has anyone ever stayed at the park plaza? there are a ton of rooms there...i was just wondering if people are avoiding it?
I have stayed there the past three Easts and had no problems at all. If I didn't get one of the close three hotels, I would've wound up back there.
They have a shuttle, are within walking distance of things (burrito/chinese/711/dunkin donuts/faneuil hall/breakfast), and the rooms are a decent size from what I have been in. They do have their own restaurant and I believe a fondue place in the building, but I have never eaten at either (probably expensive compared to what is around). You can also walk to the one long street that has tons of shops and a comic shop that I usually stop in ever PAX.
This year we were able to move the table in the room in between the beds and use it for tabletop with no issues. Rooms do not come with fridges (not sure if you are able to ask for one...doubt it).
Overall, good hotel to stay at. Rooms are fine, if old. Walking distance to food. Shuttle to convention. Also, has taxis out front if you need them.
P.S. There was a fire alarm that went off in 2012 about 2-3 times at like 2am, but that is the only snafu I have ever had. Got some street passes during it. Ha.
Plaza rooms are a bit old (as mentioned) and sometimes oddly shaped, but it's a solid opp in a pretty sweet hotel. We did a conference there once and got to hang out in the penthouse suite, which used to be one of JFK's favorite spots and still has the desk he used (and a private bartender for that floor)
Glad I was able to snag the Omni this morning/early afternoon (after all the 503ing, F5ing) since I wasn't able to grab any of the big 3 for my group. Heard nothing but good things about the Omni, and I want to try this it-was-totally-created-here Boston Creme Pie they serve.
I will try to update the spreadsheet with this year's info after the craziness dies down in a couple days. I will also try to organize the former comments a bit better too, and pull from feedback that is in this thread as well.
This will be my first pax. I tried for 2 hours and was only able to reserve at Hyatt Regency. Can anyone comment on that? Seems a bit far to walk from.
I stayed there during my first East last year (and have a reservation there for 2014). Accessibility was a non-issue, as the shuttle stopped almost right at the door. It was on a loop with another hotel - I believe the Omni - and ended up being a bit faster than walking, and much more comfortable.
I thought that the service was excellent. The staff was very polite, and when I needed a new iron in my room, it was there right away.
Great bed, no weird water-pressure issues.
The WiFi - free for PAXers - was perfect.
I loved the breakfast buffet, though it is pricey.
My only "complaint" is more of an odd insecurity: The place feels all business. During PAX, I was always rocking jeans and a gaming tee. During one breakfast, there was a job interview happening at the table next to me. I stopped by the bar a couple nights and I was the only one who didn't look like he just got out of a marketing meeting. I took the wrong steps in the lobby one day and walked right into some kind of seminar. I didn't even see another PAXer in the hotel until I was riding the elevator down to check out. Mind you, no one ever said anything or gave me the slightest condescending look, but it sure felt weird at times.
This will be my first pax. I tried for 2 hours and was only able to reserve at Hyatt Regency. Can anyone comment on that? Seems a bit far to walk from.
I stayed there during my first East last year (and have a reservation there for 2014). Accessibility was a non-issue, as the shuttle stopped almost right at the door. It was on a loop with another hotel - I believe the Omni - and ended up being a bit faster than walking, and much more comfortable.
I thought that the service was excellent. The staff was very polite, and when I needed a new iron in my room, it was there right away.
Great bed, no weird water-pressure issues.
The WiFi - free for PAXers - was perfect.
I loved the breakfast buffet, though it is pricey.
My only "complaint" is more of an odd insecurity: The place feels all business. During PAX, I was always rocking jeans and a gaming tee. During one breakfast, there was a job interview happening at the table next to me. I stopped by the bar a couple nights and I was the only one who didn't look like he just got out of a marketing meeting. I took the wrong steps in the lobby one day and walked right into some kind of seminar. I didn't even see another PAXer in the hotel until I was riding the elevator down to check out. Mind you, no one ever said anything or gave me the slightest condescending look, but it sure felt weird at times.
