Where we stand with SDCC hotels

 14 APRIL 2025

Today you found out how you fared in the SDCC hotel lottery last week. How did you do? 

Hardly anyone I know got a room. I did - not a good one. Despite getting in very quickly twice, both those sessions got Wyndham Bayfront (a hotel that carries an ominous vibe for me because I associate it with Windham Earle from Twin Peaks. But I'm sure it's a fine hotel.) 

Then a friend who got in about 2 minutes later than I did got the Palihotel and another got the Sofia. (Both closer.) Kind of annoying, but not nearly as annoying as those people that posted things like, "I got the Hard Rock and my husband got Marriott Marquis! Which one should we keep?" 

Not that I'm bitter! I love all of you lucky winners; I love you so much that you should give me your Marriott Marquis room.

So here's where we are. First of all, if you didn't get an email today, you didn't get a room. You don't need to wait for the Dear John email tomorrow to accept your reality. But what's even more important to accept - and I know no one wants to read this - you probably are not going to score the Hilton Bayfront or Omni or other primo hotel in the general hotel sale on April 24. You'll get a hotel, sure. You might even be that rare bird who does snag a great hotel. But most likely you'll get a non-downtown hotel or one of those hotels that are technically downtown but not in friendly walking distance.

I'm saying this because I saw a lot of people today expressing dismay with their meh-but-still-downtown hotel and saying they were going to let it go to find something better in the general sale. That's a bit risky! I know you don't want to commit to Embassy Suites and then spot Hilton Bayfront ripe for the picking - but that probably isn't going to happen.

But you make the decision that's best for you. Who knows, you might hit the right place at the right time.

First-timers - if you didn't know, you can transfer your room to someone else or have one transferred. It's generally easier to do this before a deposit is paid.  I won't list the entire process here but I can help if you need it. As for requesting a transfer or trade? Generally speaking, most trades happen when people want what the other has. You might find some generous soul who has something to give away but they will be in demand. 

Then there are people like me who booked downtown backup rooms on their own. Generally people will transfer these closer to the Con, like May or June, after they've exhausted all other options. But it is something to watch out for. 

So if you don't have anything, hang tight and try to focus on the Con itself. As long as you're on a shuttle route, you'll be fine.

SDCC Hotel Day is here!

 9 APRIL 2025

9:45 am PT

People seem very confident this year. Some of that confidence is, I'm not afraid to say it, misguided. I find that first-timers (to the hotel sale) think times compare to the badge sale. If you get in by 9:14, you're (probably) getting a great badge - so they think getting in at 9:12 means a great hotel room. It doesn't. There are more attendees than downtown hotel rooms. And we're competing with everyone who needs a room, not just attendees.

Don't shoot the messenger. 

For now, try to stay positive as we wait for the email of fate next week - and remember that hotel rooms will open up and you will find something. One thing you can do right now: network. Look for roommates. Don't be afraid to announce yourself in your online communities and say you're open to sharing a room (yes, people do room with strangers at SDCC, though usually they know each other/are vouched for by being in the same forum/Discord/etc.) Build options now in case you get nothing. There are always those people who have extra A-list rooms to give away and every now and then a lone wolf will emerge from the forest and announce that he's at Hilton Gaslamp and is looking for a roommate. 

So don't be shy. Be patient, be positive, and be pro-active.

Good luck!

9:20 am PT

Well, that was fast and furious. How did you all do? I haven't heard about any severe snafus and mostly everyone seemed to get in easily - albeit, some faster than others. I got in fairly fast but not immediately so I'm not counting on anything. I know other people track their entry down to the nanosecond but I can't be bothered - I'd rather just wait for the email and see where the Wheel of SDCC Fortune landed for me.

8:03 am PT

Well, it's here. The 2nd most nerve-wracking (or most?) SDCC sale of the year. As always, remember that you WILL get a room. What matters is what happens at Comic-Con, not in your hotel room. Well, for most of us.

So far the waiting room seems to be working smoothly. Let's cross our fingers for a glitch-free morning.

Hotel Day is tomorrow, April 9. You need a Member ID to score a room.

 8 APRIL 2025

I think I put all the salient information in the title of this post, but let's explore tomorrow anyhow. Because a few things have changed. 

But first - what hasn't changed.

It will be super competitive. 

You will mostly follow the same process as before - 8 am PT waiting room, 9 am live, waiting to get picked, having your hopes lifted or dashed in the first 180 seconds.

You don't need a credit card or to make any lasting decisions. If you get a room, once you log into your reservation, you'll be able to change dates, roommate names, etc. So don't go into a spin worrying about how you're not sure who's rooming with who and if you might leave a day early.

Like every other year, you'll have to wait to find out what (if anything) you were assigned. If you don't get into the form very quickly, you probably aren't landing at the Hard Rock. But if you do get in quickly, you can still fail to do as well as you hoped.

On that cheery note...

Here is what is a little different this year.

It's downtown only. I think this is practical since the people who wind up assigned a Mission Valley room often drop those reservations; this approach probably saves the team some effort while cutting to the chase for attendees. Non-downtown rooms will now be available when they open up the general hotel options where you can review available choices and pick one.  

You can only book 2 rooms at a time - it used to be 5, which enraged people who would hear about a superattendee scoring 5 Hilton Bayfront rooms while they got zero. I haven't heard much commentary about this but I feel it will be annoying or pleasing depending on how well connected you are.

And most importantly, you must have a Member ID! This does seem to answer some attendee prayers but since CCI encouraged readers to go make Member IDs in the same breath, it won't really keep outsiders out of our rooms. Well, maybe some.

A word for you renegades who prefer to operate outside the system. If you're opting out of hotel sale stress in favor of an Airbnb - and I can't blame you for wanting to dodge the anxiety - I will suggest participating anyhow. It's a lottery. If you don't score, you've lost nothing. But if you get lucky and score a wonderful room, you'll be better off booking a room through CCI's system in my opinion. There are too many horror stories of cancelled Airbnb rooms after the owner realizes they could score more $$$$ from panicked attendees at the last minute. 

