Hotel advice for first-time conventiongoers
For those who have never been to a convention, and in particular those who had never stayed in a hotel for a convention before, there are some important things to remember:
1) Check-in time is 3:00 PM. It takes time for the hotel to get the room made up from last night's occupant. Sometimes they have a room available early, but that is catch-as-catch-can. If you arrive before 3:00 PM, there is a good chance that the room will not be ready yet. Do not fret, though. You can ask the bellman to keep your luggage for you so you can run around and have fun without dragging it with you. A gratuity of $1 per bag is traditional when you go to pick it up.
2) Check-out time is 11:00 AM. On the day that you check out, you must be out of your room and pay your bill before 11:00 AM. If not, you run the risk of being charged for another day. Sometimes it is possible to ask for late check-out, but that must be done at least the day before, and is dependent on availability. If there is someone coming in who wants to check into that room, the hotel will not be able to let you check out late.
3) For Pete's sake, do not use a debit card!!!. Just don't. Do not use a debit card. More information here.
4) Your room type is not guaranteed. The hotel has a certain number of double-bed rooms, and a certain number of king-bed rooms. Over the last hundred years or so it has been their experience that (a) some people change their minds when they arrive, and (b) some people don't bother to show up at all. Thus, they overbook each room type by a small amount, anticipating both of these situations. The hotel will do its best to accommodate your request, but it is not going to hold a double-room for you if someone else shows up ahead of you with cash-in-hand saying, "I'd like a double room instead." AFter all, they have no idea if you're even going to be there. Every single hotel does this; it is not unique to Anthrocon or to any convention, for that matter. That means that if you have four people in your room, you need to have a contingency plan just in case you arrive and the hotel has no double rooms left. That does not happen often, but it does happen, so be prepared.
5) Special requests for amenties are not guaranteed. The hotel can provide rollaway beds, portable refrigerators, and other niceties upon request, but they only have a limited number! In the end, it is first-come, first-served. When you request such items, it is understood that the request is subject to availability. As mentioned previously, the hotel is not going to deny a rollaway to someone to asks for one just because you reserved one, since they have no assurance that you'll even show up at all. If you are counting on having a rollaway bed or a refrigerator, make alternative plans! These items are in extremely high demand and they go very fast. Even if you have a medical need for any item, you need to be prepared, since (sadly) everyone who wants a rollaway or a refrigerator claims that there is a medical need, thinking it will give them an advantage.
6) Remember a special Housekeeping rule. Even if you hang up the Do not disturb sign, at some point during the day (between 10 AM and 6 PM) a housekeeper is going to knock on your door. She does this (a) to make sure you are all right and not lying dead in a poor of blood on the floor, and (b) to ensure that the room is still in good order. If you do not want any towels or don't want the bed made or the floor vacuumed, just tell the housekeeper so. Anthrocon's standards of conduct are extremely clear on the fact that you must allow hotel staff access to your room on request, regardless of whether you have hung out a sign. We love our hardworking housekeeping staff, and anyone who causes them dismay will receive a second visit from certain Anthrocon staff members.
7) Remember to tip the housekeeping staff. It is traditional to leave behind a tip for the housekeepers. The standard about is $1 per day, per person in the room. Do not leave it all at once on the final day, since you may have a different housekeeper each day. Leave the tip on the pillow or the sink, and it helps to include a little note that says "housekeeper."
8] If you need extra pillows or blankets, bring extra pillows or blankets. Again, these items are in high demand, and the hotel only has a certain number of each.
9) Keep ELEVATOR ETIQUETTE in mind. Do not try to hop onto a downward-moving elevator if you want to go up. At high-usage times, Security staff will be clearing everyone out of elevators at the ground floor and will send you to the end of the line. You can help keep the elevators moving smoothly by showing everyone how fit you are and taking the stairs. A stairwell that goes to the guest floors is accessible from the 3rd floor of the Westin (where the Anthrocon Zoo is located) near the escalators. Also, do not hold open elevator doors. That only slows the trip down for everyone.