Stayed at the Hyatt Regency last year and it was great, close to fast food places and a food court. Lots of other stores you might end up needing as well, a Marshalls, a Walgreens. The only thing that sucked was the split lobby, trying to get to my room after the Poke Crawl was fun.
Well after experiencing the 503's and glitching I finally booked a room at Omni. I'm annoyed that the closest hotels are now impossible to get even when you're at you computer just as the bookings open up. I don't think there is anything PA can do to fix this problem, but it is getting worse every year. Interestingly enough I never have this problem with PAX Prime. I always get a spot at the Grand Hyatt in Seattle.
That's because there are waaay more hotels right next to PAX Prime. Also I think the Sheraton is quite a bit bigger than any of the PAX East hotels and eats a lot of that early demand.
The thing that will really help is when the new hotel opens up by the center, it's probably going to instantly be the largest hotel next to the con center.
The Westin, seaport, renaissance are real small compared to the towers in Seattle.
There's a new headquarters hotel with 1500 or so rooms that just got approved in July. There's going to be 2 smaller ones just a little bit further down the street (over by the large parking lot across and to the left of the convention center). It should make things better.
I can't find the link that I thought was on the actual BCEC website that I've seen before, but here's a quick blurb on the hotels being built. I remember seeing more details about them somewhere else, and in another article I saw that it says the BCEC has only 6,000 hotel rooms within a half mile whereas the JKJ Convention Center in NYC has about 26,000 rooms in the same area. At least this is a step in the right direction and maybe in a couple years we'll have more rooms to fight over
I was able to book a room at the Hyatt regency after a person on Twitter pointed out that under amenities it mentions having a Nintendo 64. I read a review of the Hyatt regency from back in 2008 and it mentioned that it costs $7 an hour to use the Nintendo 64. Can anyone confirm or deny this? It seems like a sweet feature for PAX goers
There's a new headquarters hotel with 1500 or so rooms that just got approved in July. There's going to be 2 smaller ones just a little bit further down the street (over by the large parking lot across and to the left of the convention center). It should make things better.
That's good news. I've been debating on switching to Pax Prime for next year instead of East because of the whole hotel and location issues. Boston just seems entirely inconvenient considering the rivers all around and limited hotels. I was looking at the HYATT harbor (by the airport) that seemed really cheap and just across the river from the convention, but I can't believe there were no bridges for walking; only a tunnel (Ted Williams Tunnel) that you must use a vehicle for to cross the river.
Oh well. I got a semi-decent booking at Park Plaza hotel. I would have preferred something much closer, but EVERYTHING was sold out before their servers even came online. And I was spamming the F5 key.... I'm just disappointed that there was so many issues with the servers for pax, showclix, and onpeak. =(
I wouldn't pay the $7 bucks either unless i get really hammered one night. I'm more hoping that it could just be a first come first serve like a roll away bed or something.
I wouldn't pay the $7 bucks either unless i get really hammered one night. I'm more hoping that it could just be a first come first serve like a roll away bed or something.
If it's the same setup I've seen in another hotel, each room comes with a proprietary controller that both navigates the TV, and can work as a controller for an N64. You order the ability to play through the TV menus, similar to ordering a movie.
Granted, I saw this a decade ago in a hotel (and not this hotel), so it might not be the same.
I was wondering about the size of the rooms at Park Plaza: I usually put five people into a two bed room to cut down on the cost of the room for everyone and that works out fine at the Westin or Crowne Plaza. I don't want to show up to Park Plaza telling four other people they can stay with me to find out we'll be like sardines.
I was wondering about the size of the rooms at Park Plaza: I usually put five people into a two bed room to cut down on the cost of the room for everyone and that works out fine at the Westin or Crowne Plaza. I don't want to show up to Park Plaza telling four other people they can stay with me to find out we'll be like sardines.
