Hotel lottery?
Posted by jevertt

When is it? I didn't get my badge yet, but guessing I can sign up for it after I do?
Thanks!

Posted by lanogironu

Badges go on sale Jan 29. Hotel lottery is a couple weeks after that. 

Posted by llenlleawg

Here's the information from the Housing and Travel Guide (in the drop-down menu for "Attendee Info"):

Attendee group housing registration will open at noon (Eastern) on February 12, 2023 (“opening day”). Starting on that day, attendees can visit the online Gen Con housing portal to review guest room inventory and request a room assignment. The link to access the housing portal is located on the “My Housing” page within each attendee’s Gen Con account. After a room assignment request has been submitted, the online system will process the request and email the room assignment acknowledgment to the attendee email address provided.Attendees can modify or cancel room assignments until housing registration closes at 11:59 pm (Eastern) on July 17, 2023 (the “closing date”). After housing registration closes, hotels will download final room assignments from the registration system, charge non-refundable deposits to guest credit cards, and issue hotel reservations confirming the room assignments. Until housing registration closes, the participating hotels will not have a record of attendees’ room assignments. 

Posted by llenlleawg

Also, everyone should note the following to avoid later frustration:

Important note: Badges must be purchased by Friday, February 10, 2023 to be included in the randomized access queue. Any customers who purchase badges after the randomized housing access times have been issued will be placed at the end of the initial queue. 


Posted by xduderx

so im not sure how this works exactly. this will be my fourth gencon, but weve always stayed a bit away from the ICC, but this year we really want to get a hotel thats connected via skybridge. is that highly unlikely and do they fill up immediately? doing the housing portal is completely new to me.

Posted by mikeboozer xduderx

xduderx wrote:
so im not sure how this works exactly. this will be my fourth gencon, but weve always stayed a bit away from the ICC, but this year we really want to get a hotel thats connected via skybridge. is that highly unlikely and do they fill up immediately? doing the housing portal is completely new to me.

It really depends on how soon you get into the portal. An early time might afford you a connected room.

If you do not get one however you can check back as often as you want to see if a reservation opens up. They definitely do throughout the year.

As long as you don't confirm a new reservation you earlier one will stay in tact.

Mike

Posted by xduderx mikeboozer

mikeboozer wrote:
xduderx wrote:
so im not sure how this works exactly. this will be my fourth gencon, but weve always stayed a bit away from the ICC, but this year we really want to get a hotel thats connected via skybridge. is that highly unlikely and do they fill up immediately? doing the housing portal is completely new to me.

It really depends on how soon you get into the portal. An early time might afford you a connected room.If you do not get one however you can check back as often as you want to see if a reservation opens up. They definitely do throughout the year.
As long as you don't confirm a new reservation you earlier one will stay in tact.
Mike
i plan on being at my computer the second it becomes available, to try and give myself the highest chance i possibly can. i guess i just didnt know if it was basically an instant sell out like when youre waiting to buy concert tickets lol

Posted by llenlleawg xduderx

xduderx wrote:
mikeboozer wrote:
xduderx wrote:
so im not sure how this works exactly. this will be my fourth gencon, but weve always stayed a bit away from the ICC, but this year we really want to get a hotel thats connected via skybridge. is that highly unlikely and do they fill up immediately? doing the housing portal is completely new to me.

It really depends on how soon you get into the portal. An early time might afford you a connected room.If you do not get one however you can check back as often as you want to see if a reservation opens up. They definitely do throughout the year.
As long as you don't confirm a new reservation you earlier one will stay in tact.
Mike
i plan on being at my computer the second it becomes available, to try and give myself the highest chance i possibly can. i guess i just didnt know if it was basically an instant sell out like when youre waiting to buy concert tickets lol
You don't have to worry about trying to get in at the first moment. That was the old system. In fact, unless you are assigned the opening time, it won't let you request a room then! In the new system, so long as you purchase your badge by Feb 10, you will be given a time on opening day (Feb 12) when you can log on to request a room (i.e. from that time onward). Last year things went really fast on opening day, but later on, some rooms opened up, so if you don't get a downtown or connected room the first day, do not despair!

