FanimeCon 2026 Forums

Once again, the traditional--was your hotel stay awesome or what?

I stayed this year at The Fairmont Hotel, and let me tell you that the place was AWESOME! Our room was spacious, surrounded by food, placed within a nice short walk to the hotel, and it wasn't as insane or noisy as the other convention hotels. Checking out was also a nice smooth process. Only gripe I have is the parking.. Stupid $26 parking.

I stayed at the Marriott again after my wonderful stay last year.

The beds got softer, so even when I slept for 4 hours a night it was a good 4 hours of sleep.
I ran into a small problem trying to get the internet after it had expired, but that's more technical computer problem than an actual hotel problem.
Great, friendly staff - and I swear, the guy who helped me check-in was the same person who checked me in last year, same thing goes for the bellhop (not sure about the valet staff though).
Didn't have a huge problem with the elevators, and when they took too long usually I went back to the room because I forgot something.
Checking out early was a breeze on Monday - I was able to get everything downstairs quickly and into my car before the rush came, and then the check-out process was easy thanks to the automated touch-screen machines that were set - it didn't take me long.

I will complain about the vertigo experience on the elevators, which didn't happen last year. Then again I took the stairs because I was on the 5th floor compared to the 11th floor this year.

I love the Marriott, and I'm going to keep saying there.

My stay at the Hilton was a rather pleasant one.  :D  The room was big and spacious and the maid would leave one of the small towels folded in the shape of a flower.  :)  Guess the only complaint, if you could call it that, was the nice LOUD wake up call on Sunday around 4:20 in the morning.  >:(  All thanks to someone one the 6th floor.  :P  Thank you 6th floor person.  ;D  LOL

The only reason I'm saying pretty darn good instead of totally freakin' awesome for my hotel stay at the Marriot, was that we don't get free breakfast like they do at the Hilton D: ....ok, well that and the elevators took literally 20 minutes to get on....but one can't have everything, can they?

My Marriott stay was pretty good, however I had one bed when I asked for two and the A/c was really crummy. Not too horrible, but I mean I was sort of hot sometimes and even when I turned it up to max it wouldn't make it cold.

The staff was very pleasant to me though, and took care of all my needs quickly.

Quote from: questionette on May 25, 2009, 10:16:10 PM
The only reason I'm saying pretty darn good instead of totally freakin' awesome for my hotel stay at the Marriot, was that we don't get free breakfast like they do at the Hilton D: ....ok, well that and the elevators took literally 20 minutes to get on....but one can't have everything, can they?

I could have gotten free breakfast at the Hilton? Oops. I missed out on free food.

The rooms were pretty nice this year. It was remodeled since last year, so it was all new looking. The inclusion of an HDTV was really nice too. The only complaint as usual is the elevators. Some of them didn't seem to work too well (like some elevators randomly flashing the alarm and going back down, even though it wasn't that packed). People who stay on the 3rd floor and use the elevator were also annoying, but that's not the hotel's fault.

"Eh, it was okay"
Stayed at the Marriott this year. Internet was so slow every hour of the day except @ 7am (yay for being able to wake up early). The hotel and staff were extremely nice. I got to check in a little bit early at around 12 on Friday so I was pretty happy about that. Beds are comfy, towels are changed every day, and lots of space in the room. The remote for the television ran out of batteries so it was a bit annoying flipping through the channels manually but I am just nitpicking right now.

The worse part of it was the elevators... Every single time I head up to my room, I feel like I'm going to throw up! I can't believe how immature and juvenile some Fanime goers are! On Saturday evening, while I headed into the elevator on the first floor, these group of ~18 year old got out of the elevator laughing and giggling. I got into the elevator and saw all those buttons lit up. !@#$R!$ER@AR@!R!@R~!@! WTF if the door did not close at that moment, I would've seriously yelled at them like the 3 year olds that they are. I saw the elevator lit up with all the lights a total of 8 times... People need to grow up. Next year, to the people who do this: BEWARE, if I catch you, I will have a little chat with you, and you will wish you never ever even touched the buttons.

4/10 for the Marriott. 9.5/10 if not for the elevator issues.

I had a concierge level (26th floor) room in Marriott thanks to my friend's Platinum status and AAA card at around Fanime prices.  I'd say the stay itself was fine for me.  I didn't have to pay for the internet.  Being on the top floor meant that the elevator wouldn't be full when I entered (unlike the people on the <8 floors, some of whom should have been walking anyway).  The internet itself though, was slow as heck.  Monday morning was fine, but before that, it was incredibly slow.  They can't handle full capacity rooms filled with geeks.

I loved the Hilton! The boxed lunches were awesome (and buy one get one FREE on the last day!)

Cheap room, awesome bed (i had a good nights sleep for once!) and FREE internets in the lobby! :D!!

In previous years, I've stayed at either the Marriott or the Hilton. And while both of those hotels are great, I decided this year to try the Saint Claire. And the experience was great! They were very accommodating, extremely pleasant and my entire stay there was smooth as butter. The rooms were decent sized, but the best part is that it was quiet, and the elevators.. it was heaven.. lol since there aren't as many floors, I barely waited for the elevator. And then staying on the 2nd floor, me and my girls just walked down the stairs. Also comes with a refrig which is great. And then when I checked out, I wasn't ready to leave yet, so I was able to check my zillion bags/costumes/etc in until like 8pm or so, then I got my stuff and went home. I was very happy with the Sainte Claire. Oh and they have free internet access as well, although I didn't use it since I didn't bring my laptop. It's right next to the Marriott, so it's not out of the way at all.  

Even still, next year I'll probably stay at the Marriott just because i like the convenience factor the most for my girls. And I'll try to get a suite as well. OR get a suite at the Sainte Claire. We'll see!

Marriott.

Pros: Everyone was ridiculously friendly, from check in to our departure. Really awesome people, felt invited.  Room was great, A/C was fine.

Cons: TV wouldn't let us hook up the 360! Well, we could hook it up, but it wouldn't play. The staff informed us that they'd set it up so that you couldn't do such a thing (I dunno if they'd disconnected the A/V ports or what) but now other people are reporting they were able to use their TV to play stuff.  I'm really annoyed about that.  Secondly, we got locked out of our room (automatically) at about 11:55 am.  Both of our phones (time is satellite-set) said it was only 11:55, yet the key wouldn't let us in. So we had to call up someone to let us in. It took 45 minutes, while our ride grilled to death in the car outside.  Lame.  On the plus side, the person who came to help us was really nice about it.  Too bad we had to call 3 times to make it happen. Internet was painfully slow.

