Help with housing portal/lottery
Posted by gojiratoho
#1

Hi, I've been attending Gen Con for the last decade and have been lucky enough to stay with local friends. Unfortunately, this year they are unable to house me, so I'll be dipping my toes into the housing portal for the first time. I've been reading up on the How to Book a Room pdf on the site, but figured asking if anyone had any tips or things I should look out for not covered in the FAQ couldn't hurt.

Posted by del_grande
#2

I think the most important bit of advice is this:
Don't panic if all of the downtown rooms are taken by the time you can get into the housing portal. If you really need a room within "walking distance," any number of other people here will tell you about checking back on a regular basis, as there will always be cancellations.

Posted by jimdigris
#3

You will be fighting bots for rooms and losing until about mid-July.

Posted by quarex
#4

That checks out, mid-July was when my buddy got a nice suite in 2022 that had somehow been released to the block and not immediately grabbed

Posted by gojiratoho
#5

Welp, the dice gods smiled on me. My two friends both got times after 3:30, but I managed a 12:11 slot.

Posted by doho123 del_grande
#6

del_grande wrote:
I think the most important bit of advice is this:
Don't panic if all of the downtown rooms are taken by the time you can get into the housing portal. If you really need a room within "walking distance," any number of other people here will tell you about checking back on a regular basis, as there will always be cancellations.
How does "checking back" work?  Obviously I'd prefer a walking distance hotel, but they are all currently sold out, so I made some reservations at the closest hotel available miles away. Now that I've done that, it appears my only access to the hotel portal are my reservations. Do I have to cancel that reservation first to check on released blocks in the future?

Posted by mikeboozer doho123
#7

doho123 wrote:
del_grande wrote:
I think the most important bit of advice is this:
Don't panic if all of the downtown rooms are taken by the time you can get into the housing portal. If you really need a room within "walking distance," any number of other people here will tell you about checking back on a regular basis, as there will always be cancellations.
How does "checking back" work?  Obviously I'd prefer a walking distance hotel, but they are all currently sold out, so I made some reservations at the closest hotel available miles away. Now that I've done that, it appears my only access to the hotel portal are my reservations. Do I have to cancel that reservation first to check on released blocks in the future?

No, you can check back anytime on your "My Housing" page.

MODIFICATION POLICY
You can modify your room assignment as needed and free of charge, provided the assignment is not canceled in its entirety. Free modifications include change of hotel, room type, stay dates, roommates, guest contact information, special requests such as ADA Accessible room, and credit card information. Changes can be performed from the time you receive the initial assignment acknowledgment through the close of housing registration on July 15, 2024

To modify or cancel your room assignment, log into your Gen Con account, visit your My Housing page, and click the “Manage Room” link for the assigned room you'd like to change. The link will connect you with the online system where you can make the desired adjustments. Changes will not go into effect unless you click the “submit” button to confirm the change; closing your browser before submitting the change will leave the original assignment intact.


Posted by doho123 mikeboozer
#8

mikeboozer wrote:
doho123 wrote:
del_grande wrote:
I think the most important bit of advice is this:
Don't panic if all of the downtown rooms are taken by the time you can get into the housing portal. If you really need a room within "walking distance," any number of other people here will tell you about checking back on a regular basis, as there will always be cancellations.
How does "checking back" work?  Obviously I'd prefer a walking distance hotel, but they are all currently sold out, so I made some reservations at the closest hotel available miles away. Now that I've done that, it appears my only access to the hotel portal are my reservations. Do I have to cancel that reservation first to check on released blocks in the future?

No, you can check back anytime on your "My Housing" page.MODIFICATION POLICY
You can modify your room assignment as needed and free of charge, provided the assignment is not canceled in its entirety. Free modifications include change of hotel, room type, stay dates, roommates, guest contact information, special requests such as ADA Accessible room, and credit card information. Changes can be performed from the time you receive the initial assignment acknowledgment through the close of housing registration on July 15, 2024
To modify or cancel your room assignment, log into your Gen Con account, visit your My Housing page, and click the “Manage Room” link for the assigned room you'd like to change. The link will connect you with the online system where you can make the desired adjustments. Changes will not go into effect unless you click the “submit” button to confirm the change; closing your browser before submitting the change will leave the original assignment intact.


So at least for right now....going through all of that just takes me to my confirmed reservation...where I can change the dates and guests assigned to that hotel/room. It doesn't allow me to even look for other hotels.

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