2010 Hotel reservations will be available in February
Please note that hotel reservations for Anthrocon 2010 are not yet available. If you try to contact the hotel for a room right now, they will tell you that the block is "sold out," because that's what the computer screen says. It is not sold out; we have not opened it yet, and will not open it until February. This decision was made based on feedback we received from our members, and applies to all of the hotels which have offered us rooms for next year.
In that case *pounces and kisses Uncle Kage*! Anyway that will work out nicely because I won't know if I will be able to attend until I find out how much I am getting back from taxes. Definitely want to try to get into the Westin this year if I can go although staying at the courtyard was great. What hotels other than the Westin are normally the primary hotels for the con?
The Westin and the Omni are the usual main hotels. Doubletree is a overflow hotel with the Courtyard right behind it. Not sure but I think I'm missing one...
_________________
My Anthrocon 2008 montage video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xfIYmueKeI
Yay! *bouncebounce*
Thanks so much for doing this. I have every hope that it may calm some of the hotel storm, at least insofar as it encourages folks to make plans and talk to their friends about rooming together before they grab hotel rooms.
It'll certainly make my life feel a mite less hectic. 
Yay! Plenty of time to save up now
~Shy~
I'm a Furry4Life, are you?
http://www.furry4life.org
Hugs are free!
Well this should make thing more easier for me. I was afraid that I would have to book a room right away.
Yea, this will be good for me as well, I'll be able to see if I have enough $$ myself, though I'll be trying like mad to make it.
Lionman
This will be interesting, I think the Westin will have a pretty busy day come February. I can see pro's and con's with this but I am happy to see AC is willing to try new things to improve the process.
Out of curiousity, how does this affect suite reservations? Will they be open before, after, or at the same time as regular reservations?
If possible, opening suite reservations before regular rooms would be awesome (even if it's only by a week). As it stands, those who want a two-bedroom suite have to secure a separate reservation for a double room and convert that to a suite reservation. It'd be very nice not to have to deal with that extra step, especially since the delayed opening of reservations will create two "land rushes", one for regular rooms and one for suites. Plus, if someone tries to get a suite and can't for some reason, this gives them a fair chance to get a regular room as a backup option, without having to pay for a backup reservation in advance.
Out of curiousity, have there been any further developments on this?
I'm not sure if this is possible or not, but is there anyway we can find out how much the rooms will be BEFORE the reservation system opens up so we know how much we're saving?
Well....
Uncle Kage will certainly try to keep the room rates the same as they were last year. That price was $119 per room per night. (That's normal rooms, not suites.) After the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the City of Pittsburgh got their money (called taxes and fees), the price ended up being $135 per night. (That may be off by a few cents, but not a dollar.)
Now, nobody can guarantee that Kage will be able to get the same room rate this year, and taxes/fees are totally beyond his control (except to the extent that he's a resident of Pennsylvania and can work to unelect these officials).
These rooms would normally cost $200-$300 per night under normal prices. So, work on the assumption that you're saving approximately 50% at least.
The room rates will be made official when the hotel reservations open up in February... or earlier if Kage decides to make such an announcement. He may still be 'discussing' the room rate with the hotels.
I just wanted to know because a lot of my potential roomies want to know how much money they need to save. I'm also in that boat, so we just wanted an estimate...
On the one hand... I will have to be fast.
On the other hand... it gives me time to budget. :3
*starts taking bets on how long it'll take before the Westin's registration server is brought to its knees, come February*
I'm betting 2.491 seconds.
So what happens if we don't get a hotel reservation?? I'm pretty slow when it comes to reservations and I will probably forget. I'm trying my hardest to remember to register for AC, when it opens.
When hotel reservations open up, we will post a notice on the front page, as well as on our Twitter feed.
Also, do not fear if hotel registrations immediately fill; very often we are able to expand are room block further, as it becomes necessary. In addition, we will bring up a "Room Share" forum at that time, so that people who have a room with extra space may look for roommates, and those looking form space may seek that space.
--Chi
I would look forward to that, but my mom is taking me, even though I am 18 she doesn't trust anything going on up there. So she has to be there for the fist convention which sucks, but I am going so I'm happy I'll just "lose" her at the convention.
We'd kinda rather you don't do that. Based on past history, it results in a worried parent coming to The Operations Office saying that they can't find their kid, at which point we're kinda obligated to assist. 
What we do recommend is that you bring your mom to the, "So, my kid dragged me to this convention" panel we'll be having. That would give her a better introduction to the convention and furry as a whole.
As Giza said, don't try to 'lose' your Mom, though assuredly after she gets comfortable with you being at the convention, she'll probably let you do some wandering around on your own, in the sort of "Okay, meet me at 1pm for Lunch." of way.
And your mom being a bit protective isn't a bad thing, much as it might chafe a bit to your 18-year old self. She's letting you check out this crazy convention, after all, but wants to be sure about things. This is pretty reasonable a call on her part!