I'll live blog the sale, but really there won't be much to say if it goes smoothly. If there's a classic Hotel Day fail or bizarre tech glitch - well, let's just hope there isn't. But I'll be here to bear witness to your tragedy if there is.

Good luck tomorrow - and remember, you WILL get a room somehow. It might not be your first choice hotel, but who cares? You're going to Comic-Con.

Where we are with SDCC hotels

 24 APRIL 2024

2 days after we got our hotel assignments - or rejection letters - most of the dust has settled. You've rejoiced over your room, traded or begged for a better one, or come to terms with your lack thereof. Or you're in that weird bardo where someone might have a room at the Hyatt for you but they have to check with one person first and now they've gone silent and you're down to your last atom of hope.

It's rough out there.

A few points:

• The deadline to lock down your room, deposit and all, is Thursday night at 9:59 pm PST. If you're still hoping for a trade, it's definitely easier to do that pre-deposit - but don't wait much longer. Follow up with people and get a firm answer by tonight if you can.

• If you do trade, understand it's a transaction of trust. It works best when you can both make it happen in real time and everyone communicates quickly and clearly. Why? Because there will be some back and forth until email addresses, passwords, and whatnot get changed. Also - you'll eventually need to phone OnPeak to change occupant names. Don't worry, they've done it a million times and they are unfazed by our strange behaviors.

• Now - if you got an okay room but haven't made a better trade/arrangement yet, still put down a deposit. You can reclaim it (minus 3% fee) until May 8 which means you can...

• ...Spin the wheel of hotel fortune on May 2. Yes, it'll be grim at first with thousands of people trying to grab rooms. But there will be good rooms available! I have gotten Hilton Gaslamp (love that hotel) and the Hyatt in years past. I don't think there will be an abundance of downtown rooms but there will be some. And more will continue to pop up.

• Whatever you do - do not abandon your Comic-Con plans! I have actually seen several people post this and I can't tell if they're serious or if it's a manipulative ploy for a top-tier room offer. For god's sake, you have a badge to San Diego Comic-Con. Everyone wants to be in your shoes. So you're at Humphrey's Half-Moon Inn - you'll ride the shuttle, so what? You'll barely be at the hotel and you'll still experience all the magic and splendor of Comic-Con.

• As always, I urge you to consider splitting up your nights. This probably depends on how elaborate your hotel nerd campsite is. But if you travel light, don't be afraid to grab 2 nights at your dream hotel and spend the other 2 or 3 at the undreamy hotel you have currently. I don't mind changing horses mid-stream but I know this is not for everyone. Still, consider it if you really dislike your hotel. You may not be able to grab all 4-5 nights at a great hotel, but you might find one opening up for Weds-Friday or Saturday-Monday.

I still have friends looking to upgrade/get rooms so I will be in the mix on May 2. If you are currently undomiciled, keep the flame of hope alive in your little nerd heart and network. That's really the best way to find rooms at the end of the day. And if you don't have an SDCC network? Now is the time to join a community or several and make some friends. It really does make all the difference not only at Comic-Con, but throughout the year when you now have people to talk to and keep that community spirit alive.

It's Hotel Day! Are you ready for the best hotel room ever?

 17 APRIL 2024

2:39 pm

Overall, entry times and experiences seem to align with last year. So - adjust your expectations accordingly.

CCI has this helpful nugget on their site: "We urge everyone who still needs a hotel reservation to check this page on May 2, 2024. All rooms will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at that time."

Interestingly, you can get a refund of your two-night deposit up until the last minute of May 8, 2024. So feel free to lock down whatever room you got and still try to trade up at the "general sale." You'll only lose the service fee.

9:17 am

Well, that was pretty smooth on my end. How did you do? 

I think the most nerve wracking part for me is selecting the actual hotels. I always have my list organized but in the heat of the moment, I always feel this tremendous pressure to just start picking any downtown hotel that looks good. The "You have less than 10 minutes" message didn't help in that regard.

8:39 am

Now would be a great time to freshen your caffeine, barricade your pets from your devices, and hit the bathroom. 

8:03 am PST

Oh look, there's a wait to get into the waiting room! People are very eager to conquer today, throttling systems and deploying all their IT tricks. I even had to complete a captcha.

Will today go smoothly or be a disaster? I ran into several kinds of trouble during Open Registration, which left a lingering SDCC-sale-PTSD so I'm a little nervous about today. But all in all, hotel lotteries have been smoother (not flawless) these last few years compared to yesteryear. (If you know, you know.)

Good luck today!

7:10 am PST

The second-most panicky day of your San Diego Comic-Con existence is here: the hotel lottery. I'll start with a positive: while today feels like your only shot at the downtown room of your dreams, there are options. Eventually you'll be able to go in and look for rooms when that portion goes live, and then you'll begin the long weeks of constantly checking, feeling hopeless, blaming yourself for not checking more, wondering if you should just take that room on Hotel Circle, then getting inspired by a post from someone who nabbed the Hilton Gaslamp in late May, and so it goes.

The point is: other rooms will open up. People will need roommates. You will find somewhere to call your own and while it may not be your dream, you really won't spend that much time there. A shuttle ride is just another way to give your aching feet a break.

Also on the downtown front - if you're watching your budget carefully, check parking costs at your dream hotel. I've heard people complain bitterly that they had no idea how much daily parking can be at downtown hotels - some thought it was built into the room cost. It isn't always. A non-downtown room can put more $$$ back in your pocket to spend in the Exhibit Hall or on your nightlife, so that's another plus if you land somewhere... distant.

 

Hotel Day is Wednesday, April 17

 15 APRIL 2024

CCI dropped the expected bomb today: our hotel fate will be decided this Wednesday morning. It sounds like it will be much like last year, so to roughly recap:

• You'll click their link between 8 am - 9 am PST...
• ... And go into a waiting room.
• Where you'll be randomly ordered for session selection in a way that has nothing to do with what time you entered the waiting room. 
• Once in, you can pick 12 hotels. Do not rush; you are not assigned by the time you submit your form, only by the time you gained access to it.
• Or you'll deviate from the norm and call the telephone number provided! Some people think this gives them an edge; trusting my hotel submission to the competence of a stranger gives me high anxiety, but maybe it works for you.
• You'll be notified Monday of your hotel room - if you got one. If you didn't, you'll know by Tuesday at the latest.
• You have 3 days to make your deposit.

