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Hotel costs and reviews for PAX south

2

Posts

  • OrezbusOrezbus Wichita, KSRegistered User regular
    I had friends stay at the springhill suites last year and that is what made me decide them this year. Very nice hotel and close to the convention center and the river walk!

  • Chuck Liddell FanChuck Liddell Fan Registered User regular
    I am flying in from Vancouver BC & booked the Marriott Riverwalk Centre (I think, I'd have to check my reservation) just curious what the reviews are for the rooms etc. It seemed like a pretty central place in regards to the convention centre but not sure what else would be around. Also anything in particular thats worth checking out? Flying in on the wednesday and would have thursday to check stuff out

    Oh my goodness
    Oh my Dayum
    Oh my goodness
    They goin' Ham
  • YoungFreyYoungFrey Registered User regular
    I am flying in from Vancouver BC & booked the Marriott Riverwalk Centre (I think, I'd have to check my reservation) just curious what the reviews are for the rooms etc. It seemed like a pretty central place in regards to the convention centre but not sure what else would be around. Also anything in particular thats worth checking out? Flying in on the wednesday and would have thursday to check stuff out

    Well, The Alamo is right there. It's easily the thing San Antonio (if not all of Texas) is most known for. But there is other stuff too.

  • Only_TrinityOnly_Trinity Registered User regular
    YoungFrey wrote: »
    I am flying in from Vancouver BC & booked the Marriott Riverwalk Centre (I think, I'd have to check my reservation) just curious what the reviews are for the rooms etc. It seemed like a pretty central place in regards to the convention centre but not sure what else would be around. Also anything in particular thats worth checking out? Flying in on the wednesday and would have thursday to check stuff out

    Well, The Alamo is right there. It's easily the thing San Antonio (if not all of Texas) is most known for. But there is other stuff too.

    There is a bar in San Antonio called Slackers, I believe. (Kiddies not allowed :p) It is a retro style bar with upstairs full of board games, arcade games and the like. I haven't been yet but am looking forward to some down time there!

  • dvsvaldvsval Registered User new member
    Has anyone stayed at the O'Brien Historical Hotel? Seems super close to the Riverwalk and the Convention Center....looks nice.

  • OpSteelOpSteel neighbor of the village pindiot Fort Worth TEXASRegistered User regular
    dvsval wrote: »
    Has anyone stayed at the O'Brien Historical Hotel? Seems super close to the Riverwalk and the Convention Center....looks nice.

    Stayed there last year. It is small and their parking is a pain if you are driving, but we had no issues there. I had a reservation there but canceled it as I got a room at the Menger for cheaper. We had 2 adults and 4 kids in the room and it did not feel any more crowded then any other room you stuff 6 people into.

  • TiklmesillyTiklmesilly Registered User new member
    I staying the the Hilton palacio del rio last year. It was across the street from the convention center and had a river walk exit as well. the Rooms were very nice with a balcony. we had 4 people and brought some twin sized blowup mattresses for the extra people. customer service was exceptional at the Hilton though. one of our friends left some stuff in the room and they shipped it to him overnight for free.
    This year we are booked at the Marriott Riverwalk as it was a little bit cheaper and we have fewer people going this year. it should also be even closer to the entrance of the convention center if they haven't moved that with all the remodeling.

  • TrailsongTrailsong Bard, Rogue, and Part-Time Legend Somewhere East of insanityRegistered User regular
    There is a bar in San Antonio called Slackers, I believe. (Kiddies not allowed :p) It is a retro style bar with upstairs full of board games, arcade games and the like. I haven't been yet but am looking forward to some down time there!

    Slackers is nowhere near downtown-- it's in the airport part of the city, behind North Star Mall (the mall with the giant boots), fyi.

  • TrailsongTrailsong Bard, Rogue, and Part-Time Legend Somewhere East of insanityRegistered User regular
    For folks with hotel questions, I'll put together an info sheet over the next few days and post a proper TL;DR post here to help out as best I can; I live in SA and have worked in hospitality and hotels for 20 years, the last ten in SA proper, and have a pretty good feel for what's good, what's bad, and what's ugly. Tag me here with questions or feel free to email me.

