Discussion on Dragon Con 2008 Hotel Alert! within the The Sarlacc Pit forum, part of the Community category; Just wanted to tell everyone who is planning on attending
Just wanted to tell everyone who is planning on attending Dragon Con 2008 in Atlanta, GA that all three of the host hotels have opened their blocks and will be sold out with in the next month.
I just booked my room at the Hyatt for $152 per night.
Good luck!
Noooooooo!
Not the Hyatt.
A lot of the 501st (and possibly members here) are going to try and stay the heck away from there given what the hotel staff and security did this past year.
Everyone who's attending, I highly recommend going to the Marriott. It was great. Unfortunately, I won't be attending in 2008. It cost too much this year to make it an annual thing for me, but whenever I do get another chance to go, it'll be the Marriott for me.
wow.. just read through the horror stories... I'll be making it the Marriot as well.
what stories are these.I plan on going to this one, so any assistance will be appreciated.
thanks for the tip, Just out of curiosity will all 3 hotels really be sold out in a month? That just seems a little unrealistic, can someone clarify this for me.Originally Posted by Bobby Fett
Its fully possible that they're sold out in a Month. Dragon*Con IS that big of a deal. =P
I think they sold out about that quick last year, if I remember?
They always claim to be sold out within a month. Yet people get rooms in April............
Reserved a room at the Marriot last week.
They sell out the Dragon*Con rate in a month. They still have other rooms with jacked up prices. I should know, I covered the entire cost of said highly-priced room last time round, hence my not going this time round.
The Hyatt was like fort Knox this past year. I spent most of my time in the Marriott and was fine. Thanks for the heads up on making reservations.
I think I got my rooms in December or late November lastyear. This year we're trying to get some suites for Mercs since we have quite a few members coming this year. Gotta try to make it cheaper for everyone =)
Just booked the Marriott at $165 a night. This is odd as I know in the past rooms blocks didn't open until Feb.
The Marriott probably has heard that many people are boycotting the Hyatt, so they want to start getting their reservations filled now.
Well the Marriott is alreday sold out.
WOW!Well, there is still the Hilton and the Sheraton
Did you tell them it was for Dragon*Con or use the code? Because it will look sold out unless you use the code.
Where are you finding the hotel codes for next year? I see updated membership for 2008, but the hotel data is still 2007.
Yeah they told me sold out, but then I just said I was going for Dragon*Con and they said there was a block available. So needless to say, I have my room booked for D*C!!
I booked at the courtyard but I may try the full marriott agian. Thaks for the tip.
I looked at the Sheraton but they want you to prepay. No way in heck would I do that!
What Happened at the Hyatt?Noooooooo!
Not the Hyatt.
A lot of the 501st (and possibly members here) are going to try and stay the heck away from there given what the hotel staff and security did this past year.
Well, I was a guest at the Hyatt this past year and had to on multiple occasions go round about ways just to get into the hotel at night and at some points they wouldn't even allow people into the hotel, including guests trying to get into their hotel room at night. The elevator situation was another mess entirely- often 2-3 of their 6 elevators wouldn't run. Often you had to go down in order to go up and vice versa. Well, at one point they had large "bouncers" that were literally making us get off the elevator that we had already waited literally 1/2 an hour for in order to put handicap people on the elevator who had not waited at all. Now, don't get me wrong, I realize they were trying to help the handicap to get on the elevator, however, kicking patrons off the elevator who had waited that long is completely uncalled for. And sleeping is rather difficult as the noise carries all the way up and people are partying there at all hours of the night. Needless to say, that is the last time I will be staying there.
Yea when I called the Marriott they said that the Dragon Con room block was full and the hotel was sold out.
But I have a friend with some connections and they got us rooms booked so I am in like flynn.
According to the website, you can still make a reservation for a room at the Marriott at the DCon rate. I know, cause I just did it.
* August 28, 2008 (Thursday) - September 1, 2008 (Monday)
* (4 nights)
165.00
DRAGON CON
* Estimated government taxes and fees
* 24.75
* Total for stay (per room)
* 759.00
We are shooting for a suite for all the Mercs members to crash in, but holding this as backup till the suite is a sure thing. Yes, you can still reserve rooms off the Marriott website.
I wonder why they're booking so early this year. I didn't think it started until at least December last time.
It did start later last year. Heck they didn't even have the DragonCon group ID up till like late December early Jan.
I just booked a room at the Marriott as well until I can get things sorted out(Rooms are still available as of today).
