Host hotels

[lilredriding.livejournal.com]

Sorry if this has been covered. But I'm planning for 2013, what are your favorite of the host hotels and why what the benefits of each hotel?

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Comments

[theniwokesoftly.livejournal.com]

I'm not attending this year (sadface, I was really excited about Juliet Landau and Niall Matter), but I had a reservation at the Hilton because it's one of the "main three", but there isn't as much that goes on over there except for the walk of fame, and the elevator situation doesn't seem nearly as bad as the Hyatt or the Marriott. My friends are staying at the Sheraton even though they originally only wanted to be in the Hilton or the Marriott, and I'll have to ask them how that goes. Since they, like me, spend a lot of time at the Whedon track, which is up at the Westin, the Sheraton seems out of the way to me. Although for the Marriott, I have to say that if you're on one of the upper floors, there's a separate elevator to go way up high, and those aren't crowded. Otherwise you'll have to wait for a few elevators before you can cram on and you might have to go down three floors before you can go up five, and there aren't stairs to take that we could find.

[acciochocolate.livejournal.com]

The science panels and more are at the Hilton, or have been so in past years. Also, the photo ops take place there, and gaming in the basement. It's not totally dead, but for people who like to get a little sleep, the Hyatt (main tower) and the Marriott are not the places to be. :)

[theniwokesoftly.livejournal.com]

Yes, but the science panels, though they are where I love to be, are not the most popular. They're definitely not 1200-person panels. So it's not nearly as crazypants over there.

[acciochocolate.livejournal.com]

I haven't made a science panel since they got moved to the Hilton, because the rooms are so small and always so crowded. :(

[richardlt.livejournal.com]

There are stairs in the Marriott. They nearly killed me walking up them to get to the 10th floor when the elevator wait was horrendous. Never again. Walking down wasn't that big a deal. The set I used was located by the walkway to the Hilton.

[glasscannon.livejournal.com]

This will be my husband and my fourth DragonCon in the Hyatt Radius Tower and we absolutely love it. The main part of the Hyatt (the Atrium Tower, I think it's called) rightly deserves its reputation for having terrible elevator waits, but the Radius Tower has a separate bank of elevators that go only to Radius rooms, and need a keycard to activate, so I've never had to wait more than 30-60 seconds for an elevator in the Radius Tower. The elevators let off right by the food court too, so you're still nicely in the middle of the action.

The main downside to the Radius Tower is that the rooms are much smaller -- smaller than other rooms at the Hyatt, or any other rooms at the other host hotels, I think -- and they don't have a balcony. The Radius rooms are designed for a single business traveler and are comfortable for two people who don't mind tight quarters. My husband and I manage just fine with the two of us and a handful of costumes each, but the rooms are really not set up for multiple roommates. The trade-off in space is completely worth the lack of elevator wait and central location though, at least for us.

If you book at the Hyatt (or any of the host hotels, really), you want to book as early as possible, as even the Radius rooms do eventually sell out. If you're looking to book a Radius room specifically, look for the "one queen bed" rooms when you book, and/or call up and specifically request a Radius room. The last two years we've been on a high enough floor (and facing the right direction) that we've been able to watch the parade from our room, which is pretty awesome for a pair of night-owls. ;)

[dracoangelica.livejournal.com]

Myself and five other friends stayed at the Marriott last year and we loved it. It was great to be in the main hotel, the trip back to our rooms with con swag was easy and over all we have a very pleasant experience. Now, with that said, getting reservations for the Marriott is a lot like being a shark near a slaughterhouse dump. It's not easy, they sell quick and if you're trying to line up more than 1 room at a time...well, good luck. My husband and a few of our other friends stayed at the Westin last year (we weren't married yet) and he liked those rooms a lot too. It is a bit of a walk from the main con activities but it's also very quiet. The elevators at the Westin require roomkeys to get up to the other floors so its really secure from people who aren't affiliated with the hotel or convention.

