this is a really good point for those considering staying farther out who think they won't mind a little cab ride: boston cabs are infamous for being rude and sometimes just ripping you off (taking the longest route possible, getting "lost", etc). cabs can be a total headache, so keep that in mind.
Yup, we were pretty sure that's exactly what he did. The hotel we were at was 1.7 miles from the convention center according to google maps, but he drove allllll around Boston to get there - the fare ended up being around $20+. Now I don't know much about taxis but that just seems insane.
Yeah, I had a few good ones and a few bad. My hotel was 2 miles, and i had a few cabbies that could do that for around $10. I got one cabby Saturday afternoon when i went back to the hotel to meet up with some people that did the same ride for about $22 because he decided to take the scenic route.
All three cabs I took at East last year were very reasonable. The first two I only had a vague idea of where I was going/how to get there but it only took about 15 minutes and cost just over $10 with tip (to the Pokecrawl area from the Westin and back at the end of the night). For the third cab I had a much better idea of how to get where I was going and did not have a problem, either.
The public transportation situation in Boston is pretty nice. Don't be afraid to book a little further away if it will help you save some money. This is particularly true if you're convenient to the T or if you have several people that you can share a cab with to cut down on that cost. There is also a nice app called HopStop that can direct you through pretty much any major city's public transportation. I have had good experiences using it in NYC and Oahu.
All three cabs I took at East last year were very reasonable. The first two I only had a vague idea of where I was going/how to get there but it only took about 15 minutes and cost just over $10 with tip (to the Pokecrawl area from the Westin and back at the end of the night). For the third cab I had a much better idea of how to get where I was going and did not have a problem, either.
The public transportation situation in Boston is pretty nice. Don't be afraid to book a little further away if it will help you save some money. This is particularly true if you're convenient to the T or if you have several people that you can share a cab with to cut down on that cost. There is also a nice app called HopStop that can direct you through pretty much any major city's public transportation. I have had good experiences using it in NYC and Oahu.
the T is awesome, but should be noted it shuts down earlier than PAX concerts and other late night events will be done.
I took a cab once at East 2012 and it was just fine. I think it was about $15 with tip and about a 5 minute drive to the BCEC.
While $15 may seem like a lot, on a bad day the shuttles can take somewhere close to an hour. The roads in Boston were designed by Escher and the traffic is psychotic and the shuttles are HUGE. Not only do the shuttles often have to stop at 3 or 4 different hotels after they pick you up, depending on which part of the route you're on, but they have to take the longer routes to the BCEC since the shuttles can't really drive on the more direct routes due to their size and lack of maneuverability. On top of that, during peak hours (i.e. the hours right before Mike & Jerry's Q&A) the shuttles fill up FAST so you might end up waiting on the street for a long time, followed by sitting uncomfortably in an over-crowded bus for anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour (though that is a good chance to meet new people) until you finally get there. If you want to be able to get to the BCEC early enough to get into the Q&A, you basically have to get up a few hours in advance so that you can shower, eat, get dressed, and get out the door to wait for the shuttle.
Another big inconvenience is that the shuttles stop going TO the BCEC at night, so if you plan on going back to the hotel for a quick bite to eat or a nap before the concerts, you will need to find a different way to get back to the BCEC or just eat and nap at the BCEC.
I don't want to sound like I'm knocking the shuttle system too bad. Honestly, they're about as good as they can possibly be servicing thousands of gamers in about a dozen different hotels for an entire weekend in a city notorious for its horrible traffic. If you want an adventure, try sitting near the front and watch some of the ridiculous maneuvering these drivers have to do. It's like watching a surgeon. The only way they can possibly be better is if they develop hover technology. It's also really awesome that the Penny Arcade crew manages to orchestrate a complimentary public transportation system that runs as well as it does. It's just that if you hate extended traveling times and sitting in a cramped space with about 100 other people for a long time and getting up early, $15 for a taxi is well worth the price.
I would recommend taking the shuttles on the return trip, though. If you stay till the end of the concerts, the shuttles usually arrive shortly thereafter and the traffic is much more manageable so the ride won't usually take much longer than a half-hour (once again, depending on how far along the route your stop is).
On a similar note, you don't want to drive your car, either. While most hotels and the BCEC have parking, it's expensive, often more expensive than just taking a cab. On top of that, driving in Boston is not usually a great way to start your day. If you DO want to drive your car, I highly recommend using the valet services. Yes, it's even MORE expensive, but it saves you from driving hopelessly around the full parking garages for an hour. The valet parking at the BCEC is $25 without tip. On the plus side, they can bring your car around within minutes when you're ready to leave.