I think some of the problems at the Hyatt were created due to the fact that the Marriott was still under renovation and some of the space there was not available. I talked to the Marriott and there is still a chance that renovations could still be going on during next years Dragon con.
I stayed at the Marriott last year and experienced elevator problems there as well. No A/C and longs waits just to mention a few.
I know they shut down the Hyatt a couple of times at night due to over crowding but they should have never kept room guests from entering the hotel.
The Hyatt has always seemed to be the nexus for the con so that in it self is going to create problems.
I would like to hear some other negative and or positive feed back about the Hyatt so I can make a decision on which hotel to stay in.
Last year, the Marriott didn't open its block until the end of January.
Not sure about the other two hotels.
The Hyatt is pretty much the after dinner con gathering area from Thursday to Sunday. It's been that way for I know the last couple years, and I hope they take that into account this year or were going to have the same issues happening again.
Guys and Gals...
I will second what Mirax has said. After the HUUUGE debacle at the Hyatt this year, I have no ambition to even party there anymore during the con...let alone ever stay there. Any member of the 501st here will back me up when I say there was a HUUUUUGE gripe thread about the Hyatt on the Main Legion Board. They are calling for a total 501st boycott of the Hotel next year due to their incompetant handling of the Con. And is it me, or am I the only one who thinks that the Hyatt went too far with their BS security and made up lines about the Fire Marshall shutting them down? And lets not forget about not letting in their own guests who were staying there!!!
Bottom line...the Hyatt is done...Too much stupidity on their part this year. If you stayed at the Mariott this year, you`ve seen their progress and what they`re trying to do. The party was at the Mariott this year, and will be even more next year. Because this is a family forum, I cannot post how I really feel about the Atlanta Hyatt. Ask any of the Chicago group here and they will tell you the same thing...just be ready for an adjective filled rant.
And one last thing, if you don`t believe me on this....Wikipedia DragonCon and read the last paragraph on it....Its fantastic.
JK3
I think I went to the Hyatt maybe 4 times during all of DCon because of all the lockouts. It was just totally stupid.
What is the group code for the Marriott?
There is no group code- just tell them you are booking for Dragon Con.
And I am with you Craig- I really have no desire to go over to the Hyatt, the Marriott is definitely much better set up to hang out at. And yes, I felt that they were worse at the Hyatt than any of the previous years. It is just simple- the Hyatt can't handle the number of people this Con has grown to and we as the Con goers just need to make an active decision NOT to hang out there at night and make the Mariott THE place to be.
There is a group code for the Marriott if your booking online:
DRADRAA
Took me alot of searching on Monday to find that bad boy.
dang...i was hoping to get the marriott too..I'll have to look into booking those in the am
Oh yeah ... another reason why I won't go to the Hyatt in costume. This past DCon when I was trooping as Jango, HYATT SECURITY ZIP-TIED MY BLASTERS TO MY HOLSTERS.That is the first and only time I have been required to keep my blasters holstered at a convention ... even after they were inspected. And I wasn't alone ... TK-7602 was next in line.
How in the heck did they think your guns were real after an inspection?! I would have walked outside, snipped them, then walked back in. Thats just bunk...
Last edited by Star Wars Chick; 11-09-2007 at 04:24 PM. Reason: language- do not use #$% in place of curse words. Thanks!
I posted this a while ago on my Garrison forums... This USED to be on Dragon*Con's Wikipedia page - it has since changed:
The 2007 Dragon*Con event was marred by the behavior of the security and staff of the Hyatt hotel. Many convention attendees were denied entrance to the Hyatt during the evening hours, despite having a valid convention badge.[citation needed] Security demanded that convention attendees show a room key to gain entry to the hotel even though there were still convention panels, concerts, and other events going on inside the Hyatt.[citation needed] The yearly activity of gathering in the Hyatt lobby to take photographs of costumes was essentially put to an end by employees of the hotel by disallowing photography in most common areas, citing claims that the fire marshall would shut down the convention if people did not keep moving, etc.[citation needed] These claims were not reported from the other participating hotels (Marriott and Hilton). As a further inconvenience, the Hyatt would not allow Dragon*Con attendees to enter the hotel via the stairs directly across from the Marriott during the evening hours.[citation needed] This forced attendees to circle the block in order to enter the front door of the hotel, keeping in mind that they could still be denied entry once they made it to the front door.[citation needed] Several fan websites were inundated with posts about how they were treated at the Hyatt during the 2007 event, and many have also claimed to be making t-shirts regarding the Hyatt's treatment of the fans at the 2007 convention.[citation needed]
Somebody took that out of the DragonCon Wikipedia entry?
