From the ConThe Plan

SDCC 2017 Hotel Sale Preparation

By Mlgagne & DRWHO42

For most of us traveling to SDCC, hotel planning is a vital and essential component to our con experience. Now that the hotel sale has been announced, we can focus on planning our lodging for the duration of the con.

Even though we probably will not see our rooms much during this five-day period, these places will serve as our little oasis away from the electric atmosphere of the con. Thus, many of us tend to have a preferred hotel or area of choice that helps to make our con that much more special. Therefore, in order to increase our chances of receiving a hotel that we are happy with, it is best to familiarize ourselves with the process ahead of time and cross-reference the resources available to us.

As we reported earlier this weekend, this year’s hotel reservation process will open at 9am Pacific Daylight Time on Wednesday, April 26. Attendees will have the chance to enter a waiting room between 8am and 9am Pacific Daylight Time. Similar to last year’s process, all guests in the waiting room will be placed in random order at 9am and will then receive access to the form based on this order.

However, there are quite a few changes to the process for this year, the most notable being that attendees can submit a maximum of 12 different hotel choices on their requests: up to 6 downtown hotels and 6 non-downtown hotels. Attendees will only be required to select one (1) hotel to submit the form, and they can opt to select only downtown hotels, only non-downtown hotels, or a mix of hotels in both areas.

Another major change to this year’s process is the fact that hotel confirmation e-mails will be sent out in two waves: the first on Monday, May 1, and the second on Monday, May 8. Once attendees have received confirmation of their placement, they will have 72 hours to place a deposit on their rooms, with the deadlines for deposit being Friday, May 5 and Friday, May 12 respectively. Though this extends the process a bit more than in previous years, the benefits outweigh the costs, as this new timeframe gives guests the whole week to contact onPeak with any inquiries or problems. This is definitely preferable to timelines of events in prior years, where confirmations went out on a Thursday with deposits due the following Sunday (and onPeak was closed for the weekend).

It is also worth noting that onPeak has clarified that for this year, hotel requests will be processed in the order in which attendees were first given access to the form. In other words, the speed at which you submit the form is no longer a factor in determining your hotel placement. Since this part of the process was unclear to many attendees last year, it is great that CCI and onPeak have taken the additional step to clearly explain this for 2017.

Essentially, those are the basics of the 2017 sale. However, to help you further prepare for the big day, below are some useful links to CCI’s official 2017 hotel pages and our past articles related to SDCC hotels, as well as links to a few threads on the FoCC forum. These links will provide you with great information on the hotels in the area to help you narrow down your choices if you haven’t already. Take a look below:

CCI’s Main Hotel Page

SDCC 2017 Official Hotel Block

2016 Hotel Map and Price List(available on the FoCC forum)

“We’ve Got Your ‘6’”by Angology

FoCC Hotel ReviewsReviews provided by FoCC forum members from the Con point of view.

Trip AdvisorThe quintessential travel research and review site.

FoCC Housing, Parking and Transportation threads(available on the FoCC forum)

The FoCC forum is working on a hotel share and exchange for members. This is an added logistical resource geared to help attendees share extra rooms or unneeded rooms with those looking for assistance in finding a desired room. Details will be found in the Hotels thread of the forum (above)We strongly encourage those interested in this resource to join and participate in the fan-run FoCC forum before the hotel sale commences so that they can take part in the exchange.

*Public service announcement: Before you join the hotel discussion above, we would like to advise everyone to please adhere to the provisions and guidelines of the FoCC forum. There will be no buying or selling of rooms for a profit, nor will bribery or other influences be condoned or accepted. 

And finally, keep in mind that the free shuttle service is a great resource to get around town during the con – which can be especially useful if you end up receiving a non-downtown hotel room during the sale (or if you opt to stay away from the hustle and bustle of the downtown area).

In conclusion, while preparing for the hotel sale can be stressful, utilizing the vast wealth of information on the topic can help make the process a bit easier. And if you strike out during the hotel sale, don’t sweat it. Downtown rooms often open up at a later point to those who have opted in to the waitlist, and non-downtown rooms are generally available until closer to the convention. Attendees can also offer up unwanted rooms for exchange immediately after the sale, but always remember to exercise caution when making this type of transaction over the internet.

Will you be participating in the SDCC 2017 hotel sale? Join the conversation on FoCC!

DRWHO42

Kevin aka "DRWHO42" watches a lot of TV and avoids spoilers like the plague. He is an avid Whovian, Trekker, fanboy, gamer, traveler, planner, self-professed gym rat, and Starbucks espresso loyalist. When not plotting out his schedule for the next tent-pole movie or watching his favorite shows he is on the hunt for pop-culture TV & Movie media news. More importantly he is a frequent attendee of San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) and New York Comic Con (NYCC). Follow him on Twitter @kevinDW42 @FoCCBlog