On hotel room exchanges

7 APRIL 2016



It seems to me that most attendees still haven't gotten their hotel assignments yet, but for those who have, the trading has begun. So a few words of caution.


If you have a room to transfer:

You shouldn't have to give out much personal information. Last year all it took was a name and reservation number. The person you transferred to called Travel Planners (now On Peak), said they wanted to put the reservation in their name, gave all their info - address, phone, etc - and then the email shot out to them, prompting them for the deposit. Deal done. I don't know if it will be exactly the same now but we'll find out.

ETA: SDCC Unofficial Blog says they were asked for original person's billing address and zip code, and they talked them down to just the zip code. So be prepared for that.

If you don't know who to transfer an unwanted room to, you've got options. I'm interested, for myself and friends who are looking, so you can come to me; you can also go to Friends of Comic Con and participate in their hotel exchange. They are a solid group of people, really smart about SDCC and very helpful.

If you're looking for a room:

This is the harder position but don't give up hope. Let your other attendee friends know you're looking and have them put out the word. The aforementioned FoCC exchange is only for active forum members, so if you qualify, go there. If not, just be as proactive as possible. And don't give up; you may be hustling for some time to come, but you will find something.

If you're on either side of the exchange:

Be discreet. Last year I saw people posting all kinds of personal info online like addresses, last names, etc. Sometimes a room would pass through multiple people and the original person would find their info handed down 2-3 times. Please respect everyone's privacy and keep the sharing to only what's absolutely critical. SDCC is a great community and it's always moving to see complete strangers help each other out - but it's easy to slip up, so be careful.

Again, try to stay positive. Easier said than done, I know.