25 FEBRUARY 2014
It's back: the chance to book a non-refundable hotel room weeks before the rest of us battle for supremacy on regular Hotel Day. I'm referring, of course, to the Comic-Con Early Bird Hotel Sale.
What's good: you don't have to stress out about not getting a hotel at all, and you can exert some control over where you end up - unlike with the current Hotel Day system, where you name your top choices and hope for the best.
What's not good: these rooms are non-refundable, so you're committed to that room - you can't try for something better. The rooms are out by the airport or in Mission Valley so, you know, no Marriott Marquis pool nights for you. (Although the Sheraton on Harbor Drive is in the mix this year, which isn't that far away.) But if you like getting away from the Con each night - some people do - and you are a master of patience in waiting for shuttles, this could be the right thing for you.
This year CCI issued a reminder to NOT participate in this unless you already got a badge on Preview Night. While you might think that's obvious, unbadged people actually did buy up some of these rooms last year on the apparent faith in their own Comic-Con destiny, and wound up in a very unhappy position.
Would you happen to know if the Early Bird Hotels are cheaper than the hotels during Hotel Day? I know they have not released the prices for the downtown hotels yet but I was wondering from past experiences.
ReplyDeleteI think they're mostly the same discounted rates you get on Hotel Day. Some of the hotels offer special deals in Early Bird if you agree to book a minimum of three or four nights and throw in some other incentives, but otherwise the rates are pretty similar.
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