  • RaremilkRaremilk Registered User regular
    Stayed at Drury Inn Plaza last year, good breakfast, good customer service, and the walk to and back was not difficult. Honestly, any hotel within a 5mi radius is not a difficult walk. This year I have more people so I booked a hotel across from the convention center (Hilton Palacio). I'm still coming off my DragonCon high - so if anyone who went to Pax South last year can answer for me...are there any hotels that had a party-vibe to it? Thanks all.

  • zealezeale Saint LouisRegistered User regular
    edited September 2015
    I stayed at Fairfield Inn and Suites which was about ~3 blocks north of the convention center. Very easy 10-minute walk or so, can go right past the Starbucks and there's a convenience store a block away. Very budget-friendly too! I'm on the fence about keeping my reservation again this year because I might room up with people closer, but if I stay solo again I'll definitely be staying here. Great place and great location.

    edit: Oh, and they had free hot breakfast that was quite delicious, too.

    zeale on
    dgiab0m7h15x.png

  • sdeaversdeaver Registered User new member
    Trailsong wrote: »
    For folks with hotel questions, I'll put together an info sheet over the next few days and post a proper TL;DR post here to help out as best I can; I live in SA and have worked in hospitality and hotels for 20 years, the last ten in SA proper, and have a pretty good feel for what's good, what's bad, and what's ugly. Tag me here with questions or feel free to email me.

    I'm driving and worried about what to do with my car. I've never used valet parking and I don't know the area.

    I booked the Holiday Inn Express for the free parking, but I'm having second thoughts. Any suggestions for drivers? Thanks!

  • AggressAggress Houston, TXRegistered User regular
    sdeaver wrote: »
    Trailsong wrote: »
    For folks with hotel questions, I'll put together an info sheet over the next few days and post a proper TL;DR post here to help out as best I can; I live in SA and have worked in hospitality and hotels for 20 years, the last ten in SA proper, and have a pretty good feel for what's good, what's bad, and what's ugly. Tag me here with questions or feel free to email me.

    I'm driving and worried about what to do with my car. I've never used valet parking and I don't know the area.

    I booked the Holiday Inn Express for the free parking, but I'm having second thoughts. Any suggestions for drivers? Thanks!

    I wouldn't lose sleep over it. I have been to SA probably 20 times, each one I drove a fancy sports car. Neither experienced nor heard of this being an issue for anyone.

  • funpugfunpug Registered User new member
    I'll be staying at the Grand Hyatt, which is literally right next to pax south. Has anyone stayed there and not loved it?

  • BadCrumpanyBadCrumpany Registered User regular
    funpug wrote: »
    I'll be staying at the Grand Hyatt, which is literally right next to pax south. Has anyone stayed there and not loved it?

    We stayed there last year and it was great. Walking ten feet to get from the exit of the convention center to the hotel was great. Nice place, quiet room, and our room had a great view of the Tower at night. We are booked there again for 2016 and looking forward to it. Also, Ruth Chris Steakhouse is in the hotel and it is excellent!

  • shimwoodshimwood Registered User regular
    edited September 2015
    I have a room reserved at the Homewood Suites and am curious if anyone has had bad experiences there.

    Edit: Never mind, I'm going to cancel and go with the LaQuinta. Cheaper parking and close to Denny's is the deal-breaker for me.

    shimwood on
    khd33hubozxv.png
  • giantrygiantry Registered User regular
    Booked a room via airbnb for 4 nights just south of the connection center for $405-100gc so paid 305. Hopefully the walk won't take too long.

  • Bartoni33Bartoni33 Southern IllinoisRegistered User regular
    shimwood wrote: »
    I have a room reserved at the Homewood Suites and am curious if anyone has had bad experiences there.

    Edit: Never mind, I'm going to cancel and go with the LaQuinta. Cheaper parking and close to Denny's is the deal-breaker for me.

    I been to quite a few Denny's in a few different states. The SA one was probably the quickest as far as service time considering how packed it was each day I was there. I got to meet a lot of nice people plus I sat next to a Dev (I think he was a Dev) from The Repopulation and got a few free Steam keys to give to my friends. Pretty cool!

  • shimwoodshimwood Registered User regular
    Bartoni33 wrote: »
    shimwood wrote: »
    I have a room reserved at the Homewood Suites and am curious if anyone has had bad experiences there.

