TOPIC: Room Reservations

A so far unadmitted but completely honest answer? Drinking/alcoholics, con is of the few places i truly drink and relax since rest of year i am always the designated driver. It is the mind relaxing load of knowing/not caring if i have another because i don't have to drive anywhere. Long as i'm coherent and i can stagger back to my hotel. I've never gotten drunk in Indy but that mind lightening feeling of not having to worry is 1st/2nd best reason i enjoy con and Indy in partcular (Scotty's). That is my admittedly person reason that if i'm not downtown i would pretty much skip gencon after this year.

joshua baessler wrote: Am I missing something?

Finances
Some people can barely scrape by enough dough to attend. Adding the coast of twice (or more) daily cab fares can easily put Gen Con out of budgetary reach.

Druegar - Admittedly, I'm splitting cabfare with my roommates usually, but even when I drive myself parking is only $22 under the plaza for all day (which again, is sometimes shared with others in the car). I've never paid more than $120 a night to stay somewhere non-downtown. No one has given me a clear answer as to the cost of downtown rooms but I imagine from non-convention prices they're still more expensive plus not all of them have free parking.

I didn't think about the people who can't drive without renting a vehicle, I can see why downtown would be a necessity for those folks as well.

It just seems to me that people are spending more money to stay downtown than they would staying on the outskirts, even including bus or cab fare. I've not used the shuttles yet, I've heard mixed reviews.

What does it cost, roughly, to stay downtown during GenCon in the housing blocks? This year I'm paying $70 a night to stay on the east side of town, and I'm only 7 miles from the ICC.

I've been downtown past 4 years, typical room rate is at $250 a night after fees give or take. My more accurate experience is that i travel with a group of 10 between 2 rooms from a common area. Our share (not including parking) is 200-225 each for staying Wednesday and leaving Sunday. My group typically has 1 suite (6 legally) and a regular room.

Living in Indy, I have never had to get a hotel room. There have been many times I wish I had one so that I could unload my messenger bag, take a shower, or maybe take a short nap on some of those long days.

if you don't mind a short walk, the parking lots at South St and Meridian are only $10 up front on event days.

I'm sharing my room with at least one person, possibly three persons. But even splitting down the middle I'm looking at $135 including parking/cab fare. Make it four people in the room and we're at $70ish per person.

Don't get me wrong - staying downtown would be awesome. I'm just saying it doesn't sound very cost-effective. Even when sharing the cost. It sounds like paying for convenience. I show up early to get parking under the Plaza, I've never not parked there. Indy is a very walkable downtown, and taking turns on being the DD on the way back or splitting cab fare has always worked for me and my friends. With all of the headaches GenCon gives everyone over housing each year, it doesn't sound worth it to me. I feel like I'm getting the same fun experience, the only part I'm missing is the ability to just stumble home (which I'm not knocking, believe me, but the cab ride really isn't that bad. I want to say it was $30 one way, so twice as expensive as parking. I usually drive Thursday-Friday-Sunday and only take the cab to & from on Saturday because that's when most of the party happens.

There are great affordable options just outside of downtown, is the TL, DR version of what I'm saying. Indy as a whole can support GenCon no problem, it's just downtown can't accommodate everyone.

I couldn't imagine being a full-time volunteer and not having a room within walking distance. Being able to go back and forth to the room to change, get a snack, use a clean bathroom, take a shower, make sure I get to my shift on time, be able to drop off the games I bought and the tokens I have drawn - priceless.

If I can get a room downtown for next year out-of-block I will probably get it as insurance for next year even if it is more expensive, as long as it is refundable. It seems too risky counting on getting a low wait time to get a room.

Remember too, that for many people, myself included, this IS our vacation for the year. So paying more for the perks of a nice close room is worth it since Indy is more than just the Con. We went to the museums and the restaurants and enjoyed the downtown. That isn't do-able from the hinterlands.

Out of block rooms can go for 400+ if trying to stay near the con.

Adam Guay wrote: Out of block rooms can go for 400+ if trying to stay near the con.

That is the decision to make. Pay that or spend time traveling each day with no where to drop stuff of at.

Luckily we have some hotel points which are truly helping to take the sting out of the hotel situation.