The room is size pretty good but specifically the bathroom size was CRAZY SMALL!.
The best hotel I have stayed in for pure floor space was the Omni. Easily get a large couple of people in a room to hang out. Probably sleep 7 if you wanted.
My thoughts: I stayed at the Omni Parker last year for a night (added it since I wanted to come up Thursday, and my Seaport reservation was only Fri-Sun).
I thought it was awful. The room I was in (2 double beds) was small. The people working were meh, and pushy about tips, and I never got a good "PAX" vibe there.
It IS located in a great spot of downtown, with lots to do around, so it has that going for it.
Maybe I got stuck in a bad room, but I made a mental note to not book there again. YMMV.
My thoughts: I stayed at the Omni Parker last year for a night (added it since I wanted to come up Thursday, and my Seaport reservation was only Fri-Sun).
I thought it was awful. The room I was in (2 double beds) was small. The people working were meh, and pushy about tips, and I never got a good "PAX" vibe there.
It IS located in a great spot of downtown, with lots to do around, so it has that going for it.
Maybe I got stuck in a bad room, but I made a mental note to not book there again. YMMV.
I will agree with you on all points but space. I had 1 king bed though.
The restaurant feels like you shouldn't be there even if you dress appropriately. If you want the boston cream pie, just get the room service. The walls are made of paper! The PAX vibe isn't really going on with the hotel itself, as if they are "too old" to deal with it.
i was hoping to get myself and 3-5 more people in my omni room. I have a 2 bed room do u think I would be able to fit 4-6 people in one of these rooms. DOnt want to get people thinking it will work f they will not be able to fit.
Does anyone have experience switching from one hotel to another on different days? Is it hard to get your stuff from one hotel to the other and back to PAX or something like that?
I have no, I repeat NO, idea how I did it, but through an hour of "503 server error" pages and F5ing like a madman, I somehow managed to get Friday and Saturday at the Westin. I got into the reservation page fairly quickly and then the site crashed, so I guess it must've saved the rooms in a cart or something, because it was easily half an hour to 40 minutes later that I managed to get even the credit card page to come up. I got a confirmation email, so it looks like I'm set! We decided on the Hyatt downtown for Thursday night, but I'd love to get a Thursday night room at the Westin.
One thing that confused me is that I got two identical confirmation emails for my rooms. I was buying two rooms. Now I'm concerned that I may have accidentally bought four rooms. I'll eventually call OnPeak, but I'm going to wait until the madness dies down a bit to give them some breathing room.
I am in a similar (astonishingly lucky) boat! I got a 503 on every page but kept refreshing and worked my way through till I got a confirmation page on a room at the Westin. I think the same thing happened for me (I was there right before on-peak went down, and it saved my credit card info and such and let me proceed after refreshing for half an hour lol)
I was very paranoid though that my reservation would not be honored because I never received a confirmation email. However, I was able to contact on-peak and they said my reservation is confirmed (plus I was able to log back in when the website was working again and I found all the confirmation info on my room.)
so your "double email" was probably a glitch. Multiple people (including myself) are reporting weird things happen with confirmation emails. I would still call and verify. But I just feel so damn lucky to have gotten a room at the Westin for the third year in a row! It's pretty unreal lol yesterday was a stressful day indeed.
Does anyone have experience switching from one hotel to another on different days? Is it hard to get your stuff from one hotel to the other and back to PAX or something like that?
There is a coat check at PAX where many people will leave bags. It's not free, but if you don't have scads of luggage, it would keep you from having to miss some of PAX to go to the new hotel at check-in, and worse, try to carry luggage around with you all day. If you plan to go to the new hotel late (which you probably will) be sure you call them so they know--some hotels will see any sign of weakness as an excuse to overbook and you do not want to be walked.
If anyone is still looking for a hotel I can't recommend the Harborside Inn enough. Its fairly cheap, in a great location, and the staff has always been great to me. They usually have rooms available as they are not considered part of the onPeak package. They are just down the street from the Harbor Hotel and Intercontinental. It's a 15min walk to the convention from there.
