I resent the fact that GenCon bought out all the rooms for their favorites to have the best rooms downtown and not let anyone else book rooms where they want. I guess their priority is their friends & the exhibitors. Not those attending. Maybe this is my last GenCon

There were plenty of downtown rooms available in the general block. They just went really fast. Our group was able to get a room at the JW 45 minutes after housing opened.

Last 2 years there were rooms available directly through the hotels without going through your private site. Now they are all closed. GenCon bought out the rooms & who knows how they are allocated. Let the hotels handle the reservations. They are all professionals at it.

No, GENCON doesn't apparently understand that the system you have set up is PREVENTING us from booking for SOME of the nights we want, because you're requiring a Saturday night stay, which are those most high in demand. 

The issue is BEYOND demand.  It is a system that is utterly random and backwards.

There are Available Wed-Thursday rooms, (but NOT Friday-Saturday) rooms, but your system is not letting me get those other rooms.

What is the reason for this?  What POSSIBLE reason could there be to require the most in-demand rooms, but not allow open sale of LOW demand rooms.

They want to sell those Low demand rooms don't they? 

Every year, Gen Con pulls as many rooms as possible into the block, thousands likely.  Gen Con did not "buy out" rooms downtown.  Every year, housing gets tighter and tighter.  Every year, more people book outside of the block.  That is something Gen Con has no control over.  The fact that you were able to book a room outside of the block last year, and were not this year, is a factor of the increased demand for hotel rooms, and more people booking out of the block, not the fault of Gen Con.

I just did a search on Priceline and found two downtown hotels you can book now.  At ridiculous prices of course, but that's what you get for letting the hotels handle those reservations.

The system now is fairly unbalanced and rewards those who genuinely are making no effort as others have in the past.  Welcome to the american way of t-ball league, everyone gets a chance despite how much work they put in.  

With it being th esecond year, everyone's gaming the system this year gencon. People are buying multiple tickets individually to get more lottery balls so its impossible to get rooms unless you have a large gaming group.  

If Demand is so high, then why are there restrictions for a Saturday night stay (clearly, one of the highest nights in demand).

There are open Wednesday and Thursday night rooms which would make attending possible for many people (such as myself), and GenCon's system is PREVENTING this.

What you DO have control over is the system that is preventing us from making reservations for Open rooms for available nights.

Utterly ridiculous.

Stop making excuses and start addressing the problems.
 

Almost no one makes reservations for just Wednesday and Thursday nights.  But we have had people book Thu, and Fri, and then take off after the con Sat night without booking at Sat night room, and that does cause issues.

If you need a Wed and Thu night room ONLY downtown, I see availability out of block on Priceline at Le Meridian and the JW.

Hotels are still selling rooms.  I have seen multiple rooms for rent the past few weeks. There are no price controls and they cost over 500 a night, but they are out there.

No, what I wanted was a 4 night stay, but would have gone with a shorter stay if available.  I WANTED a long stay, and am falling back to a shorter stay, BECAUSE you've allowed people to book Friday-Saturday. 

YOUR requirement which allows people to stay only Friday-Sunday is PREVENTING my desired FOUR day stay, AND my fallback two day stay.

AND even when those Friday-Saturday nights are full, you are STILL aren't allowing Wed-Thursday reservations (which are lower demand, being demonstrated right now).

So, NO, it is NOT an reasonable way to accomplish what you're claiming, because Reality is proving you wrong. 

There are Open Nights RIGHT NOW for Wednesday and Thursday, and your system is PREVENTING those bookings. 

So no--reality is proving you wrong, and GenCon is doing nothing about it, except making excuses.

Are you really claiming that with this MASSIVE demand, you have FORCE Saturday Reservations,  Because I'll take one right now.  PLEASE give it to me.  That's just utterly ridiculous with an overwhelming amount of demand that you're requiring high-demand days, and Preventing low demand days from being booked.

Utterly backwards.

Do you understand--You are currently preventing bookings.  SATURDAY is sold out--unavailable, so whatever you assumed is INCORRECT.

1. Being at your computer when registration started.

2. Hitting the button when registration started.

The randomization process has changed, but since almost everyone trying to get on is doing those two steps now so they won't miss out if they get an early line spot, that hasn't really changed.

The people making "the effort", imo, are the ones checking for deals on a regular basis throughout the year so they don't have to cross their fingers on registration day.

Hello,

Yes, Saturday is gone--That's not the question.  The quesiton is why you're using Saturday requirements for Wednesday and Thursday, AFTER Saturday is already booked up.  You've accomplished the goal of booking Saturday--COMPLETELY.  Demand is much higher than supply, but you've got a system which is ignoring that fact.

You simply don't seem to be listening.  SATURDAY IS SOLD OUT.  I know that, you know that.  Wednesday and Thursday are NOT sold out, but you're preventing us from Booking those rooms.

You're protecting NOTHING with this system.  You're PREVENTING bookings.

What I'm saying is that if the GOAL is to Sell Saturday, then that's done, so there is NO NEED to use that requirement to prevent people such as myself from Booking ALTERNATE shorter Stays (not what I wanted or preferred).

I am not sure what you are missing here.  Satruday is fully booked, and you are stopping us from filling the other open rooms on other nights that DON'T have as much demand.

As I said, if you want only Wednesday or Thursday night, you can book that out of block.

You're ignoring the issue completely.  You simply refuse to address the point.

How many times do I have to say it--I DON'T want Just Wedsday and Thursday--that's all that's left.

You're not willing or capable of addressing the ridiculous situation that GenCon has created.

Your answer is: Pay more money for the same thing, because GenCon's system is poor. 

You're claiming reasoning for a non-existent problem (booking Saturday) and refusing to address the ACTUAL issue, which is that GenCon's system is preventing booking of Open rooms on other days.

AND, we've checked with various hotels and they are saying that they will not take reservations out of block.

You're not addressing the issue--you're avoiding it.  That's pathetic customer service.

you can book downtown out of block. You can get downtown hotels, right now, wednesday through saturday. (or just wenesday through friday) You are going to pay 400 a night.....but you can get them.

$400 a night or more. There's one hotel (can't remember which) that was going on Trivago for $617 a night.