So with all that said... get a room at the Westin (a 1-minute walk) or the Seaport (a 10-minute walk). Yes, they will likely sell out within 48 hours of OnPeak going live, but the convenience of just being able to WALK to the BCEC and avoid having to worry about all of the above is priceless. If you CAN'T get a room at the Westin or the Seaport, either plan for very long travel times, spend $15 on a taxi, or spend $25 on valet parking.
If you're driving in from a close location (NYC, other NE locales), I strongly suggest parking your car in the hotel and leaving it. It's usually about $40 a night. That can be steep for some, so give it some thought before you do drive to Beantown. I did this at the Seaport in 2011 with no regrets.
Do not drive around the center of Boston. It's a disaster. Use the T during the day.
Cabs are okay, but do keep your eyes open for shady tactics.
The Seaport is basically as good as the Westin, except the gaming stuff seemingly went on at the Westin. I missed last year, so I don't know if that changed. I actually liked the serenity of the Seaport Hotel. PAX can be a little zoo-ish, even though everyone is cool and patient. This isn't important to everyone, but the workout room at the Seaport was a ghost town, so that was a godsend for me to just jump in there and get some cardio in.
Otherwise, I'd say bring some food with you for nighttime. There's not much in the surrounding area except the hotel restaurants and a couple of scattered bars.
Hey everyone, I was wondering if someone remembers what they paid last year for the Westin, I'm drawing a blank on the prices. I think if it's within reason, I'm going to strongly consider it this year.
To contribute to the discussion;
EDIT: As pointed out by Zerzhul, there should be a disclaimer that none of these hotels are within the BCEC general area (You would have to drive, cab or take the T).
2010 - Sheraton attached to the Hynes Convention Center
Pros:
- Attached to the convention center
- In a relevant part of Boston with a lot to do on foot
- The room was quite exceptional - the newest looking hotel I've ever stayed at
- Cleaning staff was incredible
- Bathrooms built with tall people in mind
- Excellent water pressure
- Mini fridge already in the room it and wasn't disgusting (happens more often than you think)
Cons:
- The counter staff was incredibly rude
- We booked a single room with 2 queen beds and we received a room with a single king bed. (Via onpeak)
- The room wasn't changed because we booked through a booking agency, we were advised to book directly through the hotel next time (Spoke with the manager who also declined a room change as well as a price reduction)
- They said they were out of cots and that my friend was welcome to sleep on the floor. After about 30 minutes of discussing how 200$ a night just to have one of our people sleep on the floor was unacceptable, they found a cot.
2011 - Radisson on Stuart St.
Pros:
- Very nice and clean hotel (Sheraton was still much nicer)
- Relevant location, things to do on foot
- Friendly staff all around
- Excellent cleaning staff
- Bathroom was also built with the consideration of tall people
- Excellent water pressure
- Mini fridge available on request
Cons:
- Sleep number beds are glorified inflatable mattresses
2012 - Double Tree Boston Bayside
Pros:
- SUPER helpful & friendly counter staff (they discouraged us from using taxis for everything and turned us into the adept T using ninjas we are today)
- Very inexpensive parking as far as Boston is concerned
Cons:
- Location (but then again, there was a T station right outside and it's incredibly intuitive to use)
- The cleaning staff was very below average
- The shower head at it's highest reached my chest
Funny:
- When we checked in, we were joking around with the clerk at the desk when he sort of smirked and said "You've been upgraded to an ocean view suite". I couldn't understand how that would be possible considering the location of the hotel but when I opened the curtains, I saw across approximately half a mile of parking lot, a little bit of blue.
If you take anything away from this post, let it be that you should use the T instead of taxis, save that cab fare.
Hopefully everyone keeps in mind that none of those are anywhere near the BCEC Wouldn't want anyone to get confused (especially with the sheraton connected to the Hynes)
Aren't most of OnPeak's reservations first come, first serve? Like if you had shown up earlier you may have received the room you booked, but instead you got what was left over.
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Aren't most of OnPeak's reservations first come, first serve? Like if you had shown up earlier you may have received the room you booked, but instead you got what was left over.