It's all pretty simple, if excruciatingly hard on our nerves. Where it gets complicated: when people start trying to trade rooms. I'll go over that when the time comes.

For now, review the sample form and list of hotels and try not to stress! If you don't get lucky, you'll find something eventually - and all that really matters is that you have a clean place to sleep, shower, and store your stuff. Most of your time will be at the convention center.

Hotel Day is nigh - probably

 14 APRIL 2024

As the world trembles on the brink of war, some of us are thinking of, well, San Diego Comic-Con. Or more precisely, where we'll set up a temporary nerd lair this July. Last year, the hotel lottery was announced on April 10 and took place on April 12. In 2022, the sale was on April 28 and was also announced with less than 48 hours notice - so no, we didn't get that much notice and we probably won't this time either. 

Last night I dreamt I got the Hyatt. Will the sale be announced this week? Or next? Maybe. We know it's soon because CCI says Early Bird ends in April - and the hotel list is live on their site. As always, you should check that out. Especially if you tend to get nervous or freeze up during the sale.

So what will the 2024 hotel sale be like?

I don't know but last year we had....

• A fun date mismatch that eventually got adjusted
• Just one round of room assignments - mostly downtown
• A brisk sale pace

Initially, people did that assignment math they do every year to prove some kind of injustice - but ultimately, the pickings were decent when open reservations opened up. 

If you're a CCI veteran, you know there is a twist or surprise almost every badge or hotel sale. There will be a snafu, a glitch, a change in rules, and an army of attendees desperately screenshotting errors in hopes of CCI making it right.  And it never gets easier to be on the receiving end of that kind of unfairness.

So hope for the best and keep your eyes peeled for the official CCI announcement. Study the list of hotels. Talk to potential roommates and make sure everyone is aligned on budget and who's staying with who. If you want an Early Bird room, book it immediately. The hotel lottery could be this week, it could be in May, but it's best to prepare now.

Hotel assignments + my theory

 17 APRIL 2023

So the final day of reckoning for San Diego Comic-Con 2023 has come and gone. You either got a room assignment email or a "Due to high demand and your placement in the queue...." rejection.

Here's what I think most of us expected. We knew this was the only round and so we expected all assignments to go out. And we're told they did. 

But - were all hotels assigned? Today started out with the big downtown catches - Marriott Marquis (yours truly), Hilton Bayfront, Hard Rock, Hyatt, Hilton Gaslamp, Omni, etc. Then it spread out toward Residence Inn and Westin and Embassy Suites and Sheraton.

But what we didn't see much of were Town and Country, Humphrey's Half Moon Inn, La Quinta, etc. There were a few.  I'm wondering if CCI eliminated the second round since traditionally, many of those assignments went out to people who didn't want the distant room they got and canceled it, finding a roommate elsewhere or something on the waitlist. Maybe CCI figured it wasn't worth it and everyone can just scramble for themselves when reservations open back up. Just a theory. 

Lots of bitter attendees think the date mess is to blame. Depending on how their team applied a fix, that could have shrunk down the number of assignments they could send out. 

At any rate - today was pretty rough. I spoke to people from 4 groups and all of them got only 1 hotel room or none at all. (These are groups of 9 to roughly 20 people.) My group got 3 rooms and only 1 (mine) was a first choice.

But this isn't anything new. I've been shut out completely before, lots of us have. And we're never going to get the behind the scenes details.

So! OnPeak will open reservations back up on Tuesday morning, April 25. I predict it will crash at first as everyone rushes in. But - I would try to get in right away. It's true that rooms will keep appearing and you will find options of varying attractiveness as time goes on. But with such a competitive playing field, I'd try to lock something down now. 

Ready to win the hotel room of your dreams?

 12 APRIL 2023

9:40 am

So it looks like there was a mismatch between days/dates. If yours look wrong, CCI has assured us that we will all get the correct days. 

I knew this went too smoothly. There had to be a snafu somewhere in the mix, but it seems to be a minor one as things go.

9:22

My god that went fast. Did you think so? This wasn't one of those agonizing, watch your little man move forward at turtle pace, sales. However, the fact that many of us got in immediately and plenty more got in quickly, doesn't bode well. We shouldn't get a false sense of confidence.

Speed seems to be the hotel theme this year - it's announced with barely any notice, it's over with quickly, and we'll find out at once on Monday. I like it - and I'm pleased that CCI has been able to accelerate the process.

Hope you did well! I'll be back on Monday to talk about room transfers.

8:52 am

Take that bathroom break now or forever hold your peace.

8:31 am

In case you didn't notice - you can request 12 downtown hotels. However, if you're late getting into the form and you're pretty sure the Hilton Bayfront and its ilk are gone, definitely pick some non-downtown hotels just to up your chances and have a little more control in the process.

7:37 am

Today is arguably the 2nd most stressful day of the Comic-Con year - but with more wiggle room than a badge sale. If you're nervous (with good cause) about today, remember that many options will float your way even if today is a disaster. There's the wait list, there are people who need roommates, there are transfers, there are people letting go of other hotel rooms. You WILL find a room to call your own. Eventually.

But let's think positive for now! Make all the right moves today - don't copy someone else's link, don't give up when your little man looks slow, and calm your shaking hands once you get into the submission form. Don't rush. It's the time you enter the form that matters, and then you have 15 minutes to fill it out. Slow down, pick the correct hotels, and make sure you enter your Member ID and your Member "class" - attendee, volunteer, etc. Those boxes are on there for a reason.

Also - the Solamar Hotel is now called Margaritaville, if you're wondering why you can't find it. I think Solamar is more elegant but I would stay at a hotel called Landfill if it was right next to the convention center.

And also remember, you don't need your credit card today - paying your deposit comes later. Just focus on filling out your form correctly.

Finally, hopefully everyone learned from the badge sale what happens when someone uses the link of someone else's waiting room: Detective CCI will bust you. So don't do that, because it's not worth risking having your room assignment cancelled.

