Something new for 2009

Are the Yankees coming back? XP

Yes. Groups the size of Anthrocon book hotels years in advance. It just so happens that another group booked more years in advance than we did. We are already set at the Omni for 2010.

I'm pretty sure it means "you will be charged the first's night's stay automatically at the time of the reservation", which means that, when you arrive, you've already paid for that.

In previous years, there was a serious problem regarding hotel rooms.
The convention is able to get us the convention rate (CHEAPER ROOMS at convenient hotels)
by making a deal with each hotel. The hotel wants to fill all rooms, and an empty room
means money they don't make. So, the convention guarantees them filled rooms, in
exchange for an arrangement where the conventioners get to rent the rooms for less.
The hotel fills the rooms (although not at the highest price they MIGHT get, but they still
make a profit), and we get the rooms we need.

The PROBLEM was that lots of people didn't know if they were going to the convention or not.
So, with no penalty for doing so, lots of people with only a vague idea they might like
to go reserved a LOT of the rooms. As it came down to the dates of the convention, most
of them either realized they couldn't go-and cancelled the reservation,
or got room in someone else's reserved room-and cancelled the reservation.

This was bad for the hotel, bad for the conventioners, and bad for the convention.
It was bad for the hotel because suddenly, they had lots of rooms now vacant that were
supposed to be filled, with little chance to fill them. That's VERY bad for a hotel.

It was bad for the conventioners because those who were almost certain to attend were
unable to get the rooms they wanted because they'd been reserved before they did so-
so they reserved rooms further away, sometimes much further away, some of them outside
the convention reservation blocks.

It was bad for the convention because they ended up dealing with less-happy conventioners,
and unhappy hotels- who expected financial compensation. AC guaranteed people in those
rooms, and how had to deliver on the guarantees, which means money LOST by AC.

All because some people didn't care about the consequences to others, and made problems
for everyone else through their carelessness.

This past year, an attempt was made to address that, with some results.
After a certain point, the first night was charged. Before that, the same people who
reserved and cancelled without conscience had to cancel- giving the hotels a LITTLE time
to fill the rooms and other conventioners a chance to reserve them-
or NOT cancel in time, and the hotel gets the money for the first night as partial
compensation for the vacant room.

Apparently, that didn't work as well as we would have hoped, since AC was unable to
secure similar agreements this year.

It's less convenient-to a point- for those who are DEFINITE for AC'09, but it SHOULD
slow down the rate of rooms getting snatched up by people who won't end up in them-
since they'd lose over $100 for being careless. With fewer of them snatching up the
rooms in the Westin (and the other blocks), those who are DEFINITE for the con will
have a much bigger window for reserving rooms they will DEFINITELY use.
That's good for the definites, and good for the hotels, who don't want to shuffle around
and refill rooms.

So, if you want to know why it happened, it's not the fault of the hotels, nor of
AnthroCon.

I actually like this new set up a bit better because the Omni took forever to charge my debit card the deposit this year. The website says 'deposit will occur between X and Y" and Y came, no charge...

I finally called them and had them take the deposit because I was worried they'd lost the reservation.

I'd rather pay up front than have to keep the amount floating on the debit for them to charge sometime in the future.

True, but the 4th was the Wednesday before the con. Those arriving early could watch the fireworks, although the view from the hotel and convention center isn't very good -- the tall buildings downtown are in the way.

I'd forgotten! In Albany in 1997 and 1998 the con hotel was about a block from Empire State Plaza, where the city's fireworks display takes place. I remember going to watch them the Friday of the con in 1997 (this was before I volunteered for the Art Show), but bad weather delayed them in 1998 to Sunday the 5th and I watched them while loading the Art Show equipment onto a truck.

PA's kind of weird when it comes to fireworks.

Phantom Fireworks sells the "good stuff" in Warfordsburg/Breezewood, PA, but if you're a PA resident they won't let you in the store.

Legal or not sparklers and AC sounds like a recipe for disaster. Combine small flaming sticks being swung around with people with horrible visibility wearing big flammable costumes that are hard to get out of quickly and that's asking for trouble.

People should definitely leave the fireworks, sparklers included, home.

I can't get to Photobucket from work, but yes, Hall B was the huge hall on the left as you walked across the third-floor bridge from the Spirit of Pittsburgh Ballroom. It's about 80% larger than Hall C (82,450 square feet vs. 45,100 square feet).

---
Tom Brady/Duncan da Husky
Artists Alley and Con Store Manager
For fastest replies to questions about Artists Alley, e-mail me at

That is indeed Hall B. There's more space in there than we will EVER need.

Good point.

If it were held in Baltimore, there wouldn't be too much of a problem as the Baltimore Convention center has like, 8 hotels within a short walking distance. That's why Otakon can have upwards of 15,000+.

The overflow hotels used this year were the closest around. The loss of the Omni is a pretty big shot.