Hotels, server load, and a note from the site admin
When hotel reservations open on Thursday morning, it is going to be interesting from a systems perspective. After all, that is our highest traffic day of the year! Last year, we had over 300 concurrent connections to our webserver and chances are that number will be even higher this year.
"So what happens if the site goes down from the load?"
Good question! Thanks to social media, there are a number of other ways we can communicate with our membership. If you have any problems accessing the website on Thursday morning, watch these other places for announcements and possibly direct links to the hotel reservation pages themselves:
While I hope the load doesn't utterly crush our webserver and cause a service outage, I also want to be prepared in case it does happen.
If there are any questions, feel free to send me a PM or leave a comment on this post.
Regarding the reservating stuff, would it be advisable to use the phone systems then, or would those numbers be tied like the servers?
-Flame
What about the Anthrocon LiveJournal? There's still a lot of furs who use it.
If someone wants to post info there, that's great. But posting to Facebook, Google Plus, etc. is a manual process. Every single time. I'm not up to manually posting things on every single social media site in existance.
That said, speaking of social media, I have to be brutally honest here: LJ has lost that battle. Sure, they were ahead of their time when they came out, but they squandered their lead, and many years later they have been eclipsed by sites like Facebook.
what is the phone number to call the Westin directly? I remember that was recommended last year.
Here is a conundrum. We don't like to post that number ahead of time because people do not quite listen, and begin assaulting their switchboards hours before the opening time. Last year it got very tiresome. The number will be posted here, and while we do not anticipate any trouble with our servers, as Giza said, we are prepared to post the information elsewhere.
This is going to be interesting. I guess if the site goes down, I still have the Westin's number on my phone's address book (had it there for the past few years in case we got lost driving there).
Every year, this seems to feel like the beginning of a foot race. "Everyone on your marks, get set..."
Hi, I am new to the convention and I am not sure how the hotel process works. Is there a number to call tomorrow or a website to logon to? Can someone please help. Thank you
Okay. At 9:00 AM tomorrow, a hidden option to the left will be revealed. It will be under Information and it will be labelled Hotels. Open it. The five hotels Anthrocon has available will all be shown (although you may have to go one screen further). Click on the hotel you want and a computer form will appear with all of the normal things you need to fill out, like your name and address. You will need a credit card to do it through this website, however.
If you don't have a credit card, the phone number will be listed so that you can call the hotel and make other arrangements to pay the one-night's deposit required to reserve the room.
Plan ahead. Make sure of the dates you'll want the room for: this will save you time. Be aware, as Giza said earlier in this thread, that the Westin (the main Con hotel) filled up within a half-hour. The Courtyard filled up even quicker. (The reason is simple: The Westin has about 560 rooms for us, the Courtyard only has 50.) Be prepared to get a room in a hotel other than the one you really want. Rooms with two beds go fastest, because four people (if they're friendly) can actually all sleep in the beds, instead of having someone sleep on the florr or in a chair.
(Note: the location is based on prior years. There will probably be a posting made here that has the exact location you'll need for the hotel reservation form.)
Thank you very much for taking the time to help me! I am very excited..
Anyone know if its possible to reserve in person starting at 9AM, if you live near Pittsburgh?
I'm there right now bro
Just make sure that you are at the counter being helped right at 9am. If you are in line behind a couple of people at 9 it may be a lost cause.
i think the biggest headach is the amount of double bed room avalable, at the westin and courtyard. they are the 2 hotels that the fursuiters try to get in to because they are the closest to the DDLC. last year for 2011 i drove in a snowstorm on snow covered roads, while on the phone just so i could reserve my room at the westin, this year, i was unloading my truck by hand while on the phone with the westin, so i could reserve my room. and im a fursuiter, thats how determind i am
I missed both the Westin and the Courtyard this year because I tried to have my father bok my room for me and he couldn't figure out the sites. I ended up at the Omni. If only it had opened at 9:00 PM instead of AM, or any other time outside of work hours. Maybe next year I'll take the morning off so I can do it myself... Not looking forward to walking that far back and forth several times a day in suit...But at least I got the con rate this year for all four days!
If I'm not trying to get into the main hotel (I'm aiming for the Doubletree), would it be better for me to wait until Friday to try to reserve a room, or should I still try to get a room as soon as possible?