It may seem like a cop-out to say that there is no most awesome hotel at San Diego Comic-Con that you definitely have to book yourself into. That’s because if that hotel existed, you wouldn’t be able to get into it. Everyone picks their hotel for different reasons because no two people or groups of people are alike at Comic-Con. But in the end it all comes down to this: We all need a place to rest our heads for an hour or two each night and we definitely need a place to stash our stuff.
Obviously, I haven’t stayed in every hotel in San Diego, so I can’t speak to the good and bad qualities of every one of them. (However, if the San Diego hoteliers would like to set me up on a visiting tour of their hotels over a series of weeks for the purpose of reviewing them, I’d be happy to oblige.) I’ve stayed at the Hilton Bayfront, the Hilton Gaslamp twice, the Marriott Gaslamp, the Westin Gaslamp Quarter twice, the Westgate, the Porto Vista in Little Italy, and even 500 West when it was still being built in 2004 (that was my first year ever stepping foot into San Diego and I discovered that “European Style” meant hostel with shared bathrooms). And the year I was at the Westgate, I was also at the Westin for the first time, because we couldn’t get a room for 4 nights straight (Westin Wed and Sat nights, Westgate on Thurs and Fri nights), which meant we had to check out of the hotel mid-week to move to the other hotel and then move back a few days later. It also meant we had to pay 3 deposits. It was maddening and exhausting.
Here are the hotels I’ve stayed at while at Comic-Con (click map to view):
2004 – 500 West
2005 – Marriott Gaslamp
2006 – Hilton Gaslamp
2007 – Westin Gaslamp/Westgate
2008 – Porto Vista
2009 – Hilton Bayfront
2010 – Hilton Gaslamp
2011 – Westin Gaslamp
2012 – ???
As some of you who have read the book know, I prefer to stay downtown. Yes, it’s more expensive than a motel in the far reaches of San Diego and beyond, but I’ve always found it more convenient to be close to the action downtown. Of course, this year, they are running shuttles constantly from Thursday morning to Sunday afternoon, so for those who are staying at shuttle connected hotels, you have no excuse not to party late (especially if you want to drink and NOT drive – something I highly recommend).
Regardless of my personal preferences, here is my input on what I recommend when it comes to hotels, depending on the type of Comic-Con-goer you are…
Which hotels have special programming?
With Comic-Con changing and expanding each year, it’s almost impossible to know which hotels will take on what role when the doors finally open. But you can be sure that those hotels closest (Marriott Marquis and Marina, Hilton Bayfront, Hilton Gaslamp, the Hard Rock, and the Omni) have the bulk of the programming options.
- The Marriott Marquis & Marina, which is attached to the convention center down toward Hall A has ticketed swag pickup, movie screenings, lounges, is pretty much the home base for the Comic-Con crew.
- The Hilton Bayfront down at the Hall H end of the convention center hosts the Eisner Awards and a number of panels throughout the day. It’s also a good spot to belly up to the bar next to one of your favorite comic creators, regardless of whether they won or lost that Eisner Award they were up for.
- The Hilton Gaslamp across the street always has a number of events taking place in its various outdoor areas with lots of freebies given away throughout the day.
- The Omni hosts a number of nighttime exclusive parties and daytime lounges for those with access.
- The Hard Rock Hotel is party central and is the place where you’ll end up seeing the most celebrities walking any one of the 2 or 3 red carpets running at the same time on any given night. But if you’re the average attendee, don’t expect an invite.
While Comic-Con will have all of its official programming listed in their massive book, watch this site for news on events happening throughout the Gaslamp District as they are announced.
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