Not sure what this is supposed to mean? OnPeak transfers the bookings from their system to the actual Hotels, as is. It's possible that OnPeak could oversell one particular type of room, but ideally they try to match everything up 1:1. You can call the hotels to verify the reservations about 1-2 weeks prior to PAX after OnPeak transfers the reservations.
Now, some hotels have WIDE variety in room type that all fall under the same OnPeak room type. For example, the Homewood Suites at Prime has 6ish+ different "king suites", and which one of those you get will depend on when you arrive because you can't book a SPECIFIC king suite through OnPeak.
Most hotels aren't like that though, and just have a couple room types.
Sorry, it's possible I'm being misunderstood. I may have just misinterpreted what was meant by room type. My bad.
EDIT: Just remembered why I made this mistake. When I booked via OnPeak and confirmed with the Seaport last year they simply told me I had booked a room. Number of beds and the like would depend on what was available when I arrived for check-in.
Also to make this a more relevant post. As a note the Seaport was a very nice hotel as I mentioned earlier with ample space in the room and extra pillows to make a sort of third bed on the floor.
Only real complaint was that the water pressure was absolutely terrible.
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The Westin is the way to go for convenience, I used it in 2012 and it was nice to be able to take a rest/drop off good/charge devices at a maximum of 10 minutes away. I was at the Colonade in 2011 which is a nice hotel, but 30 minutes to an hour each way for the shuttle was a big deal for me.
Westin is great for convenience. Got it at the second PAX (At the new expo hall). But no free wifi, and a few other little things pushed me off of it. At last years my friend and I got a room at the Seaport. It was cheaper, less then 5 minutes away, and closer to convenience stores (Breakfast at Dunkin Donuts and snacks at 7-11 every day saved tons of money over overpriced con stuff) and better restaurants. Definitely going back to Seaport every PAX from now on.
I can't wait! I've been lucky enough to stay in the Westin the last two years. I stayed far away from the convention center the first year of PAX East, and I won't do that again.
Playing games on the second floor balcony was a blast, lots of Cards Against Humanity going on this past year. I look forward to that again.
My party has always been restricted to 4, but after all the stories about PAX East, I have enough that I'm going to have to book 2 or 3 rooms this time around. I'm hoping the OnPeak system will put in a request for a room or two that are next to each other, or at least on the same floor.
Okay noob here, i am thinking of attending but i have limited mobility what is the closest hotel/s to the convention center?
As others said, the Westin is the absolute closest, but keep in mind that it sells out super fast. If you want a room, you'll probably want to start trolling these forums since once OnPeak goes live, this is probably the first place it will be reported. You can also follow the official PAX twitter feed since they'll announce it there as well, but by the time they mention it on Twitter, the Westin will probably already be about half-full, and since most people will find out through Twitter, it will likely be sold out shortly thereafter. Probably at least within the first two days of OnPeak going live.
As Limond says, Seaport is also pretty close and won't sell out QUITE as fast, but it will sell out within a matter of days. Renaissance is also about the same distance as the Seaport, though I don't think it sells out QUITE as fast, so it's probably a good Plan C. If you're in a wheelchair or something along those lines, I think it should be a simple enough journey from any of these three hotels and won't require any special transportation.
If you can't get into the Westin, Seaport, or Renaissance, then transportation becomes a pretty big problem. I believe the shuttles ARE wheelchair accessible (though I'm not 100% certain on that), but considering how crowded they get, I can imagine it being very problematic even if they are. Even if you don't require a wheelchair, the shuttles can be quite a hassle.
So I would suggest you decide very quickly if want to go to PAX. OnPeak will probably go live within the next month or so, and if you want a hotel close to the BCEC, your options diminish greatly after the first week or so, so you'll need to act quickly. I've also heard that Westin makes you pay the reservation up front, so that's something you'll probably need to work out as well, just to be safe.
Additionally, I do believe that PAX East hosted AbleGamers this year, so they might have advice regarding limited mobility at PAX East. Might be worth asking them. It's possible that they have ways of accommodating guests with mobility issues.
Ooo, if the Westin doesn't have free wi-fi then I'll be reprising my role at the Seaport.
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Ooo, if the Westin doesn't have free wi-fi then I'll be reprising my role at the Seaport.
Free WiFi is all well-and-good, but at a popular, sold-out hotel at PAX, I'd imagine that their speed will be CRAWLING at certain times of the day. If it's something that people have to pay for, it means less people will be using it and the speed will probably be faster.