Hotel Day is less than 48 hours away

 10 APRIL 2023

We knew the hotel lottery was lurking in our new future - but did anyone have Wednesday the 12th as the most likely date? Today news of the impending sale, announced with less than 48 hours to go, spread over the Internet like wildfire. And predictably, people began to freak out.

As you probably know, there have been a few changes over the last few years - and the same is true this year. If you haven't been around lately, here's the deal.

• You can request 12 hotels from anywhere - not just 6, and not just 6 downtown and 6 elsewhere.

• We will find out our room assignments - or lack thereof - all at once on the 17th. You won't have to prolong the agony by waiting for a 2nd batch of emails a week later.

• The form now asks for your Member ID "class." Volunteer, press, pro, etc.

• There are a bunch of fees listed that you may want to check. I honestly can't remember if these were there before but some looked new. 

• I didn't see any mention of logging into our Member ID accounts to access the sale - just a link. But I assume we will again have the little walking dude who tells us our ETA for getting picked.

• I've heard a lot of talk about whether the links are unique and can we share them. Most think they aren't. I haven't checked mine for a unique hash. 

ALSO - remember the people who had their badges cancelled because they copied another person's waiting room session URL. Essentially, people who had only a few minutes to go shared those waiting room URLs (not the original link) and people successfully got in and bought a badge, only to have that badge revoked. I don't know if that would apply to this hotel sale but I wouldn't risk it.

My advice remains the same as always: study the form, note where your favorite hotels are on the list, and try not to lose your mind. Even if you don't get the email of your dreams next week, there is still the wait list. And lots of us have safety rooms reserved, which we'll release if/when we get a room in the lottery. The hotel room swirl is always a stressful few weeks but most people do eventually claim a room they're satisfied to call their own.

Good luck. I will live blog Wednesday morning.

So the 2022 SDCC hotel lottery wasn't easier after all

 3 MAY 2022

Just in case we were worried the pandemic changed San Diego Comic-Con forever, the hotel lottery showed us it didn't. Like every other year, today's results brought disappointment and frustration - with a high number of attendees receiving nothing.

I was shocked to get my first choice - Marriott Marquis. In a horrific twist of fate, I was booked to speak at an online conference at the exact moment the hotel sale went live and while I was lucky enough for my session to get picked immediately, I was unable to jump in until about 30 seconds had passed. So I've been kicking myself for the last week, assuming I flubbed it beyond repair. Happy surprise: I didn't.

The rest of my group was not as lucky. They got nothing (so, like everyone else, I am on the hunt for rooms, HINT, HINT) and that seemed to be the story for many people. This despite so much hopeful opining that perhaps the sale would be easier this year, given the decent number of people relinquishing their badges.

Enough complaining. Here's where we are.

If you didn't get an email

Don't give up hope. There's next week's batch of emails still coming. Some (a minority) will have downtown hotels. There's also the waitlist, which can offer surprisingly top-tier hotels. I have gotten Hilton Gaslamp and the Hyatt from the waitlist in previous years.

You'll also occasionally hear about someone who somehow has a room available at the Omni or something as late as June or early July. At least I hear every year about these people who produce a spare room long after everyone else has settled their arrangements.

What matters here is not being picky. I know that's easy for me to say. But there have been years I was a hotel room beggar and I accepted what downtown pickings I could get. You might not get Hard Rock or Hilton Bayfront or whatever your #1 is, but if you manage to scrounge up some kind of downtown room - just take it and don't look back. You're still at Comic-Con. You're still downtown. 

And if you're not downtown, that's not the end of the world either. You might have to adjust your comings and goings, but you're still going to SDCC and you'll still have an awesome time. And if you find you're too tired come evening to catch the shuttle downtown and party all night - well, you'll be that much more energetic the next day. 

If you did get an email

Ignore the mistake about putting down your deposit by May 13 - it's May 6. You knew it wouldn't be a complete SDCC hotel sale without some kind of confusing weirdness and this is it. May 6. That's your deadline. Confirm your room now.

Good luck, everyone. Remember, this is just round one. More opportunities will present themselves - and all that really matters is you walking into the convention center to revel in San Diego Comic-Con splendor. You'll get some kind of room no matter what and it's just a place to crash and shower. So keep your eyes on the prize and don't let this ruin your anticipation.

Wake up, SDCC sleepers! It's time to book a hotel, request a refund, and more

 26 APRIL 2022

Today, with less than 48 hours notice, CCI jarringly sent out an email about the SDCC hotel sale. It wasn't totally a surprise, if you know they usually hold the hotel lottery about 3-4 weeks after Early Bird goes live - but still. It was a bit of a (welcome) slap in the face after our long sleepy SDCC inertia.

They also announced a few other deadlines. Here's what you need to know and do.

• April 28: the hotel sale goes live. Not a lot different this year - you log into the waiting room between 8-9 am and then at 9, you wait to get picked. One thing that's different: you can sign up for 12 downtown hotels. 

• May 1: Request a refund or forever hold your peace. I know a lot of people have forgotten they even have a 2022 badge, and others might have been waiting to see what their financial situation was. So many attendees have new jobs with iffy amounts of PTO; others have moved away from the West Coast. There's just been a lot of change in general since the last badge sales in autumn 2019. So if you decided not to go - put some $$$$ back in your pocket.

• May 13: Last day to update your shipping address. Yes, unlike with Special Edition, CCI has returned to mailing our badges to us. My Member ID account went through some malfeasance during their system change and I had to reset my password - so if you haven't gone into yours and investigated, you really should. Make sure all the right information is there so you can get your badge.

I know it's been kind of weird, this SDCC sleepwalk we've been doing. We're less than 3 months from Preview Night and yet there have been few announcements and little pre-Con buzz. Will that pick up in May? I'm sure it will. I know there's some cynicism about the caliber of SDCC 2022 but let's think positive and wait to see the exclusives, events, and programming coming our way.  I'm sure we'll all find something magnificent to anticipate at Comic-Con.

Should SDCC 2020 still happen?

