Frack. Was on the forums at work, but only until very early in the afternoon central time. My friends and I were able to get a single bed (we'll work something out) at the Hyatt, but man; we were hoping for the Sheraton again. Guess we'll have to watch the hotel availability page like hawks and hope we get lucky like we did last year and look right when a smattering of rooms were released to PAX well after registration was opened.
Yeah, I was hoping to score the Sheraton this year too just to do something different and because it's basically the big PAX hotel with stuff going on inside.
That's ok, I've been to the Hyatt and it's pretty swank so I ain't mad.
Well, I did hear nothing but good things for the most part about the Hyatt last year, so it won't be all bad if we get "stuck" there instead of somehow finagling our way into the Sheraton again. It is within drunk stumbling distance as you have pointed out
if you are looking for a nicer room you should go straight to the hotel web page or give them a call. i was able to get a much nicer suite one year, though i wasn't able to get the pax discount.
and thanks for the update on the time frame for the 'deposit' withdrawal. luckily i am in a position that i had the money saved and set aside for pax early this year so it's ok if they take it out now but i've spent many other years panicking, wondering if i could make the reservation without having the cash in hand.
This is why I have at least one Credit card. I have been the victim of aweful "pre-auths" before that just hung around and tied up my money. Sometimes real credit cards are the only way to go (since Pre-auths only tie up your limit, not actual cash.)
Heck I took a cruise for my honeymoon and they stuck a $500/passenger ($1k total) preauth on my credit card. I don't even keep that much money in my primary checking account.
Frack. Was on the forums at work, but only until very early in the afternoon central time. My friends and I were able to get a single bed (we'll work something out) at the Hyatt, but man; we were hoping for the Sheraton again. Guess we'll have to watch the hotel availability page like hawks and hope we get lucky like we did last year and look right when a smattering of rooms were released to PAX well after registration was opened.
Yeah, I was hoping to score the Sheraton this year too just to do something different and because it's basically the big PAX hotel with stuff going on inside.
That's ok, I've been to the Hyatt and it's pretty swank so I ain't mad.
Well, I did hear nothing but good things for the most part about the Hyatt last year, so it won't be all bad if we get "stuck" there instead of somehow finagling our way into the Sheraton again. It is within drunk stumbling distance as you have pointed out
The Hyatt is the Shiz! There are actually events in there this year if you believe the PAX main site (which references it.) Plus for an extra $16/night there's a soaker tub (good for "con ache") and a minifridge for storing food (saving us money on lunch and lost left overs.) I heard the Sheraton got pissy about emptying or storing anything in the minibar. (There is a minibar too, it's seperate.) The minifridge costs $5 (just a flat $5 fee) but it was well worth it. I figure the wife and I saved easily $40 in lunch over the 3 day PAX (plus there were late night snacks, and we didn't have to wait in line for lunch, instead we had a relaxing 30 minutes in our room.)
Edit: Sigh, I clearly just double posted, that means it's time to go to bed.
Does anyone know how parking works at the Sheraton? If I checkout Sunday morning, can I leave my car there until I'm ready to head home that evening? Also, their website mentions an in-room safe, is it big enough for a laptop?
Does anyone know how parking works at the Sheraton? If I checkout Sunday morning, can I leave my car there until I'm ready to head home that evening? Also, their website mentions an in-room safe, is it big enough for a laptop?
Yeah, but it's like $30 a day valet parking. Eff that noise.
Does anyone know how parking works at the Sheraton? If I checkout Sunday morning, can I leave my car there until I'm ready to head home that evening? Also, their website mentions an in-room safe, is it big enough for a laptop?
Yeah, but it's like $30 a day valet parking. Eff that noise.
Any alternatives? I'm coming down from whidbey island, which is about an hour and half from Seattle.
I would love to avoid driving period, but logistically I'm not sure it's possible.
Does anyone know how parking works at the Sheraton? If I checkout Sunday morning, can I leave my car there until I'm ready to head home that evening? Also, their website mentions an in-room safe, is it big enough for a laptop?
Yeah, but it's like $30 a day valet parking. Eff that noise.
Any alternatives? I'm coming down from whidbey island, which is about an hour and half from Seattle.
I would love to avoid driving period, but logistically I'm not sure it's possible.
I parked at the garage across the street (next to GameWorks), I could actually see my car (parked on the roof of the garage) from my room, for....maybe $20 a day? Maybe a bit less? They have a daily rate, and it was a lot less than the Sheraton, that's all I remember. I wanna say I paid like $40, and I had parked Friday morning and left it there through Sunday evening.
