
Neil Spicer Contributor, RPG Superstar 2009, RPG Superstar Judgernaut |

I have never been to GenCon before and wondering what Hotel I should check into. I have to get my budget for both Cons figured out. Any advice?
In my opinion (having been to three GenCons so far), the best hotels to target are those that are part of the skywalk into the convention center. That means the more expensive ones, unforunately. :-)
Here's a list of the ones I've stayed at...
The Hyatt - This was where the Paizo folks stayed last year. You've got to do a little bit of walking through the skywalks to get over to the convention center, but it's also equidistant from the overstreet mall and food court. So it has a lot of cool advantages.
The Marriott - There's a couple of these in downtown Indy, but the main one is literally right across the street from the convention center. It's probably the "closest" to all the action. And you can take the skywalk straight into the convention center.
The Embassy Suites - Very nice rooms with a sitting room separate from the bedroom if you want to host a gathering or put together a gaming group at an in-room table. This is where I stayed my very first GenCon. It's also got easy access to several street-level restaurants and the overstreet mall.
I believe the Westin and the Omni Severin are also part of the skywalk. But I've never stayed there or ventured inside.
All of these hotels also host seminars and gaming tracks for GenCon, by the way, so you'll be walking between them and the convention floor regardless. Just brace yourself for the challenge of securing a room in one (and paying a premium for it if you're not splitting the cost with a roommate). They tend to go really fast as soon as housing registration opens up, because everyone wants to be close to the convention rather than several blocks (or driving distance) away.
If you're willing to look a little further out, and don't mind walking a few city-blocks to reach the convention hall and ballrooms of the other hotels, you can find some better deals at some of the smaller hotels. There's a Courtyard by Marriott, a Fairfield Inn, etc. You just have to shop around a bit to see if you can book them at a reasonable rate. My second GenCon I went with a guy who had Marriott points to burn, so our entire 4-night stay was free. Aside from that, I generally try to room with someone to defray the cost when I go. Unfortunately, I don't think I can afford even that this year. So, it's unlikely I'll make GenCon 2010.
Just my two-cents,
--Neil

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I've stayed at the Omni a couple of times and had great experiences both times. I would stay there again if not for hotels that are closer. :)
The problem Zuxius is going to have is availability. Most (if not all) of the nearby hotels are booked. The nearest hotel for Thursday through Sunday is 8 miles away as of March 3rd. Thursday through Saturday gets you into the Crowne Plaza or the Springhill Suites (I have no experience in these). One night only (Friday to Saturday) gets you even more options including the Westin and Hyatt.
Good Luck! :)

Neil Spicer Contributor, RPG Superstar 2009, RPG Superstar Judgernaut |

Gotta love the Shackletons.
Yeah, I had to beat him back with a stick so he wouldn't read my Fellnight Queen manuscript over my shoulder while I was working on it.
But I did use part of GenCon to wrap up the manuscript in my hotel room. I had to...because everytime I passed Sean in the convention hall, he would glower and check his watch to imply I'd better be on time with my turnover. :-D
Well...that...and it was some of the most peaceful writing time I'd managed to steal while being away from my kids at home. :-)

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Two years ago I didn't make the decision to go to GenCon until April, and by then everything except for hotels far away from downtown were already filled up. I got more aggressive with my search and ended up finding the University Place Hotel It's about a mile or so away from the convention center, and since it is associated with the school, it doesn't always show up in those travel sites. I don't know if anything has changed in the last couple of years, but it was clean and pleasant when I stayed there. If everything else close is already booked, I'd give it a try. Better than staying out by the airport or on the outskirts of town.

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Also, the price seems rather steep. I have come up to 1700 dollars without eating for 4 days or buying a single thing. Man!
The hotels are cheaper going through GenCon, but the good reserved rooms are all currently sold out, they sold out the first day they where offered. You really need to plan your trip much earlier for GenCon, basically as soon as they start selling the tickets.
You may still find rooms with out the discount, but they get really expensive!
Another option is find someone who got a good room and is looking for a room mate.
I started a thread awhile ago for this, but No one ever posted :-(.
But you can dig the post up here, post, and see if there are any interests.

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We are booked for the Courtyard Indianapolis Downtown. Its a brand new place that just opened up last month. I'm not sure if it is booked or not now, we booked our room the 2nd week in January. Not really exspensive either. We are staying Wednesday night through Sunday morning, and it was around $950 with taxes and all. Of course, if you have noone to split the room with you, it is preety steep. Anyway, hope the link helps...
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/indct-courtyard-indianapolis-downtown /

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My next question is, what is a good rate and a good time to book it?
Just keep an eye on their web page, Gen Con Indyaround January for next year. This year Badge Reg started 24 Jan, and Hotel reservations started 26 Jan around noon, you want to be logged on as soon as the reservation starts, this year all the good hotels where sold out in about 15 min.