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.

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.

Warning on room exchanges

2 MAY 2017




Incredible as it seems, some people wound up with downtown rooms yesterday that they don't want. If that's you, or if you're one of the lucky people inheriting said rooms, a word of caution.


Try to minimize the information exchanged. 

In previous years, Travel Planners/onPeak didn't need much information to transfer a reservation. You give them the original name, email address and OnPeak ID number and ask to have yourself listed as the reservation holder. Once it's transferred to you, you'll be asked to pay the deposit and you'll have the ability to alter other information on the reservation.


You shouldn't need to give or receive much more personal information - so don't. As I've noted before, I've seen people carelessly circulate someone's details after deciding they didn't want the room after all. I know it's easy to feel like we're all friends here so why not, but there are unscrupulous people who observe the SDCC community. For instance, last year after we got our badges in the mail, some people posted their badge photos online. Scammers stole the photos and used them to create Ebay auctions, and one guy whose photo was stolen (it showed his name) had his badge cancelled. You really don't know who's hanging around, following threads and looking for an opportunity to make some cash or find a way into the Con. So be careful.


Work with people you trust.

I know this is hard because we're mostly all online. But if you have a room to give away and you don't want to hand it off to some rando on Reddit, you have options. Friends of Comic-Con does a great room exchange, very organized. Pretty much any SDCC blogger will know reputable people who need rooms, myself included. If you're looking for a room, the same applies. I know you might feel desperate, but I would not necessarily work with a complete stranger unless they have some kind of anchored digital persona you can reference.

So many of the things we do for Comic-Con - buying groups, room exchanges, event tickets sold second-hand - are founded on a precarious notion of trust. Our shared generosity is part of what makes our little community so great. But it only works when we respect each other's privacy.

If you can't find a room, don't despair; next week will bring new opportunities. Good luck.