The hotel was nice and quiet (at least on our floor) this year, a nice change from prior years.

I stayed at the Hilton. Since I had the room to myself, it was very spacious. The bed with the new pillows/comforter was the best part. The staff was very accomodating and friendly. Valet parking was very convenient.

There were very few cons to the hotel itself. My room was not cleaned as well as I would have liked upon check-in. There were a lot of dust bunnies, like that didn't vacuum. The other issue was the self-parking. They had very limited self-parking. Truthfully, I would've just gone to valet parking directly and saved myself the aggravation of driving around that lot. On the plus side, valet parking is only an additional $5/night (and tip), so the convenience was definitely worth it.

The major con that a previous post mentioned (and the only reason that I might consider St. Claire/Fairmont next time) is con-goers rather than the hotel itself.

Noisy people. People playing games in the elevators. People who didn't seem to bathe even though they were going up a hotel elevator so they must've had access to shower.... Sigh.

I crashed for two nights with a couple board members at the Marriott and my stay was great. I slept on the rollaway on Friday and Saturday night...very comfortable. The showerheads are amazing, and I love the deep tub. Nothing more relaxing after a long day at the convention then soaking in a warm bath for an hour lol. Yeah you can't set up consoles or anything, but it wasn't a terrible loss for me since I was busy downstairs most of the time anyways.

Anyways, I had a great stay and I'll probably stay at the marriott again next year.

Stayed at the Marriott.  The room was great, the bed was so comfy.  Trying to get an elevator was a task but it is like that every year.  The hotel staff did get confused about who was in our room though and kept calling us by the wrong name.  I found it quite funny. 

i stayed at the fairmont. there were some pros and cons to it

pros
HD TV
awesome beds
hotel staff was courteous


Cons:
extra charge for just about everything
valet parking only
they won't let you borrow a dolly, but they'll send you a bellboy.
i paid 205/nt and didn't get a freaking microwave. WTF?!?!!
felt that the rooms were kinda small for what i paid for


curious, is there any way we can get a con rate for like a presidential suite?
blew a fuse by plugging in two appliances to a wall. didn't even use a power strip.
internet charge was expensive

We stayed at the Marriott, as we have for a few years now. We're a pretty quiet group, so our contact with the staff was limited, but I'll list what I observed.

Pros:

• 
  Loved the comfy beds. I fell asleep easily in them.


• We got both a 360 and a Wii working with the TV (although others seemed to have problems with it).


• The TV and selection of channels was nice.


• It was a very quiet floor.


• The staff at the valet entrance always held the door open for us. I thought that was very sweet and helpful.


• There was a man guarding our belongings when we were waiting for them to deliver it to our room. I get very worried when I leave my possessions out in the open, but this guy wouldn't let anyone near it without proving it belonged to them. I thank you, Mr. Luggage Bouncer Guy.

Cons:

• 22nd floor T_T. The staff said we should have a lovely view because of it (it faced the convention), but everyone/thing just looked like ants from that height.


• The bathroom doors! They just slide, and there's no lock on them. Being the only girl in the room, I think I need a little more privacy.


• I really, really wish that the Marriott had someone on these forums like the Hilton does. Maybe they do, and I haven't seen them yet. But it only helps their image in our eyes if they take time to communicate with us here.


• Of course, the elevators. People also didn't know how to wait their turn for them. We'd wait for the elevator for 20 minutes, then some people would come right as it arrived and try to take the few spots that were available in them. That's just rude.

I also thank the amount of tolerance and graciousness that these hotel staff display during what must be a stressful time. I'm glad that they allow us to stay year after year.

I stayed at the Marriott, along with three other people in a double/double.

Pros:

• Super comfortable beds and soft sheets.
• Big enough rooms to easily set up the extra table they provide and finish sewing a last minute cosplay without being in everyone's way, and also set up an entire food area since we brought a cooler and lots of non-perishables to save money.
• Coffee maker to heat up water for drinks and soups.
• Nice shower.
• Both upon check-in and check-out, the bellboy who brought up our luggage cart let us use the service elevator, so we didn't have to wait forever for an empty one.
• Very, very nice and helpful bellboys and valets.
• Upon check-out, it didn't even take the half-hour they estimated to get a luggage cart sent up.
• Because we were on like the 23rd floor, while it took a little while to wait for an elevator during the con, once one came up, there was always room because there were only 2 floors above us so they were never already packed, like it happens on the 10th floor or so.

Cons:

• The woman at the counter when we checked in was an idiot, and rude. First she couldn't run my card through no fault of my own (and the card worked fine the rest of the weekend), so we had to pay cash for the full weekend up front (which incurred me 9 dollars in ATM fees since the nearest one had a $200 transaction limit and a 3 dollar fee per use), and she tried to charge me full-price for the valet parking all weekend, instead of the half-off Fanime price, and tried to argue when I brought it to her attention. She then hands me our keys and says "There you go, one king room. *gleam!*" Um, no, bitch. I reserved a double/double. It may be first-come first-serve under normal circumstances, but I have 4 people going into this room and we are NOT paying an extra fee for a rollaway to still be a bed short! I know this happened quite a lot one year (i think two years ago) and remember the outrage from the con at the Marriott for doing this, and the specific instructions to go find a con higher-up if the hotel tried to pull this on you. After a lot of "I RESERVED a double-double." "It's just a request, which will not necessarily be honored." "We have 4 people! We can't all easily fit in a King room." "Well, we have no double-doubles." either a manager or some other counter person (not sure which) popped up and said "Well, lemme cheeeeeck..." and boom, they had a double-double. ...it also would have been nice if you could understand the damn woman. Talked like she had damn cotton in her mouth.
• Lazy maids. They never actually cleaned our room, just took out the trash (and once only emptied ONE of the two full garbage cans).

I had a pretty nice time, if you eliminate that one glaring incident, really. I haven't decided if I'll be back next year, though.