Of course, I've never stayed at the Seaport, so I don't know if this is truly the case. Maybe their free WiFi is perfectly capable of handling the uptick in traffic.
For those that have stayed at the Westin before and paid for Wifi, how much do they charge? How was the speed and reliability? I didn't have Wifi when I went to this last Prime, and although I got by ok, there were a lot of times that I seriously wished I had decent internet access in the hotel room.
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What were the price ranges for the Westin and Seaport? Just curious. I stayed at Park Plaza the past two years. I just want to be closer to the convention.
Westin wifi was more then 10 dollars a day. I don't recall since it was a few years ago. And I believe last year Westin was charging 190 a night while Seaport was 160.
last year (and the previous year, as i recall) westin was $179/night. westin and seaport both have their pros and cons, they are definitely the big two, but which is better for you really depends on your personal preferences. also a note on the westin (and probably elsewhere), rooms with 2 double beds book much faster than rooms with one king, so keep that in mind when deciding how frantic you need to be about getting booked.
Westin wifi was more then 10 dollars a day. I don't recall since it was a few years ago. And I believe last year Westin was charging 190 a night while Seaport was 160.
Heck with that. 3G FTW.
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Westin wifi was more then 10 dollars a day. I don't recall since it was a few years ago. And I believe last year Westin was charging 190 a night while Seaport was 160.
Heck with that. 3G FTW.
Except the 3g in the area is unusable til after 6pm when crowds are gone.
My gaming group shall be reserving 4-6 rooms again this year at the westin. The only thing that stunk about the westin was the water pressure of the sink faucet. In order to clean anything you had to use the shower faucet.
Also free bottles of water for hotel guests at the lobby ftw since they don't have vending machines (don't know if that will be the same as last year).
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What we did this past year, instead of going the hotel route, we did a rental. A little bit more room for about the same as the cost of a hotel room and everyone wont be on top of each other.
I'm gonna go ahead and assume that the Westin shows up as unbookable right now because OnPeak isn't up yet.
Would anybody who's stayed there previously mind sharing how much they ended up paying altogether? I'm expecting somewhere in the range of $1000 - $1500, but I'm fully prepared to be disappointed in the worst way.
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whypick1PAX [E] Info Booth Manager~2' from an LCDRegistered Userregular
edited September 2012
6 nights in a 2-bedroom cost me $1500 after tax last year.
And yes, OnPeak has reserved rather large blocks of rooms in their hotels, which is why booking directly through the hotel may not be possible.
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rubykavalierpink is the new baconRegistered Userregular
I'm gonna go ahead and assume that the Westin shows up as unbookable right now because OnPeak isn't up yet.
Would anybody who's stayed there previously mind sharing how much they ended up paying altogether? I'm expecting somewhere in the range of $1000 - $1500, but I'm fully prepared to be disappointed in the worst way.
Yes, OnPeak's reservations mean that looking for rooms via the hotel's website directly will result in disappointment. Stalk the official PAX twitter and the forums and you'll know as soon as the res system goes live.
As for pricing, I split a room with a friend for last year's East and I think all-in I ended up spending around $1000 - $1200 after hotel, airfare, food, fun (merch, drinking/clubbing, etc), and cabs.
Westin wifi was more then 10 dollars a day. I don't recall since it was a few years ago. And I believe last year Westin was charging 190 a night while Seaport was 160.
Heck with that. 3G FTW.
Except the 3g in the area is unusable til after 6pm when crowds are gone.
i don't recall having trouble with my phone's 3g at all last year. maybe a bit slow, but still perfectly usable.
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rubykavalierpink is the new baconRegistered Userregular
I don't know if it was our room location or not, but we had next to zero cell service in our hotel. Slightly better in the lobby. Relied primarily upon texting in the BCEC.
Cell reception totally depends on the architecture of the building, mostly the materials used in construction and your room's position. If you're surrounded by a ton of concrete and steel, you're going to get poor connectivity. If you've got a balcony, you should be pretty well off.
Of course there's probably a maximum of three towers in the convention center's vicinity, each of which is probably geared to handle about 10k voice connections maximum (hopefully). Those (theoretical) three towers probably all feed to the same main office.
Conventions like PAX are probably going to continue to bring cell networks to their knees until providers pay more for fatter pipes and more equipment at cell sites. Don't depend on your cellular provider for a reliable data connection.
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East '12 also saw Verizon and I think AT&T bring in remote repeaters to the BCEC area explicitly for the duration of PAX, so that might explain the seeming lack of problems with connectivity there this year.