    Edit: Never mind, I'm going to cancel and go with the LaQuinta. Cheaper parking and close to Denny's is the deal-breaker for me.

    I been to quite a few Denny's in a few different states. The SA one was probably the quickest as far as service time considering how packed it was each day I was there. I got to meet a lot of nice people plus I sat next to a Dev (I think he was a Dev) from The Repopulation and got a few free Steam keys to give to my friends. Pretty cool!

    Not too worried about service time since I plan on eating there after the Con is done for the day so as long as the food is acceptable I'm satisfied. I think I've only ever eaten at two Denny's and my family always uses the one near my house to convert the haters because they do an exceptional job there.

    khd33hubozxv.png
  • malarkey721malarkey721 Registered User new member
    Stayed at the Embassy Suites last year with 3 friends and it was great (I've stayed there twice now on different trips to San Antonio and have had good experiences both times). The walk from the hotel to the convention center is one of the longer ones though... probably took around 10-12 minutes. Not a terrible walk at all, but enough where we couldn't quite justify the walk back for the free happy hour around 5pm each day. The rate we got last year was $205/night, and it's looking way more expensive online currently, so we decided to book at the Menger this year instead, mainly due to the rate looking good, the historical aspects of the hotel, and its closer proximity to the convention center.

  • DanQDanQ Registered User regular
    shimwood wrote: »
    Bartoni33 wrote: »
    shimwood wrote: »
    I have a room reserved at the Homewood Suites and am curious if anyone has had bad experiences there.

    Edit: Never mind, I'm going to cancel and go with the LaQuinta. Cheaper parking and close to Denny's is the deal-breaker for me.

    I been to quite a few Denny's in a few different states. The SA one was probably the quickest as far as service time considering how packed it was each day I was there. I got to meet a lot of nice people plus I sat next to a Dev (I think he was a Dev) from The Repopulation and got a few free Steam keys to give to my friends. Pretty cool!

    Not too worried about service time since I plan on eating there after the Con is done for the day so as long as the food is acceptable I'm satisfied. I think I've only ever eaten at two Denny's and my family always uses the one near my house to convert the haters because they do an exceptional job there.

    uhhhg Denny's. I'm a long way from home if people look forward to going to Denny's. All I'll chime in with, is at some point in your life you should check out most any diner in New Jersey. It's hard to hold my tongue regarding the subject.

  • Bartoni33Bartoni33 Southern IllinoisRegistered User regular
    DanQ wrote: »
    shimwood wrote: »
    Bartoni33 wrote: »
    shimwood wrote: »
    I have a room reserved at the Homewood Suites and am curious if anyone has had bad experiences there.

    Edit: Never mind, I'm going to cancel and go with the LaQuinta. Cheaper parking and close to Denny's is the deal-breaker for me.

    I been to quite a few Denny's in a few different states. The SA one was probably the quickest as far as service time considering how packed it was each day I was there. I got to meet a lot of nice people plus I sat next to a Dev (I think he was a Dev) from The Repopulation and got a few free Steam keys to give to my friends. Pretty cool!

    Not too worried about service time since I plan on eating there after the Con is done for the day so as long as the food is acceptable I'm satisfied. I think I've only ever eaten at two Denny's and my family always uses the one near my house to convert the haters because they do an exceptional job there.

    uhhhg Denny's. I'm a long way from home if people look forward to going to Denny's. All I'll chime in with, is at some point in your life you should check out most any diner in New Jersey. It's hard to hold my tongue regarding the subject.

    Sweet! I can't wait for you to mail me my flight tickets and send me my hotel reservations! :)

    I am going to try to hit up some of the Tex-Mex places around the Riverwalk this time. The steak place next to the Con was great though, will have to go there again.

  • shimwoodshimwood Registered User regular
    Bartoni33 wrote: »
    DanQ wrote: »
    shimwood wrote: »
    Bartoni33 wrote: »
    shimwood wrote: »
    I have a room reserved at the Homewood Suites and am curious if anyone has had bad experiences there.

    Edit: Never mind, I'm going to cancel and go with the LaQuinta. Cheaper parking and close to Denny's is the deal-breaker for me.