2 APRIL 2020

Today the San Diego Convention Center transformed into a homeless shelter. The Exhibit Hall, which we associate with exclusives, crowds and Funko Pops, is lined up with green cots for 1500 of San Diego's most desperate residents. It's a measure of how dire the COVID-19 pandemic has become and how far city leaders are willing to go to stanch contagion; trying to put a positive spin on it, Mayor Kevin Faulconer said "If we can't fill the convention center with tourists, we'll fill it with hope."

But the mayor isn't the only one with hope. CCI tweeted yesterday, "No one is as hopeful as we are that we will be able to celebrate #SDCC2020 together come July."

That's a lot of hope. Is it reasonable? Not in my opinion, but the Yes/No question of will the show go on isn't simple. The Unites States is in a state of suspension. You can see the diversity of opinions - we need to soldier through and save the economy vs. we need to hunker down and save humanity - just by listening to different governors.

As SDCC attendees, we're intensely practical; we understand all the angles of a successful Comic-Con. Like the hotel sale looming ahead of us: How many people have the money to slap down $600 on a deposit right now? Then there are the studios and vendors and guests that bring the magic to SDCC. How many of them will come? With so many releases delayed and so much production on hold, what would they show us in Hall H? And then there are the many events and activities surrounding the Con that takes months of orchestration. Will those organizers get a solid green light in time to make arrangements?

Our pandemic rollercoaster is still inching up the highest slope - we have yet to fly down screaming into the phase where potentially hundred of thousands of people (or more) die a horrible death. We haven't yet watched NYC levels replicate in multiple cities and then roll out to rural areas where many Americans live hours from the nearest hospital. And even if COVID-19 magically shut off on 15 May, the wreckage would still take months to clean up: credit card debt, unemployment, PTSD, bereavement. Life changes that have been put off for months like family visits, elective surgeries, divorces or moving will demand attention over the summer.

I know this is ugly to read. But it will be reality for many of us. That said - it won't be reality for all of us. So is it possible that SDCC could go on? I think we're looking at 4 possibilities.

SDCC happens, but as a smaller, more local and more comics-based Con.
No doubt by late July there will be plenty of people who still want to go and feel secure in doing so - either because they've already had COVID-19 or because it's controlled. And even if studios pull out, we'll probably have many vendors eager to sell their stuff. Personally, I'd have no problem amputating the glitz and Hollywood from SDCC so this would be fine with me - but I know many of you would miss your photo ops and Hall H panels.

SDCC happens and it's business as usual.
Demand is high enough that even attendees and vendors who drop out might easily be replaced; and after being cooped up all spring, people are going to be ready to mingle. The need to eat, drink and make merry could burst into an amazingly fun Con, with people making an extra effort to befriend each other, get their nerd flirt on, and create a very social and hedonistic Con. Limited attendee finances might mean a less profitable Con for vendors, though; and god help us if COVID-19 invisibly floats down the Hall H line like an angel of death.

SDCC is cancelled.
This will be emotionally devastating for many attendees and financially destructive for San Diego and vendors. But it could also be the most cautious choice - and we will have future Cons in other summers. Well, that's assuming they let us transfer our badges to 2021. Regardless, SDCC itself will come roaring back to life unless the whole planet gets nuked by a space dragon. This pandemic isn't going to derail us permanently.

SDCC is postponed.
ECCC is doing it and so are other Cons; but SDCC is a juggernaut of an event with less agility. So I'm dubious if this would work or not. But if they were able to scoot it down the calendar a bit, that might make everyone feel safer and might coax more guests and studios to show. I would definitely give up NYCC to go to an autumn SDCC. 


I don't know CCI's inner workings, but I hope they've created a back-up plan that suspends the deadline for badge refunds and possibly holds a badge resale (remember those?) to compensate. And I hope they don't schedule the hotel sale until late April at the earliest when pandemic specialists can make a more accurate forecast. But CCI and I think very differently so they're probably planning something else.

I hope you're all staying safe, fed, healthy and entertained. Times are tough for all of us and soon to get much tougher for some. We don't know where we're headed over the coming months. But another Comic-Con is in our future - that much we know for sure.

4 Hotel Day reminders

23 FEBRUARY 2020

Just a quick warning: Hotel Day hasn't been announced yet, but we can almost certainly expect it in March or April - and if you haven't yet, you should get ready. That means:

1.  Make sure you have enough room on your (or someone's) credit card for a 2-night deposit. This isn't something you can put off; when you lock down your room, that deposit is required. 
2. Get clear with prospective roommates on who's bunking with who, how much you're all willing to pay and who's willing to sleep on an air mattress, sofa, etc.
3. Decide which downtown and non-downtown hotels you prefer and which ones you can accept. If you're new to CCI's hotel sale, you'll get to select your top 6 downtown and non-downtown hotels - but you can easily wind up assigned a hotel you didn't pick.
4. If you're willing to take an Early Bird room, grab it now. That option goes away before the hotel lottery goes live and the good rooms disappear before that - so don't wait any longer and commit.

I'll post more details on successfully navigating the sale as we get closer. Those of you who are joining me at Emerald City, you're probably hoping the hotel lottery doesn't happen until we get back. Hotel Day 2019 didn't happen until April so we might get our wish - but play it safe anyhow.

Let's talk about SDCC hotels

12 JANUARY 2020

Happy New Year. It's kind of a weird time for an SDCC nerd, isn't it? We're past the badge sales - and have started making alternate plans in some cases - and we're still months out (probably) from the hotel lottery and other sales. It feels like winter is the season to sit back, settle in with Star Trek: Picard and catch up on any comics we've missed.

But it isn't! Not completely, at least. See, this is also the season to think ahead to your Comic-Con lodgings. Nerds in the know are already booking back-up hotel rooms in anticipation of the annual bloodbath known as Hotel Day, Hotelpocalypse and the San Diego Comic-Con hotel sale.

How You Can Book a Hotel Room

I know there are lots of first-timers swimming through our virtual aquarium this year, so I'm going to review the hotel reservation process for those of you looking forward to your inaugural SDCC. Warning: it's grim.