Another Pro about the Westin: Leaving on Monday is a cakewalk. Us girls in the Marriott ended up taking 20 flights of stairs down with our luggage because there was an hour long wait for an elevator down. The boys who were staying in the Westin were out and done within a few minutes.

[lurkrealclose.livejournal.com]

I've stayed at the Marriott 2 years, and enjoyed being right in the middle of everything for late night costume watching and easy access to big panels. On the high floors, the elevator wait can be bad, but you can't really hear the noise from the lobby areas, so that's a plus.

This year we are going to try the Hilton, as the Marriott reservation situation last year was too awful to repeat. We wanted to stay centrally located (Marriott, Hilton, or Hyatt), and went with Hilton. I can't remember what the reason was (I was not in charge of the rooms for our group this year), but I think the reservations seemed easier.

[dene1963.livejournal.com]

Hilton has the benefit of being a bit quieter and many of the guests stay there. When I stayed there I rode the elevator with and chatted with Barbara Eden.

[charismaryllis.livejournal.com]

ran into patrick stewart in one of the stairwells, one year. spent some time exercising in the gym with christopher lloyd and robin dunne another.

when people are not throwing furniture at the windows, it's usually pretty quiet.

[hollycomb.livejournal.com]

We've stayed at the Marriott every year since 2003 and we love it. Always good service, I like their pool (and gym, the one year that I was exercise-obsessed enough to use it), the location is perfect for my purposes, and that hotel is just part of Dragoncon for us. I will cry whenever I inevitably am not able to secure a room because of some random Passkey glitch or just bad luck.

My only complaint is that I miss their old sports bar, Champions (or "Champs"? It disappeared in 2006, I think). It had real atmosphere and was fun! High Velocity is fine, but it's no Champions.

[richardlt.livejournal.com]

My decision is based solely on which hotel I can get the best deal at. That was the Hilton this year, but the Westin the previous two. Con rate is about half the rack rate, but still too much for a hotel room in my opinion. I can and do get them cheaper than con rate. Regardless, if you want the Hyatt or the Marriott, you'll have to play in the 2 passkey death matches that occur in October or thereabouts

As much as I love the Marriott, its design, and its centralized location, I don't think I'd ever actually stay there. The elevator wait to get to a 10th floor photoshoot was ridiculous last year during the evening hours. I consider it as bad as the worst I've ever seen at the Hyatt. But the atmosphere is electric, and the opportunities to people watch and take pictures can't be beat.

The Hyatt would be fine if I could get a Radius or International tower room. Again, elevator issues would prevent me from staying in the main Atrium? tower, though it would be cool to look out over the lobby area.

While several of the events I attend are held in the Sheraton, I don't think I'd ever actually stay there. The long walk up to the Hilton for everything just wouldn't be worth it. The Westin is just as far, but half the walk from it to the Hyatt can be done through the air-conditioned comfort of the mall. Plus, Peachtree seems to be used a lot more and safer than Courtland. The only good thing is that you can get a room at the Sheraton for 2013 already; just scroll down till you find that thread.

The Westin is the only hotel I have any real experience with as far as the sleeping rooms go. Unlike dracoangelica's experience, I got impatient with the elevator wait during the peak times at the Westin. While you do need a room key to get up to the rooms, they can be used by anyone to move between the lower meeting room floor levels. As such, they get bogged down with use when the panels let out. I don't think people have quite learned to use their escalators as much as they have in the other hotels. While I will gladly return to the Westin if I get a good deal, my biggest complaint about it is the poor cell phone coverage in the rooms. The UV coating on the windows really kill the signal, though I have heard AT&T has upgraded the signal in downtown earlier this year which may have helped with that network at least. Plus, the parking garage is an overpriced death trap; use the MARTA trick if you don't use the valet. Search LJ on this username for my many comments on the Westin if you want to know more.

I look forward to seeing what peculiarities I'm going to discover about the Hilton this year. I do know that I love their parking garage compared to the Westin's, but I'm still going to do the Marta trick.

The room amenities and cleanliness are bound to be pretty much equal across all the host hotels, as is the staff. They each could have a good or bad day, or have problems with a particular room. So that's why I haven't went into too much detail about that, and why it doesn't concern me.