That said, I still had better luck with overall signal reliability going either up to 4g or down to 2g speed.
i don't recall having trouble with my phone's 3g at all last year. maybe a bit slow, but still perfectly usable.
Who's your carrier? I have AT&T and I only got 1 bar of service in my room and 3G was near pointless. I spent Sunday sick in my room and wanted to watch the streaming panels while lying in bed but I was lucky if I got every 5th word.
i don't recall having trouble with my phone's 3g at all last year. maybe a bit slow, but still perfectly usable.
Who's your carrier? I have AT&T and I only got 1 bar of service in my room and 3G was near pointless. I spent Sunday sick in my room and wanted to watch the streaming panels while lying in bed but I was lucky if I got every 5th word.
i've got verizon and i stayed at the westin, so i was there and in the bcec all weekend. we were on a high floor in the hotel and our room did have a great big giant window overlooking the city, so that may have helped.
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No, Boston cabbies have a very specific negative reputation for it. Also all the cabbies I had in Seattle were nice.
Yeah, I had a few good ones and a few bad. My hotel was 2 miles, and i had a few cabbies that could do that for around $10. I got one cabby Saturday afternoon when i went back to the hotel to meet up with some people that did the same ride for about $22 because he decided to take the scenic route.
The public transportation situation in Boston is pretty nice. Don't be afraid to book a little further away if it will help you save some money. This is particularly true if you're convenient to the T or if you have several people that you can share a cab with to cut down on that cost. There is also a nice app called HopStop that can direct you through pretty much any major city's public transportation. I have had good experiences using it in NYC and Oahu.
the T is awesome, but should be noted it shuts down earlier than PAX concerts and other late night events will be done.
While $15 may seem like a lot, on a bad day the shuttles can take somewhere close to an hour. The roads in Boston were designed by Escher and the traffic is psychotic and the shuttles are HUGE. Not only do the shuttles often have to stop at 3 or 4 different hotels after they pick you up, depending on which part of the route you're on, but they have to take the longer routes to the BCEC since the shuttles can't really drive on the more direct routes due to their size and lack of maneuverability. On top of that, during peak hours (i.e. the hours right before Mike & Jerry's Q&A) the shuttles fill up FAST so you might end up waiting on the street for a long time, followed by sitting uncomfortably in an over-crowded bus for anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour (though that is a good chance to meet new people) until you finally get there. If you want to be able to get to the BCEC early enough to get into the Q&A, you basically have to get up a few hours in advance so that you can shower, eat, get dressed, and get out the door to wait for the shuttle.
Another big inconvenience is that the shuttles stop going TO the BCEC at night, so if you plan on going back to the hotel for a quick bite to eat or a nap before the concerts, you will need to find a different way to get back to the BCEC or just eat and nap at the BCEC.
I don't want to sound like I'm knocking the shuttle system too bad. Honestly, they're about as good as they can possibly be servicing thousands of gamers in about a dozen different hotels for an entire weekend in a city notorious for its horrible traffic. If you want an adventure, try sitting near the front and watch some of the ridiculous maneuvering these drivers have to do. It's like watching a surgeon. The only way they can possibly be better is if they develop hover technology. It's also really awesome that the Penny Arcade crew manages to orchestrate a complimentary public transportation system that runs as well as it does. It's just that if you hate extended traveling times and sitting in a cramped space with about 100 other people for a long time and getting up early, $15 for a taxi is well worth the price.
I would recommend taking the shuttles on the return trip, though. If you stay till the end of the concerts, the shuttles usually arrive shortly thereafter and the traffic is much more manageable so the ride won't usually take much longer than a half-hour (once again, depending on how far along the route your stop is).
On a similar note, you don't want to drive your car, either. While most hotels and the BCEC have parking, it's expensive, often more expensive than just taking a cab. On top of that, driving in Boston is not usually a great way to start your day. If you DO want to drive your car, I highly recommend using the valet services. Yes, it's even MORE expensive, but it saves you from driving hopelessly around the full parking garages for an hour. The valet parking at the BCEC is $25 without tip. On the plus side, they can bring your car around within minutes when you're ready to leave.
So with all that said... get a room at the Westin (a 1-minute walk) or the Seaport (a 10-minute walk). Yes, they will likely sell out within 48 hours of OnPeak going live, but the convenience of just being able to WALK to the BCEC and avoid having to worry about all of the above is priceless. If you CAN'T get a room at the Westin or the Seaport, either plan for very long travel times, spend $15 on a taxi, or spend $25 on valet parking.
