Hotels for the con

CarolD

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Jul 15, 2006
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More questions for you guys! (There's a special convention forum coming soon -- our friend Brian is working hard putting it together, but till then, the questions come here.)

Rather than having the con AT a hotel, we're considering the possibility of doing it at a convention center that has hotels nearby. (Some within a block or two, and more that are a longer walk or a brief car ride away.) That way, con-goers could book a room at whatever hotel suits their tastes and budget. The place we're looking at has everything from the Ritz-Carlton down to Super 8 and Econo Lodge nearby.

If we decide to hold the con there, would that sway any of you who have been undecided about coming? And those of you who already want to come, does this sound better or worse to you than having the con actually in a specific hotel?

Thanks as always for the input! We appreciate it.
 
Carol:

Where ever you do the con...I'll be there (convention center or otherwise). Considering I often find close by hotels to stay in, this would fit my MO (although I was going to commit to going to the specific con hotel if you decided to do that to support the activity.)

2009 is definitely on my radar screen!
 
Thanks, Helen! Right now, we're considering lots of possibilities -- to see what works out best for what we have planned, and is the best value for the money. (It's really a good thing we have a full two years to put this together -- I have no idea how anybody could put a con together in a few months.)
 
Yeah and its a good thing, as I was telling Helen (Leaper1 Helen) on AIM, In two or three years I hope to be on my own with Kristen or at least be free of our parents leashes, so that we can come on our own and have plenty of money to spend. So the hotels sound fine.
 
Personally, I like the camaraderie of all con-goers (or most) being in the same hotel. I also like the relative safety of only having one place to be coming and going from--making it easy to say, skip a panel for a nap, take part in late evening activities, etc. Especially too since I'd likely be flying, the thought of only having to use a shuttle or cab twice--to and from the airport--is quite appealing to me.
 
I just want the cheapest room available. It's gonna be hard work as it is coming up with the money to pay for the airline ticket and the con tickets and food and etc, etc.... Especially as I'm currently unemployed...

So, yeah, whatever I can do to keep my trip cheap, I'd like to do it.

:Love To All:
~ Joy ~
 
McDuck, when I attended a convention at the Pasadena Conference Centre, I stayed at the Sheraton, which is directly at the back of the Conference Centre and accessible from within the grounds.

Hopefully, we will be able to find a suitable hotel; this is a standby just in case.
 
Hotels & Fun

I've done both (stayed at the Con Hotel and ones close by) and have always had fun with the group whether at the same hotel or not. It all depends on location of the hotel(s) (can you walk or take a reasonable cost taxi or shuttle back? How many others are staying at the alternate? Those type of questions).

However, as I said, for this Con...seeing as it may be made on the margins I'm going to do everything I can to support it (and highly suggest others do as well.) If the con is held at a hotel that puts in a block of rooms for the convention goers, I'll stay there cause part of those deals are usually because a certain number of rooms will be taken during the convention time. We have to help out the convention planners as much as possible or else this type of activity will not happen. To save money, it's often a possibility to share rooms. I did that going to Washington and it was fun. The ladies I shared rooms with were very nice and it did make the costs somewhat bearable.
 
We appreciate all the input and willingness to help, Helen!

I think everyone on the committee except Brian has been to a number of cons all around the U.S. (and in Emma's case, the UK) and we have lots of experience with hotels both good and bad. (I attended a con a few years ago where people found varying colors of slime in their bathtubs, and had mice running through their rooms. And don't even ask me about the food -- a number of con-goers AND guests got sick.)

We're going to try very hard to get the best possible location for everyone -- although I don't think it's possible to make everyone happy, so there may be a few who'd like another choice.

The thing about L.A. is, it's so amazingly spread out. In Washington, I think everyone stayed within a few blocks of Ford's Theater and could easily walk back to their hotel or take a cab. Out in L.A. (particularly in the suburban areas we're looking at) you can't really walk to much of anything, and in lots of cases you wouldn't want to. I lived out there for 11 years, and unfortunately there are some mighty creepy areas right next to somewhat decent ones. For the most part, people out there don't do much walking, particularly not at night. (If they want to walk, they go to a gym and do it on the Stairmaster, LOL.)