[lilredriding.livejournal.com]

Thank you I think this review is going to be most helpful to me :)

[penwiper337.livejournal.com]

I've stayed at all four hotels.

Hyatt: This was my original hotel, and it was great until Dragon*Con got so big, but the wait for the elevators really is bad enough to prevent one from wanting to stay there. The rooms are nice, and the staff has always been pleasant and helpful. I have been in the Radius tower one year, and it was great - very private, no waiting for elevators, etc. I would recommend Radius for one or two people - definitely no more than that, because the tininess of the rooms must be seen to be believed.

Hilton: I've stayed here once, had no problems with it, would not mind staying there again. The rooms are basic hotel rooms, and I had no problems with the staff. The thing that prevents me from choosing it is the non-refundable deposit, which is something I just can't afford.

Marriott: I've stayed here several years, and liked it at first, but the increasingly unpleasant and incompetent staff finally drove me away. I have NEVER been made to feel so unwelcome at a hotel. Also, it can be really loud at night with the noise echoing up from the lower levels. The rooms are nice. You do have to wait for the elevators, but it's not too bad. Checkout is a zoo.

Sheraton: My new home away from home. The downsides are the walk - which really does suck - and that the rooms are a bit small and old-fashioned. The plusses more than make up for it for me though. It's wonderfully quiet. You never have to wait for an elevator (it can take less time to walk to the Sheraton than to get an elevator at the Hyatt). They have a great little secret cafe on the second floor where you can get a cup of coffee without having to wait 20 minutes. Staff are pleasant and helpful. Their restaurant has a smashing breakfast buffet. Checkin and Checkout is a breeze. The pool area is absolutely gorgeous and makes a great backdrop for photos.

[eidolon-bird.livejournal.com]

Are you going for parties, panels, costumes or something else? Since the Westin was added as an official hotel, the location of the track rooms has been fairly stable. If there's one particular thing you are REALLY interested in, you may want to stay at that specific hotel (I have friends who are really in to Doctor Who so they stay at the Sheraton, while the people interested in Steampunk usually stay at the Westin.) It's really nice to be close to "home" and pop up to your room between panels for food/nap/costume changes/etc.

If you aren't interested in one particular track, then you will most likely want to stay in one of the three central hotels (Hilton, Hyatt or Marriott). I've seen Hyatt's Radius tower mentioned, but not the International tower. It also has its own bank of elevators, and while they're busy, it's nothing like the main tower. My one stay at the Hilton was horrendous (awful room, awful plumbing, elevators were constantly broken), and I have never convinced myself to go back even though people have said it's better now. I love the Marriott even though it's not the quiet hotel it once was when I first started going, but unless you can deal with the noise and crowds and know the best ways to avoid the elevator hell, it's awful.

Another thing to consider - are you flying in? Personally, I always wait until Tuesday to leave because otherwise there is absolutely no chance I would be able to attend Monday's panels. It's nice not having to worry about packing, checking out, waiting for elevators, checking luggage and so on. Instead, I can enjoy my last night of parties, get some sleep, go to any panels that look interesting, maybe relax in the spa, pack at a leisurely pace, get a good night's sleep, then fly home without most of the labor day crowds.

[maddantanner.livejournal.com]

Last year was my first time staying at a host hotel, the Marriott, and I loved it. I agree with some of the previous comments about elevators being a hassle and check-out being crazy, but it was worth it to me just to be in the middle of all the action. Plus, if you stay out until 2 or 3 a.m. before heading back to your room, the wait for an elevator isn't quite as bad.

[neovenom.livejournal.com]

I've been a loyal Hilton customer since 2009. I enjoy the fact that it's right beside the Marriott (the heart of the con in my opinion), yet you can remove yourself from the crowds with a few minutes walk. Service has been excellent; elevator waits aren't hell either though they're bad during certain hours. I also enjoy not having to go through this passkey business to book my room. Yes there's a 1 night deposit, but it's not an issue if you know that ahead of time and save for it. I think I'll have built up enough Hilton Honors points after this year to get one night free in 2013. I don't ever see myself switching host hotels unless something drastic happens.

