Hotel reservations follow-up...

It goes without saying that trying to book a hotel room for Comic-Con this year was frustrating for many who tried calling or going online for a room.

Comic-Con has been in close contact with Travel Planners, and they wanted us to relay to you the following:

Wednesday, we watched our servers go nuts when the Comic-Con hotel program opened. Many of you suffered the effects, and we apologize for the inconvenience and frustration. We are sorry that our efforts to prepare over the past year fell short.  We are taking into account all of your comments and suggestions that have been posted to the blog. We are conferring with Comic-Con and will make every effort to ensure that this will not happen in the future.

We should point out that Travel Planners made significant upgrades and improvements to their system after 2007, both online and in their phone system. Comic-Con thought that the upgrade would be sufficient. Clearly, this was not the case.

Travel Planners told us that in the first five seconds of the site going live on Wednesday, they experienced three times the number of people requesting rooms as they had last year.

Also in the first five seconds, the site had the same number of people requesting a room as there were rooms available. So, while we were prepared for more people, we were not prepared for three times as many people and were certainly not prepared for as many people to call/log on as there were rooms available.

We are working with Travel Planners and their vendors to change the way we handle housing because, as we can all see, it is not working in its current form.

There are only 9,800 rooms within a 1.5 mile radius of the San Diego Convention Center and Comic-Con is only allocated 6,100 rooms in our block, mainly in this radius. We have a few rooms in hotels in Coronado and Mission Valley and those locations still have availability.

We will continue to add rooms throughout the year as they become available. Many people cancel rooms they booked on Wednesday and those rooms will go into inventory, so please continue to check back.

We thank you for all your comments on this blog. One of the purposes of it was to allow us the opportunity to hear your own experiences directly, so we can better ascertain what the problems are in the hotel reservations process. We particularly appreciate those of you who wrote in and offered your own advice and experiences. We take all of your comments seriously.

Comments

[suzanne913]

Did I mention that the hotels in Chula Vista are DIRT CHEAP????

I'm paying $139/night. Refrigerator, microwave, hair dryer, coffee maker, free breakfast.

--Suzanne

[suzanne913]

Hello there. This is my first blog!

(I have some really good advice near the end of my post, so if you get bored with me, skip over, and read the end.)

I limpwristedly disagree about the cruise ships...I think they would be crazy expensive, and attendees would consider it a "racket", if that's all that was left.

I received answers to my e-mailed questions to Comic Con, but it took several weeks. I can only imagine how many e-mails they must get a day.

I disagree about the prioritizing the 4-day pass holders. Wherever possible, a hotel seeking business will always prioritize someone who is doing more business with them than someone who is doing less. I don't see how this would be verifiable. It would become just one more way to lie through the system.

About panels: If my friend gets to Comic Con at 6am, and waits for her panel for 4 hours, then she SHOULD be able to camp out if she wants to. You know the lines, people, get up earlier! (I chose to sleep late, and I missed several of my deeply wanted panels...but that's MY fault!)

I also agree with the poster who mentioned taxis. Oh, my god! I'm not a regular taxi user, so it seemed like an act of huberis to use a taxi. It was great! The trolleys run pretty late, except for that Saturday night, so you would really only need a taxi on that Saturday. Then you would be using it with, likely, 2 or more of your roommates. Sharing the cost!

I have NEVER "gone back" to the car, the hotel, etc. during this con. Never need my hotel to be that close, so I come in the morning and bring everything to spend the day. Maybe some people do differently (especially if you have kids).

Also, on the hotel-hoarding subject. I know that I had to hold on to several different rooms last year, and this year, that I could drop a little at a time. That's because I organize for a larger group, and my group of people can't confirm with me in February what their availability will be in July (not all of us are that lucky). So as people drop out, and come back, I have to monitor if I have too many rooms or not. Because if I don't get enough up front, at the beginning, then there's NO WAY to get any more. Sadly, that's the way it is.

I DO agree with the idea of maybe another blog or resource to help people realize which hotels are walkable, and which are trolley-able, and which are shuttle-able. Personal opinions upon doing "the walk" yourself can matter a lot (re: why I mentioned blog). i.e. "not in that neighborhood", "not at that time of night", "too tired on Saturday", "cab was an option", etc.

And to help alleviate some of the problem...here's my solution. I stay in Chula Vista. Yes, it's very far from the convention, but you know, the trolley goes RIGHT THERE! At the E Street stop, there are 3 hotels within EASY walking distance. Lots of restaurants. The hotels are Motel 6-745 E Street, Days Inn-699 E Street, Good Nite Inn-225 Bay Blvd, Comfort Inns&Suites-632 E Street, Best Western/SouthBay-710 E Street. I've seen many attendees at this little grouping of hotels, so it's not a secret. People get into their heads that they HAVE to stay closeby, and have a hard time changing their minds.