Since the bookings are quite late this year, in order to avoid the disappointment of not being in my first choice hotel (IE the Westin!) would booking a room outside of the AC block cause any problems? (Apart from being more expensive and not getting AC keycards)
As with all conventions, the hotel makes a block of rooms available and the con must fill that block. The reduced room rates and deals on Westin facilities (rooms and function space) are dependent on this block being filled. So, in some ways, this hurts the convention because yet another room is filed by furries and the con gets no credit for it. Yeah, the Westin makes more money, but it doesn't count toward the number of rooms the con must fill.
Hello I'm new here... anyway... how much dose a room cost typicly for the Hotels?
In the past, the convention room rate has been $119 per night, with state/local taxes and fees bringing the real cost up to about $135 per night. There's no guarantee that Kage will be able to get that rate for 2010, and there's no telling what changes may occur concerning taxes as these basically change on the whims of politicians.
Figure at least $135 per night... but that amount can be divided by up to four if you're willing to room-share.
Oh ok so if I stay 3 nights it will be close to $400....wow.. I'd have to bring an extra $300 dollars to buy stuff at the convention...
Yes - but that is the cost for the room - not the cost per person!
You can pay for the room, and put up to 4 people in it - and split the cost, 4 ways! So your actual cost to you is only one-quarter of that, or for 3 nights, about $100.
The same with TaxiCabs - you pay for the distance travelled, NOT for the number of people using the cab. People tend to forget this. The ride from the airport to the hotels downtown is so-much-per-mile, in increments of 1/10th of a mile, and is set by a city or county commission, and all cabs licensed to carry passengers for hire charge that fare. If three of you share a cab, your share of the fare is only one-third of the total, plus the tip.
It pays to have friends, to share with!
Thanks for the update mate I appreciate it ^^ I've never been to a Furry Convention....or any convention for that matter 
OK heres a silly question...
Do you have to Call them for the reservation ONLY... 
or or can you do it online? 
If you have to call only for the reservation.. whats the Phone number 
whats the web site for doing it online???
Thanks and Heres a bottle of wine for you KAGE for doing all this for us
You can either call them for the reservation or do it online, once the Convention Hotel block opens in February. In the past, there have been direct links to hotel registration directly from the start page of this website: I would guess that the same thing will happen again.
IIRC, hotel registration on-line requires a credit or debit card. (Credit cards are better: Debit cards may have large 'holds' put on them for long periods of time.) If you don't have either of them, you'll have to make your reservation by phone so you can make other arrangements to pay the one-night deposit. You must also be at least 18 years old to reserve a room. Normally, that age is 21, but the hotels relax that to 18 for Anthrocon.
In short, you cannot reserve a room at the convention rate until February, 2010.
i was wondering if it was ok for a 14(will be 15 before the convention starts) year old person can go to the convention? i am really ooking forward to this. if it is ok, then i will talk to my parrents about how to raise the money, and i would plan with someone who is going if they could give me a ride if my parrents say yes. after that, i can plan with someone with an open slot in their room when the rooms are then open.
There is no lower age limit, but (as I mentioned on another thread), you'll need to have your parents permission. This is due to legal issues.
As the con approaches, we'll put a minor consent form up on this website that your parents will have to sign and send along with you to the con.
Another option, which should not be discounted, would be bringing your parents along to the convention with you. Letting them see the con in person would be a great way to explain furry to them, as well as ease any concerns they might have about you attending the con by yourself. (Also, they could chat with my parents, who also attend. 
)
um... did you at all hear that they are babtists? if you wantch the news, and my parrents would probably agree, ,,, nvm. but i am working on that. they still dont know that i am into furries, and i am pretty sure that i can convince them into signing the concent form. i have done it before with other things.
(psst: Giza, I put the minor consent form up!)
Your best bet is to bring your parents along. Pittsburgh has a lot to offer for visitors who aren't Furry and who knows -- your parents might have just as much fun at the convention as you do!
possibly, but then again, my brother is also an issue. he is 2 minutes older than me, likes to bully me, and can throw me across the room. i would rather not have to deal with that. how much is a cheap room, and do i have to pay 4 times, or once?
The room rate for Anthrocon will be about $135 per night after taxes and fees; this may seem like a lot but they are large and luxurious hotel rooms.
The more people in a room (Up to the limit of 4), then obviously, the less cost per person.
If your family wishes to explore Anthrocon with you, they would need to purchase their own registrations; they may be fine with a day pass. Alternatively, they can 'drop you off' at the con with a consent form, and explore Pittsburgh on their own.
--Chi
Will it be the same as last year, where we will need to e-mail you to get a suite reservation set up?
is the convention alwais in the same place? if it is, then i can plan well into the future.
Sam,
I would KISS you if I could and it were appropriate.
It is so frustrating to have to think about reserving a room for a con that's nearly a year in the future, as you never know what plans will be that far in advance, and the rooms almost always sell out within the first few months.
Not having to worry about it until February is awesome.
THANK YOU!
-Zorin