10) Get a room. If you do not have a room, find a friend to crash with. It is not permissible to sleep in the lobby on sofas, or in the hallways, or anywhere other than a sleeping room. Our hotels are very high-class establishments; they are not flophouses.
11) We are not alone. Although Anthrocon takes up the majority of the hotel, there are always guests who are not members of the convention who may be annoyed by people making a lot of noise, running in the hallways, etc. Remember your manners.
Not merely 'permitted,' Nicona: encouraged.
To explain to newbies: those in fursuit are given priority simply because suits are hot and usually awkward. Suiters may be hurrying back to their rooms to get out of their suits before they collapse from heat stroke.
(Edited to correct misspelling of Nicona's name...)
Just a few more comments:
Stairs: Given the sheer amount of elevator usage during peak hours, it is often possible to get to your room via the use of stairs faster than using the elevator; this is especially true if you're lucky enough to be on a lower floor. Those who can might do well to practice some stair-climbing exercises in the month prior to the con. After you come up to the third floor by escalator, take a right, another right, and go into the single door on the left wall(with the escalators to your right).
Housekeeping: Aside from needing to enter the room every day, keep in mind that housekeepers are not personal servants; do try and make sure they don't have TOO much to clean up. Bag up all trash, put towels together, make sure your stuff isn't all over the room in their way. If it IS unavoidable that they'll have some extra work to do(such as the shower curtain slipping and water going all over the bathroom floor), do the best you can to clean it up (such as by using all the towels to soak up as much as you can) and leave a bit extra on the tip to make up for it.
Elevators: Adding to Nicona's post, not only are people in-suit(and one handler) allowed priority access to the elevators, the same goes for non-convention goers, delivery personnel(such as pizza delivery), and disabled convention goers. During peak evening hours, this can translate into a wait time of 15 minutes or more for the elevators in the Westin, in which case you might want to refer to the notes about stairs. Even stopping to take a break, you can get all the way to the top in that time.
Non-convention goers: Remember, at the convention, we're the face of the fandom, and how you act directly affects people's impressions of Anthrocon, and of furry as a whole. Let's make sure we give them a good one. 
Edit! And one more bit...
Closed doors! Be wary of closed doors in the hotel prior to the main convention start! Usually they're fine, but on rare occasions, they're unlocked on the side you're on...and locked on the other one, meaning you can't get back out and need to call a friend. This is, of course, embarrassing, and could be quite the problem sometimes! So just be careful. :>
I got stuck inside the walls of the ballroom at one point this way. Trying to find my way there to help with setup, I got caught in a stairwell where the only available paths led to the roof (which was a horrifying door to open) and a series of dirty rooms full of insulation.
It took me a good hour to figure out how to get out of there since my phone wasn't working and I couldn't get the attention of the folks down below.
That's exactly the same place that I got caught, actually. But I managed to get some cell phone reception and a friend was able to help me. Sorry for your trouble. 
Housekeeping: Aside from needing to enter the room every day, keep in mind that housekeepers are not personal servants; do try [to] make sure they don't have TOO much to clean up. Bag up all trash, put towels together, make sure your stuff isn't all over the room in their way.
Sorry to bump an old thread (though arguably it should be a sticky one), but this came up in today's comics...
Here's another bit of advice to add to the list.
Try not to crowd the lobby
This advice is mainly towards the Westin, the lobby of the Westin is not very big. While there is space to sit and relax, it's not recommended to just stand around in the area near the revolving door. People do need to come and go, so it's best to keep that area clear.
With that said, there are various seating areas on the second floor that are plenty fine for one to relax.
-Silverwulf
And, to add in general, Please remember. When you're hard working security staff asks you (and hopefully we do so nicely) to clear an area, or not use a door, or load the elevator at the lobby level, please help us out. We really aren't doing this for our own entertainment (well, not usually), we're asking cause we need to keep things moving. We have the advantage of seeing "The Big Picture" which might not be obvious from where you're standing. So, really, help us help you.