If you stay this far out, then also utilize San Diego Commute and buy your 4-day-tripper pass and your 1-day tripper pass ($20 total) for the appropriate days of the con, AHEAD OF TIME! They mail it to you, and you have it IN HAND, the first day of the con!

http://www.sdcommute.com/eStore/Default.aspx

The on-site machines are NOT RELIABLE, and police WILL CHECK during the craziness of the con (I've seen it!).

From Chula Vista, you need the BLUE LINE trolley, and the arrival location is walkable to Comic Con. If you can't walk it (or are too tired, or too much stuff), then the ORANGE LINE takes you the rest of the way. The only problem is, when the BLUE LINE arrives, the ORANGE LINE has just left 2/3 minutes earlier, and you have to wait for the next one (20 min).

We need MORE FREQUENT TROLLEY SERVICE during the Con!!!!!!!

--Suzanne

[Alfred Day]

The tiimeshare thing is something I considered but the maintenance fees ate up any money I might save in the long run and there's always the possibility of not being able to get that week.

What would be helpful is a resource that helped us figure out what hotels are withing walking distance of public transportation, specifically the trolley.

[Bryon Bauer]

Some people may want to consider purchasing a time share at one of the hotels in downtown San Diego. I purchased one from the Marriot 4 years ago after encountering problems getting a room. Staying at the Marriot will cost $1000 bucks for 4 nights. My timeshare cost $3500 for a one week block of time over a 10 year period. And since I only use 4 nights for the con. I still have 3 nights to use at any Marriot World Wide.

After this year, I will be more than paid back for my investment. And I will continue to get a free week once a year for another 6 years. So if you know your going to go to the con every year. You may want to consider this. You are GUARENTEED a room. I just booked my room yesterday.

And it doesn't have to be the Marriot. Most of the bigger hotel chains have time Shares.

[hotel searcher]

There are several hotels that have available rooms, and most are even less than the CCI hotels (Example: Days Hotel-Hotel Circle). These hotels may not be listed as CCI hotels, but not all the CCI hotels have shuttle service. You can book at one of these other hotels and either take the tram or simply get a taxi to the convention center. Last year I found that taking a taxi was much nicer and easier and only cost $8. This year we are staying at a water front hotel, Marina view second floor room for only $189 a night. This hotel is only 6 miles to the convention center.

I recommend stop complaining about the lack of CCI rooms, get either on the phone or the internet and find the many available rooms that are left...most at even cheaper prices.

[Ronnie]

I think it would be nice if San Diego Comic con answered their emails!

[Delirium]

I think it would be nice if Travel Planners answered their emails. I contacted then nearly 3 weeks ago... and nothing.

[jack]

For people who think that the idea of have the 4-day pass registers get priority before the other registers is a bad idea and here's why. If that would happen, then people just get the 4-day pass so they can get a hotel not having not intent on going 4-days at all and can have that pass refunded for maybe 3-day or the less but still have that hotel priority.

So I really can't see this as a good idea. They just need to add more hotels and have a better customer phone service and a server that can take the capacity when hotel registration is available on opening day.

[jack]

For people who think that the idea of have the 4-day pass registers get priority before the other registers is a bad idea and here's why. If that would happen, then people just get the 4-day pass so they can get a hotel not having not intent on going 4-days at all and can have that pass refunded for maybe 3-day or the less but still have that hotel priority.

So I really can't see this as a good idea. They just need to add more hotels and have a better customer phone service and a server that can take the capacity when hotel registration is available on opening day.

[Sparky]

Like Mat PD I got the rest of the nights I was on the waitlist for, but I didn't have to call, they just did it and sent me an email. I was in the same position last year, and it was the same then, although it didn't happen as fast. In fact I don't think I got an email about it, I just kept checking the reservation every few days and one day it had been extended for the full week. However this time I am also waitlisted for 5 more rooms, so who knows if I'll get those. The lady who made my reservations said I'd get a call this week (two weeks after making the initial reservation) to get all the names in the system. I'm really sorry about all the people who were told they were on the list only to find out they weren't. :(

[TonyM]

If you are still looking for rooms relatively close by to the Convention Center, consider the 500 West Hotel. I have never stayed there, but rooms are currently available at $99/night. From what I can tell, there are no in-room bathrooms, but there are several per floor.