1. You can book your own hotel room whenever you please. However, because of the vast number of people pouring into the area during SDCC - not just attendees but vendors, creators, studios, staff and guests - the prices are sky-high on the regular market. There are hostels available but the reports coming out of these are pretty dismal. Airbnb and the like are an option, but of course the demand for these is also competitive.

2. You can wait and book your room through CCI for a more reasonable price. They offer two options:

• You can book a room through the Early Bird sale. I recommend this because you can choose your hotel and the prices are good and it's completely stress-free. However, you must pay up front, it's non-refundable and the hotels are not downtown.
• You can participate in the hotel lottery. This is far worse than the badge sale. You can request your top picks but there's no guarantee you'll get one - or get a room at all. Only a tiny number of people actually get a downtown room in walking distance of the Con. Most of us wind up assigned to a motel out in the hinterlands or we get that tragic email informing us we didn't get a hotel at all. At that point, some people start trading rooms and offering to room with or take in strangers. Then people wait for the waitlist to open, at which point they scramble for the scraps that are left.

It's not for the faint of heart. I have played every role possible in the SDCC hotel mayhem. I've gotten the dreaded "no hotel room for you" email. I've wound up assigned at Town and Country. Last year I got the Marriott Marquise in some kind of incredible lucky strike fever dream. I've traded rooms away and received them from benevolent strangers.

But one thing I always do, because I am an intensely practical sort, is to book a safety room whenever possible.

Booking a fallback room used to be a lot easier. There were years when friends would sigh because they "only" had a fully refundable backup room booked at the Horton - you know, right next to the Con. Now most of us would sell a kidney to be guaranteed a room that close. It's tough out there and while some new hotels will spring up and offer a crazy good rate one year, they're wise to us and raising their rates the next.

Booking Your Backup Room


Here's what I would advise. Yes, look around now (if you haven't already) and see what you can grab. Obviously your ideal backup requires no deposit and/or is fully cancellable and refundable. I booked such a room - not at my dream lodgings but the hotel is in walking distance and I can jettison it if I do well in the hotel sale. I also saw a different downtown room about half a mile from the Con for 279/night or so - nonrefundable and not luxurious by any means, but that's still a good deal to lock down IMO.

First-timers, in your anticipatory flush of joy, you may think any room is good - but you'll still benefit from taking the reins in your hands. Think now about:

• What $$$ are you willing to spend on your hotel room?
• How close do you want to be to the Con? Do you want to party all night in the Gaslamp? Get away from the noise and crowds? 
• How much stuff might you buy and take back to your room?
• Will you be cosplaying and want a room nearby for repairs and changes?
• Who are you rooming with? What's their budget?

Maybe the Early Bird shuttle life is fine with you. If so, do it and don't look back when it goes live. But if you are one of those downtown-or-die people (I am) then start hunting around online. And be flexible. Maybe you and a larger group of friends agree to go in on a more expensive but refundable room just in case, and then you're able to find something better in the hotel lottery and can cancel it. Maybe you book a backup that's not great, but you're able to grab 2 nights at a much better hotel off the waitlist. Be creative and develop tiers of options so no matter how well or how badly the lottery goes for you, you have a room you can live with.

And don't fall into despair the first time you start looking for a room. This is an ongoing process that can take months. You will find something. Starting early, being strategic and patient, and working with others is the key. Good luck.

SDCC's 2nd wave of rooms and the waitlist

23 APRIL 2019

We knew today was coming but we didn't know what it would hold. On the whole, it was dismal news; a very few people got great downtown rooms but mostly people were winding up in Mission Valley or Coronado Island or the moon.

And a lot of other people got emails notifying them of the waitlist rooms going live on 29 April; and still other people got nothing at all.

Let's break it down.

Room Assignments

Assuming people were correct about their timestamps, there was some mad trickery - or just incompetence? - going on today. "I got in at 9:00:33 and I got placed at Howard Johnson's" and other such refrains echoed around the Internet. Other people said they got in fairly late and found emails promising them the Hyatt or Omni. There's been a lot of speculation on why and how rooms are assigned. I don't have a good answer for you.

But some people were truly overly optimistic. I saw people crying that they'd gotten in at 9:06 and they were shocked, shocked, that they didn't get a room. Were they first-timers? 9:06 has not been a good time since ever. It seems like most downtown rooms go to those in within the first minute - and even then some are left out. And yes, there's a fair amount of unfairness and inexplicability. It's onPeak. It's Comic-Con.

Alternate Methods

I've had so many earnest conversations and emails that run along the lines of, "Why don't they just let us pick our hotels when we get our badges? Then they can pass out what's left over." That is indeed how some other Cons do it, but San Diego is hamstrung by their lack of downtown hotels. There aren't enough downtown rooms - that's it, that's the math. And the studios, stars, pros and VIPs get first pick.

I agree the current process is needlessly inefficient, and I think a straight up lottery would be fairest. Buy your badge, submit request for a hotel room, and then post-sale we find out what we randomly got. 2 people suggested they just open up the rooms and everyone can go in and pick - but we already had that system years ago and it was an inferno-level disaster. The site would crash, one year most of the downtown hotels were already booked on Friday night, room availability would vanish right as you were about to click.

I don't know why people are so convinced that we'd all get downtown rooms if CCI was just more efficient about it. Yes, onPeak is beyond messy, but there's never going to be an alternate San Diego where 15 more Hiltons spring up along the waterfront.

The Waitlist and Room Deposits

Some people got emails announcing the waitlist on the 29th. Others didn't. However, the emails didn't mention specific waves for the waitlist, which we had once. So it's hard to say how plentiful the pickings will be. Keep your hopes up but don't expect to start choosing between the Hard Rock and MMM. That said, if you have the fortitude for it, you can keep upgrading over the coming weeks if you can find someone to take your old room off your hands, after deposits go nonrefundable.

Speaking of deposits. Let's say you settled for Renaissance Inn today but are hoping to do better next week. You can go in and book a room on the waitlist - but you'll need to pay another deposit for that room, then go back and cancel the other room and wait your deposit to be refunded. You can't just slide the deposit you already paid over to the new room.

