TOPIC: Good Luck to everyone on Housing! How did you do?

Good luck to everyone today! How did your housing quest go?

We landed the Hotel Indy with a Queen/Queen. There were some connected King rooms left when our time came up but the options for 2 queens were rapidly evaporating so I consider this a strong win for the year.

Looks like skywalk rooms might have been gone in under 30 minutes or so. Ended up 4 blocks away with a 12:44 time slot. Far enough maybe I'll finally use the bag check for tokens rather than lug them back to the hotel immediately after a run.

Given that I know a VIG who had to settle for a suboptimal choice due to how much vendors were consuming, doesn't surprise me.

Not sure what they plan to do when it only appears to be getting significantly worse to what was already a broken system.

I was always able to get a backup Embassy Suites room before the room lottery until last year. Of course, I was able to do that partly because I'm Hilton Diamond and partly because I checked every day. Last year and this year I have had to get (and use) backup rooms 10-15 minutes away from the convention center. My window opens in about 20 minutes, but from what I'm hearing the downtown rooms are likely all gone already.

FYI for those who haven't hit their lotter time yet - as of right now the closest available hotel is 8.6 miles away.

Mike Steele wrote: I was always able to get a backup Embassy Suites room before the room lottery until last year. Of course, I was able to do that partly because I'm Hilton Diamond and partly because I checked every day. Last year and this year I have had to get (and use) backup rooms 10-15 minutes away from the convention center. My window opens in about 20 minutes, but from what I'm hearing the downtown rooms are likely all gone already.

I hope you got something you wanted! I was hoping the 4-Day minimum would leave more rooms for the bigger Gen Con fans.

Ian Lee wrote: Given that I know a VIG who had to settle for a suboptimal choice due to how much vendors were consuming, doesn't surprise me.

Not sure what they plan to do when it only appears to be getting significantly worse to what was already a broken system.

Vendors get hotel picks before VIG members do? I wonder if there were any Embassy Suites rooms left when the lottery window opened?

Whether it was vendors or VIGs, it seemed like a lot of rooms were gone even before the lottery window opened. I know friends who had a 12:27pm time had to end up staying several blocks away and other friends who had a time after 1:10pm couldn't get anything downtown and have decided to skip Gen Con if nothing opens up. It really doesn't feel like the 4 night commitment did anything to make things easier.

Mike Steele wrote: FYI for those who haven't hit their lotter time yet - as of right now the closest available hotel is 8.6 miles away.

It's 12 miles out now. Not surprised. Looks like it filled up in about 1.5 hours. About typical. Will be interesting when we get this new expansion finished.

Dave wrote: Whether it was vendors or VIGs, it seemed like a lot of rooms were gone even before the lottery window opened. I know friends who had a 12:27pm time had to end up staying several blocks away and other friends who had a time after 1:10pm couldn't get anything downtown and have decided to skip Gen Con if nothing opens up. It really doesn't feel like the 4 night commitment did anything to make things easier.

4 night commitment was likely never meant to get better times for people. More likely better deals for GC leasing ballroom space from the hotels, in exchange to guarantee guest stay longer.

Ian Lee wrote: Given that I know a VIG who had to settle for a suboptimal choice due to how much vendors were consuming, doesn't surprise me.

Wow! If VIGs aren't able to get their room preference the whole lottery seems almost like a sham to me - like what's the point if there are 200 downtown rooms with no skywalk connection or whatever available by the time it gets to the general lottery at 12:00 eastern.

I also feel bad for people who lock themselves into a $200 a night room 15 miles away or whatever in the housing portal.

Usually such rooms are available for cheaper, and with better cancellation terms, outside the portal. (Although in 2024 it did seem like a townwide sellout much moreso than years past.)