I say we put it back in!!!
Yeah, I remember them shutting down the main stairs and wondering why.
I would hope that the higher ups at D-Con will talk to the Hyatt if they have not already to make sure that this kind of behaver by the staff does not repeat in 2008!
Needless to say, I will cancel my reservation at the Hyatt and will gladly stay at the Marriott once again!
Yeah, they made it alittle more nice....I guess to not tick off Hyatt... ?
Our PR officer just got off the phone today with the Marriott and they said that they have no suites available. I just don't think they wanna open many of them up for DCon honestly.
So if your getting a room...better get it now.
Man those suites went quick!!!
I know for a fact that they were available because one of the Chicago group members got one.
You think that sounds bad about zip tying blasters? When I was in my Cade Skywalker costume, one guy wanted to zip tie my modded ForceFX saber to the covertec clip on my belt! Seriously??? After ranting to him that I would have to remove the blade to be able to keep the lightsaber on my belt without the tip dragging against the ground, and that I would then just be carrying a 3foot polycarbonate tube to swing around with no chance of damaging my saber electronics, the guy agreed to leave my saber alone. But some of those security staff are just di'kut'la aruetiise.
Two words can explain that: "Hyatt security."
That's pretty much what I did ... except I didn't go back.
I hope you're not thinking I did. Because they told me they weren't available yet. So either they are all taken or they just haven't opened them up to reservations yet.
Suites or adjoining rooms? We were looking at getting one of the nice big 3 room suites that run around $600+ a night.
With the popularity of Dragon Con increasing as the years go by; there is exteme ignorance with the hotel management. And I don't mean that in a bad way. They want people stay and use thier facilities. They know this draws big bucks. But this is my take on it. (Not in the 3rd person)
Aside from people who stay over night, there are those who just hang out and party. I am not too familiar with the fire codes and what not, but I do know that there is a certain amount of people that can be in a public setting as such. People can not stand in the halls...Or should I say...Over croud it. Just in case there is a real fire.
I guess the issue with us is how they handled it. There was one girl who was out of line with a police officer and I saw this up close. He sprayed her with pepper gas. We were all choking on it too.
I think the proper thing to do is to write the hotel management. A lot of it has to do with ignorance of dealing with people in such great numbers at a hotel such as the Hyatt and Marriot.
Personally..I see wrong on both ends.
Being this is a Star Wars related message board. I think we can all see where ignorance and fear lead to.
Honestly - D*C is getting to big for those hotels....How much longer until they find a different venue? The only problem would be fears that it would move to LA - like CIV did...
DragonCon is run and owned by local individuals I believe. The possibility of it moving to another coast is not going to happen.
SWFreak,
My bad, I thought you had your suite hooked up already.
I`m just excited about the fact that we`re talking about DCon already...
Is that bad? Or am I just going through withdrawl?
They ration out the rooms through the year. I've been in the spot of realizing I haven't booked a room until almost July, and I've had to try a few time through the week and eventually new rooms open up, but for a normal room rate, and not for the "D*con" rate.
I know the Chicago group noticed that the Marriott is remodeling, and capitalizing on the Bastardly nature of the Hyatt, and how they've been treating their guests. The Marriott has been adding bars, restaurants, and a more inviting atmosphere.
I've stayed at the Marriott ever year that I've gone to D*con, and I've always had a pleasant stay. I've NEVER been asked for a badge, denied access, or been approached by a D*con Nazi and been harassed at the Marriott... All the Marriott needs to do is open up a ball room for the costumes guests to take pictures in and I will NEVER need to step into the Hyatt, except to pick up my badge... unless I buy it on line.
The Hyatt might as well be a retirement comunity, or prison, because off all the bull you have to go through to get in, and yelled at for standing around, and NO PICTURES, and needing special access to get in.. yadda, yadda! With the Hilton getting involved to host the vendor rooms.... the Hyatt could close up and not be missed in my opinion.
My friend who's part of the RL, and D*C regular, she shared the room with us, and she made the reservations at the Marriot as we speak. We stood with her the last two D*C's I being into (2004 and 2007).
I'm in the same boat as you... haven't stopped thinking about it since I left.I`m just excited about the fact that we`re talking about DCon already...
Is that bad? Or am I just going through withdrawl?
Yep! The sad thing is my wife was begging for us to try to start having kids next year - Then we got back from our first D*C (2007), and now she was like - "Let's wait until after the next Dragon*Con, then we can try to start having kids!"
I am a lucky man!
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