Side thought: To those complaining about those staying on the 3rd floor using the elevators (or even those only a few floors above them): Please remember that they paid for the same right as you did to make use of the elevators.  I really think it is very rude to complain about people making use of the elevator no matter what floor they were on.  And is certainly not a reflection of the hotel's service to you.

If it matters to you so much, perhaps request the hotels program the elevators to never stop at any floor between the 2nd and whatever level you judge to be "low enough to take the stairs"?  This is a serious suggestion, not a sarcastic one, if you truly feel people on X floor and lower should not be allowed to use the elevators.  Please also request that the hotels lower the rates for those staying on these floors as well, if you submit your request, to make up for the inconvenience that would be caused by taking away use of the elevator.



Beyond a few bad moments and little things that annoyed me, my stay at the Hilton was very pleasant as usual.  I thankfully missed the 4am "wake up call" as I was off on a "snack-age run" with a friend.  A lot of this is kind of a rehash from my comments/suggestions in the Hilton thread, but:

Pros:

• New beds: They were so comfy.  I never wanted to get up to go to my shifts for the day.
  
• New TVs: FINALLY!  My friends have been holding it over me for years they could hook up their video game systems in the Marriott and now I can too!  Next year I'll actually be smart and remember to bring a DVD player as well as a Wii.  Things were very easy to hook up as well.
  
• Carpet: It looks so much more... classy I guess is the word I'm looking for.  Same deal with the bedspread too.
  
• Self-parking: Nothing new this year, but one of the things that always finalizes my decision to choose the Hilton as it is the only hotel that offers this.  I want access to my car without having to have it driven up to me.
  
• Friendly Night Staff: Seriously, these are the coolest people I have ever run into in the several years I've checked into hotels by myself.  The day staff are nice enough, but the night staff will actually joke around with me.
  
• Fridges: Oh how I love the mini-fridges in every room without having to request one and provide proof of medical need.  Or pay an extra fee to have one as, if I recall correctly, is how it's done at the Fairmont.
  
• Quiet: I actually need noise to sleep, so a noisy area wouldn't bother me, but by quiet I just mean it was nice and... well... empty.  It was nice not to feel trapped trying to get to my room after being stuck in the Marriott for staff duties and the huge crowds that congregate over there.
  

Cons:

• Parking: $18 a night for self-parking is incredibly expensive.  And I was told when I checked in it was a "negotiated rate" as the regular rate had gone up.  Seeing as the regular rate had been $19, I don't think Fanime had to try very hard to get that "special deal" =/.  I wouldn't have been as annoyed if I hadn't seen the gate to the parking garage open during the day every day I was there.  Sure, the booth was manned a couple of times, but for the most part no one was collecting money.  I'm okay with it being open in the middle of the night, but I felt more than a little miffed at the possibility of people getting similar parking privileges as I did (sans the guarantee, of course) without paying anything.
  
• Bathtubs: I liked the new curtain set up, but I really wish the back had been angled, so to speak.  One of those built in back support things.  Would have been nice to be able to have reclined back a little more easily the night I was trying to burn off pain with a hot bath.
  
• Mirrors: There used to be so many more mirrors around Hilton in the rooms and on the floors!  I miss them!  They were good for little touch ups and for seeing how makeup for costumes looked in different light compared to the bathroom lighting.
  
• A/C: It never got below 78F in my room, and averaged around the low 80sF, with the A/C on constantly and cranked down as far as it would go (60F).  It was uncomfortably warm in my room a decent chunk of the time ):  Turning my room into an "icebox" is one of the things I enjoy most about going to a hotel for a weekend.
  
• Glasses: I really wish they would provide more than two in the room when there are four names registered.
  
• Towels: Only three large towels.  For four people.  Three of whom were girls with a lot of hair.  This is not enough towels, Hilton!  XD
  
• No bill on last day: Hilton gave me a paper stating that I would receive my bill for my stay Monday morning around... 6am I believe it was?  I never got it even leaving my room several hours after that to go check out.  I was disappointed I could not do a speed check out because of this (I refuse to check out until I have a print out of my bill so I know exactly what they're charging me for).
  
• Not really a con, but I'm a little concerned a former friend was able to get a note put into my personal reservation to have a connecting room with hers.  I had said it was alright for her to do this, but I am concerned that Hilton did not call to confirm this with me.  When I checked in, it seemed as if I would not have been able to have this altered even if I had wanted to.
  

Overall, even though I have a lot of complaints, I did enjoy my stay and will be happily returning to the Hilton again as I have every year since 2004.  The renovations were a long time coming and I'm glad to see they've finally been implemented, and done so beautifully.

For those that care, my room was a double/double.

Stayed Marriott again this year:

Pros:
- Maids were very polite, clean towels every day. (even when I hung them so they wouldn't bother changing them out. XD )
- The hallways were very quiet this year. Like, noticeably more quiet. (But I suppose that's con-goers rather than the hotel.)
- Room set up in a King is wonderful.
- Being a Gold Rewards member meant I got a free breakfast Friday and Monday, and Sunday night I went up and got a mini salad/fruit and a slice of chocolate cake.
- New HDTV.

Cons:
- The beds are almost too comfy. I shared a king sized bed and we woke each other up a few times just from the fact that it transferred motion so well.
- Same old remote for a new TV. I generally had Cartoon Network on, and was unable to change it to the normal screen ratio. Stretched out picture not so ftw.

- Check-out was a nightmare. I requested late check-out (Like... 1:30pm) just so I'd be able to MISS the rush. I go down around 12:30 and request a luggage cart. I was told it would be up within 30-45 minutes. After said amount of time I go BACK down and request it again. This time I WATCH them call in to make sure they'll get a cart up to us. So, finally, after 1 hour 30 minutes of waiting for my luggage cart my sister and I ended up making multiple trips up and down, and to and from the lobby to my car.
And for reference, there were at LEAST 4 luggage carts being used to store luggage in the luggage check. When I went to the front desk to hand in my keys, the man started to give me excuses, but when he saw they said Elite member, and I mentioned the fact that I'd waited for so long, he offered to knock off a night of parking.
A nice gesture, yes.... but I would've preferred to have just gotten my luggage cart.

Will I stay at the Marriott again? Yes. But I think next year I'm going to be taking the majority of my luggage down the night before I check out. (It wouldn't have been so bad had I not sold things at the swap meet this year, and had to haul what I didn't sell back home. -_- )

Question for people staying at the Hilton!
How was the lighting in the room/halls this year after the renovation? Is it brighter at all? (That was one of my biggest reasons for staying Marriott other than it being closer to where I wanted to be most of the time.)

