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.

Today's hotel sale

 2 MAY 2024

9:32 am

Nothing surprising happened today. The sale went live at 9 am; the first lucky few were able to grab top-tier hotels with full availability; the next batch discovered top-tier hotels were all booked up for the weekends; currently, I'm hearing the selection is mid list or worse for 2 beds. There are still some single bed rooms at Westin Bayview and Westgate.

And that doesn't include the people who got in early only to get an Internal Server Error.

It's all pretty typical. 

If you had your hopes set on today, you should realize that going forward:

1) You probably aren't going to get Hilton Bayfront or Gaslamp or the Omni, etc. It could happen, but it's unlikely.

2) But you will get something. I would lock down a room now and make your peace with it. If you're new to SDCC shenanigans and think "Ah, I shall be extra cunning and tenacious and make it happen" - know you are up against 100,000+ other cunning and tenacious people on the hunt. That's how we got badges in the first place.

Good luck.

Prepping for general hotel reservations

 1 MAY 2024

It's May! And - maybe you're with me on this - Comic-Con season seems to have snuck in on little cat feet like the fog. Maybe it's because we had to wait so long between badge and hotel? It's caught me off guard to see events and exclusives announced all over social. And it jolted me to see CCI's email today reminding me to update my badge shipping address. Are we really here already?

No doubt you're already locked in and prepped for tomorrow, when you can right whatever wrong befell you in the first spin of the hotel wheel of fortune. Because tomorrow, May 2, probably around 9 am PST but who knows, you will theoretically be able to go into OnPeak and choose from an array of hotel rooms.

Again, theoretically. Here's what to expect and how to prep:

• Clear your morning as much as you can. You don't know exactly when you'll get access or if the site will struggle due to...
• ...A jillion people trying to get rooms. 
• Have your credit card ready. This isn't like the lottery. You'll need to pay then and there.
• Decide now what you can live with and what you can't. Radius from convention center, room size, number of nights - where can you compromise?
• If your screen is a sea of undesirable hotels, don't give up hope. A-list hotels will flicker into existence occasionally over the coming weeks, though they'll vanish just as quickly. 

I feel that the day you get your hotel sorted is the day you can really settle back into the pleasure of Comic-Con anticipation - checking guest and exclusive updates every day, speculating on panels and new TV shows and games and movies and comics, finding out which events your comrades are attending, working on your cosplay. Let's be honest: half the fun of SDCC is dreaming about what Comic-Con Santa is going to bring us. 

So I hope you get what you need tomorrow, after which we can all move forward together into the splendor of Comic-Con wishes and revelations. Good luck.

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.

Early Bird hotel sale is REALLY early this year

 6 NOVEMBER 2023

I know you all remember last year's hotel sale. It was especially tough IMO - so perhaps that's why CCI has served up the Early Bird hotel sale so soon for SDCC 2024. They want to get these rooms booked while the frustration of last spring's hotel sale is still fresh (or at least present) in our minds. Or maybe they're trying to be responsive to the complaints of, why can't we just book our rooms right after getting our badge like other Cons?

If you've not done Early Bird before, it's an opportunity to serenely book the non-downtown hotel room of your choosing, albeit for an upfront and nonrefundable payment. Is it worth it?

That's your decision to make.

Full disclosure: this summer I paid upfront for a downtown (non-CCI) backup hotel for next summer and I hated doing it. And my room is fully refundable up to July something. It's just not fun to hand over $1K-2K a year in advance. So I frankly can't imagine paying up front for some Mission Valley room now when you know that money will never come back even if you need to cancel. 

And let's be honest: after the hotel lottery, there will be the usual deluded tweets that say "Looking to trade Town and Country for Hilton Bayfront." Lots of people who get Mission Valley rooms dump them back in the pool. It's just not that tough to cough up a distant room, so I'm not sure why people will plunk down their cold hard cash so far in advance.... but I'm sure some of them will.

As always, my pick for this is Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina. It's a quick shuttle ride from the Con and you won't feel as stranded in terms of coming home from a late night or going home from the Con and then coming back to the Gaslamp for dinner. That's honestly the only hotel I think is worth it if you really want to escape the agony of the 2024 hotel sale.

Which, speaking of, might be a little early as well next year? We can only guess. CCI is a wily minx that keeps their cards close to their chest - so for now, we'll just focus on getting through Open Registration.

On the Open Hotel Sale / wait list

 24 APRIL 2023

Tomorrow the SDCC hotels open back up. If you're wondering why you didn't get a reminder email and aren't sure what to do, here is your directive: "We urge everyone who needs a hotel reservation to check this page on April 25, 2023." No time is given, which indicates they're trying to avoid the site being trampled under our elephant-like weight.

The page you want to check is: https://comic-con.org/cci/hotels.

This sale is everything - Round 2 and the Wait List and Open Reservations.