Does anyone have experience switching from one hotel to another on different days? Is it hard to get your stuff from one hotel to the other and back to PAX or something like that?
Every hotel I've dealt with in the past has let you leave bags at the front desk or a designated bag check area. This will go for either the hotel you are checking out of, or the hotel you are checking into. Remember to keep a little cash on hand to tip the helpful people who are handling your bags for you
Scored a room at the Renaissance! I am beyond thrilled. If you were having issues with the site yesterday and are patient with OnPeak via social media, they might be able to assist you. No guarantees of course, but it helps to present a specific issue you were having along with the hotel you were trying to book. While their servers might have exploded from the load, their customer service is still top notch.
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Glad I was able to snag the Omni this morning/early afternoon (after all the 503ing, F5ing) since I wasn't able to grab any of the big 3 for my group. Heard nothing but good things about the Omni, and I want to try this it-was-totally-created-here Boston Creme Pie they serve.
Omni is where I booked at...stayed there last year, and it was pretty nice. That BCP was good too
All my experience for PAX East rooms is based on quad rooms and large groups, so view this through that lens:
I've had the luck of staying at a range of hotels for PAX East: Midtown, Renaissance, Hilton downtown and Omni.
Overall, the one we were most pleased with was the Renaissance, mainly due to proximity, but the hotel itself was nice and modern and the staff there was very polite and accommodating. However, the Hilton Downtown had one big advantage: the quad room we got there was *huge*. Easily enough space for the entire group (6, but it was tight. With 5, it would've been roomy). Service there was solid, and the hotel itself was fairly quiet. It was a bit of a walk, but manageable. Lots of pubs in the area for a quick bite/pint, which is also a plus. And a great spot if you're doing the Pokecrawl (Which I plan to again).
Last year, we were at the Omni. It was a nice hotel, but we found a bit stuffy in terms of atmosphere, and room size was definitely a notch down from the Renaissance or Hilton...and the walls were pretty thin. Also, it was a bit of a hoof to get to the con, though still manageable. The Hilton's a bit closer and the streets are a bit easier to navigate: if you're unfamiliar with the lay of the land you can get turned around VERY easily, especially if you're like me and rather...buzzed from the Pokecrawl (Green Gold, w00t!).
When most people book hotels and say "Have extra space!" Do you book the room for 1 person and ask for more people to try and get the cost down, or do you book for 4 and hope to find 3 other people to share?
My friend booked our hotel for 2 people this year when in reality we have 4 staying with us, so i'm a little nervous with them finding out and being angry/kicking us out.
Or do people do this all the time and I shouldn't be worried?
When most people book hotels and say "Have extra space!" Do you book the room for 1 person and ask for more people to try and get the cost down, or do you book for 4 and hope to find 3 other people to share?
My friend booked our hotel for 2 people this year when in reality we have 4 staying with us, so i'm a little nervous with them finding out and being angry/kicking us out.
Or do people do this all the time and I shouldn't be worried?
From my experience two years ago they didn't pay attention at all. I was at the Seaport and it was crowded with Pax people. You just walk into your hotel and go right up stairs honestly, no need to even speak to anyone. I suppose you could say it's a guest just visiting. Just try not to make too much noise
Has anyone ever opted for a short term rental as a hotel alternate? I've looked around online and haven't found anything that can sleep 7 in the area we're aiming for (Downtown) but if anyone has any recommendations I'd be happy to hear them!!
Seems that no matter my level of planning my group always gets the shaft with hotel selection. I'd kill for a spot at the Westin or Seaport but every year we wind up at one of the priciest and furthest hotels. No matter our level of planning and preparation it feels like the 3 closest hotels are booked before they're even available.