If you're looking to avoid driving period there are any number of garages in the area that run daily rates that aren't ridiculously bad, and then you can park a few blocks away and save. Sometimes even four blocks or so can make a significant different in parking cost.
But yeah, I wouldn't do the valet thing at the Sheraton. Super-pricey.
I don't recall the safe being big enough for any decent-sized laptop. More netbook sized. But I may be wrong.
I stayed there one night a few years ago, I had a pleasant experience (although my spot was sleeping on the floor/chair). That was actually one of my most fun PAX nights. Ummm. I would say that it's *kind* of a walk.. when compared to some closer hotels, if you're looking to go back and forth during PAX. But the hotel itself is great!
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My first PAX. Got in at the Grand Hyatt. King Size bed just for me. Tahehehe
You're gonna love the bathroom. Not even kidding.
Well yes they are rather plush, but they also act as echo chambers, which can be a tad embarrassing if you have visitors...
Oh and despite that I'm staying there again this year.
The best part about said bathroom is that if you're not shy (or your roomate is your spouse/partner) there's not much fighting for spacing trying to get ready in the morning with the basic hygene. That's a common problem at other hotels I find. It'll be more important this year as we picked up a straggler third friend.
Last year the wife and I panicked (first PAX) because no one in this thread seemed to be staying at the Hyatt (I recall a poll on the thread last year.) And everyone was talking up the Sheraton. I am glad we scored said Hyatt (and it seems the tide has changed on that one.) It is a bit confusing since the site lists it as farther from PAX than the Sheraton (only technically true, and not even really that, it's closer to the main theater.) Also I was happy to see that the novelty key cards seemed to be fairly ubiquitious last year. (I'm a sucker for that novelty crap.)
I'm at the Grand Hyatt. Hopefully other board game lovers will be around to play some games in the lobby.
I'm not gonna lie, I didn't see many people gaming in the Hyatt lobby (although I only sat down there on Sunday waiting for someone, so perhaps it was just the wrong time. I was at the concerts Saturday, and to be honest, I don't remember friday on account of first-timer shock and good wine.) It also could be the Sheraton lobby/bar is so close people just congrigate there.
I will go wherever the crowds are, if they're closer to my room, all the better.
I'm running into an issue with Hotel Reservation right now, looking for advice.
I'm settting up a stay for the 29th to the 3rd for some buffer days in Seattle, but I get the following error when I try to complete registration:
You have entered an invalid date as your credit card's expiration date. The credit card expiration date must be after the meeting start date.
I even know why. My visa card is valid through August 2012 but not into September. I'll have a new card arriving for me but by the time it's here with a newer expiration, it'll be way past the point where hotels will be available.
I'm running into an issue with Hotel Reservation right now, looking for advice.
I'm settting up a stay for the 29th to the 3rd for some buffer days in Seattle, but I get the following error when I try to complete registration:
You have entered an invalid date as your credit card's expiration date. The credit card expiration date must be after the meeting start date.
I even know why. My visa card is valid through August 2012 but not into September. I'll have a new card arriving for me but by the time it's here with a newer expiration, it'll be way past the point where hotels will be available.
What's the easiest solution? Call visa?
Call OnPeak. They helped other people with this issue over the phone.
Does anyone know how parking works at the Sheraton? If I checkout Sunday morning, can I leave my car there until I'm ready to head home that evening? Also, their website mentions an in-room safe, is it big enough for a laptop?
It is $30 a day, then you "should" tip the valet, and I don't believe they let you go into their garage to get anything out of your car. Or maybe they thought we wanted to drive the car out of the garage... Either way, we've always parked in the garage across the street. Same price per day, no tipping and easy access to the car.
A lot of times you can just enter a later date on a CC and till go through fine.
This is very true, as long as you change it before they actually need to charge the card.
I don't remember, but if they ask for a CCV, that may (likely? ) prevent this. The CCV is a 3 digit verificaiton based on CC number, address, and Exp. Date, if memory serves. So if they try to run it for any auth at all, it'll croak. (Granted, it's a fairly weak verification, so there's at least a chance the experation date you choose would generate the same CCV!)
bacon_avengerDefender of Pork ProductsPacific NW, USARegistered Userregular
My first PAX is this one... Heck, it's my first con ever (I'm a late starter/bloomer, what can I say?).
I managed to snag a reservation at the Hilton, but when the Sheraton opened a few more rooms, the reservation system took my attempt to grab one as a reconfirmation request of the Hilton reservation.
For obvious reasons, I didn't want to cancel my previous reservation first, but at least I know I have a place and I might get lucky and still snag a Sheraton reservation. From what I've heard here and from friends, the Sheraton is where it's at.
