Hotel reservations open back up at 9 am PST

8 APRIL 2015



5:55 pm


I just popped back in - there are rooms available for Thursday and Saturday nights, nothing for Thursday and Friday.


12:03 pm

There are still hotels available for Weds and Thursday, and there's only a slight delay in getting into the system. But once you get to Friday and Saturday, everything comes up with the red UNAVAILABLE mark of doom.

If you still don't have a room AND you landed in either the Thursday/Sunday split or the Thursday, Friday and Sunday category, you might want to consider jettisoning your Sunday badge. You'll still get in Thursday and Friday (if you have it) and have yourself a nicely inexpensive Comic-Con. And believe me when I say two full days of the Con is plenty. You won't miss Sunday at all.

Just something to consider.


11:25 am

I'm in the system right now. Yes, only a few hotels are left. You may not get all 4 nights. Consider this plan: 2 cheap nights at Town & Country, 2 expensive nights at an overflow hotel.

Right now I see 4 nights available at La Quinta Mission Valley and BW Hacienda Old Town. But if you plug in just 2 nights here and there, other hotels pop up.


10:58 am

Oh look, the CCI page is linked. We still have loading times; so people are still trying to get rooms. This doesn't mean stop and come back later; it means get in there and fight for a room if you still haven't got one. "Later" might look unbearably grim.


10:20 am

Now that demand has slackened, the page is a little more responsive. Keep trying.

Allow me to seize this opportune moment to promote Early Bird. Many people rolled their eyes at the idea of plunking down a nonrefundable deposit on all 3 or 4 nights at a non-downtown hotel. Hopefully now those people can see the appeal. No, you won't be at the Hyatt, but let's face it - 2015 has taught us that you probably won't be there anyhow. Going through Early Bird lets you skip the plunge into hell that Hotel Day and its aftermath has become. You can always book through Early Bird and try your luck in Hotel Day anyhow, and find someone to take over your other reservation if you score.

After the horrorshow of this day last year, I thought Early Bird might sell out this year but I was wrong. Hopefully today's bloodbath motivates more people to take advantage of it next year.


10:10 am

CCI is alive! 58 minutes into this debacle, it tweeted: "We're sorry for the delay but are working with Travel Planners to resolve the issue."

The issue being.... not updating the page? The intense loading delays on a page and link we had to find ourselves? The constant busy signals and long hold times on the phone?

The rooms are mostly gone at this point.  Emphasis on "mostly:" it's still worth trying to get through.

I really hope no one tries to exploit this situation by booking those obscenely-priced overflow rooms downtown and then renting them out to multiple strangers who are forced to room together. Because I could see that happening.


10:03 am

I know you might be ready to wash your hands of the whole process right now - but if you don't have a room at all, I'd advise hanging on. Someone just reported getting a room on the phone through Travel Planners; someone I know went ahead and booked an expensive room on an overflow site. (I realize the last isn't an option for most of you.) As frustrating as this morning has been, it's worth trying to persevere just to lock down a room, any room.

I'm really worried that we're facing a serious hotel room shortage. In previous years, you could usually count on getting some fleabag room somewhere if you absolutely had to. This year, I'm not so sure even those options will be available. So my advice is to try to stick it out this morning.



9:44 am

If you get into the site at http://cci-2015-request.elasticbeanstalk.com/ you'll see an option for an overflow site to the right. There are hotels available and the rates for some are just staggering. Right now the Hilton Bayfront has rooms for $999. Marriott Marquis rooms are $649.

I'm so disgusted right now from multiple angles.


9:31 am

People aren't getting in on that link anymore, either because it's permanently hung up or the system has just gone belly up.  I have two browsers open that are in the system but I'm not getting past the point of picking a room.

Unfortunately, I fear this may be even worse than last year.  At least then there were rooms available when the dust cleared, but it sounds like inventory is already low. This is just horrifying.

... And I just got booted from the system. Okay then.


9:28 am

There are no downtown hotels. Which we sort of knew going in but people will still be disappointed.

I'm just in disbelief that CCI forgot to update their page, which specifically instructs people to "Visit this page and click on the 'Make Your Hotel Reservations' button." It's just not that hard to maintain a content calendar and update a page. 


9:22 am

http://cci-2015-request.elasticbeanstalk.com/

That's how you can get in.


9:15 am


This is ridiculous. I understand that tech runs amok, demand overwhelms availability... but simply forgetting to update the page??? Come on. This is important to attendees.
 

9:04 am

Well, this is anticlimactic. Did CCI forget?

Everyone is calling Travel Planners, and it's almost impossible to get through. I wouldn't wait for CCI to update the page at this point - try to get through on the phone while you keep checking the page.


9:01 am

Don't forget - you can call Travel Planners too at 1.877.552.6642. or 1.212.532.1660.

1-877-552-6642) or 212-532-1660, Monda

Visit this page and click on the “Make Your Hotel Reservations” button or call 1-877-55-COMIC (1-877-552-6642) or 212-532-1660, Monday–Friday 9:00 AM–7:00 PM Eastern Time. Please do not call prior to March 24, 2015, at 9:00 AM Pacific Time. - See more at: http://comic-con.org/cci/hotels#sthash.caHHF2Cd.dpuf

Visit this page and click on the “Make Your Hotel Reservations” button or call 1-877-55-COMIC (1-877-552-6642) or 212-532-1660, Monday–Friday 9:00 AM–7:00 PM Eastern Time. Please do not call prior to March 24, 2015, at 9:00 AM Pacific Time. - See more at: http://comic-con.org/cci/hotels#sthash.caHHF2Cd.dpuf

7:46 am

Starting today at 9 am PST, you can go back into the hotel system and search for rooms. Like I said, this isn't going to be the same deal as a few weeks ago where you had to enter 6 picks and make a wish; once you're in the system, you'll be able to see which hotels are available on which dates and choose for yourself.

This could be a great thing for those of you who didn't get a hotel at all, or hate the hotel you got. However, you should temper your hopes in 2 areas:

1) Hopefully the system stays up and functional and everyone gets in. But it did crash last year from the rabid demand. If that happens this year, try not to get too upset. You will get in eventually. And if you're worried that all the "good" rooms will be gone by the time you do...

2) The rooms available won't be all that magnificent anyhow. There might be a few downtown rooms but by and large, these rooms will look like a wider range of the kind of rooms available in the Early Bird Sale. You might strike gold; but you might also have to settle for Hotel Circle.

Remember that rooms will continue to open up over the coming weeks and months. People cancel trips. Companies overbook, then scale back their intended presence. And of course deposits are refundable for another week - so the same people you're competing against today for an upgraded room could let go of their original room this weekend and free it up for you.

I've already had several first-timers complain about how exhausting and stressful the whole process is. I know. I don't think there's any way to adequately prepare someone for what it's actually like to go to San Diego Comic-Con. Besides the sheer dumb luck of the badge sales, there's very much a Darwinist element in winnowing attendees down to the ones who have the fortitude, money, agility and inner Zen to ride this rollercoaster. That said - the hard part is almost done, and then you can sit back and revel in your anticipation.

Good luck today. I'm cool with my hotel (Hard Rock) but I'll be monitoring the process and posting what I hear.