@omgchrisftw - I've been looking for the same thing for my group of 7. I've tried a few things like AirBnB and VRBO, but they don't have any close that hold enough people. I'm hoping something ends up opening up on Hotwire, Hotels.com, Priceline, etc that's a little closer than what we have.
@omgchrisftw - I've been looking for the same thing for my group of 7. I've tried a few things like AirBnB and VRBO, but they don't have any close that hold enough people. I'm hoping something ends up opening up on Hotwire, Hotels.com, Priceline, etc that's a little closer than what we have.
Try Homeaway.com. I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for, but I've used the site to rent cabins in the Poconos. I like looking at places and need ideas for my own lodging, so I was just browsing the Boston listings for fun. If you don't mind boats, there was a houseboat that sleeps ten a bit north of Long Wharf that was pretty neat looking. There was also a yacht that (officially) sleeps six that was at Fan Pier, or *just* north of Seaport Blvd.
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Plaza rooms are a bit old (as mentioned) and sometimes oddly shaped, but it's a solid opp in a pretty sweet hotel. We did a conference there once and got to hang out in the penthouse suite, which used to be one of JFK's favorite spots and still has the desk he used (and a private bartender for that floor)
I stayed there during my first East last year (and have a reservation there for 2014). Accessibility was a non-issue, as the shuttle stopped almost right at the door. It was on a loop with another hotel - I believe the Omni - and ended up being a bit faster than walking, and much more comfortable.
I thought that the service was excellent. The staff was very polite, and when I needed a new iron in my room, it was there right away.
Great bed, no weird water-pressure issues.
The WiFi - free for PAXers - was perfect.
I loved the breakfast buffet, though it is pricey.
My only "complaint" is more of an odd insecurity: The place feels all business. During PAX, I was always rocking jeans and a gaming tee. During one breakfast, there was a job interview happening at the table next to me. I stopped by the bar a couple nights and I was the only one who didn't look like he just got out of a marketing meeting. I took the wrong steps in the lobby one day and walked right into some kind of seminar. I didn't even see another PAXer in the hotel until I was riding the elevator down to check out. Mind you, no one ever said anything or gave me the slightest condescending look, but it sure felt weird at times.
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Stayed at the Hyatt Regency last year and it was great, close to fast food places and a food court. Lots of other stores you might end up needing as well, a Marshalls, a Walgreens. The only thing that sucked was the split lobby, trying to get to my room after the Poke Crawl was fun.
The Westin, seaport, renaissance are real small compared to the towers in Seattle.
PAX East 2019!
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That's good news. I've been debating on switching to Pax Prime for next year instead of East because of the whole hotel and location issues. Boston just seems entirely inconvenient considering the rivers all around and limited hotels. I was looking at the HYATT harbor (by the airport) that seemed really cheap and just across the river from the convention, but I can't believe there were no bridges for walking; only a tunnel (Ted Williams Tunnel) that you must use a vehicle for to cross the river.
Oh well. I got a semi-decent booking at Park Plaza hotel. I would have preferred something much closer, but EVERYTHING was sold out before their servers even came online. And I was spamming the F5 key.... I'm just disappointed that there was so many issues with the servers for pax, showclix, and onpeak. =(
PAX East 2019!
Badges [X] Hotel [X] Time off request [X]
https://www.pinnypals.com/pals/Streetlight345
If it's the same setup I've seen in another hotel, each room comes with a proprietary controller that both navigates the TV, and can work as a controller for an N64. You order the ability to play through the TV menus, similar to ordering a movie.
Granted, I saw this a decade ago in a hotel (and not this hotel), so it might not be the same.
The room is size pretty good but specifically the bathroom size was CRAZY SMALL!.
I thought it was awful. The room I was in (2 double beds) was small. The people working were meh, and pushy about tips, and I never got a good "PAX" vibe there.
It IS located in a great spot of downtown, with lots to do around, so it has that going for it.
Maybe I got stuck in a bad room, but I made a mental note to not book there again. YMMV.
I will agree with you on all points but space. I had 1 king bed though.