As Em says, the Sheraton is right beside the Pasadena Conference Center, and there are several other hotels/motels within a couple of blocks. (It's a nice area, as I recall -- the 1994 con was held there.) Wherever we end up, I'd advise anyone who's set on booking a cheaper hotel to investigate it online (I like TripAdvisor.com) and read customer reviews before booking anything. In bigger cities like L.A., "cheap" might well also mean "really dangerous."

We'll also do what we can to help roommates find each other for the con, for those who would like to share room cost.

Meanwhile, keep those thoughts and questions coming! You might well hit on something we haven't thought of.
 
LA Area

Carol:

I was just in LA last week (hubby and I finished the Route 66 Trip...all we had to complete was the CA/AZ border to the Santa Monica Pier.) You can follow most of Route 66 through LA (we only had to be on freeways on parts north of San Bernadino and a small part of the 110 between 26th Street and Sunset Blvd.) I guarantee following Route 66 took us through both good and not so nice parts of LA so I know what you are saying about good and not so nice parts being right next to each other! There were some areas where we checked to make sure the doors were locked.

I found Pasadena and some of those other areas along Foothills Blvd. to be generally nice with some nice restaurants and hotels close by. I don't know how expensive the area close to the Sycamore Inn is...expensive restaurant but oh so cool (been there since 1848.) Pasadena could be a very nice place to be.

And...in Washington I had several situations. The first time I went, I stayed for the beginning of the week at a Bed and Breakfast close to the National Zoo and took the metro in only staying close to Ford's Theatre for the last 2 nights of my stay. Before I booked the B&B, I checked to see how a single woman getting around would fare from that location. 10 years ago, it probably wouldn't have been safe to do it but since they've got more security and police on the streets and in the metro now, it was perfectly fine.

As to other conventions I've been to (business not fan related ones), I've experienced a variety of situations...and yes...no matter WHERE you go, check out multiple trip advising sites cause you're right...cheap can mean VERY dangerous. We knew some people who went cheap in NYC and found the place they booked VERY dirty with blood-stains on the wall and bullet holes throughout the room. They moved very quickly to a more expensive place where it was clean and safe.

I've got faith that whatever the planners of this Con decide on will be the best possible with safety and cleanliness issues being high priorities. I'm not sure who all is on the committee but know that all of you have extensive experience with fan cons and am looking forward to things becoming more settled as time goes on.
 
I'm open to anything that would save money. I liked the idea of having everything in one big hotel, since I have the feeling I'd be staying out late and I'm not too thrilled with the idea of trying to find my way around an unfamiliar city late at night. However, I'm not against the idea of finding a cheaper hotel, either - as long as there are no rats or, er, blood stains. Remind me to be careful if I ever get to NY...
 
We've got lots of people saying they'll attend the con with a significant other, but lots more are coming alone, and I'm sure some will be interested in sharing rooms to save money.

As a general rule, I'd recommend sites like TripAdvisor.com to anybody who's looking for a room on any sort of trip. Hotel websites tend to be a little...well, unrealistic. It really helps to go on a consumer-oriented site where people have rated the various hotels for service, cleanliness, safety, food quality and so on.

I remember back before we had the 'Net, I kept seeing TV commercials for a hotel near Broadway in NYC. They sang and danced and said it was THE place to stay, so my friends and I booked a room there -- only to discover that the wallpaper was peeling off, tiles were missing in the bathroom, and at night we had 4-legged little roachie visitors. Yuck!!!
 
alsplacebartender said:
Steve! Where ya been, man? It's in the new banner at the top of the forum :) lol we're looking at Los Angeles, CA. Hope to see you there!

Oh boy! I feel like an idiot. :banghead I probably won't be able to make it, but we'll see. It says March 2009. Is it by any chance the 26th since that's the date that Genesis aired on NBC?

Thanks! :)

Steve
RossBeckett
 
Since I may be flying in from Germany, I think the price of the hotel will have somewhat a bearing on whether or not I can attend the convention. If the price is outrageous then my chances of attending are lower than most. However, since it is only for two nights, I would like to think that this is a 'minor' issue. If I can arrange with someone Stateside to help with my room arrangements, through a 'con-hotel' then I would like that. But if I have to call the hotel a number of times to insure a room, then it may not be worth it for me. I would prefer that there be a 'con hotel' with the block that Helen (asearcher) suggested, but one that isn't going to break the bank since I, like others are on a budget, and the flight costs are going to be astronomical for me.