If you're driving in from a close location (NYC, other NE locales), I strongly suggest parking your car in the hotel and leaving it. It's usually about $40 a night. That can be steep for some, so give it some thought before you do drive to Beantown. I did this at the Seaport in 2011 with no regrets.
Do not drive around the center of Boston. It's a disaster. Use the T during the day.
Cabs are okay, but do keep your eyes open for shady tactics.
The Seaport is basically as good as the Westin, except the gaming stuff seemingly went on at the Westin. I missed last year, so I don't know if that changed. I actually liked the serenity of the Seaport Hotel. PAX can be a little zoo-ish, even though everyone is cool and patient. This isn't important to everyone, but the workout room at the Seaport was a ghost town, so that was a godsend for me to just jump in there and get some cardio in.
Otherwise, I'd say bring some food with you for nighttime. There's not much in the surrounding area except the hotel restaurants and a couple of scattered bars.
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To contribute to the discussion;
EDIT: As pointed out by Zerzhul, there should be a disclaimer that none of these hotels are within the BCEC general area (You would have to drive, cab or take the T).
2010 - Sheraton attached to the Hynes Convention Center
Pros:
- Attached to the convention center
- In a relevant part of Boston with a lot to do on foot
- The room was quite exceptional - the newest looking hotel I've ever stayed at
- Cleaning staff was incredible
- Bathrooms built with tall people in mind
- Excellent water pressure
- Mini fridge already in the room it and wasn't disgusting (happens more often than you think)
Cons:
- The counter staff was incredibly rude
- We booked a single room with 2 queen beds and we received a room with a single king bed. (Via onpeak)
- The room wasn't changed because we booked through a booking agency, we were advised to book directly through the hotel next time (Spoke with the manager who also declined a room change as well as a price reduction)
- They said they were out of cots and that my friend was welcome to sleep on the floor. After about 30 minutes of discussing how 200$ a night just to have one of our people sleep on the floor was unacceptable, they found a cot.
2011 - Radisson on Stuart St.
Pros:
- Very nice and clean hotel (Sheraton was still much nicer)
- Relevant location, things to do on foot
- Friendly staff all around
- Excellent cleaning staff
- Bathroom was also built with the consideration of tall people
- Excellent water pressure
- Mini fridge available on request
Cons:
- Sleep number beds are glorified inflatable mattresses
2012 - Double Tree Boston Bayside
Pros:
- SUPER helpful & friendly counter staff (they discouraged us from using taxis for everything and turned us into the adept T using ninjas we are today)
- Very inexpensive parking as far as Boston is concerned
Cons:
- Location (but then again, there was a T station right outside and it's incredibly intuitive to use)
- The cleaning staff was very below average
- The shower head at it's highest reached my chest
Funny:
- When we checked in, we were joking around with the clerk at the desk when he sort of smirked and said "You've been upgraded to an ocean view suite". I couldn't understand how that would be possible considering the location of the hotel but when I opened the curtains, I saw across approximately half a mile of parking lot, a little bit of blue.
If you take anything away from this post, let it be that you should use the T instead of taxis, save that cab fare.
Hopefully everyone keeps in mind that none of those are anywhere near the BCEC
Not sure what this is supposed to mean? OnPeak transfers the bookings from their system to the actual Hotels, as is. It's possible that OnPeak could oversell one particular type of room, but ideally they try to match everything up 1:1. You can call the hotels to verify the reservations about 1-2 weeks prior to PAX after OnPeak transfers the reservations.
Now, some hotels have WIDE variety in room type that all fall under the same OnPeak room type. For example, the Homewood Suites at Prime has 6ish+ different "king suites", and which one of those you get will depend on when you arrive because you can't book a SPECIFIC king suite through OnPeak.
Most hotels aren't like that though, and just have a couple room types.
EDIT: Just remembered why I made this mistake. When I booked via OnPeak and confirmed with the Seaport last year they simply told me I had booked a room. Number of beds and the like would depend on what was available when I arrived for check-in.
Also to make this a more relevant post. As a note the Seaport was a very nice hotel as I mentioned earlier with ample space in the room and extra pillows to make a sort of third bed on the floor.
Only real complaint was that the water pressure was absolutely terrible.
The Westin Boston Waterfront is attached to the BCEC.