Anyone have any suggestions or comments on what my chances are of being able to do this?
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Pretty good. I managed or last year. Harder if you want Thursday and Sunday night, though.
Yar, I'm looking at getting 8/30 to 9/3 so I don't have to rush around quite as much (it's worth the extra money IMO). I guess I will just have to keep checking the reservation system throughout the day or see if anyone else happens to cancel and is willing to let me take over the reservation.
PAX Prime 2022 Checklist:[ ]Hotel [ ]Time Off [ ]Bobcats [ ]Challenge Coin [ ]Forum Badge
Pretty good. I managed or last year. Harder if you want Thursday and Sunday night, though.
Last year people posted in this thread before dropping their rooms, so keep an eye out.
Also, I think (I'm not sure) but I think you'll want to use the "Add" button to try and get a second reservation, then delete the first. Don't try to edit the first.
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bacon_avengerDefender of Pork ProductsPacific NW, USARegistered Userregular
Pretty good. I managed or last year. Harder if you want Thursday and Sunday night, though.
Last year people posted in this thread before dropping their rooms, so keep an eye out.
Also, I think (I'm not sure) but I think you'll want to use the "Add" button to try and get a second reservation, then delete the first. Don't try to edit the first.
Ah, ok, I'll keep that in mind if/when I see an opening, thank you!
PAX Prime 2022 Checklist:[ ]Hotel [ ]Time Off [ ]Bobcats [ ]Challenge Coin [ ]Forum Badge
argh, thought i booked the sheraton for the 30-3 and i just checked and ibooked it for the 30-2 *facepalm* looks like i'm going to need to hit up the hotel sharing thread to try and find a last night somewhere
Does anyone know how parking works at the Sheraton? If I checkout Sunday morning, can I leave my car there until I'm ready to head home that evening? Also, their website mentions an in-room safe, is it big enough for a laptop?
It is $30 a day, then you "should" tip the valet, and I don't believe they let you go into their garage to get anything out of your car. Or maybe they thought we wanted to drive the car out of the garage... Either way, we've always parked in the garage across the street. Same price per day, no tipping and easy access to the car.
They let us in the garage to put stuff in our truck on Sunday morning, just had to take them back the keys when we were done.
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Jenny_SpaghettiI am 3 ginger midgets in a trench coat. Calgary, CanadalandRegistered Userregular
argh, thought i booked the sheraton for the 30-3 and i just checked and ibooked it for the 30-2 *facepalm* looks like i'm going to need to hit up the hotel sharing thread to try and find a last night somewhere
Fire off an email to OnPeak and ask if they can help. I wanted to swap my room from a 1-king to a 2-queen but the site kept erroring out when I tried to change it and they fixed me up, even after my hotel was marked as sold out.
I loooooove the Roosevelt. The wife and I stayed there last year and it was pretty much perfect for us. It's nice and close to her favorite coffee place and still only a block from the action.
In case anyone runs into the same thing I did: All the close (1-2 blocks) hotels are unavailable thursday night, but there's still some for fri-sat. Grand Hyatt GET.
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This is why I have at least one Credit card. I have been the victim of aweful "pre-auths" before that just hung around and tied up my money. Sometimes real credit cards are the only way to go (since Pre-auths only tie up your limit, not actual cash.)
Heck I took a cruise for my honeymoon and they stuck a $500/passenger ($1k total) preauth on my credit card. I don't even keep that much money in my primary checking account.
The Hyatt is the Shiz! There are actually events in there this year if you believe the PAX main site (which references it.) Plus for an extra $16/night there's a soaker tub (good for "con ache") and a minifridge for storing food (saving us money on lunch and lost left overs.) I heard the Sheraton got pissy about emptying or storing anything in the minibar. (There is a minibar too, it's seperate.) The minifridge costs $5 (just a flat $5 fee) but it was well worth it. I figure the wife and I saved easily $40 in lunch over the 3 day PAX (plus there were late night snacks, and we didn't have to wait in line for lunch, instead we had a relaxing 30 minutes in our room.)
Edit: Sigh, I clearly just double posted, that means it's time to go to bed.
Yeah, but it's like $30 a day valet parking. Eff that noise.
Any alternatives? I'm coming down from whidbey island, which is about an hour and half from Seattle.
I would love to avoid driving period, but logistically I'm not sure it's possible.
I parked at the garage across the street (next to GameWorks), I could actually see my car (parked on the roof of the garage) from my room, for....maybe $20 a day? Maybe a bit less? They have a daily rate, and it was a lot less than the Sheraton, that's all I remember. I wanna say I paid like $40, and I had parked Friday morning and left it there through Sunday evening.