To me, there is a downside and an upside to there being a block deal done, but there's also discounts for groups which I would suggest being looked into. Most of these bigger hotels do give 'group rates', and that is about between 30-50% reduction on nightly prices. So there could be a way to troubleshoot these areas. Since I'll be coming alone, the price for a single room would be higher than for those who are coming in twos. I wouldn't mind sharing a room with someone from here either.

So, I have a great many things to consider here.
 
One of the things I want to be sure to arrange with our hotel is that they're responsive to our fans. I attended a con this past summer at a hotel that was a nightmare to get hold of -- attendees HAD to talk to the Sales office, but there was never anyone there to answer the phone. Finally I had to wheedle somebody at the front desk to find someone alive in Sales for me! It did take several long-distance calls. Namaste, I do understand you wouldn't want to be doing that from Germany!

I don't know that the room discount would get as low as 30-50% off, but we'll do the best we can.

I did do quite a bit of online surfing at various hotel sites (Hotels.com and so on) and discovered that there really aren't a lot of hotels in the area we're looking at that are any cheaper than the ones at the top of our list. The decent ones run in the $125-$175 range. (Which, these days in a large city, is really not bad.) Anything less than that (and I'm being dead honest with you, guys) is pretty scary. There are safety issues (they're in bad neighborhoods), cleanliness issues, and so on.

Brian is putting together a terrific Forum just for the con, that will include a thread for folks looking for roommates. You'll have a good 2 years to meet each other, chat, and find 1 or 2 people who seem compatible to share a room. Right now we have 88 people who say they'd be coming alone, and I'm sure a lot of them would like the cost-savings of having a roomie or two.

Another thing to consider -- as I've mentioned before -- is that L.A. is so spread out. If you were able to find a cheaper hotel that was halfway decent, it might be some distance from the con hotel. You'd likely have to rent a car, take a cab, or investigate public transportation, all of which would cost money.

One fan mentioned in her survey that she had "sticker shock" at seeing our suggested ticket price. She cited Creation for having much cheaper admission rates. But think about this...with those cheap tickets at Creation cons, you don't get a reserved seat; you have to fight for a chair. You don't get autographs included, or photos with the stars, or meal events. We're planning to include ALL that stuff in your ticket price -- along with giving you a registration packet full of goodies in a keepsake bag (not a manila envelope, LOL). Our program book will be HUGE (to my knowledge, Creation doesn't give a program book at all, just a little folded sheet of paper).

And on top of everything, this is a once-in-a-lifetime event! 20 years of QL. We really hope all you guys here at the Forum are thinking about attending, because it's really going to be a special weekend. And we are trying very, very hard to get you the very best value for your money. We'll announce our dates and location quite a long time ahead (next spring?) so you have lots of time to book plane tickets ahead and save money. Like I've said, we 5 on the committee are fans on limited budgets just like you. (And we're all paying for our own plane fares, hotel rooms, meals, and so on -- that does NOT come out of convention funds.)

I hope that helps to put your mind at ease a bit, Namaste! Looking forward to meeting you in March 2009. :)
 
I have to echo what Brian and Carol have been saying. Yes, we are more expensive than Creation, but the thing is, we don't have the resources or the finances to be able to offer the cheap nosebleed seats that Creation do, plus, we believe that EVERYBODY should be able to have a decent view from whatever row they happen to be sitting in.

The prices we have suggested in the survey are around the same as Creations' bronze tickets, yet the seating will be MUCH closer to the stage by virtue of the fact that we will be in a smaller venue, and will be arranging the seating to get the best layout possible.

We're aiming to give you much more bang for your buck, too; we're aiming for the weekend to be all inclusive (excluding the hotel room costs and food, of course), so there will be no hidden costs designed to bump up a profit margin.

Plus, every single penny of profit will go to charity!
 
More

Folks...

