Some important information (and requests) from the Westin

I've been talking with Michaela (who rocks) and Jaime (who rules) at the Westin. Our kind hosts were very pleased with us last year, but as always Anthrocon strives for continual improvement and I was anxious to hear from them how we can be even better guests in 2008. The ladies gave me the following, which I urge all Anthrocon attendees to read and heed:

1) This might sound a little silly, but if you're going to have a toga party, please do not use Westin sheets for togas. Bring your own. Washing extra sheets costs money, wastes energy and water, and in general puts additional burden on an already overworked housekeeping staff. While we won't point any fingers, I'm sure you know who you are!

2) Speaking of housekeeping, Jaime wanted me to remind everyone of a very, very important facet of hotel housekeeping: even if you do not want the room made up, the hotel staff needs to visit every room at least once a day to make sure that it is up to standard. This is not only a corporate requirement, but also something for which the local Health Inspector offers very little leeway. If the hotel wants to stay in business, they must comply. That means that even though you hang a "do not disturb" sign on your door, at some point the housekeeper must come in if only to do a quick check to make sure the room isn't on fire or anything.

3) They also would like our attendees to understand that the housekeeper likes to take out the trash every day, both for your comfort and so that the poor lady doesn't have to move a 400-pound mountain of empty pizza boxes and half-full Mountain Dew bottles at the end of the convention. We had a little bit more of that last year than is really necessary, so this year please be kind and let the housekeepers in to do their job so that they (and Jaime and Michaela) won't lose theirs. Now, Anthrocon does ask that housekeeping not start their rounds before 10 AM, so you should not get any knocks at your door before that, but at some point in the day the "Do Not Disturb" sign really should be taken down.

4) Please do not congregate in the lobby! There is another large group that is checking out just as we check in, and if people hang out in the lobby things will get chaotic very quickly. We have the entire rest of the hotel (including The Zoo up on the third floor) and big open spaces in the DLCC. Last year the crowds in the lobby were sometimes so thick that other guests - and yes, there are some non-furries staying with us this year - could not get through to the reservation desk.

5) If you are in the lobby, perhaps waiting for someone to join you at the fabulous four-star Original Fish Market Restaurant, please do not sit on the lobby stairs. After all, someone might step on your tail, or the chairman's white blur might come racing down from above and not be able to stop in time.

6) The elevators -- oh, yes, our beloved elevators! Did you know that there are two elevators that service not only the parking garage, but floors 1, 2, and 3? If you want to ride up to the 3rd floor from the lobby, or to the 2nd from the 3rd, and the escalators are just too far away for your tired legs, please use the Garage Elevators (located around the back of the main elevator bank, across from the gift shop on 1, from the business center on 2, and from the coat check on 3). We're going to experiment with prohibiting anyone from taking the main bank of elevators on 2 or 3, which means that if you want to go up, you must start at the lobby. That, or take the stairs -- it's good for you!

7) Please do not leave any personal items in the corridors or landings, especially if those items might startle and/or offend a nonfurry who happens to pass by. We want to be gracious guests, after all.

Lastly, here is a PDF version of the Welcome Letter that those staying at the Westin will receive when they check in. It contains much of the information above, but also a few more tidbits that not only Westin guests, but all Anthrocon attendees may find useful. Please read it over, and help us to give Anthrocon -- and all of Furry Fandom -- an even better reputation in the City of Pittsburgh than we already enjoy!