This is it. There won't be anything else. If you can recall the days when we would just go online, see a bunch of hotels and pick the one we wanted (yes, SDCC innocents, it was really that easy once) that's how tomorrow will work - but with a lot more competition. Essentially, it will be a free for all, and I predict the system will crash. Why this wasn't also handled like a lottery, with people grouped into access times, I've no idea.

So if you've faked a dentist appointment or something else to get out of your morning meetings, thinking you'll just go in and grab your room and go back to work - it might take longer than that. Be prepared for a frustrating experience where you may not get in and if you do, all the good hotels will be gone. Or you may get to the confirmation stage and something goes wrong.

The two strategies here are to:

1) Wait. Downtown hotels will flicker in and out of the OnPeak site over the next few months. You'll inevitably hear stories of someone who locked down 4 nights at Hilton Gaslamp after Memorial Day Weekend. You can try to be that person if you commit to vigilant, ceaseless stalking. But it's going to be super rare to find a full 4-5 nights which brings me to the option to....

2) Split up your nights. I've done this before and it doesn't bother me much since I travel light. As those downtown hotels appear on the site, you may discover that the Omni only has Wednesday and Thursday, or the Hyatt has just Saturday. If you have nothing at all, my advice is to grab what nights you can and then spend the others at a fallback hotel. If you think packing up your stuff mid-Con is tiresome, then this isn't for you. But for some of us, it's worth it to spend at least some of the Con downtown.

You will get a room eventually.

There are always hotel rooms somewhere, so don't cancel your Con if you don't score a room tomorrow. You'll find something. In the meantime, look around and see who needs a roommate. I expect most good Airbnbs are gone but new ones may become available. (Though the possibility of the host cancelling your booking is real.) 

In essence, don't give up. You will eventually find something.

See you tomorrow!

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.

6 things to do on Monday and Tuesday

 17 JULY 2022

I know, I know: there are a million "how to prepare for San Diego Comic-Con!" articles flying around right now. As if you're not swamped enough, right? So here are a few things to do Monday and Tuesday to make this week a lot less stressful:

1. Tell coworkers, friends, and family you can't be disturbed during Comic-Con. No exceptions. Be firm. Bring it up proactively on Monday - and blame it on connectivity challenges. It's just impossible to get wifi in the convention center and your hotel, tell them, and you'll be out all the time in loud environments where you can't hear your phone alert, and in many SDCC places, they make you shut your phone completely off! Maybe some of that is true and maybe some of it isn't, but you'll do yourself a massive favor by cutting that kind of intrusion off at the root. No text messages, no conference calls, no Zoom meetings. If you have the kind of job or family where you absolutely can't go off leash, set a daily check-in time. 

2. Organize your documents. Group your badge with the lists of any exclusives or back issues you're picking up for friends, print any tickets that need to be printed, etc. Put everything on your phone that you can, but have a backup in case your phone dies.

3. Get your money in order. Transfer whatever funds around you need to, and confirm who's paying what for hotel rooms, meals, tickets and other stuff before you get there. Load up on as much cash as you can so you can avoid ATM lines and those credit card freezes that happen when your staggering number of purchases suggests the card has been stolen.

4. Make a list of 3-5 priorities - not 20. It's fine to have a backup wish list, but if you focus on too many things, you'll be lucky to achieve any of them. Pick your top 3-5 must-haves (signings, panels, events) and organize your days and choices around those things.

5. Let go of any half-baked cosplay plans. Every year someone I know waits until the last second to come up with a cosplay idea. Then it's a race to hunt through stores for the right clothes, tools, and theatre makeup, and all SDCC anticipation is smothered by anxiety as the cosplay looks mediocre and unfinished. If this is you - just let it go. It's not happening this year. And bad cosplay will eat up your Con time in terms of repairs, adjustments, and dissatisfaction.

6. Confirm your hotel arrangements. Many of us have roommates, have transferred rooms to friends, have nights to add or subtract, or need to pay/collect on a deposit. Now is the time to make sure everything is correct and in order. One year, I transferred a room to someone who somehow never changed the name on it, then asked the hotel for an upgrade and told them to cancel the "duplicate" room under my name - my actual room I was keeping at the same hotel. I only learned I was homeless (and was able to fix it) because I'm methodical about confirming hotel rooms. Also, if someone is being squirrely with you about paying their share, collect right now or tell them they're not in the room. I've seen people get stiffed before. 

I know people say comparison is the thief of joy, but I think stress is - so take care of the little things now so you're not stressing later.

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.

Book your lux downtown hotel room if you haven't already

 23 SEPTEMBER 2021

Increasing our sense of a distorted, off-kilter but still appealing SDCC, hotels went live today - and we all strolled in and casually picked up rooms at the Marriott Marquis, Hard Rock, Hilton, Hyatt and any other downtown hotel that struck our fancy. And it wasn't just a 2006 hotel room booking experience - those were 2006 prices as well.

So yes, it's safe to say that signs are hinting this won't be the most popular SDCC ever. Which is fine by those of us who are going.

If you haven't booked your room yet, I'd jump in there. Why not enjoy this rare opportunity to pick your dream hotel?

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.