What the committee here is saying is true. Yes, costs for things like this can be high. I was just at a Creation Con...the 40th ST in Vegas. I was only there for the last two days...but the reserved seating was $64 each day and I was 56 rows back on the 1st day and 46 rows back on the 2nd...see my little avatar? That's the view I had of Scott...with a telephoto lens.

Depending on the person, signature ops ranged from $25 to $169 (for Scott)...You had a separate signature cost for everything you wanted to have signed. Picture ops of Scott were $100 ea (although others were less.) I didn't buy either of these. (OH...and note...these rates were NOT set by Scott or any of his people...they were set PURELY by Creation. No matter what you may read on other sites...Creation didn't HAVE to charge that much for Scott's things to make a profit...they just went with the profit dictim..."charge what the market will bear"...and they STILL sold out these ops! From a profit standpoint, they are VERY smart business men...making lots of money on fans.)

They had other things available for fans to do but again...cost, cost, cost. I didn't do anything other than the reserved seating. Walked through the dealer room and got a few items that I could afford (I now have a nice pair of IDIC earrings and a pin...and my NX-01 hat!)

Creation did provide a con booklet with a nice cover and info (like what was happening and when at the con) and a LOT of advertising. I'm sure the fact that this was a four day Con and there were literally thousands of people attending (I know they sold out 2 hotels and were working on a 3rd and that was just the OFFICIAL hotels) contributed to getting the booklet. And they had a ton of sponsors (some big name). Add to that...ST has a much bigger following then QL (although leapers tend to be very loyal and I personally think more tolerant of each others views overall.) That's not to say there aren't those in the ST fandom that aren't incredibly nice and wonderful people...I know most of them are...that's just saying that with larger numbers, you also get those who tend to get a bit too whacked out (hence the sterotypical..."you're still living in your parent's basement.")

As to hotels...had I been going to the ST Con by myself (as opposed to doing it on a trip with my husband), I would have shared a room with a very nice lady I had met online at The Logical Choice website (it's an "Archer/T'Pol ship" friendly site...although the people there are tolerant of other views as well.) If you don't know what a "ship" is, write me and I'll fill you in. I still met up with the woman and we (and a group of others) hung out for several meals and some drinks. I guarantee...I would have felt very safe sharing a room with this woman and she with me and that would have kept the hotel rates down for both of us. However, since I was sharing a room with my husband, we paid the full rate of $119/night + tax + surcharges (which believe it or not was one of the least expensive places I could find on a weekend night in Vegas that was close enough to the Con and was safe and clean.)

When I went to see Shenandoah, I shared a room on both trips (in addition to staying at a B&B for a few nights). "Affordable" Washington hotels were extremely expensive (in the $200-$300 range) so sharing a hotel room made the trip reasonable. At one point I looked into the local hostel (at $35/night.) They had co-ed rooms so if I had stayed there, I had the possibility of having to share it with a man I'd never met before (not that sharing a bedroom with a man I'd met would have been any better...especially from my husband's point of view.) However, I was lucky and was able to share rooms (with some very nice ladies.) As to the B&B on the nights I DIDN'T have a roommate...that B&B required a metro ride into the city and was still $80 + tax/night for a single bed right under the dining room...lots of sounds of footsteps above me in the a.m. but hey it was clean and safe!

The main point I'm making here (yes...I wasn't just rambling...just providing data first so you can verify that I know what I'm talking about) is that conventions (if done right) are going to be pricey. But if the experience of getting together with like minded fans and hearing and seeing the people who made the show so good that 20 years after the show premiered you'd like to attend a Con sounds like the absolute best time you could spend your weekend on...then it IS worth the cost of having things done right. From what I can tell...this committee is doing just that. Making sure that the hard earned cash you'll be spending on this will be well worth the cost. Trust them to do what's in all our best interests. I do.
 
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CarolD said:
I don't know that the room discount would get as low as 30-50% off, but we'll do the best we can.
I trust you guys, and know that you're doing the best you can. Planning early is smart and I am totally blown away with how much information you're supplying us with. I have been to conventions that were much smaller than this one, and everything was pretty much done in secret, and then the poor organization left a number of us 'general members' in the dark. It was one of those deals where no one even bothered to ask the people what they wanted.