If you're looking to avoid driving period there are any number of garages in the area that run daily rates that aren't ridiculously bad, and then you can park a few blocks away and save. Sometimes even four blocks or so can make a significant different in parking cost.
But yeah, I wouldn't do the valet thing at the Sheraton. Super-pricey.
I don't recall the safe being big enough for any decent-sized laptop. More netbook sized. But I may be wrong.
Electronic composer for hire.
You're gonna love the bathroom. Not even kidding.
Well yes they are rather plush, but they also act as echo chambers, which can be a tad embarrassing if you have visitors...
Oh and despite that I'm staying there again this year.
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<+Ravenger> you are talking to me
<@heels> oh god, what am i doing
The best part about said bathroom is that if you're not shy (or your roomate is your spouse/partner) there's not much fighting for spacing trying to get ready in the morning with the basic hygene. That's a common problem at other hotels I find. It'll be more important this year as we picked up a straggler third friend.
Last year the wife and I panicked (first PAX) because no one in this thread seemed to be staying at the Hyatt (I recall a poll on the thread last year.) And everyone was talking up the Sheraton. I am glad we scored said Hyatt (and it seems the tide has changed on that one.) It is a bit confusing since the site lists it as farther from PAX than the Sheraton (only technically true, and not even really that, it's closer to the main theater.) Also I was happy to see that the novelty key cards seemed to be fairly ubiquitious last year. (I'm a sucker for that novelty crap.)
I'm not gonna lie, I didn't see many people gaming in the Hyatt lobby (although I only sat down there on Sunday waiting for someone, so perhaps it was just the wrong time. I was at the concerts Saturday, and to be honest, I don't remember friday on account of first-timer shock and good wine.) It also could be the Sheraton lobby/bar is so close people just congrigate there.
I will go wherever the crowds are, if they're closer to my room, all the better.
I'm settting up a stay for the 29th to the 3rd for some buffer days in Seattle, but I get the following error when I try to complete registration:
You have entered an invalid date as your credit card's expiration date. The credit card expiration date must be after the meeting start date.
I even know why. My visa card is valid through August 2012 but not into September. I'll have a new card arriving for me but by the time it's here with a newer expiration, it'll be way past the point where hotels will be available.
What's the easiest solution? Call visa?
I'm down!
Electronic composer for hire.
Call OnPeak. They helped other people with this issue over the phone.
This is very true, as long as you change it before they actually need to charge the card.
It is $30 a day, then you "should" tip the valet, and I don't believe they let you go into their garage to get anything out of your car. Or maybe they thought we wanted to drive the car out of the garage... Either way, we've always parked in the garage across the street. Same price per day, no tipping and easy access to the car.
Same here! Super amped!
I don't remember, but if they ask for a CCV, that may (likely? ) prevent this. The CCV is a 3 digit verificaiton based on CC number, address, and Exp. Date, if memory serves. So if they try to run it for any auth at all, it'll croak. (Granted, it's a fairly weak verification, so there's at least a chance the experation date you choose would generate the same CCV!)
Yes! I'm stoked!
I managed to snag a reservation at the Hilton, but when the Sheraton opened a few more rooms, the reservation system took my attempt to grab one as a reconfirmation request of the Hilton reservation.
For obvious reasons, I didn't want to cancel my previous reservation first, but at least I know I have a place and I might get lucky and still snag a Sheraton reservation. From what I've heard here and from friends, the Sheraton is where it's at.
Anyone have any suggestions or comments on what my chances are of being able to do this?
Yar, I'm looking at getting 8/30 to 9/3 so I don't have to rush around quite as much (it's worth the extra money IMO). I guess I will just have to keep checking the reservation system throughout the day or see if anyone else happens to cancel and is willing to let me take over the reservation.
Last year people posted in this thread before dropping their rooms, so keep an eye out.
Also, I think (I'm not sure) but I think you'll want to use the "Add" button to try and get a second reservation, then delete the first. Don't try to edit the first.
Ah, ok, I'll keep that in mind if/when I see an opening, thank you!
They let us in the garage to put stuff in our truck on Sunday morning, just had to take them back the keys when we were done.
Shipping cookies for Prime 2013
Fire off an email to OnPeak and ask if they can help. I wanted to swap my room from a 1-king to a 2-queen but the site kept erroring out when I tried to change it and they fixed me up, even after my hotel was marked as sold out.
(P.S. In at the Sheraton Wednesday-Monday!)
(DAT TUB)