Quote from: Xeluu on May 27, 2009, 02:00:03 AM
Question for people staying at the Hilton!
How was the lighting in the room/halls this year after the renovation? Is it brighter at all? (That was one of my biggest reasons for staying Marriott other than it being closer to where I wanted to be most of the time.)

It seemed bright enough in the hallways to me, but I honestly didn't notice a difference between this year and previous years.  I see a little too well in low light so I'm not the best judge, sorry ):

They did have all bright white lightbulbs in the rooms, though, sans the entry way light (I think).  With all of them on it was incredibly bright in the room.  So bright, we actually threw a cover over one of the lamps we left on at night while we slept to dull the light.  The bulbs were so far away from the top of the lamp shades it was awesome to be able to do this.  Gave us enough light to move about in the middle of the night, but wasn't so blinding that we'd want to claw our eyes out if we accidentally woke up facing it.

I stayed at the Hilton as usual. I was on the 3rd floor this year and to be honest, no matter what floor you're on, the elevator is there to be used. I loved to use the stairs, but when in boots for almost half the day, it's tiring. Plus, there are also luggages and stuffs to carry too.

I enjoyed their renovations to the rooms especially their mini fridges. Last year, their fridge didn't keep my drinks cold enough even if I left it for overnight. I was very pleased this year. Their room is so spacious (enough that my room was dubbed the hurricane with scattering costumes and props). The staffs were very friendly and helpful too. The table space is bigger this year so we had two laptops and a printer set up perfectly.

I was quite surprise that on Thursday and Friday night that they didn't charge for parking as they left the gate up for exiting.

They did an awesome Starbucks special too. Sad that I didn't take the offer of buy 1, get 1 free on the last day.

Downside are their bathroom being small so it was hard to do other stuffs in front of the mirror; I missed their mirrors that they have in the waiting area for the elevators for any touch-ups; and no Wifi connection since it was hard to connect from Fanime's wifi where I was rooming.

I am definitely coming back at Hilton.

2nd year staying at the Marriot.
Beds are great, we got our PS3 to work just fine with the TV.
We always get concierge level access, service was so awesome up there this year.  Even though the concierge lounge was closed during the majority of Sat and Sun during the con as always the hotel staff was very accomadating and got us free meals at the Arcadia in the bottom of the hotel to makeup for the lounge being closed.
Although initially at the front desk I was having an extra $200+ put on my credit card due to a 'deposit' or something that wasn't listed in my initial booking they fixed it and didn't have it against my card since I've been there before.
Our bathroom door broke, but the hotel staff repaired it within 30 minutes of us reporting it and didn't charge us anything.

I actually enjoy the elevator rides, it's a sweet place to meet people I think, just have to make sure you move most all your luggage down sunday night or early monday morning so it's only 1 ride down for checkout.

Stayed at the Hilton, and to start with a compliment: I just have to say that I love the renovations!  Everything seemed so spacious, clean, and very "oshare."  The new televisions are fantastic; I'm happy we could finally hook up a DVD player/video games.  And to top it all off, the bed was probably the most comfortable bed I have ever slept on... I had a hard time getting out of bed every morning because all I wanted to do was bury myself in those cool comfy comforters and sleep~

Unfortunately, although my room was worthy of a "Totally freaking awesome" rating, my experiences with the staff brought the quality of my stay down to just an "Eh, it was okay."

First, although I explained very clearly to the front desk upon checking in that my credit card could not be authorized beyond $200, the clerk authorized my VISA for $515 which completely exceeded my limit and left me with zero available credit.  Because it was a weekend, through Monday I suffered tons of stress because I didn't have a credit card handy for emergencies--not to mention that I worried about getting penalized by my card company for exceeding the credit limit.  As the last thing I want is for my APR to shoot up to 20 or 30%, I experienced a lot of distress throughout the entire weekend.  The front desk manager promised me on Saturday night that he would straighten everything out Monday morning, but when I finished up at the con and returned to the hotel Monday afternoon, nothing had been done.  The manager had not even left a memo for any of the staff, and I had to wait an hour while they tried to straighten everything out.  I filed a formal complaint against the girl who checked me in, but I was offered nothing for my inconvenience or my distress.  I expect way better service from a Hilton and have to say that I am sorely disappointed by this experience.

Second, in addition to the credit card problem, several of the front desk staff were--to put it politely--rather air-headed.  I wasn't asking difficult or complicated questions, I was only trying to find out the single day self-parking rate, yet the clerk kept quoting me the three-day Fanime parking rate.  We talked in circles for several minutes, until I realized that she had absolutely no clue what I was trying to ask her, so I ended up looking for one of the posted signs with the parking rates instead.

Third, housekeeping was erratic.  The convenience cards the maids provided so that you select what time you wanted them to clean was a great idea, but poorly executed.  One of my roommates overslept a bit and was still getting ready when housekeeping arrived.  She hurried to throw some clothes on so she could get out of their way...  Then she waited an hour and returned to the room to finish doing her hair and makeup, but it hadn't even been cleaned in her absence.  Why kick her out of the room then if you're not even going to clean it?  In addition, housekeeping forgot to provide a new time card for the next day.  I called the front desk before going to bed, and the clerk said that he would personally walk a card up to my floor and slip it under the door.  Well, he never did and the next morning the maids walked into the room while everyone was still sleeping.

Aside from the seriously BAD credit card error, which I am still pissed off about, my complaints about the staff may seem minor at a glance.  However, when experienced all together, it just felt like the entire Hilton staff was totally inept and that they were making my stay unnecessarily difficult.  The only capable person I interacted with all weekend was the bellboy, who not only did his job expediently and courteously, but also recommended a parking lot across the street that only cost $7/day.  :)

I understand that it was a busy weekend, but I have stayed at the Hilton during past Fanime Cons and never encountered such a consistently poor degree of service.

I had a room at the Fairmont.

It was really nice.  Soft beds, beautiful, a nice walk to and from the con, and had places close by to get food.  The only problem I had was that some channels wouldn't work (group wanted to watch anime on Adult Swim xP ).

