Looks like the most harrowing phase of the San Diego Comic-Con experience is almost here!
Starting at 9am Pacific Time on Wednesday, March 9th the hotel reservations for Comic-Con will begin.
It is always this day that gives me more stress than any other, because anything (and nothing) can happen. Some years I’ve gotten lucky; Others… no so much.
The Official San Diego Comic-Con Hotel Registration Page
The Official San Diego Comic-Con Hotel List
What you can expect:
- CRASH BOOM BANG– The site will likely shudder and crash or, at the very least, load very slowly as people begin to refresh their many browsers in anticipation of 9am PT on the 9th, but it will work for everyone… eventually. Unless the internet breaks in half, there will not likely be any re-dos, unlike the Membership Registration Day(s). It’s like revving the engine before the light turns green on the drag strip. And then lots of wheels will be spinning before they get anywhere.
- KEEP MOVING FORWARD – This process is NOT the same as purchasing a membership. That moment when the screen fully loads is often a heart-stopping moment of brilliance, stunning you for a moment. Get it together. Once you get in, do not click BACK, do not REFRESH! Move forward with whatever information they ask of you on the page you’re on. If it says click something, click it. If it says fill out something, you fill it out. IT WILL PROBABLY BE SLOW (this is not the time to have a slow wireless internet connection). But don’t worry. Just take a breath and keep moving, because timing is everything (see preparation steps below). Each person who successfully arrives on a fully loaded page is timestamped and logged. Selection is first come, first served. However…
- CHOOSE TWENTY – You don’t simply book a hotel room. You must make a list of your top 20 choices in order of preference along with the type of room you want (single, double, twin, etc) and the number of people in that room. You might get your first pick. You might get your 17th pick. You might not get any of them. People will grumble and complain that they got stuck out in the boonies even though they logged in 2 minutes after 9am. Just know that there are probably 50,000 other people who logged on 1 minute after 9am and they all want a double room with 2 beds for 4 people.
- BUSY SIGNAL – I have never heard of anyone ever getting through on the phones. Ever. Plus, verbally giving someone your personal information and then listing your top 20 hotels will likely take 10 times as long as filling it out online.
- PREPARE TO BE DISAPPOINTED – There will be unhappy people. You could be one of them. Even with 50 hotels on their official list, there are not enough for everyone who wants to stay in San Diego, especially downtown. Many fans have already booked up their rooms months ago at ridiculous prices, some double what the discount Comic-Con rates go for, while other rooms have been reserved for staff, celebs, and industry people who have no problems paying top dollar. On the other hand, you could get really lucky. If so, do something nice for somebody. Hug a puppy. Or when you get to that hotel room, don’t use it as your own giant toilet. The cleaning lady will thank you.
- THE LOWEST PRICES – Yes, the only bright spot in the Hotel Registration Day struggle is the fact that the hotel rooms are less expensive than going and booking them yourself (unless you have an inside connection). One hotel 6 blocks from the convention center is currently available for $389/night and they do not participate in the official Comic-Con Hotel Registration Day. It’s also the type of hotel that wouldn’t normally charge such a hefty rate. A week before Comic-Con, you can get a room there for only $194/night. They know how to butter their bread.
- THE SHIP HAS NOT SAILED ON THIS IDEA – Does anyone have an “in” at the top of a major cruise line like Carnival or Disney? I’m not talking about an event management company or a travel agency. I’m talking about a top VP or higher who wants to get some exposure for his or her line in this down economy while filling every room on every deck of their ship. I’ve been knocking this idea around for years. It all comes down to eliminating the up front cost in exchange for tremendous exposure (and, of course, profit). It’s time we put a floating hotel out behind the convention center. Call me, ‘kay?
Here is your prep list for the big day:
- TAKE THE DAY OFF – It’s only a week away. It’s time to talk to the boss. At the very least, you might have to work a late shift or just tell her you’re not coming in until after lunch when the tears have finally stopped flowing and you can fully compose yourself.
- MAKE A LIST – Go over the list with a fine toothed comb. Choose based on location and price. You will likely not find cheaper rates for these or any non-official hotels, so this is your best shot, even if it’s to the tune of $250/night. Type out the list of hotels you want in the order you prefer them IN A TEXT DOCUMENT ON YOUR COMPUTER. Don’t just write them down. I can’t remember if they made you type in the names or select the hotels from a series of dropdown lists. If it’s copy/paste, having them already written out and spelled correctly can save you some time. If it’s a series of dropdown lists, it’s still good to have that hotel list readily available when you make those selections.
- GET NAMES – Make sure you have the names of every person who is staying in your room. Having the personal information on hand as well (phone number, address, email) could also be a life saver. The last thing you need to be doing is research on your buddy’s preferred email in order to complete the form. They normally only ask for names, but you should be prepared for anything. You can likely change the details later, but if you have 4 people staying in your room, Comic-Con has traditionally needed to know the names of each person in that room at the time of registration.
- NO HOARDING – Why do they need the names of everyone in the room? To prevent room hoarding. My next suggestion is to have any and all people who are wanting a room to be online and ready to reload and purchase the moment the page comes up, but if all 4 of you are attempting to submit a request for the same 4 people at the same time, guess what happens? Moe, Larry, Curly, and Shemp show up in the system 4 times and they all can’t stay in 4 rooms, so they all likely get dumped to the far reaches of San Diego. Maybe one will score a good room, but honestly, when Travel Planners goes through the system, they’ll probably match up the clear-cut requests with good rooms much more quickly than the ones they have to contact and do research on, leaving them with the scraps.
THERE’S STILL HOPE AFTER MARCH 9th! – All hotel rooms will sell out on Wednesday, March 9th within a few short hours. It’s a given. But if you don’t score a good room, it’s not the end of the world (throwing things helps sometimes). Keep an eye open for more hotel rooms to become available as the event gets closer. Full deposit refunds are available until May 10th. Expect a number of rooms to be shaken loose around that date, before and afterward. Until June 8th, people can cancel with a $100 fee, which means that the ones that remain will do what they can to at least recoup most of their money while you snatch up their rejected rooms. After that, no refunds means that they’re stuck with the rooms or they end up paying for a room they aren’t going to use, but will hopefully return so that you or I can make better use of it.
So unlike the membership purchasing process that I thankfully got to sidestep, I will be on pins and needles with the rest of you for the hours, days, or weeks it may take to know which room I’m getting for San Diego Comic-Con 2011. I’m not one to book overpriced rooms in advance because I simply can’t afford $400/night for a roach motel 2 miles away. And with gas prices and traffic, I’m doing all I can to avoid having to drive for the 4 days of the con.
Do you have any tricks or traditions that you use when booking a room on San Diego Comic-Con Hotel Registration Day? I have a few more suggestions in my book (along with thoughts on transportation and parking), but I’m sure you know that already…
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