For those of you that have survived the Comic-Con registration gauntlet over the past few months, your sights are now on the Hotel Registration on April 8 at 9 am PT. However, if you haven’t been to Comic-Con or San Diego before, it can feel pretty daunting trying to choose a hotel just based on price or distance. Unless you are a Jedi Master, it can be an intimidating experience. For you noobies, here are a few things to consider when choosing a hotel for the Con (with my personal favorite is listed below too)

Make a list and check it twice: Here is the list of hotels to choose from . The Hotel Reservation system allows you to input 6 hotels ONLY (in order of preference). Consider that many will try and get the 6 closest hotels- so you may consider getting a hotel a little farther out. Make sure to thoroughly review all the info on the CCI Hotel Registration page for deposit info, deadline, restrictions, etc.

Here is the list of hotels to choose from The Hotel Reservation system allows you to input 6 hotels ONLY (in order of preference). Consider that many will try and get the 6 closest hotels- so you may consider getting a hotel a little farther out. Make sure to thoroughly review all the info on the CCI Hotel Registration page for deposit info, deadline, restrictions, etc. Plan B: Book a back up hotel BEFORE the Comic-Con Hotel Registration begins tomorrow. Besides the fact that your desired hotel(s) could sell out, any number of things could go wrong. So I would book a back up hotel that you can cancel without penalty. After April 8th, it will be near impossible to find housing without having to drive in from next parsec.

Book a back up hotel BEFORE the Comic-Con Hotel Registration begins tomorrow. Besides the fact that your desired hotel(s) could sell out, any number of things could go wrong. So I would book a back up hotel that you can cancel without penalty. After April 8th, it will be near impossible to find housing without having to drive in from next parsec. Show me the money!: Price is usually where everyone starts. Comic-Con hotels range from $152-375 based on location and quality. Generally speaking, the higher the price the closer the location to the convention center. Normally these same rooms would go for twice as much during this week so going through the Comic-Con reservation is worth the hassle. At this point, you won’t be able to find anything in the same area for near the same price. If you are constrained by a budget, then set your price and stick to it.



Is Next Door Better?

The location of your hotel can really affect your Con experience in a positive or negative way. Many people assume that getting the adjacent Marriott Marquis (above $296/n) would be ideal. While the location is certainly convenient, a hotel that close might not be what you are looking for. If you are new to San Diego, you will discover that it is the ideal city to host a crazy event like this. However, as awesome as Comic Con is, you will get stir crazy being locked up in the con center for 10+ hrs. The last thing you will want to do is walk more than you have to. At the end of each day, a million attendees pour onto the streets like undead zombies in search of food. This search could take you pretty far from the Marriott forcing you to walk a few blocks to a less crowded restaurant. After a late night dinner and a few drinks, you might not want to walk all the way back to the con center every night. In the past, I have booked hotels that were closer to the heart of the Gaslamp. That way, after a night out on the town, we just had to walk a block to get home. Believe me, you don’t know exhaustion until you experience ‘Comic-Con exhaustion’. By booking a place in the center of downtown, it will actually half your walking distance- that is unless you plan on eating ALL your meals at the Marriott. Plus, the trek to Hall H, through crowds, from the Marriott feels like a marathon. It’s an awesome choice but not necessarily as convenient as you might think.



High Maintenance

Speed and proximity might not be your highest priority. You may have needs that are going to require having more resources at your disposal. A central location like the Westin Gaslamp (Pictured above: $239/n, 5 blocks) might be more suitable for you. It’s located in a shopping center in the Gaslamp called the Westfield Horton Plaza. There are tons of restaurants, stores, Starbucks 🙂, and a movie theater all adjacent to the plaza. If you are attending with family or friends that are not hardcore into Comic-Con, this would be an ideal location for you.



Gaslamp

Maybe for you, the party really starts when the Con ends. If that’s the case then I would suggest being at a hotel near 5th street. All the restaurants and bars along 5th st are hopping all night long. The Hard Rock ($308-375/n, 1 block) is the ultimate party location (it’s located just right of the above pic). The festivities never end there. One warning though, if you are prone to sensory overload, then the Hard Rock after a crazy day at the Con might not be best for you. It’s a loud hotel and a good nights rest might be ‘hard’ to come by. However, it’s a great place to run into celebs 🙂



Hall ‘H’ is for Hilton

If you are going to Comic-Con primarily for movies then expect to spend your days in the infamous Hall H. This is the biggest hall where Hollywood pay homage to the nerds by presenting all the big movies of the year. It’s by far the longest wait for any of the panels. As a result, the Hall H line forms fast and early (and now overnight!). If this is important to you, then I would suggest the Hilton Bayfront (Pictured above: $299/n, 1 block). If you request the convention center side, then you will be overlooking the ‘grassy knoll’ of Hall H. You can wake up through out the night to monitor the lines and you will have the quickest route than any other hotel. Timing is everything with Hall H and just walking from the other side of the con center (like from the Marriott Marquis) could mean you are thousands of people behind where you want to be. As a bonus, the Hilton Bayfront offers great programming in the Indigo Ballroom!