Other than that, I had a wonderful stay~  If I can't reserve a hotel adjacent to the con next year, I would stay at the Fairmont again.

Quote from: SSX on May 25, 2009, 11:40:28 PM
"Eh, it was okay"
Stayed at the Marriott this year. Internet was so slow every hour of the day except @ 7am (yay for being able to wake up early). The hotel and staff were extremely nice. I got to check in a little bit early at around 12 on Friday so I was pretty happy about that. Beds are comfy, towels are changed every day, and lots of space in the room. The remote for the television ran out of batteries so it was a bit annoying flipping through the channels manually but I am just nitpicking right now.

The worse part of it was the elevators... Every single time I head up to my room, I feel like I'm going to throw up! I can't believe how immature and juvenile some Fanime goers are! On Saturday evening, while I headed into the elevator on the first floor, these group of ~18 year old got out of the elevator laughing and giggling. I got into the elevator and saw all those buttons lit up. !@#$R!$ER@AR@!R!@R~!@! WTF if the door did not close at that moment, I would've seriously yelled at them like the 3 year olds that they are. I saw the elevator lit up with all the lights a total of 8 times... People need to grow up. Next year, to the people who do this: BEWARE, if I catch you, I will have a little chat with you, and you will wish you never ever even touched the buttons.

4/10 for the Marriott. 9.5/10 if not for the elevator issues.

well my stay was awsome at the marriot only bad thing....25TH FLOOR AWFASUFHOASDHFSUIOGH34526@#%@#%^
yeah the elevators sucked soo much, it sucked soo much going to the 25th floor after being full with chinese food is not so ftw
my floor was a bit quiet though i think it was my group that made alot of noise since we messed around alot and about taht thing pressing all the buttons my cousin did that and deceived people who got on and i assure you i yelled at him after we got off

Quote from: MeowDesu on May 26, 2009, 12:06:59 PM
We stayed at the Marriott, as we have for a few years now. We're a pretty quiet group, so our contact with the staff was limited, but I'll list what I observed.

Pros:

• 
  Loved the comfy beds. I fell asleep easily in them.


• We got both a 360 and a Wii working with the TV (although others seemed to have problems with it).


• The TV and selection of channels was nice.


• It was a very quiet floor.


• The staff at the valet entrance always held the door open for us. I thought that was very sweet and helpful.


• There was a man guarding our belongings when we were waiting for them to deliver it to our room. I get very worried when I leave my possessions out in the open, but this guy wouldn't let anyone near it without proving it belonged to them. I thank you, Mr. Luggage Bouncer Guy.

Cons:

• 22nd floor T_T. The staff said we should have a lovely view because of it (it faced the convention), but everyone/thing just looked like ants from that height.


• The bathroom doors! They just slide, and there's no lock on them. Being the only girl in the room, I think I need a little more privacy.


• I really, really wish that the Marriott had someone on these forums like the Hilton does. Maybe they do, and I haven't seen them yet. But it only helps their image in our eyes if they take time to communicate with us here.


• Of course, the elevators. People also didn't know how to wait their turn for them. We'd wait for the elevator for 20 minutes, then some people would come right as it arrived and try to take the few spots that were available in them. That's just rude.

I also thank the amount of tolerance and graciousness that these hotel staff display during what must be a stressful time. I'm glad that they allow us to stay year after year.

yes i hated the bathroom slidy door i mean 2 guys as roommates=bad idea since they kept opening it when i tried using the bathroom(FFFFFFUUUUUUUU) and i did the same too so i guess another plus was the free fitness center cosplayed as near meant Excersise for my self lolz

Pretty Damn Good.

Stayed at the Marriott on the 11th floor. My only gripe was the Elevator wait, which in retrospect wasn't as bad as it had had seemed to be made out to be.

AC was nice, an th water didn't taste too horrible. Then again the water in my area's pretty bad, so it's hard to be worse that what I've grown up with. Well actually when I washed my hair the water seemed to make my hair stickier...so meh, hard to tell.

Parking was pretty nice. 12.50 a night for Vallet parking+in/out privlidges, hard to beat that. I didn't bring my laptop so I dunno about the internet, but apparently the radio morning show guys nearly brought down the network on  I think Sunday, or Monday by inadvertently causing a DoS attack.

Stayed at the Hilton.  This is a big upgrade from last year when I was at the Fairmont; to hell with the Fairmont's reputation, I like being able to get to the con center within 15 seconds of getting off the elevator. ;)

Though I wasn't in the room for long; I only used it for storage, taking breaks, and sleeping.

I have to say it was pretty darn good this year. The rooms in the hilton looked beautiful, and the beds were very comfortable. My only complaint was that the Hilton over charged my card by 275 dollars, but that was easily fixed.

I also stayed at the Hilton and the beds are still uber comfy and the room setup was awesome!

Only thing that was lacking is the following:

- No visible hair dryer. We asked about it after checking out and apparently it was hidden under the sink, thought that was very strange.

- Shower/bathtub needed to be replaced. The backing for the shower head was falling out! The cold and hot was set up wrong. Cold was on the right instead of the left, hard to get it warm.

- $200 convenience fee/deposit. That really sucked since we paid in cash and did not want to use
credit cards at all. Even asked to shut off the phone and no room service access and the clerk
refused to do it stating it was mandatory.

- Seemed like the room walls were more sensitive then usual. Very easy to hear people in the hallway, didn't remember that being a problem before.

- Parking. Hilton needs more spaces in SJCC or allow guests to park in valet if the lot is full at night. The Hilton used to have special rates for attendees, what happen with that? Also very disappointing that the Marriot had in/out valet for $12.50 compared to $19 a night @ Hilton!

Hopefully the Hilton Staff reads the feedback and can take in the considerations for 2010.

Quote from: lyricaldanichan on May 31, 2009, 11:28:47 PM
- Parking. Hilton needs more spaces in SJCC or allow guests to park in valet if the lot is full at night. The Hilton used to have special rates for attendees, what happen with that? Also very disappointing that the Marriot had in/out valet for $12.50 compared to $19 a night @ Hilton!