I think you guys (and gals) are doing a really fantastic job with all of this.

I do want to comment on something else. I know that a number of folks here have been to other cons where there have been charges upon charges. One of my friends attended a ST convention recently, and she said it was very pricey, so that bit I understand fully. Since this thread was strictly about the hotel issue, I tried to keep my thoughts and comments strictly on the 'saving money' on lodging issue. Whatever happens with pictures and autographs is not of huge concern for me right now. I don't really mind paying extra for the weekend, but I do think that considering the cost to fly to North America from Europe, we overseas people are undertaking a certain amount of cost on that alone.

Since this is not going to be considered a vacation that my husband and I are undertaking, I have to make sure that I can even afford to go. I can accept that it will not be cheap, but in all fairness, if I can save in some areas, then I would like to do so. Of course, that doesn't mean that I want to have a roach for a roommate.
 
Thanks once again for the input, Helen and Namaste. No, we're not trying to keep any of the planning a big secret. We've figured all along that our best bet was to seek opinions from the people who'll be paying their hard-earned money for tickets. There are certain decisions we'll make on our own, but it's tough to decide certain other things without knowing what YOUR preferences are.

The "charity" references are good to remember -- we want to give you a really good value for your money, but yet make a respectable amount of money for our chosen charity or charities. So if the ticket price seems a tad high, remember that the extra money will go to a very worthy cause.

Helen (as Emma has pointed out), don't worry about being stuck in the 56th row -- because we're not gonna have 56 rows! We're also planning to space out the seats so that everybody has a good view. (We'll test them beforehand.)

Think about what Helen says she paid at the Vegas con -- $64 a day. For a 3-day event, that'd be $192.

Helen, can you describe the Vegas con booklet for me a little more specifically? Size, number of pages, contents (other than ads), and so on? We're planning something with heavy-stock photos of guests that you can have signed, articles on QL from all perspectives, info on the con, the hotel, the area, and so on...with some GORGEOUS artwork on the cover. Believe me, it'll be worth keeping!

Namaste, believe it or not, flying to L.A. from Germany is probably cheaper than flying there from some places in the U.S. If U.S. fans aren't in a major city, and have to switch planes, the ticket can get pricey. But you should be able to purchase your ticket far enough ahead to get a good deal.
 
Con Book

Carol:

If you send me your snail mail address (via my email or PM), I'll mail you one of the booklets. I have 3. None have signatures so sending one to you is not a problem.

I know that you will have much better seats. The point I was making was that I had these type of seats and still willingly paid the money for them. The charity situation certainly makes me much happier to pay for this. I know you guys aren't out goughing people even for charity.

Helen
 
I'm glad that you guys are all being so understanding about the financial situation. We'd love to charge less, but the reality is, it wouldn't be much of a convention.

Big conventions, like those run by Creation, are first and foremost a business concern, and these guys have huge amounts of money at hand and can thus afford to rent out huge venues and have nosebleed seats.

For us to be able to put on the kind of convention WE want to go to as Quantum Leap fans (which in turn should be the kind of convention YOU guys want to go to, which is the beauty of a fan-run convention), we're in the position that we have to charge that little bit more. But believe me, we're going to make sure that you all get more than your money's worth! We really do want to make this the ultimate Quantum Leap celebration, and we have so much enthusiasm bubbling over!
 
EmmaCMF said:
I'm glad that you guys are all being so understanding about the financial situation. We'd love to charge less, but the reality is, it wouldn't be much of a convention.

It's easy to be understanding once you do the math. At first glance, the Creation cons may seem cheaper, until you do the math. I mean, the ticket prices get you in, but what else can you do? To get autographs and photo ops, that's extra money - Scott alone cost $228-$268, depending on when you made your purchase. Meeting everyone you want to meet would put most people in debt for the rest of their lives. :hmm I'd rather pay one large lump sum that let me do everything than a small ticket price that just gets me in, and then pay for everything else separately.
 
Since I was the one who made the Creation comment and my comment was "outed" I would just like to point out that the ticket price I was comparing this one with was a "gold level" ticket that DID include all these perks. However, you are all right as regards a general admission ticket and the cheapness and what was and was not included.