PAX07 Hotel Feedback
KaitouAyashi
Seattle, WARegistered User regular
Seattle, WARegistered User regular
If you stayed at an official PAX hotel, share your experiences! Was it close and convenient enough? Were the rooms too small? How friendly and helpful were the staff?
Which hotels do you think PAX should book first for next year?
We stayed at the Paramount. A++. Literally one flat block (not uphill or downhill) from the convention center, GameWorks, etc.
Valet, concierge, front desk all EXTREMELY helpful, friendly, and great at giving directions or suggestions (food, banks, etc).
Someone staying at the Sheraton told me that the staff issued a letter to PAXers upon check-in that they felt was rude and condescending, and in addition weren't terribly helpful or welcoming. Is this true?
Which hotels do you think PAX should book first for next year?
We stayed at the Paramount. A++. Literally one flat block (not uphill or downhill) from the convention center, GameWorks, etc.
Valet, concierge, front desk all EXTREMELY helpful, friendly, and great at giving directions or suggestions (food, banks, etc).
Someone staying at the Sheraton told me that the staff issued a letter to PAXers upon check-in that they felt was rude and condescending, and in addition weren't terribly helpful or welcoming. Is this true?
[15:02] BigRed-Worky: i will nom all of your boxes
[15:02] Tajah: I like you BR but I'm not letting you nom my box
[15:02] BigRed-Worky: Did I mention I hate you all? cause i do
PAX Twitter Shitter~*~ Retired Bar Liaison: 2nd, 3rd, & 4th Annual Triwizard Drinking Tournament~*~
[15:02] Tajah: I like you BR but I'm not letting you nom my box
[15:02] BigRed-Worky: Did I mention I hate you all? cause i do
PAX Twitter Shitter~*~ Retired Bar Liaison: 2nd, 3rd, & 4th Annual Triwizard Drinking Tournament~*~
KaitouAyashi on
0
This discussion has been closed.
Posts
Stayed at the Sheraton and was pleased with the friendliness of the staff. Even a party that got a little to loud they handled it very politely and simply asked first if we could try to keep it quiet and then the second time they simply said that it needed to be brought to an end.
Edit: Was shocked to find out at check out that there was an extra 25 dollar plus tax fee per person over 2 people staying in the room. So the 165 plus 50 made it a bit more costly then first anticipated. The Sheraton did have self parking over at the pike street garage. Not much cheaper then the valet service who I bugged several times to get items out of my car that I had not gotten when I arrived. They didn’t seem to mind and returned with the items I had requested promptly.
One thing I would like to see is if it would be possible to get whole PAX floors so that parties and gaming can happen with out upsetting other hotel guests.
The plus side is it was only $85/night
And if you're not splitting the cost of a room 4 ways, that's pretty damn cheap!
All though...Parking rates blow along with candy fees...3 dollars for a snickers bar?! WTF.
Hahahahaha.
I was this close to chomping on my Snickers bar, then saw the price, and dropped it right back into the basket
I use my mini-fridge to store my store-bought drinks and sandwiches; I'm sure the maid thought it was weird.
Daily Grill wasn't that great either, but I was SOO hungry this one time, so...:|
Holy crap i know. Jerks =[
Did you hang your "Please Come Back Later" door thingy outside?
I had mine hanging whenever I was in my hotel room.
I expected it to be the "fancy" hotel and yet it lacked in so many ways. No fridge. No ability to open a window. The cleaning lady didn't speak english (which made it hard to communicate our issues). It was expensive. It was full of old people that had nothing to do with PAX. But most of all... when my wife went to bed she discovered that the sheets had dried blood stains on them. Granted housekeeping took care of it and we did get some "credit" for it, but it's still unacceptable for a hotel of this calibur. Oh yeah, and the Daily Grill sucked too.
I like this thread as we need a new hotel for next year, preferably one that is ok if the noise level goes up a bit and can be booked for only PAX goers.
407 Columbia St. New Westminster (GVA)
Just off Columbia Skytrain Station.
http://www.gamedeals.ca
Our sheets had like gum or something stuck to them. Ew :[
But, it still was really nice, and the people at the front desk were nothing but kind, even though it was clear that we were the "nerd" type.
Experience: ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! I haven't stayed in a hotel this nice for the cost since I went and stayed at a Hilton in Times Square. The bathrooms themselves were beautiful, let alone the nice size of the room, and the awesome view of downtown.
Comments: Please get this hotel again next year!!!
So it was way expensive, and I didn't have roommates.
Way swank though.
♥
Front desk staff was nice, lots of other PAX goers around, and pretty close to everything.
Definitely A++
Wii Code - 7003 8124 4415 5685
Saw very few other PAX'ers there except for Sunday morning when we were checking out. Surprised to find other guests were curious about us and took the time to ask us questions as to our interest in games, what we enjoyed about PAX, and the demographics attending.