And I do think a lot of people are staking their hopes on the waitlist. I know people with rooms to give away right now - Wyndham Bayside and Hotel Republic, 1.9 miles and 1.2 miles from the convention center. But even desperate attendees are hesitating to take them, since they feel confident they'll score next week. Maybe some of them are correct - but not all of them.

Tomorrow is 12 weeks to San Diego Comic-Con. If you're reading this, you're probably not in the anticipatory mood you hoped to be. Try to focus on the good things to come and remember that rooms will keep opening up as we approach the Con. All that really matters is you'll have a roof over your head.

Analyzing the first wave of SDCC hotel rooms

16 APRIL 2019

Just last week this time, we were finding out about the San Diego Comic-Con hotel lottery; now the first crop of hotel assignments are already out. Hotel season has moved fast for some of us - but will be achingly slow for many others.

Hotels

I had a busy day and couldn't conduct any kind of scientific survey - but my text messages, emails and perusals of Twitter indicated that a small group of downtown hotels dominated the day. The big cats were heavily featured (Marriott Marquis, Hilton Bayfront, Manchester Grand Hyatt, Omni, Hard Rock) as well as Embassy Suites, Hilton Gaslamp, the Sofia, Solamar, Residence Inn Gaslamp and Marriott Gaslamp. Obviously other hotels were assigned, but those seemed to be the most common. The Moxy, the Pendry, the Horton and other downtown hotels were mentioned barely or not at all.

Does that mean more downtown hotels will be assigned next Tuesday? Yes, definitely - we just don't know how many.

Assignment Criteria

To me, it seems that this mostly followed the path we were told: time of entry to the form. Yes, there are exceptions. There are also plenty of exaggerated or mistaken stories online about someone's friend who got in at 9:07 and got the Hilton Bayfront while they got nothing with a timestamp of 9:01. I'd take these reports with a grain of salt. Glitches and mistakes occur, onPeak is hardly flawless, but attendees also get... emotional about these things. At any case, getting out the pitchforks and torches for onPeak doesn't do anything.

And to be fair, neither does a phone call or email sometimes. It's already happening: the "onPeak told me it was all random / just single rooms this week / based on submission time" tales. Maybe customer service people are saying crazy stuff (it's happened to me) and maybe there was a miscommunication and maybe an office sadist is deliberately messing with attendees - but does it matter? You get what you get and there isn't going to be a do-over.

I know a few people who got in as fast as me and didn't get an email. I got my #1 choice.  This situation has been reversed in other years. I know you're curious about the algorithm but I'm not sure there's an answer here that will make anyone feel comforted.

Also, please don't clutch your choices too tightly. People were still agonizing this morning over whether they should have picked Hilton Gaslamp over Hilton Bayfront. If you checked the option for any downtown hotel, you're good. Don't beat yourself up for not doing things differently.



Moving Forward

• If you got a hotel today, you need to pay your deposit by Friday. I paid mine immediately and I recommend you do the same just in case there's any kind of trouble. 

• If you got a hotel and are feeling meh about it - go ahead and try to swap if you must, but do it now. Otherwise lock it down. It's a downtown hotel. Be grateful. You have until May to get your deposit back so you can still keep looking. It's always surprising (but also amusing) how many people are unenthusiastic about a hotel others would kill for, like the Hyatt or the Omni. We all want what we want - and my first choice, the Marriott (for proximity and other reasons) is someone else's 5th choice - they want the Hard Rock (for the celebrities and action) where I couldn't stand staying there.

• If you got a one-king single room and have more than 2 people, find out about sleeper sofas and rollaway beds. The hotel can probably accommodate you. Yes, you'll barely have room to walk around but so what.

• If someone has graciously offered you a room, make it as easy as possible for them to do so, wrap up business promptly, and safeguard any information shared. 

• If you do take someone else's room, you may still get an assignment next week. That's happened to me the last 2 years - got nothing in Wave 1, someone gave me a Hyatt room, then Wave 2 brought me another room. I can't say for sure that will happen this year, though.

• If you got nothing and are feeling bleak about next week, just wait and see. More and more people will release rooms they don't need. The waitlist will have good rooms. That said, it doesn't hurt to ask around now for roommates and trades.

Next Tuesday will bring the next wave of revelations. Try not to despair. Be practical and work your network and see what turns up. I know we all like definite answers but you'll just have to ride this out. Stay proactive and positive and you'll probably get a room you can live with.

I still remember the moment several years ago when I was sitting in my Sheraton room at ECCC and read the email that said I didn't get a hotel for San Diego Comic-Con. At all. I felt the same numb disbelief then that I felt today when I read my onPeak email and saw I got the Marriott Marquis. Comic-Con is truly a surreal experience.

The SDCC hotel sale is here

11 APRIL 2019

 

8:22 p.m.

Overall, today's lottery mostly went smoothly. The most frequent complaint I've heard has been of the Captchas that rose up, often shortly before 9 a.m., forcing people to scramble to complete them before the sale went live. Was that a deliberate measure to reduce the number of attendees with multiple browser fires going?

It's worth noting - sorry - that too good a sale can be bad news collectively. As reports trickled in over the day and evening, more than half of people I've heard from said they got in very quickly, even immediately. Which means that getting in fast doesn't mean a great hotel when a colossal number of people were right there with you.

My advice is to disregard the whole SDCC calculus of exact entry times x number of rooms x dates requested. I know there are many furious comparisons going on right now as everyone looks for some type of solid results forecast. But you're trying to capture clouds. Try to focus on the Con itself, not where you'll be staying, until the emails go out. Remember, you may not hear for weeks. There's no point in driving yourself crazy.


9:29 a.m.

Today has really been a mixed bag. One friend completely missed the sale due to traffic; another enlisted his mother for help and she only picked one hotel on the form. But there's also been good news; two people who swore they weren't going back to Comic-Con changed their minds and are looking forward to it. Funny how much your perspective changes between Sunday night of the Con and the following spring.

I haven't heard about any form hijinx yet; did anyone have trouble?


9:12 a.m.

So how did you do? I got in super fast, but I know from past experience that isn't always a guarantee of anything. 2 other friends got in also very quickly, though all of us had the green man and didn't go straight to the form as people have in the past.



8:39 a.m.

