hotel prices

[teresaw]

i wanted to get some feedback about hotel prices from all you out there!

 

have been to 2 chevrons and got ticket to 7.9 ( yipee ) and would really really like to go Happily Ever After next may, but the hotel prices are making me think twice.

 

The hilton at birmingham is so expensive, i know that if you get the deal with ME its cheaper but last time at the radisson, we missed out but still got a good deal with laterooms.com so all was well.

 

i've looked at these hotel booking sites to see if the deals are good but no go.

 

a single room is over £220 a night, thats over £600 for 3 nights. no way on earth can i afford that, its really making me think about not going, which is pants.

 

i'm sure i'm not the only one that will be shocked at these prices.

 

i save hard to go to these cons but that is just out of reach, i cant justify that outlay, and cant buy a gold ticket and hope that i get in on the room deal with ME,

 

let me know what you all think, no point in staying at different hotel, maybe the venue can be changed??

[jael001]

The Hilton in Birmingham is expensive if you don't get a convention rate. I've stayed there for numerous conventions and the rate is usually about £80 a night, £200 is probably the standard rate for a room there. I dont think a rate has been released yet for that event but I'd wait and see before making a decision. The hotel has hundreds of rooms, more than enough to house most of the attendees, if not all, that will attend. The venue wont be changed, there are very few venues in this country that can hold an event like this, which is why the same few venues are used over and over again and often by multiple event organisers. It is a fantastic venue for a convention, it has all the facilities that are needed which will be why they've chosen it. And as for staying at a different hotel, there are about half a dozen hotels in the vicinity if you decide you dont want to or can't afford to stay at the Hilton itself, it's not a case of "no point", plenty of people do it.

[Queen_Sindel]

let me know what you all think, no point in staying at different hotel, maybe the venue can be changed??

 

Sorry, but a venue change is not going to happen. Some events (like Chevron) are using other, partially smaller hotels. Then the complete hotel is blocked for the convention. As Jael has said, the venue choice is done due to the hotel facilities. The Birmingham hotel does have a huge convention facility, and for larger events this is needed.

 

As far as I know hotel rooms for Happily Ever After haven't even been released yet, or did I miss the code being announced?

[teresaw]

my point was that if all the rooms that are allocated for the con by ME are used up then i cannot afford £200 a night for a room, buying a gold ticket also would jump the price up to over £800 pounds.

 

How many rooms are allocated on the special rate??

 

I'm only a lowly factory worker so my income is limited, surely everybody should have a chance to attend, not just those who have fantastically paid jobs.

 

some people haevn't the money saved up by time the code is released, which was happened to my on the last chevron. when i called the hotel, all the con rate rooms had gone but we got a deal at a booking site. If i haven't got the money to pay when the code goes out then i simply wont be able to go. it may be a great hotel but it ain.t worth that much, the idea of staying at another hotel stinks, the whole point is to stay at the same hotel as the con, the radisson at heathrow is a 4 star hotel but they dont charge £220 for a single room. !!

[etmuse]

The Hilton doesn't take payment until arrival, even on the con rate. So you can book a room as soon as the con rate is released no matter if you have the money right that moment or not.

[Queen_Sindel]

How many rooms are allocated on the special rate??

 

A lot. For Chevron the complete hotel is blocked.

 

For Twilight usually at least 2/3 of the hotel are blocked.

 

As etmuse has said, the Birmingham Hilton does not charge when you book, they charge upon check in. If you got your ticket and you know you are coming you can reserve your room. That's what a lot of people do actually. The Chevron hotel in Northampton is one of the few hotels who would charge you prior because they have a lot of problems getting the rooms sold again because people did change their mind and cancelled shortly before the event. Larger hotels like the Hilton can work around that.

 

The Radisson at Heathrow does not have nearly as large facilities as the Hilton does. The Hilton was chosen based on the attendance expectations. The Radisson can hold a much smaller number of people. The Chevrons have been at three hotels meanwhile: the Northampton Park Inn, the Hilton in Birmingham and now the Radisson. The Hilton had the convention with Richard Dean Anderson, simply because the other hotels would not have coped with the crowd level.

 

 

I think those who have "fantastically paid jobs" are in the absolute minority here. We all have to make choices and save money. I neither have the vacation time nor the money to come to all events I want to either.

[teresaw]

i'm really pleased to know that i can book a room and pay for it when i get there, thanks for the info, puts my mind at rest, i would hate to miss this con. i go without holidays etc so i can pay for these cons, sad arn't i??

 

i am a late comer to conventions and love my time at them, great people, good fun.

 

thanks guys for helping me

[etmuse]

I think a lot of us skip holidays to go to conventions instead. (I also skip going out on weekends and buying new clothes and the like very often... I figure it's a worthwhile sacrifice.)

[Gordon The Gopher]

I'll be going and looking to share and get a twin room with someone if anyone interested please get in touch