No affiliation with the hotel, just noticed it while researching the US Grant Hotel.

http://www.500westhotelsd.com

[EHV]

Last year we were on the "wait list" - or at least we thought we were. In order to get on this list, we had to already have a (less desirable) room. Although strange, there was a certain logic to that, since it's a stretch to think you'll actually get a room via the wait list. Like Karen, I called back a few days later and found out though we were told we were being placed on the list, we weren't. So we got on it late. (I'd tend to believe that it's more incompentence than an "honest mistake.") Maybe that's why we were never called, or maybe it's because the wait list is just a way to give people false hope. I'd be curious to know if anyone from the wait list has ever been contacted about a room becoming available for their preferred hotel. Last year, I called every couple of weeks, and was told that's a good idea. I also continued (as I'm doing now) to check the site for more room availability. Nothing came of either of those efforts.
I agree that 4-day preregistrations should get preferential hotel registration options. First the exhibitors, then the pros & staff and then 4-day pass holders. If we can't get rooms, what's the point?

[Erin]

There is a dock right up the street, near the Holiday Inn. I agree it's a good idea, especially for people with families who don't want to spend all day at the con, they could use the pool and enjoy thier own vacation.
And the price I'm paying for 5 nights at a hotel is about equivilent to a 3-5 night cruise.
So, yeah, I say they should look into it.

[Nitty]

The cruise ship idea is a wonderful one. That's what they did in Jacksonville Florida for the 2005 superbowl. I believe they used three cruise ships then. And San Diego is a pretty major cruiseship port, and the Con itself is on the water. Does anyone know if there's a place right by there to dock? Cruiseships normally send shuttle boats every 15-20 minutes or so to the ports their "residents" are visiting, so it could be extremely quick to go from your shiproom to the con.

[KarenR]

I need to follow up on my earlier post. I called yesterday to find out about my position on the waitlist. Good thing I did because.... I WASN'T ON THE WAITLIST. Apparently the rep I talked to put me on the wrong system.

An honest mistake, I know, but come on. I was put on the ACTUAL wait list (or so I'm told) with a * or something saying that they screwed up. Doesn't really get me that week back in case any rooms opened up, does it? ... /sigh

[Mel]

Doug,
Awesome idea!
I vote Cruise Ship for next year:) If cruise ships were usable for H-Katrina, then why not the San Diego Comic Con?

psss Pass it on.....

[doug]

Vegas has the capacity (so we think), but we'd never really want to be there in mid-July heat. LA would suck horribly because for every big event I've gone to there (even though I live there), there never seems to be enough hotels (certainly not for something like CCI) downtown near the convention center. If you think driving 5 miles from your hotel to the SDCC is bad, you don't even want to think about driving even 1 mile in LA if you don't know your way around. There aren't any good hotels in Hollywood, you wouldn't want to use the metro, and the beach cities would rape you on hotel prices. LA is bad bad bad for conventions even if you live there, especially if you want to cram 150,000+ people into the LA convention center.

Keep it in San Diego, just add a hotel... on the water. Yes, a cruise ship. Even if something like this would be impossible this year, it should be considered for the future. I know it sounds insane, but it could solve the lodging problems if someone can spin the right deal. Hey, all I need is a place to keep my comics, statues, and freebies when I'm not standing in line somewhere at the convention center. Oh yeah, I need to sleep sometime too.

I'm sure there's someone much more eloquent than I who could put this in the right ears and make it plausible, but I know I'm not that guy.

I have a much longer rant on this subject in the comments of the previous post if you feel like reading my reasons.

CCI can't go on much longer like this in San Diego without doing something drastic. Even if they used a competant booking agency, there still wouldn't be enough rooms, even if they built another massive hotel in the next 12 months for next year. They have nowhere to put it. And they don't have the tourism or any other similarly sized events big enough to justify another hotel that would ever be big enough to accomodate the continuously growing CCI crowds.

My vote: Cruise ships in '08

[Mel]

I think there needs to be MAJOR improvement in regards to the PANELS. I do not think it is fair to all 125K con attendee's that some get to squat in panel rooms for hours on end, while others wait in an endless line to nowhere because there are no empty seats. To FIX this, I would suggest that every panel room be EMPTIED after each panel and new attendee's (who have waited in a line) be allowed to enjoy the con too.

ESPECIALLY IN THE POPULAR PANEL ROOMS!

In conclusion, I also think there could be some MAJOR improvements in regards to how the handicapped are treated.