It's especially a good location if you're going to spend a lot of time in the Walk of Fame, or take part in the gaming "basement."

[blood-sorbet.livejournal.com]

I've stayed at the Hyatt all 5 years I've gone, and also visited friends in each of the other host hotels (except for the Westin), so I can speak for the elevator situation and room quality of all of them comparatively.

...despite what people say, the Hyatt elevator situation is actually getting to be better than the Marriott. These days it takes me around 15-20 minutes for a Marriott elevator, whereas the wait for Hyatt elevators are only 5-10 minutes. Don't believe people when they say the Hyatt elevator wait is unreasonable, those opinions are likely outdated. Everyone I know who used to be loyal to the Marriott is moving on over to the Hyatt.

The Hyatt has fantastically spacious rooms, and extremely friendly, fun, and courteous staff, who will do everything in their power to accommodate you without complaint. I really have never had an unpleasant experience at the Hyatt, whereas even just visiting friends' rooms at the Marriott is an awful experience x_x The Marriott rooms are also 3/4 the size of Hyatt rooms and seem very cramped.

The Hilton is the calmest and quietest, with NO elevator wait time, and the rooms are alright...better than Marriott, worse than Hyatt. Sometimes you get stuck on a smoking floor, though, or in a smoking room even when you requested not to be, and even if you're in a non-smoking room but on a smoking floor, the smell is HORRENDOUS. I could hardly stand walking through the halls. So be careful with that.

Both the Hyatt and Marriott are very noisy late at night, but if you get a high floor it's better (but then more difficult to deal with the elevators). One trick I've found is to request to be in a corner room in the Hyatt. There are a few rooms hidden by a short little hallway stretching into the corners of the building, and so because of the way it's tucked back in there between two walls, it is nearly soundproof. Unfortunately, some of the Hyatt workers don't really understand what you're asking for when you try to request one of those rooms...I should really just look up the room numbers of those this year, for future reference...

One thing I love about the Hyatt is that they give you nice travel-sized toothpastes :D And the balconies that come with most rooms are AWESOME, especially if you're facing the parade street. You have the perfect view, no need to go crowd onto the street for a viewing spot :)

[archersangel.blogspot.nl (from livejournal.com)]

i went twice and stayed at the weston both times, which i recommend.

a longer reviews (& other) can be found here;
http://xiandesi.livejournal.com/8801.html

other hotel info can be found here;
http://xiandesi.livejournal.com/6763.html

(i'm really a .com, not .nl, LJ messed up)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_ladyvader_/]

This will be my tenth year attending DragonCon and so far I've stayed at the Ritz-Carlton (Overflow), Marriot Marquis, Fairfield Inn & Suites (Overflow), and the Hyatt Radius Tower. Like many others have already said, your hotel of choice really does depend on you, what you want out of D*C, and frankly what you can get. ^^ My hotel of choice is the Marriott because it is the A) Center of nighttime action at DragonCon now and B) Location of the Costume Track. If you are a serious cosplayer/costumer then you will want to stay at a host hotel for sure, especially the Marriott. Walking ATL's streets in costumes can be really uncomfortable...and not really advisable for gals dressed in their sexy getups. This was a huge problem the years I got stuck at the Ritz and the Farfield Inn (both were great hotels but a far walk in a costume). You will feel much safer just leaving the con floor and going straight up to your room. I haven't stayed in the Atrium or International Towers at the Hyatt but I've been in both room types many times. The International Tower has TONS of room! Which is great for cosplay paraphernalia, blow up beds, etc. The Radius tower has the awesome private elevators but no room for roommates...like others have said previously. I stayed their with my boyfriend at the time and felt a little cramped even. Great for couples or two really good friends. ^^ If you want to be in the center of action where the party is, then definitely try to get a Marriott or Hyatt room though. If you want peace and quiet, Hilton works from what I've heard. Hope this helps!