The restaurant feels like you shouldn't be there even if you dress appropriately. If you want the boston cream pie, just get the room service. The walls are made of paper! The PAX vibe isn't really going on with the hotel itself, as if they are "too old" to deal with it.
I am in a similar (astonishingly lucky) boat! I got a 503 on every page but kept refreshing and worked my way through till I got a confirmation page on a room at the Westin. I think the same thing happened for me (I was there right before on-peak went down, and it saved my credit card info and such and let me proceed after refreshing for half an hour lol)
I was very paranoid though that my reservation would not be honored because I never received a confirmation email. However, I was able to contact on-peak and they said my reservation is confirmed (plus I was able to log back in when the website was working again and I found all the confirmation info on my room.)
so your "double email" was probably a glitch. Multiple people (including myself) are reporting weird things happen with confirmation emails. I would still call and verify. But I just feel so damn lucky to have gotten a room at the Westin for the third year in a row! It's pretty unreal lol yesterday was a stressful day indeed.
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There is a coat check at PAX where many people will leave bags. It's not free, but if you don't have scads of luggage, it would keep you from having to miss some of PAX to go to the new hotel at check-in, and worse, try to carry luggage around with you all day. If you plan to go to the new hotel late (which you probably will) be sure you call them so they know--some hotels will see any sign of weakness as an excuse to overbook and you do not want to be walked.
Every hotel I've dealt with in the past has let you leave bags at the front desk or a designated bag check area. This will go for either the hotel you are checking out of, or the hotel you are checking into. Remember to keep a little cash on hand to tip the helpful people who are handling your bags for you
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Omni is where I booked at...stayed there last year, and it was pretty nice. That BCP was good too
I've had the luck of staying at a range of hotels for PAX East: Midtown, Renaissance, Hilton downtown and Omni.
Overall, the one we were most pleased with was the Renaissance, mainly due to proximity, but the hotel itself was nice and modern and the staff there was very polite and accommodating. However, the Hilton Downtown had one big advantage: the quad room we got there was *huge*. Easily enough space for the entire group (6, but it was tight. With 5, it would've been roomy). Service there was solid, and the hotel itself was fairly quiet. It was a bit of a walk, but manageable. Lots of pubs in the area for a quick bite/pint, which is also a plus. And a great spot if you're doing the Pokecrawl (Which I plan to again).
Last year, we were at the Omni. It was a nice hotel, but we found a bit stuffy in terms of atmosphere, and room size was definitely a notch down from the Renaissance or Hilton...and the walls were pretty thin. Also, it was a bit of a hoof to get to the con, though still manageable. The Hilton's a bit closer and the streets are a bit easier to navigate: if you're unfamiliar with the lay of the land you can get turned around VERY easily, especially if you're like me and rather...buzzed from the Pokecrawl (Green Gold, w00t!).
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My friend booked our hotel for 2 people this year when in reality we have 4 staying with us, so i'm a little nervous with them finding out and being angry/kicking us out.
Or do people do this all the time and I shouldn't be worried?
From my experience two years ago they didn't pay attention at all. I was at the Seaport and it was crowded with Pax people. You just walk into your hotel and go right up stairs honestly, no need to even speak to anyone. I suppose you could say it's a guest just visiting. Just try not to make too much noise
Seems that no matter my level of planning my group always gets the shaft with hotel selection. I'd kill for a spot at the Westin or Seaport but every year we wind up at one of the priciest and furthest hotels. No matter our level of planning and preparation it feels like the 3 closest hotels are booked before they're even available.
Try Homeaway.com. I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for, but I've used the site to rent cabins in the Poconos. I like looking at places and need ideas for my own lodging, so I was just browsing the Boston listings for fun. If you don't mind boats, there was a houseboat that sleeps ten a bit north of Long Wharf that was pretty neat looking. There was also a yacht that (officially) sleeps six that was at Fan Pier, or *just* north of Seaport Blvd.