    I been to quite a few Denny's in a few different states. The SA one was probably the quickest as far as service time considering how packed it was each day I was there. I got to meet a lot of nice people plus I sat next to a Dev (I think he was a Dev) from The Repopulation and got a few free Steam keys to give to my friends. Pretty cool!

    Not too worried about service time since I plan on eating there after the Con is done for the day so as long as the food is acceptable I'm satisfied. I think I've only ever eaten at two Denny's and my family always uses the one near my house to convert the haters because they do an exceptional job there.

    uhhhg Denny's. I'm a long way from home if people look forward to going to Denny's. All I'll chime in with, is at some point in your life you should check out most any diner in New Jersey. It's hard to hold my tongue regarding the subject.

    Sweet! I can't wait for you to mail me my flight tickets and send me my hotel reservations! :)

    I am going to try to hit up some of the Tex-Mex places around the Riverwalk this time. The steak place next to the Con was great though, will have to go there again.

    I definitely want to try one of the Brazilian steakhouses nearby. And knowing my friend, he'll definitely be interested in steak too so it's going to be a fun weekend.

    khd33hubozxv.png
  • BadCrumpanyBadCrumpany Registered User regular
    shimwood wrote: »

    I definitely want to try one of the Brazilian steakhouses nearby. And knowing my friend, he'll definitely be interested in steak too so it's going to be a fun weekend.

    Fogo de Chao is right next to the Rivercenter Marriott and is fantastic. Its like a three minute walk from PAX.
    http://www.fogodechao.com/

  • YoungFreyYoungFrey Registered User regular
    shimwood wrote: »

    I definitely want to try one of the Brazilian steakhouses nearby. And knowing my friend, he'll definitely be interested in steak too so it's going to be a fun weekend.

    Fogo de Chao is right next to the Rivercenter Marriott and is fantastic. Its like a three minute walk from PAX.
    http://www.fogodechao.com/

    And it being Texas, it's pretty hard to not find a steakhouse. There's even a 2nd Brazillian place right near Fogo. If you think you like Mexican/Steak/Barbequeue you owe it to yourself to try them in a one of the places really known for them.

  • AggressAggress Houston, TXRegistered User regular
    They have a Texas De Brazil close to the Alamo as well. 10 min walk maybe.

  • jj4thjj4th Registered User regular
    If you're bringing kids, or just young at heart, try out the Rainforest Cafe on the riverwalk. Food is good, moderately priced, but the theme is a rainforest, and they do a pretty good job of making that theme at least interesting. Can get crowded.

  • DemonsMasterDemonsMaster Registered User regular
    The Hyatt opened up for Thursday so I ended up booking there. Pretty excited for my first South. After staying at the Sheraton for Prime this year having a hotel as close as possible to the con is pretty damn awesome.

    Pax Prime (West) '13, '14, '15, '16.
    Pax South '16
    Pax Prime 2015 Omeganaut
  • kube00kube00 SE WA StateRegistered User regular
    I stayed at the Residence Inn San Antonio Downtown/Alamo. About a 10-15 min walk to the Convention Center. While food was close there wasn't a 7-11/Convenience Store near by and I had to hit the Walgreens on the RiverWalk.

    Price was good. Room was great. Close to everything else (bars) and the staff is friendly. Area felt pretty safe to me. I wanna say it was just over $100 a night? Maybe a little more.

    1st PAX was Prime 2010. Made it to several more Primes/West. Been to East and South. Headed back to West in 2019 for my 12th PAX.

    Twitter:kube00
  • japesterjapester Registered User regular
    kube00 wrote: »
    Price was good. Room was great. Close to everything else (bars) and the staff is friendly. Area felt pretty safe to me. I wanna say it was just over $100 a night? Maybe a little more.

    Generally speaking the whole downtown where the hotels are is very safe. San Antonio has a very tiny tourist corridor where pretty much everything happens. Unless you strike out on your own and wander way off to some unknown dive bar, you will remain in the pedestrian, touristy zone. People here have a friendly, small-town mindset. You won't run into a lot of random aggression or craziness like other big cities. :-)

  • futilesfutiles Registered User regular
    Looking at the prices and locations, does anyone have experience with:
    • Menger
    • Farfield Inn
    • Springhill

    I know someone has already posted about Springhill but I was wondering if others also had positive experiences there.