Actually, they do allow this.  Unless they've changed it since I ran into this a couple years ago.  Fanime 2007 there was no parking at all when I came back from dropping a couple friends off at their hotel a couple miles away and when I called to ask what I was supposed to do (as I had already prepaid my parking), the front desk told me to park in valet.  Those spots are wonderfully huge <3

And agreed on the special rate.  Although you got ripped off by a $1, was only supposed to be $18 a night for Fanime guests.  I was told the rate had gone up when I checked in on Thursday, but Fanime had negotiated the "special rate."  Which really, $1 off a night, whoopty doo.  I miss my $10 a night special rate it used to be.

Stayed at the Hilton, third floor.  And holy hell, third floor was a huge mistake.  Granted, it was a shitton easier for getting out the last day, but that didn't really make up for other problems.

Hotel itself: fine.  Comfy beds were comfy, minifridge was win, room ... well, I wasn't there a whole lot, but it was okay.  The lighting was a bit fail and annoying (either too bright or too dark), the comfy chair was not that comfy, and the lack of mirrors aside from in the bathroom and on the (terribly poorly illuminated) closet doors made for hell getting dressed.  If it had been more people besides my sister and I, that probably would've been far more annoying than it was, but ... either way, it still vexed.

Elevators, as usual, were fail.  I don't think this revelation surprises anyone, though they were better than the Marriot's.
(We didn't really do stairs during con proper.  My sister is pretty seriously gimpy and I cosplay all of con, usually with corset and some degree of uncomfortable shoe involved, so I'm reluctant to chance the stairs.  I did it at the Marriot once, up four floors, and the breathing hell involved was not fun.)

Parking: I can deal.  Compared to LA parking rates, $18/night isn't that bad, and Hilton still comes out below Marriot even with the lack of parking discounts.  We got a spot a sneeze away from the elevators, too, which was lovely.  Those spots are SMALL, though; I have never been so glad for my Toyota compact before.

Biggest complaint: noise.  I had hoped that the Hilton's remodel would include some degree of noise dampening, but this appears to have not been the case.  Between the kids next door (who I asked repeatedly to keep things down; yes, I'm that bitch), the base beat coming from ... well, maybe the second floor? ... and things like people not modulating voices walking down the hall or slamming doors at ungodly hours of the morning, sleeping proved to be quite a trial.  I know it's too much to hope for common sense and decency, but really, people.  How many times do I have to ask before you'll keep it down?

Next year: Marriot, I think, and not the third floor.  I'll deal with the elevator fail.

I stayed at the Hilton, and I found it better than the Marriot, though I also had the gripe with the elevators.

Quote from: Charis on June 01, 2009, 11:43:29 AM
Stayed at the Hilton, third floor.  And holy hell, third floor was a huge mistake.  Granted, it was a shitton easier for getting out the last day, but that didn't really make up for other problems.

Hotel itself: fine.  Comfy beds were comfy, minifridge was win, room ... well, I wasn't there a whole lot, but it was okay.  The lighting was a bit fail and annoying (either too bright or too dark), the comfy chair was not that comfy, and the lack of mirrors aside from in the bathroom and on the (terribly poorly illuminated) closet doors made for hell getting dressed.  If it had been more people besides my sister and I, that probably would've been far more annoying than it was, but ... either way, it still vexed.

Elevators, as usual, were fail.  I don't think this revelation surprises anyone, though they were better than the Marriot's.
(We didn't really do stairs during con proper.  My sister is pretty seriously gimpy and I cosplay all of con, usually with corset and some degree of uncomfortable shoe involved, so I'm reluctant to chance the stairs.  I did it at the Marriot once, up four floors, and the breathing hell involved was not fun.)

Parking: I can deal.  Compared to LA parking rates, $18/night isn't that bad, and Hilton still comes out below Marriot even with the lack of parking discounts.  We got a spot a sneeze away from the elevators, too, which was lovely.  Those spots are SMALL, though; I have never been so glad for my Toyota compact before.

Biggest complaint: noise.  I had hoped that the Hilton's remodel would include some degree of noise dampening, but this appears to have not been the case.  Between the kids next door (who I asked repeatedly to keep things down; yes, I'm that bitch), the base beat coming from ... well, maybe the second floor? ... and things like people not modulating voices walking down the hall or slamming doors at ungodly hours of the morning, sleeping proved to be quite a trial.  I know it's too much to hope for common sense and decency, but really, people.  How many times do I have to ask before you'll keep it down?

Next year: Marriot, I think, and not the third floor.  I'll deal with the elevator fail.

glad you werent on the 25th floor of the marriot next to my room with my buddies eh? you woulda screamed ;P

i stayed at the fairmont for the first time. 20th floor.  the room was decent, not much different than when i stayed at the ramada, beds were a bit softer, but i ended up "sleeping" on the chair. loved the bathroom with the LOCKING DOOR, full tub and seperate shower, huge mirror, private toilet. convenient to the con, the desk staff were very polite, even at 2:30 am, or... 5am, or.. whenever, really. th only problem was that we had 7 people in the room, and only two large towels the whole weekend. maid service didnt come once.

Quote from: Rhornez on June 01, 2009, 08:34:48 PMglad you werent on the 25th floor of the marriot next to my room with my buddies eh? you woulda screamed ;P

No, I never scream.  I will inform politely, then I will inform forcefully, then I will snap (in the verbal rather than the mental sense), and then I will call the hotel front desk and request them to deal with the problem.  But I don't scream.  That would be inconsiderate to the other people who are trying to sleep.

I really like that ALA designates "quiet" and "noisy" floors in their hotel, and wish other cons were capable of doing the same, but I assume it's a luxury really only viable when you have just one hotel.  It would eliminate some of the issues.

I stayed at the marriot again this year. It was ok. The room wasn't as small as the one we got stuck with last year but compared to the hilton it was still tiny. I guess most of my problems this year were cause so many people from the forums flaked on us. Anyway, as usual the elevators were terrible but we managed to avoid peak hours and we were only on the 11th floor we we just walked down the stairs most of the time. The staff was very polite and helpful. It's a good hotel but we decided that next year we want to stay in a suite at the hilton.  :D

Edit same post twice

Quote from: Charis on June 01, 2009, 11:43:29 AM
Parking: I can deal.  Compared to LA parking rates, $18/night isn't that bad, and Hilton still comes out below Marriot even with the lack of parking discounts.