Thanks for the tips. I might be going to Anthrocon this year, but then again I might not. But in case I do, I'll know all the stuff with Hotel Etiquette.
Also, a tip:
DO NOT MOOCH OFF OF OTHER CONGOERS:
If you can't find a room, and you're stuck with another congoer, do your share of the work and payments. If you are at a diner with a friend to get some food after the con, pay your share of the bill. Do not make him/her pay for the both of you. If you are in the same room as another congoer, BE AS NEAT AS YOU CAN! You don't want the other congoer to be frustrated and disgusted by your sloppiness and might kick you out of his/her room.
Also, DO NOT STEP ON ANY COCKROACHES! It might be Uncle Kage.
11) We are not alone. Although Anthrocon takes up the majority of the hotel, there are always guests who are not members of the convention who may be annoyed by people making a lot of noise, running in the hallways, etc. Remember your manners.
Yes! This goes for furries too, as not everyone attending the con has the same wake/sleep cycles or is even from the same time zone. People attend from all over the world! So please be considerate of others on the room floors... you never know who might be trying to rest at any given time during the con.
9) Keep ELEVATOR ETIQUETTE in mind...
A) I would just like to add that when an elevator arrives at your floor, that when the doors open, give those already on-board and opportunity to get out, before trying to board yourself! It may take a moment for the person in the back to make his way through the crowded car to exit, and if 2 or 3 or 4 impatient furry fans try to force their way on as soon as the door opens, that person will be prevented from getting out - which, besides likely enraging said person, just limits the capacity of the elvator to hold another body.
B) On the other side of the coin, if you are in the elevator and your exit floor is next, inform the people who may be in front of you, so that they can make way for you, and you will be ready to exit the elevator with vigour and dispatch, giving those who wish to board enough time to do so.
C) If you are leaving your room, and round the corner of the elevator lobby just as an elevator is about to leave, don't ask the occupants to "hold the elevator"! ESPECIALLY if you are waiting for a roommate or friend who is "just behind you", who is taking his or her sweet time to leisurely stroll their way to the elevator. Please, simply wait for the next one - once the car leaves your floor and you press the button requesting another, one will be passing by within 60 seconds or so.
D) When an elevator arrives at your floor, and the doors have opened, take a quick look inside before you make your move to get aboard; if the current space available isn't enough for at least _2_ more normal-sized people, standing freely without crowding everyone together like sardines shoulder to shoulder, then do not get on; forcing your way onto an already-full elevator is not just rude, and likely to get you smacked in the back of the head as you get off, it also makes it nearly impossible for others to get off at their desired floors, as you are taking up the room necessary for people to move towards the front of the car as their floor is approached.
E) Elevators (and escalators) are not THRILL RIDES. You get on, you get off. You do NOT jump to see if you can make the elevator stop, and you do NOT push all of the buttons unnecessarily, delaying the elevator by causing it to stop at floors which nobody wanted. Do this on any elevator in which I am riding, and you will be getting off at the very next stop, and quite likely landing on your chin.
******
Just follow these simple rules for using elevators, and I'm sure that we'll all get to our end destinations with plenty of time, we'll all get along quite splendidly, and no one will have any cause to worry about who may or may not be current and up-to-date on their Rabies vaccination, 'kay?
if the current space available isn't enough for at least _2_ more normal-sized people, standing freely without crowding everyone together like sardines shoulder to shoulder, then do not get on;
But Elevator Tetris is so much fun!
But more seriously and helpfully, if someone else needs to get out of the elevator and they are behind you, please make sure you give them the room they need! This may mean temporarily stepping off of the elevator to let them through.
A) I would just like to add that when an elevator arrives at your floor, that when the doors open, give those already on-board and opportunity to get out, before trying to board yourself! [...]
These are very good tips, Uncle Kage. Just a little add in for the elevator etiquette: Fursuiters (who are in suit) are given priority at the elevators. For those who are not aware of this it could probably get annoying watching people allowed to move to the head of the line not realizing that it is permitted in this case.