(no subject)
Overall, had a good time at FC. But the rumor at the con was that it will be at the SJ Convention Center next year, and the con hotel will be the Marriott next to the SJCC. Which prompted this exchange from me on the SocalFurs list...
>...so by now nyou've probably have gotten word through the grapevine
> that aftert a few years in the Fairmont, the con is moving yet again to
> ther San Josre Convention Center for 3 years.
> Which means the Fairmont is gonna be a memory, for now...
Well, the convention center and the new hotel are just a couple blocks away. In fact, I would sorta expect that the Fairmont may well have struck a deal that they would be the 'overflow', but that's a guess.
My main gripe with the Fairmont is that they were obviously setup as a business traveller hotel, but they were WAY not equipped to handle a 'fan-based' con.
Big gripe, reservations.... Both last year and this year, we reserved a two-bed room, starting on Thursday. Both years, we get there on Thursday afternoon, and are told that there are no two-bed rooms available. And both years we talked to others that had the same thing happen to them. If this was occasionally happening to a few people, it would be understandable. But for it to be a pattern, it just should not happen. Period. This alone was one big reason that I am GLAD that we are leaving the Fairmont.
Another indication that 'we are not their target market' was the hotel pricing. Even with the 'free internet' from their club, the cost of a normal room at the Fairmont was about $175 a night, with taxes and parking added. I'm sorry, but whoever at FC thought that the fandom wants to pay that much per night is out of their minds. I would much rather that that money would be going to the others in the fandom, like the artists, or the con itself.
Other issues, lack of extra beds, parties shut down early, etc...
The people at the Fairmont were unfailingly polite and tried to help us, but the hotel policies and prices just sucked, unless you have an expense account.
So, I am waiting for details on the new arrangements. But I really hope that the new place will be able to accommodate the fan-based expectations...
yasha
>...so by now nyou've probably have gotten word through the grapevine
> that aftert a few years in the Fairmont, the con is moving yet again to
> ther San Josre Convention Center for 3 years.
> Which means the Fairmont is gonna be a memory, for now...
Well, the convention center and the new hotel are just a couple blocks away. In fact, I would sorta expect that the Fairmont may well have struck a deal that they would be the 'overflow', but that's a guess.
My main gripe with the Fairmont is that they were obviously setup as a business traveller hotel, but they were WAY not equipped to handle a 'fan-based' con.
Big gripe, reservations.... Both last year and this year, we reserved a two-bed room, starting on Thursday. Both years, we get there on Thursday afternoon, and are told that there are no two-bed rooms available. And both years we talked to others that had the same thing happen to them. If this was occasionally happening to a few people, it would be understandable. But for it to be a pattern, it just should not happen. Period. This alone was one big reason that I am GLAD that we are leaving the Fairmont.
Another indication that 'we are not their target market' was the hotel pricing. Even with the 'free internet' from their club, the cost of a normal room at the Fairmont was about $175 a night, with taxes and parking added. I'm sorry, but whoever at FC thought that the fandom wants to pay that much per night is out of their minds. I would much rather that that money would be going to the others in the fandom, like the artists, or the con itself.
Other issues, lack of extra beds, parties shut down early, etc...
The people at the Fairmont were unfailingly polite and tried to help us, but the hotel policies and prices just sucked, unless you have an expense account.
So, I am waiting for details on the new arrangements. But I really hope that the new place will be able to accommodate the fan-based expectations...
yasha