By now I'm guessing almost everyone has logged in. Friends are having a few minor crises - a dead laptop, a boyfriend who doesn't understand why the forms can't have the same address. Typical stuff.

Hopefully today goes smoothly.... no one getting bounced out and no zombie forms resurrecting themselves for random attendees.

Hopefully.


8:12 a.m.

In less than an hour, your Comic-Con hotel fate will be decided - mostly. The hotel sale goes live at 9 a.m. PST and only those of us who get picked in a nanosecond will score a downtown room. Almost everyone else will get a non-downtown room or nothing at all. The waitlist and the kindness of nerd strangers will alleviate some of that misery - but today, right now, we're all looking for extremely fast admission to the hotel form.

I know you're nervous - my stomach is in knots. Remember that it's all about the time you enter the form and not how long it takes to complete it. Try to stay calm and make sure you pick the right hotels and enter the correct information.

Good luck. I'll post what I know.

Hotel sale tips

10 APRIL 2019

So we're less than a day out from tomorrow's hotel room lottery. By now most of you know exactly what to expect and do - but here are a few tips anyway.


Don't try to use the link multiple times on the same browser. I know there are questions about how penetrating onPeak is about analyzing IP addresses. We don't know.

Avoid "duplicate" submissions. Remember that onPeak's idea of a duplicate may be different from yours. I know married couples and a mother/daughter team who are going to be careful about using different names and addresses.

Be realistic about your choices. I honestly don't think it matters much what hotels you pick if you're trying to stay downtown - unless you're in the .001% that gets in immediately. Otherwise you just get put at the closest downtown hotel if you're lucky or get moved to the hinterlands. That said, realize that the Marriott and Hilton Bayfront and Hard Rock are already rife with VIPs, remember that hardly any (or zero) attendees seemed to get the Pendry last year, and that really any downtown hotel is a get. If you're not getting in quickly, don't bother wasting your picks on the top hotels.

If you're thinking of arriving late or leaving early, don't worry about that now. Just pick the full dates and pay your deposit, then make a decision in the coming weeks. You can trim a night off here or there as long as you're still staying for those 2 nights.

If you're staying with a bunch of people in 1 room, be aware that many people wound up with a single room last year after requesting a quad. So don't just assume your team is done as soon as 1 person gets in. Play it through and make all of your submissions. You may wind up needing 2 rooms.

Check the prices. They have risen a bit this year; overall, rates are considerably higher than they were in, say, 2012.  Make sure all of your roommates have agreed to the cost, because I've seen people lose it over being asked to pay an extra $15 a day.

Be accommodating when it comes to room exchanges. Yes, this is for after we get our results, but I know a lot of people are already cautiously greasing the skids.  I've already had the annual rite of People I Barely Know calling dibs on any "extra rooms" I get. No, I'll be giving those rooms, if they existed and they won't, to actual friends. Again - be realistic about the number of people that want to make an exchange. If someone is gracious enough to offer, make it easy for them in any way you can. That includes handling whatever phone calls/emails you can, being available for updates, responding immediately to questions and paying what's needed.

Good luck and try not to stress. If you have a badge, you're going to San Diego Comic-Con and that's all that matters.

Don't panic, but the SDCC hotel sale is only 40+ hours away

9 APRIL 2019

How fun! Today, after months of CCI ghosting us, they dropped a last-minute Hotel Day announcement less than 48 hours in advance. Yes, you will enter the Comic-Con hotel room fighting arena this Thursday, 11 April, at 9 am PST - and too bad if you're already otherwise obligated.

Which most people I know are; my phone has been on fire for the last three hours with friends bemoaning MRIs, work schedules, pediatrician appointments, micromanaging bosses, air travel that can't be changed. As someone who was supposed to fly to New Orleans this Thursday before my trip got cancelled, I'm still shivering from my brush with Comic-Con homelessness. This just isn't enough notice.

I'm convinced there's some backstory about the move to Thursday and the sudden announcement, but we'll never know if and what it is. All we know is that we're about to be thrown in the most brutal sale of San Diego Comic-Con - so let's get down to it.

How It Works
Same as before. If you don't have a "before," you'll click the link in your email after 8 a.m. PST, enter a waiting room, and then move into the sale proper. Yes, it's a lot like the badge sale. Some people will get in right away, others won't get in till later. Here's what you need to know:

• Rooms are assigned based on the time you enter the form, not when you complete it - so don't rush. Stay calm (relatively speaking) and enter your information correctly.
• Even if you get in late, you should still complete and enter your form. You want to be eligible for the waitlist.
• People have allegedly had their submissions deleted as duplicates because of identical last names and addresses - so use alternate information if you have to. You can change the name and other reservation information later. 
• Practice your submission on the sample form. It's not a complex process but you'll feel more confident - again, relatively speaking.

Notifications, Payments and Confirmations
The actual sale isn't the worst part. It's the waiting for weeks after. Here's how it will go:

• The first batch of notifications - the best hotels - will go out Tuesday, 16 April. You have until end of Friday, 19 April to pay a two night deposit.
• The next batch will go out Tuesday, 23 April. You'll have until end of Friday, 26 April, to pay your deposit.
• If you didn't get a room, you'll find out Monday, 29 April. Officially, that is. Obviously the emptiness of your inbox will say it long before then.
  
• The waitlist will presumably open up sometime after that, but they don't say when.

I haven't much practical advice to give - it's a game of chance and one that isn't in our favor. Here's what you can do now:

• Make sure your credit cards have room for the deposit.
• Talk to your roommates about the hotels you're targeting and who's covering for who.
• Be pragmatic about what hotels you're going to get. First-timers - you may feel blessed by the Geek Gods because you scored a badge, but the hotel sale is a whole new level of challenge. It really is tough.
• Make up a plausible excuse to miss work. Don't do the stomach flu. Say a roof rat died in your attic near an air vent and you're waiting for an exterminator, or a rock cracked your windshield and you're waiting for Safelight. It's easier to do the sale from home than your phone or a work computer, trust me.

I'll live blog the sale, but it should be over with quickly. Good luck. I'm as nervous as you are, if that's any consolation. (I know it isn't.)