So, you *do* want to get online as soon as your time slot is available, but you *don't* have to worry about slamming that button the moment the housing portal opens!

Posted by nexustavern

I know it will vary, but how about much would a basic, connected hotel room cost?   They mention that the block is discounted, but I'm wondering if the prices will be sky-high!    

Cheers!

Posted by austicke nexustavern

nexustavern wrote:how about much would a basic, connected hotel room cost?

You can see price ranges here.

Posted by nexustavern

That is invaluable, thank you!   Is it generally 3 or 4 people to a room?

Posted by austicke nexustavern

nexustavern wrote:That is invaluable, thank you!   Is it generally 3 or 4 people to a room?

Singles are usually around 2 and doubles are usually around 4.

On Sunday, I'll post a complete list of rooms and prices to the Fans of Gen Con Facebook group.

Posted by nexustavern

Thanks, I joined!
 

Posted by lore seeker

So if I understand correctly, we're not going to know our access times until noon on Feb. 12, rather than having them emailed to us ahead of time?

Posted by austicke lore seeker

father bloodlust wrote:So if I understand correctly, we're not going to know our access times until noon on Feb. 12, rather than having them emailed to us ahead of time?

No, that’s incorrect. Your Sunday access time will be communicated just after midnight early Saturday.

Posted by del_grande austicke

austicke wrote:
father bloodlust wrote:So if I understand correctly, we're not going to know our access times until noon on Feb. 12, rather than having them emailed to us ahead of time?

No, that’s incorrect. Your Sunday access time will be communicated just after midnight early Saturday.

A lesson learned after the first "housing lottery" (2015, if I remember correctly), when they did make everybody log in at noon to find out their portal times.
The one thing I don't like about it is, they keep changing how far apart the assignments are. In some years, downtown rooms were available for over 2 hours, but last year, I think they were all gone by 1:00.
 

Posted by gib_rebeg del_grande

del_grande wrote:
austicke wrote:
father bloodlust wrote:So if I understand correctly, we're not going to know our access times until noon on Feb. 12, rather than having them emailed to us ahead of time?

No, that’s incorrect. Your Sunday access time will be communicated just after midnight early Saturday.

A lesson learned after the first "housing lottery" (2015, if I remember correctly), when they did make everybody log in at noon to find out their portal times.
The one thing I don't like about it is, they keep changing how far apart the assignments are. In some years, downtown rooms were available for over 2 hours, but last year, I think they were all gone by 1:00.
 

1pm or very shortly after.

I kinda questioned if GC cut back on the number of rooms they booked for the housing block still anticipating that GC would have been at restricted attendance numbers that year.

Unfilled rooms in hotels that GC is also booking the use of banquet hall space is GC's responsibility to pay for. Part of the deal of getting better rates on hall space.

Posted by colbrook

I think I got the last connected room at the Conrad with 1:03,someone else on the Facebook group got 1:04 and there were no connected hotels left. 

2021 and 2022 were very weird years though. In 21 connected and downtown hotels never really sold out, which means either Gen Con booked fewer or the hotels didn't release as many. They also assigned more lottery slots to the first couple of hours which means whatever rooms there were appeared to sell out faster. 

It'll be interesting to see how this year goes! 

Posted by traveller

I would expect the connected hotels to all sell out, 21 and to an extent 22 were restricted years (either by number or due to mask/vax).  With both of those lifted this year, I would expect to see a surge in number of people.

Posted by del_grande traveller

traveller wrote:
I would expect the connected hotels to all sell out, 21 and to an extent 22 were restricted years (either by number or due to mask/vax).  With both of those lifted this year, I would expect to see a surge in number of people.

Oh, every hotel room in the portal that's even remotely within walking distance will sell out on Sunday; it's just a matter of how quickly. Part of that may be based on how far apart the portal entry times are spread. Usually, there's a poll, here and/or on Facebook, on the day before the portal opens where people put down what time they got, so we can gauge how spread out the times are.

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