We stayed at the marriot and they only charged us 12.50 a night for valet parking. XD

Quote from: smurfqueen on June 12, 2009, 05:47:27 AM

Quote from: Charis on June 01, 2009, 11:43:29 AM
Parking: I can deal.  Compared to LA parking rates, $18/night isn't that bad, and Hilton still comes out below Marriot even with the lack of parking discounts.

We stayed at the marriot and they only charged us 12.50 a night for valet parking. XD

Multiple posts in a row is generally frowned upon on forums.  Just FYI.

And to clarify, what I meant about that vis a vis parking is that the per-night rate for room + parking at the Hilton (for one car) came out to less than the room + parking rate for the Marriot.

Love the Hilton.  Just saying.

stayed at the marriott.  I thank the person who defended the lower floors.  I was on the third floor and usually took the one flight of stairs up and down but sometimes I was in too much pain to do so.  Anyway at the marriott there only 8 rooms on that floor so we could not have added that much to the elevator traffic.  I for one adore the sliding door.  It helps that I stay with  my girlfriend but we also have the rule that if the door is shut it is in use.

I was not charged the deposit this year.  I think it was cause I am a reward card member and made sure to present it.  I did not like that they took away the ability to watch our own things on the tv.  The maids did their jobs if we didn't lag so much(not leaving the room till early afternoon).  There was never enough towels.  2 females were registered for the room but we only ever got 3 bath towels.  The valets always got my car in a timely fashion.

the real negative that brought my vote down was the non-con guests(big guys with big sporting equipment bags and boxes of beer).  apparently on monday they were partying out by the pool.  I came down to see if there where any towels(none all weekend) and one of them came out, tryed to get into the gym(denied due to the late hour) and then ran by me.  On  my way back to my room, I heard a liquid draining sound, at my door I looked back and saw said man coming from ice and vending area and no longer in a hurry.  You guys do the math.  I'm just glad we had our ice for the night already.

My stay at the Ramada Limited was quite nice.
I expected it to be much worse from all the reviews I read, but it was very comfortable.
The small walk to the Con was off set by the Continental Breakfast which saved me some money.
A very good deal considering I got it late

I stayed at the Marriott.  Overall, my experience was good and I plan to stay at the Marriott in Fanime'10.

The elevators were more friendly this year compared to past years.  Good timing and good luck for me.  Stayed on the 8th floor.  I took the stairs two times.  Not too bad.

I can't comment on the maid service because I didn't want the maids to come in my room.  My room had my cosplays.  The room itself was satisfactory.

This year I parked at the con parking lot.  Last year, I parked at Marriott validation.  I organized my belongings such that I transported the belongings from my car to my hotel room at ease.

Side note:  a few of my friends stayed at the Fairmont.  One of them said the rooms in the Fairmont are the best!!  If you have the money and don't mind the walk, stay in the Fairmont.

The toilet was god....in a psycotic voice.so My walls were gold I had a suite fuckers fairmont went all the way for my ass,bet they did'nt for u?!Free crap service the best I had a jakoozi with a masoose and everything u know the common things you should have but you dont LOL ...Oh yeah a sony plasma screen and a king size bed the towels were soft and actually clean I loved my stay and They would come in regularly o massage my feet
..And if they were'nt there my boyfriend did it LOL cackles O///O But yeah how was your stay just like mine right ..They even fed me A.K.A. T-bone steak and they were prime cut :D Oi the sundays were delictable// :D Oi yeah I only had to pay $800 ..exact ///LOL I love the fairmont oi I was on the rich side ..It was weird everyone else was on opposite side of the hotel except for a few
LOL my building side was prestige the other was ok where some of my friends stayed ..I hope everyone had a great a time as my friends and I did LOL

Quote from: Kanameshito on July 10, 2009, 03:24:38 PM
The toilet was god....in a psycotic voice.so My walls were gold I had a suite fuckers fairmont went all the way for my ass,bet they did'nt for u?!Free crap service the best I had a jakoozi with a masoose and everything u know the common things you should have but you dont LOL ...Oh yeah a sony plasma screen and a king size bed the towels were soft and actually clean I loved my stay and They would come in regularly o massage my feet
..And if they were'nt there my boyfriend did it LOL cackles O///O But yeah how was your stay just like mine right ..They even fed me A.K.A. T-bone steak and they were prime cut :D Oi the sundays were delictable// :D Oi yeah I only had to pay $800 ..exact ///LOL I love the fairmont oi I was on the rich side ..It was weird everyone else was on opposite side of the hotel except for a few
LOL my building side was prestige the other was ok where some of my friends stayed ..I hope everyone had a great a time as my friends and I did LOL

...
What did she say?

Quote from: TC_X0_Lt_0X on July 14, 2009, 04:17:01 PM

Quote from: Kanameshito on July 10, 2009, 03:24:38 PM
The toilet was god....in a psycotic voice.so My walls were gold I had a suite fuckers fairmont went all the way for my ass,bet they did'nt for u?!Free crap service the best I had a jakoozi with a masoose and everything u know the common things you should have but you dont LOL ...Oh yeah a sony plasma screen and a king size bed the towels were soft and actually clean I loved my stay and They would come in regularly o massage my feet
..And if they were'nt there my boyfriend did it LOL cackles O///O But yeah how was your stay just like mine right ..They even fed me A.K.A. T-bone steak and they were prime cut :D Oi the sundays were delictable// :D Oi yeah I only had to pay $800 ..exact ///LOL I love the fairmont oi I was on the rich side ..It was weird everyone else was on opposite side of the hotel except for a few
LOL my building side was prestige the other was ok where some of my friends stayed ..I hope everyone had a great a time as my friends and I did LOL

...
What did she say?

TRANSLATOR: Active.
I loved my Toilet. I stayed in a suite at the Fairmont, the staff was very kind to me, were they as kind to you? My suite had a jacuzzi and a massuse, as well as anything else i would need. We had a Plasma Screen tv, like all of the rooms, and a king size bed. the towels were very plush and clean. The staff massuse even massaged my feet. For dinner there were prime-cut T bone steaks and amazing sundaes for dessert. I only had to pay $800, I love the Fairmont, I was on the newer tower, and most of my friends were in the older tower, we all had a great time and hope everyone else did too.

