TOPIC: Hotel in 2012

Just booked our room... Some slowness, but no problems.
And this year, I even booked the correct dates!

(I think)

I tried to get into the Westin and then Union station, but both sold out before I could.

I managed to get a room in the Mariott. Still close enough, I guess, even if it cost me sixty extra bucks...

UGH!!! 4 mins. The embassy Suites was sold out in 4min.
Lame. Oh well.

At 12:10 all hotels minus JW Marriott were sold out completely (in downtown). Insanity. Oh well at least I got a booking in the near vicinity.

valetutto wrote: UGH!!! 4 mins. The embassy Suites was sold out in 4min.
Lame. Oh well.

Same problem here - I was online right at noon, and the system was backlogged, and by the time it gave me access, the Embassy Suites was sold out. At least with the JW Marriott there are plenty of rooms nearby. I remember a few years back, if you didn't get a room quickly, you'd be staying at the Airport (we actually did end up staying at the airport hotel one night, because our regular hotel had overbooked).

This is where I thank The Broasted- the VIG is worth the extra cash. I scored Downtown Marriott at less than I could get with Marriott Rewards ($194/nt) and did it at 2p with no issues.

Oh the VIGs get access to rooms earlier or something?

I always wondered what you got for the extra cash. Never seemed worth it to me but maybe I never understood what all you got.

The get a different room block for VIGs.

valetutto wrote: Oh the VIGs get access to rooms earlier or something?

I always wondered what you got for the extra cash. Never seemed worth it to me but maybe I never understood what all you got.

There's a whole host of benefits to being a ViG:
- Access to a separate block of hotel rooms
- Access to special ViG ConSuite/Lounge with...
.. free refreshments
.. it's own Event Reg/Will Call desk (MUCH shorter lines)
.. free WiFi
- Special ViG swag bag
- Early access to the Exhibit Hall
- ViG Reserved seating at certain events
- Access to ViG only events at the Con
- Option to re-register as a ViG before open registration for next years ViG Program (there are only so many slots available for ViG)

I've got a buddy who's a ViG.. it's kinda awesome (he gets me a ViG companion badge, which gets me access to most of the above.)

I was online @ noon as well, and like many others, was frustrated to see all our top choices disappear like a puff of smoke from the registration system. We, too, eventually booked into the J.W. Marriott Obelisk.

To be honest, the experience wasn't bad. The JW is a good hotel connected via pedways to the Convention center, for a mostly-reasonable rate. And it's *booked*. Done. Fait-accompli.

This hands-down beats the *cough* good old days, when we'd scrabble madly at the Housing website for hours, only to find that EVERYTHING was booked solid, and then spend the next 3 months re-checking daily or phoning hotels directly, and eventually end up booking a hotel not even connected to the Convention center, for a price 25% more expensive than the housing block price, for fear of not having any hotel at all.

Raven, you're so right, as frustrating as it was today, it was nothing like it was in the old days. Back then, you weren't just worried about not getting a hotel with a Skywalk, you were worried about not getting a hotel in Indy at all! And it was often locked up for an hour or more - sometimes letting you in just enough to see how few rooms were left, before crashing again. And we had to walk to and from the hotel to the Convention Center uphill both ways, in the snow!

Mike Steele wrote: And we had to walk to and from the hotel to the Convention Center uphill both ways, in the snow!

LOL!