweet sweet woman named Frances. Bless her heart. She helped me with the waitlist.
THERE IS HOPE.

Yep, I had to get on a wait list last year, and again this year. No big deal, I got my first hotel choice last year, I'm sure this year will be no different. Of course, since I choose the hotels further away, my odds are pretty good, lol.

Don't sweat it, there's still lots of time before the con, and lots of people cancel their reservations between now and the con.

Thanks, can't believe that didn't occur to me, haha!

How do we waitlist? I booked one but want to waitlist for another hotel.

I'm wondering this as well. Last year you could select waitlist next to the hotel. If memory serves, it would only allow it once you made a reservation, but I could be wrong. This year I don't see the option at all.

Depends on the hotel, but typically only guests can use the pool. If you're there with a guest though, it might be ok. Worst case they kick you out, lol. If anyone else is using the pool, they may not be to keen on photography, so keep that in mind.

Thanks, I'll do the same. It would suck to drive all the way over there, only to find out I don't have a hotel room.  :o

I was looking at the Fanimecon final confirmation email, and in there it says : "If you have booked a hotel reservation, you will also receive a reminder hotel confirmation". Has anyone received that yet? I'm a little worried, as I haven't. All I have is the original confirmation email from when I booked the hotel through the site.

Yeah, that line last year was crazy long. I don't get why it took so long, as once I was in the room where they were issuing the badges, things seemed to be moving quickly. Once it was my turn, it was about 15 seconds and I had my badge in hand and was headed back to the con. The further back in line you were, the slower it seemed to move. Very strange.

I'm sure there's a few hundred people with the same idea, but even so, I'm going to get there early on the first day to get my badge. I even booked my hotel room the day before, just for that purpose. That was no fun waiting for check in time, only to finally get to the center, and see that line wrapped around the block, lol. Also, thanks for the heads-up!

Of course I wouldn't end up looking at the site for the past 2 days! 

It's already 10 hours after, and I just now find out and register........I sincerely hope I don't miss out on a choice hotel to stay in, after last year worked out so well.

Don't feel too bad, I just saw it today, lol! Oh well, last year I didn't even register until the the end of January, and I just managed to get a hotel room booked. So, I think we'll be fine.

[Pros :]

Four Points by Sheraton San Jose Airport
Fri-Mon

Pros :

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

Cons :

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

I got in line at around 11:00am on Friday, if memory serves. It started on the sidewalk, nearly parallel to the center of the convention center. It took a little over an hour to get my badge. That wasn't too terrible, given just how long that line was! There was only about five people doing the badges when I got to the front, so that didn't help. It also seemed as if people were having difficulties. Not sure what, but it seemed like at least two of the badge givers were being held up for whatever reason. I can't really complain, as I missed out on the good years. Before that, the wait used to be 2+ hours, minimum. I think if they had just a few more people tending the printers, it would've drastically reduced the wait time.

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.

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.  :)

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.

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!  :)

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.

For those who have gone in recent years, is getting on a waiting list worth it?