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Hi everybody, this was our first year and we're looking back on our expenses to figure where we can cut costs for next year and I was hoping that someone could give us some details on the actual cost of the rooms in the GenCon Block at the adjoining hotels. 

We did a couple of AirB&Bs and it seemed kind of pricey but with nothing to compare it to it's hard to tell. Anything you can tell me about the final cost of the rooms would be awesome. Are there different room sizes available? Is there a main page with all this info already listed (I can't seem to find one)? 

Thanks in advance!

http://www.gencon.com/attend/hotelmap

You may want to keep in mind that there is a 17% tax added as well (which breaks down to 10% county and 7% city).

Those figures are from our Embassy Suites downtown stay this year.

Hello,

I was wondering if, in preparation for 2017, I could get a question or two answered.

Considering the connected Downtown Hotels that all charge for parking- does the amount listed (ex: Embassy $22) allow you to come and go as you please during the day for that amount or does that incur extra charges if you do that?

Also, I have read a lot about valets being involved (and subsequent tipping). Do these hotels allow you to fetch your own car from the parking structure?

Which downtown hotel has the largest pool and to the people who have used them during Gen Con, are they crowded with that kind of attendance?

What does "limited" mean when it lists whether or not the hotel has refridgerators?
Thanks in advance.
 

1) I've stayed at many downtown hotels and they have all allowed me to come and go, though you often have to have a ticket or  card to do it properly and not get charged again.

2) At all the hotel I've stayed at, you were able to park your own car and retrieve it as well.

3) I don't know which pool is bigger -- I can say that, most of the time, they have not been what I would call busy.  Though I did notice this year that some have started listing an Adults-only swim time, which might be of interest.

4) Limited means that they only have a certain number and not enough for every room.  So you have to request one and hope that they still have some inventory left or you will not get a fridge.

For hotels other than the Westin, that's a question worth asking outright. I don't know what would be allowed if the hotel owned the garage. Heck, I don't even know if any downtown Indy hotels own their own garages.

For the second: I really doubt it. Usually, if a valet parks it, the valet gets it. You probably won't even be told where exactly it is, unless you ask, and in some cases I think it's possible you'd be parked in and would need to rely on the valet service. I don't know if that's the case with Indianapolis hotels, but at a restaurant in Chicago some years back, I happened to see where my car was valeted, and it was definitely parked in. The lot was so tiny.

You can leave and come back at the Downtown Marriott, but you'd be insane to do so because it's extremely likely you'll lose your parking spot.

All the hotels at the JW complex have in / out self-park. Although I find the different rates for each hotel funny since they all use the same garage.

If you pay for parking with your hotel room (which I assume is a daily rate) and choose to leave for a while, its possible you won't retain it??

Even if a spot is reserved for you for the entire day, shuffling of vehicles may not leave a spot available for your particular vehicle.  There are (IIRC) compact only and overhead obstruction spots in that parking structure, neither of which would work for the SUV we use for the trip.

Having in/out privileges and being able to use them without worry are two different things.

Thanks...and a few more questions.

The hotel lists the nightly rates for the downtown hotels (ranging in the low $200's). I was wondering if anybody could give me a rough estimate of how much the rate increases with multiple people in the room. In other words, are those listed rates per one person? There will be three of us.

When using the downtown housing-block registration process, initially, it only allows for a Thursday to Sunday booking, correct? If you want to actually arrive Wednesday, that comes later? In general, is adding on the Wednesday something difficult to achieve?

I haven't seen the rate increase with more people, though I think the most we have had in a room was 4. I have also not had any issues booking a room Wed - Mon. initally through the housing portal. They have awaiting list for the extra nights now, so if you book a room and Wed. night is not available you can request to be placed on a waiting list in case that night opens up.

Been doing a lot of research, trying to figure out which dowtown hotels in the housing block have the biggest rooms on average. Sounds like Hilton, Embassy, Holiday Inn and Hyatt are at the top of the list. Does anybody have any others to add?

Some hotels charge for more guests(Hyatt for certain) and some do not(Embassy and Hampton for certain). One way to find out ahead of time is to try booking for another time with maximum guests.

Westin rooms are on the smaller side, even when we had a king with a foldout sofa. The Hampton king with a foldout was pretty large...but their regular rooms might be smaller.