    I have never been to San Antonio, but, I have stayed at about a dozen Springhills throughout the country, in maybe 6 or 8 states. They are all the same (seriously, the rooms had the same sheets on the bed and art on the wall, my family thinks it is hilarious). And they have all been perfect for my needs. Clean rooms, nice beds, courteous staff, fair price. So, without hesitation, I booked at the Springhill right around the corner from the convention hall Thurs - Mon.

  • PirateTruckPirateTruck Registered User regular
    This will be my first PAX. I got a great deal through American Express and am at the Grand Hyatt with free breakfast for about $165/night.

    I've stayed at the Marriot Riverwalk across the street before and it is nice but on the more expensive side. Anything in the riverwalk area is easily walkable to the convention center.

  • TheAggroCraigTheAggroCraig Ultimate Lucky Douchebag MassachusettsRegistered User regular
    This will be my first PAX. I got a great deal through American Express and am at the Grand Hyatt with free breakfast for about $165/night.

    I've stayed at the Marriot Riverwalk across the street before and it is nice but on the more expensive side. Anything in the riverwalk area is easily walkable to the convention center.

    If you don't mind me asking, how did you get that AMEX deal?

  • PirateTruckPirateTruck Registered User regular
    I booked it through the amex travel website. The price seems to go up and down every day, but the grand hyatt was at $189 when I did it sometime last week. Then amex had a separate offer on their main page where you can add one time deals to your card like rebates for different retailers. They had one where if you spend $600 on their travel site you get $100 back. So with that rebate spreading out to $25/night it put my room averaging $164.

  • RILMSRILMS North BayRegistered User regular
    Aggress wrote: »
    They have a Texas De Brazil close to the Alamo as well. 10 min walk maybe.

    Texas De Brazil is amazing! I ate until I could hardly walk :D

    OtyHMcu.jpg
  • kube00kube00 SE WA StateRegistered User regular
    I went back and checked and it looks like I paid around $120 a night since my brother works for the Marriott. I should have booked when I bought my tickets this year although I only waited a month.

    Anyways I went with the Fairfield Inn Downtown. I was curious about the Crockett Hotel, anyone stayed there?

    1st PAX was Prime 2010. Made it to several more Primes/West. Been to East and South. Headed back to West in 2019 for my 12th PAX.

    Twitter:kube00
  • RILMSRILMS North BayRegistered User regular
    edited October 2015
    I stayed at the Crockett Hotel for a weekend a few years ago. It was pretty nice. Room wasn't huge. I had a queen size bed. Breakfast was pretty good. They had the Texas waffles. I loved that it was next to the Alamo. It has valet parking, so you need to call for your car before you go down if you want it. It costs an extra 20$ per day. Self parking is also 20$ a day.

    I paid 189.00$ a night for the two nights I was there.

    RILMS on
    OtyHMcu.jpg
  • krovekkrovek Registered User regular
    @RILMS Texas da Brazil is amazing we have one up in fort worth and it will be the best meat you can ever imagine

  • kube00kube00 SE WA StateRegistered User regular
    Gonna release my Fairfield Inn reservation soon booked the Residence Inn Alamo using points instead

    1st PAX was Prime 2010. Made it to several more Primes/West. Been to East and South. Headed back to West in 2019 for my 12th PAX.

    Twitter:kube00
  • shepdshepd Registered User regular
    Well, I, for one, love Denny's! :) And it is a long drive for me to get to one, so perhaps I'd love it less if it didn't take 90 minutes. :)

    As for hotel costs, if you're looking for bare minimum cheap, there is a lot of camping open around San Antonio in January, and it ranges from $20-$60 a night. From what I can tell (Hopefully a local can chime in), nights are just above freezing and daytime is 15 C/60 F. Despite this you can still tent camp (again, cheap!) if you want as most sites have electric. Just bring a $10 fan heater. And yes... all the campgrounds I checked have showers, so no excuses. FWIW, it seems most places are fully booked for Feb 1st night, but that shouldn't be an issue so long as you leave Feb 1st in the morning. I hear the rodeo fills up the campgrounds!

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