[Mat PD]

I handled all my travel reservation(plane, hotel) all on my own...I havent used a travel agency in years. Make calls on your own, ask whats available. I found a small hotel last year about a mile from the Convention Center and it was a really nice little place. San Diego is a great place for the convention, if it moves I won't attend.

[Misa]

As a follow up (I'm the person who has posted about having 3 rooms over 6 days), I now have a hotel room for all 6 days! At my hotel of choice. This was partially because of the waitlist, and partially because I was stalking the web site over the past several days.

Basically Travel Planners booked me in the same hotel (the Gaslamp Marriott) for 4 days (Thursday -> Sunday) and then I was finally able to score (Tuesday -> Wednesday) at the same place by happening to be on the web site at 6am (PST) when they seem to generally release room block that are no longer booked. I called Travel Planners, and they combined and confirmed my reservation. So I am booked now, and right across the street from the convention center.

I honestly wish it had NOT been this difficult to get a simple reservation, but I am pleased that I was able to get my ideal room in the end. I hope this info helps someone else straighten out their own reservation woes.

[James]

I agree that the first to buy 4 day passes should also be the first ones to get hotel rooms.

Maybe they could do it in tiers. Like the first 500 people to buy 4 day passes can reserve a hotel during week 1, the next 500 during week 2, and so on. Then they can open hotel reservations up to the public after that.

I think a system like that would not only help them with their server problem but it would also help those of us early 4 day pass buyers get a room. Also, it'd be an extra reward for buying a 4 day pass early.

I also agree that it'd be a good idea to demand some sort of upfront deposit on rooms to discourage people from buying up blocks of rooms. Something like a 10% upfront downpayment would be excellent.

[disgruntled]

I agree about the panels, especially with folks who go to a less popular panel just to sit in that seat for hours to camp and get a seat for the panel they really want.I think thats unfair to all the people who have been lining up for the same panel.I have been to panels where there were so many campers that only about 1/3 of the people who were in line got in to the panel.ow this is not restricted to San Diego, i've been to many cons that allow camping. Its the one thing i like about a certain other con promoter that i wont mention.You pay high prices but for the gold and silver pases, but you are guaranteed to get not only the autographs you want, but reserved seating at select panels. Since i travel to a lot of cons as part of my job, i find this a much more fair way to make sure that a diverse group of fans get to see the people they want and the panels they want, instead of the same 100 campers in every spot.

[Mic]

I'm definitely on board for those who register early getting first dibs on hotel rooms. I would gladly pony up the cash at this year's Con for next year and make say 3 hotel choices.

Also KarenR makes a wonderful point about charging a deposit to discourage room hoarding. What's wrong with $100 down if it means more rooms could be available. I'm kind of shocked they don't do it now.

Finally, 'cause I know those in charge are checking this, I'm in huge favor of signing up for panels, allotting "X" amount of seats to people who register for them. It might be a headache without the proper planning, but my wife goes to a ton of trade shows as a pastry chef and almost all of them require you to register for the panels and demonstrations you want to go to. Without a doubt she misses out on some every year cause they fill up, but she is also assured of getting into some. I would rather know I was gonna miss something than stand in line wasting my time only to be turned away a couple hours later.

[Arielle Haze]

Booking a room was very difficult, but the waitlist was a great idea! After trying for 3 hours to get a room close to Con, I put myself on the waitlist.

The Travel Planners staff was very apologetic and friendly when I spoke with them.

Just today, a week later, they called me with a room that opened up! I took it! It was very nice of them to follow up. I love when I don't have to chase companies to do their job. They were very apologetic, once again, and the woman I spoke with was very sweet and helpful.

I hope next year that more hotels will open in the area and that rooms won't be so difficult to get, but it's a demanding market, and there's not much we can do about it. I LOVE that the Con is in San Diego... what a beautiful city! I plan to go every year possible!

[FWench]

Please do NOT move Comic-Con to Vegas!! Moving isn't the best answer, better crowd control and room reservation systems are the answer.

I like the idea of the people who pre-reg for the next year at the con getting a bonus code for reserving hotels early. This "everyone hit the website at one time" plan is utter crap! I got all the way to the end, clicked 'confirm reservation', then the site crashed. I called to ask and the reservation wasn't found. not happy.

I'd also like to see some sort of pre-reg for panels. Not reserving a specific seat, but at least having a seat. I can't afford spending 3 hrs in a line for the slight chance that I'll get a seat in the panel I want to see. The panel reservation info can be coded onto the badges and scanned at the door. People with reservations get in with wait-listers filling in as spaces open.