The Seaport and the Renaissance waterfront are both also very close.
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Playing games on the second floor balcony was a blast, lots of Cards Against Humanity going on this past year. I look forward to that again.
My party has always been restricted to 4, but after all the stories about PAX East, I have enough that I'm going to have to book 2 or 3 rooms this time around. I'm hoping the OnPeak system will put in a request for a room or two that are next to each other, or at least on the same floor.
As others said, the Westin is the absolute closest, but keep in mind that it sells out super fast. If you want a room, you'll probably want to start trolling these forums since once OnPeak goes live, this is probably the first place it will be reported. You can also follow the official PAX twitter feed since they'll announce it there as well, but by the time they mention it on Twitter, the Westin will probably already be about half-full, and since most people will find out through Twitter, it will likely be sold out shortly thereafter. Probably at least within the first two days of OnPeak going live.
As Limond says, Seaport is also pretty close and won't sell out QUITE as fast, but it will sell out within a matter of days. Renaissance is also about the same distance as the Seaport, though I don't think it sells out QUITE as fast, so it's probably a good Plan C. If you're in a wheelchair or something along those lines, I think it should be a simple enough journey from any of these three hotels and won't require any special transportation.
If you can't get into the Westin, Seaport, or Renaissance, then transportation becomes a pretty big problem. I believe the shuttles ARE wheelchair accessible (though I'm not 100% certain on that), but considering how crowded they get, I can imagine it being very problematic even if they are. Even if you don't require a wheelchair, the shuttles can be quite a hassle.
So I would suggest you decide very quickly if want to go to PAX. OnPeak will probably go live within the next month or so, and if you want a hotel close to the BCEC, your options diminish greatly after the first week or so, so you'll need to act quickly. I've also heard that Westin makes you pay the reservation up front, so that's something you'll probably need to work out as well, just to be safe.
Additionally, I do believe that PAX East hosted AbleGamers this year, so they might have advice regarding limited mobility at PAX East. Might be worth asking them. It's possible that they have ways of accommodating guests with mobility issues.
Free WiFi is all well-and-good, but at a popular, sold-out hotel at PAX, I'd imagine that their speed will be CRAWLING at certain times of the day. If it's something that people have to pay for, it means less people will be using it and the speed will probably be faster.
Of course, I've never stayed at the Seaport, so I don't know if this is truly the case. Maybe their free WiFi is perfectly capable of handling the uptick in traffic.
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Except the 3g in the area is unusable til after 6pm when crowds are gone.
My gaming group shall be reserving 4-6 rooms again this year at the westin. The only thing that stunk about the westin was the water pressure of the sink faucet. In order to clean anything you had to use the shower faucet.
Also free bottles of water for hotel guests at the lobby ftw since they don't have vending machines (don't know if that will be the same as last year).
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Would anybody who's stayed there previously mind sharing how much they ended up paying altogether? I'm expecting somewhere in the range of $1000 - $1500, but I'm fully prepared to be disappointed in the worst way.
And yes, OnPeak has reserved rather large blocks of rooms in their hotels, which is why booking directly through the hotel may not be possible.
Yes, OnPeak's reservations mean that looking for rooms via the hotel's website directly will result in disappointment. Stalk the official PAX twitter and the forums and you'll know as soon as the res system goes live.
As for pricing, I split a room with a friend for last year's East and I think all-in I ended up spending around $1000 - $1200 after hotel, airfare, food, fun (merch, drinking/clubbing, etc), and cabs.
i don't recall having trouble with my phone's 3g at all last year. maybe a bit slow, but still perfectly usable.
Of course there's probably a maximum of three towers in the convention center's vicinity, each of which is probably geared to handle about 10k voice connections maximum (hopefully). Those (theoretical) three towers probably all feed to the same main office.
Conventions like PAX are probably going to continue to bring cell networks to their knees until providers pay more for fatter pipes and more equipment at cell sites. Don't depend on your cellular provider for a reliable data connection.
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That said, I still had better luck with overall signal reliability going either up to 4g or down to 2g speed.
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Who's your carrier? I have AT&T and I only got 1 bar of service in my room and 3G was near pointless. I spent Sunday sick in my room and wanted to watch the streaming panels while lying in bed but I was lucky if I got every 5th word.
i've got verizon and i stayed at the westin, so i was there and in the bcec all weekend. we were on a high floor in the hotel and our room did have a great big giant window overlooking the city, so that may have helped.