Quote from: Runewitt on July 14, 2009, 05:24:40 PM

Quote from: TC_X0_Lt_0X on July 14, 2009, 04:17:01 PM

Quote from: Kanameshito on July 10, 2009, 03:24:38 PM
The toilet was god....in a psycotic voice.so My walls were gold I had a suite fuckers fairmont went all the way for my ass,bet they did'nt for u?!Free crap service the best I had a jakoozi with a masoose and everything u know the common things you should have but you dont LOL ...Oh yeah a sony plasma screen and a king size bed the towels were soft and actually clean I loved my stay and They would come in regularly o massage my feet
..And if they were'nt there my boyfriend did it LOL cackles O///O But yeah how was your stay just like mine right ..They even fed me A.K.A. T-bone steak and they were prime cut :D Oi the sundays were delictable// :D Oi yeah I only had to pay $800 ..exact ///LOL I love the fairmont oi I was on the rich side ..It was weird everyone else was on opposite side of the hotel except for a few
LOL my building side was prestige the other was ok where some of my friends stayed ..I hope everyone had a great a time as my friends and I did LOL

...
What did she say?

TRANSLATOR: Active.
I loved my Toilet. I stayed in a suite at the Fairmont, the staff was very kind to me, were they as kind to you? My suite had a jacuzzi and a massuse, as well as anything else i would need. We had a Plasma Screen tv, like all of the rooms, and a king size bed. the towels were very plush and clean. The staff massuse even massaged my feet. For dinner there were prime-cut T bone steaks and amazing sundaes for dessert. I only had to pay $800, I love the Fairmont, I was on the newer tower, and most of my friends were in the older tower, we all had a great time and hope everyone else did too.

Translator Translated:i did ac slatering on the toilet and wrestled the tank while people were awsome to me i bought steak which was epic win my overall recipt for it all was 800$ and i was on the epic win tower while my friends in the epic fail while at the same time we had Win Plasma Tvs and pedobear plushy towels and i asked some random staff to massagez mah feetz

...stay on topic or this useful thread will be locked and it will be ALL ur fault!:)

I'd like to think the translations helps in reviewing other people's opinions of their hotel stay =P.

Well...at least the first one.

Quote from: Steve.Young on July 16, 2009, 02:11:59 AM
I'd like to think the translations helps in reviewing other people's opinions of their hotel stay =P.

Well...at least the first one.

Thanks Steve. I owe you a cookie.

Quote from: Charis on June 01, 2009, 11:43:29 AM
Stayed at the Hilton, third floor.  And holy hell, third floor was a huge mistake.  Granted, it was a shitton easier for getting out the last day, but that didn't really make up for other problems.

Hotel itself: fine.  Comfy beds were comfy, minifridge was win, room ... well, I wasn't there a whole lot, but it was okay.  The lighting was a bit fail and annoying (either too bright or too dark), the comfy chair was not that comfy, and the lack of mirrors aside from in the bathroom and on the (terribly poorly illuminated) closet doors made for hell getting dressed.  If it had been more people besides my sister and I, that probably would've been far more annoying than it was, but ... either way, it still vexed.

Elevators, as usual, were fail.  I don't think this revelation surprises anyone, though they were better than the Marriot's.
(We didn't really do stairs during con proper.  My sister is pretty seriously gimpy and I cosplay all of con, usually with corset and some degree of uncomfortable shoe involved, so I'm reluctant to chance the stairs.  I did it at the Marriot once, up four floors, and the breathing hell involved was not fun.)

Parking: I can deal.  Compared to LA parking rates, $18/night isn't that bad, and Hilton still comes out below Marriot even with the lack of parking discounts.  We got a spot a sneeze away from the elevators, too, which was lovely.  Those spots are SMALL, though; I have never been so glad for my Toyota compact before.

Biggest complaint: noise.  I had hoped that the Hilton's remodel would include some degree of noise dampening, but this appears to have not been the case.  Between the kids next door (who I asked repeatedly to keep things down; yes, I'm that bitch), the base beat coming from ... well, maybe the second floor? ... and things like people not modulating voices walking down the hall or slamming doors at ungodly hours of the morning, sleeping proved to be quite a trial.  I know it's too much to hope for common sense and decency, but really, people.  How many times do I have to ask before you'll keep it down?

Next year: Marriot, I think, and not the third floor.  I'll deal with the elevator fail.

I stood on the 7th floor, it was awesome except when someone pulled the fire alarm at 3-ish am Sunday.  After me and the roomies came back from teh dance, we crashed only to be woken up by it.  Everyone from the (forth?) floor up to the topmost floor had to be evacuated via fire escape stairs.
-Sure I had to wait for elevators throughout the con but it wasnt that bad.  The last day was unbelievable though. Last day elevators didnt stop for me at all. Waited 15 min.

mod edit: dance edit

I stayed at the Marriot and it was amazing!

First we were able to check in early (around noon). All of the staff was extremely nice. We had the most softest beds with lots of pillows. A nice big bathroom. Mini fridge. Valet Parking!

The only downside was the long wait for the elevators, but I think that beats walking outside and across the street to get to your room. Especially if you are like me who gets nervous about walking late at night.

It was also great that I had a hotel connected to fanime. It was what made my parents let me stay in the hotels in the first place since I was 17 then. XD

Quote from: SSX on May 25, 2009, 11:40:28 PM
"Eh, it was okay"
Stayed at the Marriott this year. Internet was so slow every hour of the day except @ 7am (yay for being able to wake up early). The hotel and staff were extremely nice. I got to check in a little bit early at around 12 on Friday so I was pretty happy about that. Beds are comfy, towels are changed every day, and lots of space in the room. The remote for the television ran out of batteries so it was a bit annoying flipping through the channels manually but I am just nitpicking right now.

The worse part of it was the elevators... Every single time I head up to my room, I feel like I'm going to throw up! I can't believe how immature and juvenile some Fanime goers are! On Saturday evening, while I headed into the elevator on the first floor, these group of ~18 year old got out of the elevator laughing and giggling. I got into the elevator and saw all those buttons lit up. !@#$R!$ER@AR@!R!@R~!@! WTF if the door did not close at that moment, I would've seriously yelled at them like the 3 year olds that they are. I saw the elevator lit up with all the lights a total of 8 times... People need to grow up. Next year, to the people who do this: BEWARE, if I catch you, I will have a little chat with you, and you will wish you never ever even touched the buttons.

4/10 for the Marriott. 9.5/10 if not for the elevator issues.

Thats really sad...