The rooms were very small, as it is a historically renovated hotel with more atmosphere than luxury. We spent a brainless half hour getting the television to cooperate with our console systems, the bathroom door didn't close completely unless locked, and there was no mini-fridge. However, the beds were absolutely amazing with an ample amount of pillows. Extra blankets were delivered promptly; giving us two when we only asked for one. The front desk staff was helpful and parking was reasonable for the area of town - allowing us to leave & return as many times we wished, at any hours, for the day.
This is not a place to have a party or pack in a lot of extra people - but for two or three people it's a great place if you don't require a fridge and aren't too concerned about how far you have to walk.
If you had gone out the second floor and cut across Union Square it would have been a flat trip and shorter. It pops you out by that round church building, so I guess a little up hill for that one block.
Okay, question for people who stayed at the Lion; if you ordered room service, did you guys get that really, really, really, really weird guy delivering the food? Granted he was nice, but I think complimenting me on how I looked in my shirt was a little off.
I was literally across the street from the convention center and the people at the front desk were excellent. They helped me right away and I had no problems with my hotel.
The room was nice enough and had good coffee in it. The beds were very comfortable and I'd definitely recommend people stay there next year.
:AMN:
And let me say that I deeply appreciate Mike Fehlauer's efforts in getting us a discounted rate at a nearby hotel, because at $150 I merely walked away with disappointment instead of with that wallet-raped feeling.
Note that in previous years I had stayed at the Bellevue Doubletree, which is the standard by which I now compare all PAX hotels.
Conclusions about Crowne Plaza:
--Parking. You pretty much had to use their valet parking in order to unload. There simply wasn't space for anything else unless you were better organized. I got my stuff out of my car, put it in my room, then realized they were going to charge me $28 a night for parking (I've seriously had hotel rooms cheaper than that), and demanded my vehicle. The valet took fifteen minutes to get it and charged me two hours for 45 minutes of parking. Jerks. This was my first impression of the Crowne.
Tip for next year: Drop your stuff off and park in the garage next to the convention. It's $18/night. (EDIT: thanks, Kuribo's Shoe)
--Staff. Valets aside, they seemed friendly enough, but I do have to question their language skills. I BYOC'd until 3:00 AM the first night. At 9:00 the next morning, I get *knock* *knock* *knock* "Maaaaid". I politely tell her through the door that I am sleeping and to please refrain from disturbing me further. One hour later: *knock* *knock* *knock* "Maaaaid"
Plus, they shut down the Sealab party before I could get there, so they get massive negative bonus points for that.
--Amenities, or lack thereof. No microwave, no fridge, no pool, ice machines out of order, un-openable windows, and what was up with the tapwater? It had two temperatures: hot and boiling. I had to wonder if their pipes were connected directly to a river in hell.
--Elevator. Slow, and not nearly as much fun as the Doubletree's.
++Location. They didn't have shuttles to the convention, but didn't need them. Close enough to easily walk, provided you exited from the northeast doors.
++View. Great view of the Seattle skyline. Had I been inclined to spend more time in my room with my eyes open, it would have mattered.
++Easy checkout. I loved being able to leave without dealing with a stop at the front desk. Hardly unique, but I want to give them some credit.
I figured this year was going to be an adjustment with the new location and all, and it was. I'd put the Crowne's actual value/night at well below $99, so I won't be staying there again. I'd be much more inclined to stay at a place that was farther from the convention if they had shuttle service and were more affordable.
Only complaint, $28 for self serve parking per day (no in/out privileges) or $35 + tips valet parking. Parking in DT seattle is just crazy ... If I knew of any other parking garages nearby that were cheaper, I may have used them instead.
Overall, my first pax was a fun experience, nothing like how E3 used to be. It was good to see such great community support.
I too was at the Crowne Plaza and I thought the Elevator was quite fast. It went to the 14th floor in an instant.
I was on the 16th and it took forever. Plus, our ice machine was broken and I had to go down to your floor for ice. Oh yeah, you get the working ice machine.
I guess all the cool kids got put on the 14th floor.
My one complaint about the elevator was that it got quite crowded on the way down. Oh yeah, 14th floor was awful for me, I'm afraid of heights
The fridge was hidden in the dresser. Although that blood is pretty creepy...
PAX East Trading Card Organizer | Twitter | Google+
The KB Life
The Sheraton was absolutely gorgeous, the beds were more comfortable than I could imagine, and in comparison, made the Crowne Plaza beds feel like sleeping on bricks that had been spat upon.
Yes, spat upon.
Mind you, the Crowne Plaza room was pretty comfortable in itself - but next year I will likely stay at the Sheraton, if just for the FAST ELEVATORS.
Did you guys have an actual fridge or a mini bar? The small fridge that we had was actually a mini bar that was locked.
I guess it was actually a mini-bar. I didn't bother poking around too much because I didn't have anything to keep cold. Normally there is still some room in there, does anyone know if this was the case?
PAX East Trading Card Organizer | Twitter | Google+
5/10
I hung out in the Sheraton for a bit and it was nice, sans GETTING STUCK IN THE ELEVATOR FOR 1 HOUR!!!