well shit.

[arethinn]

Wow.

Apparently the Doubletree is already sold out (on Friday and Saturday at least - they were trying to give me a Sunday arrival, wtf?) for PantheaCon 2012. The convention code has only been available... less than a week I think. edit: apparently, a mere seven and a half hours, and according to nytemuse, and even so I still missed by a few hours.

Well.

Guess we're not going then. (I don't find it acceptable to stay outside of the con hotel.)

The clerk told me some people have been booking blocks of sixteen or twenty rooms. Way to fuck it up for the rest of us, whoever you are.

eta: I do understand there could be legitimate reasons for one person to book that many rooms - a large group or family all travelling together, perhaps. But somehow I doubt that's what's going on in the majority of those cases.

Comments

[nytemuse]

Actually, con code was only available today 4 or 5 hours before the rooms were all gone. It was announced as available on the Pcon twitter sometime around 2. When I called at 630, they had booked all the double queens and only had kings left.

In addition to the ppl blocking 16-20 rooms, Ancient Ways is kinda annoyed at folk because we booked rooms the last week of Feb at standard rates and then called en masse today to apply the rate. *shrug* Yeah, we've learned our lessons before. And no, I wasn't a 16-20 person. I blocked 6 rooms last year and it was a nightmare getting rid of them, so I only did 3 this time (and I already knew for sure who 2 of those rooms were going to).

If I miraculously end up with a leftover, should I let you know? It depends on if the friends who usually share my room took my advice and got their own independently or not. Unless you want to run an Otherkin hospitality suite ;) Those reservations are independent and can still be acquired if Glenn or Sabre or someone approves of your request. Or you can try later in the year, when the 16-20 block ppl find out that the friends for whom they were squatting also reserved a dozen rooms, and they call in to release reservations.

[arethinn]

Actually, con code was only available today 4 or 5 hours before the rooms were all gone. It was announced as available on the Pcon twitter sometime around 2.

Ye gods. I only assumed it had been sometime in the last week because the last time I tried was... I think March 1st? and I only happened to look at the website again today.

When I called at 630, they had booked all the double queens and only had kings left.

That's funny, because it was a double queen they were trying to give me for Sunday arrival. (We want a king, of course.)

Ancient Ways is kinda annoyed at folk because we booked rooms the last week of Feb at standard rates and then called en masse today to apply the rate.

Yeah, well, I'm kind of annoyed at you guys now too. :P Remember a few years ago when they did a survey asking if people would mind losing the President's Day weekend date to be able to move to the Santa Clara Convention Center (apparently some other recurring event already had dibs on that date)? I said at the time that the date was more important to me (it is convenient that I get Friday and Monday both as paid holidays), but I think now I would vote to move to a bigger hotel/complex. PCon has utterly outgrown the Doubletree.

If I miraculously end up with a leftover, should I let you know?

Yes, please.

Unless you want to run an Otherkin hospitality suite ;) Those reservations are independent and can still be acquired if Glenn or Sabre or someone approves of your request.

Haha, I don't think that's really my cup of tea... (Oy. I assume the likes of Orion would have the tact not to come in and harass us, but still, it sounds like it could be an uncomfortable thing to run. That'd have to be something a little more informal...)

Or you can try later in the year, when the 16-20 block ppl find out that the friends for whom they were squatting also reserved a dozen rooms, and they call in to release reservations.

Yeah, that was the only advice the hotel clerk had. :-/ I guess I'll have to try every so often. I don't imagine we'll see many releases until we get a lot closer to con, though (like December or something), which is well beyond the lowest registration rate. Ugh. (Although it's not like I didn't pay highest-except-for-on-site-reg last year, but that was through uncharacteristic forgetfulness.)

[elf]

There will be rooms available; some will be dropped back into the pool for "whoever happened to call the hotel that hour," and a lot more will be available by knowing someone who's got one. Gah.

At this point, I think Glenn should make arrangements that the hotel doesn't allow blocks of more than four or so rooms to go to a single person; organizations that want/need more than that can coordinate multiple call-ins.

[arethinn]

At this point, I think Glenn should make arrangements that the hotel doesn't allow blocks of more than four or so rooms to go to a single person

I've said something like that in the feedback email I have open in another window, yeah.

Really, though, it's time for the con to move.

[popelaksmi]

Is this the same "pagan" con we spoke of briefly last year? Or am I thinking of someone else....

Either way, if the hotel is selling out that fast, the con organizers could book several hotels in the same area WorldCon style. Or maybe there should the con should happen more than just once a year. Anyway, just my 2cents.

[arethinn]

Yes. (Not sure why you put Pagan in quotes?)

They already do use a couple of area overflow hotels, which the clerk tried to sell me on, but that is not an acceptable solution for me. Really they need to move to a bigger place - this has been an issue for several years now. Last year I booked my room in March because I got a tip it was booking up fast. The previous year, May. The previous year, September. One of these years there was a survey asking if we wanted to move to a particular other convention center though it would mean giving up President's Day weekend. Apparently most people preferred the date, because they've stayed. But not only guestrooms, but also presentation rooms, the hotel restaurant, etc. are just completely overwhelmed.

[popelaksmi]

I put pagan in quotes only because I couldn't recall if it was a general pagan faith con or if it was more specific (Asatru, Dianic etc.) I also couldn't remember if we exchanged info on our specific paths.

It does indeed sound like it's time to move the con. When it starts to get that big, I worry some people may get preferred treatment (ie. special access to supposedly closed events/ panels/ workshops etc). Or the con will start implementing extra fees for those things. Both of these things would really annoy me.

I hope a solution is found!

[arethinn]

Oh goodness, there were nearly 2500 people attending this year; it's about as general as you can get! There were even some interfaith panels with Hindus this time.

[popelaksmi]

THAT. is really cool. Now I am even more envious than before.

[mythworker.livejournal.com]

Someone intimated to me that additional blocks of rooms will be released at different points. So there is still hope, I think.

[arethinn]

I hope so, but it'll be hard to luck into such at the right time.

[feedle.livejournal.com]

I do understand there could be legitimate reasons for one person to book that many rooms - a large group or family all travelling together, perhaps.

That must be a very large family. That would be enough bed space for at least 40 people..

Hell, by most other cons standards, twenty rooms would house 120 people. *chuckle*

[arethinn]

That must be a very large family. That would be enough bed space for at least 40 people..

Yeah, I dunno; I think I was picturing a least-efficient scenario there (so between 20-40). If it's double queens at full occupancy, which is 4 plus possibly a rollaway, it's 80-100. I mean yeah, it's dumb. That's my point, it's hard to imagine this could really be legitimate in most cases.

[estaratshirai.livejournal.com]

I know, it's uncool. I got there in time for a one-bed room: suboptimal, given that we're 3 people, but at least we're in.

[arethinn]

One-bed room'd be fine for us (as we're only two people and a married couple at that). In fact that's what I asked for, single king, making sure to specify as those are usually less popular, and they were like, uh, if you can arrive on Sunday we have double queens, nothing on Friday or Saturday (and it sounded like they only had 2 queen and not 1 king on Sunday). It was kind of bizarre.