Attendee Guide — Housing and Travel Overview

Attendee Guide to Housing Registration





*Gen Con 2020 has been canceled due to health and safety concerns related to COVID-19. If you've made a hotel reservation through our Housing Portal, your reservation will automatically be canceled, and you will not be charged any fees. The hotel queue will be reassigned for 2021.

For more information, please see the cancellation announcement.





Important: The following housing policies apply to Gen Con registrants purchasing single and 4-Day attendee badges for the 2020 convention. Convention housing policies applicable to other Gen Con registrant groups (i.e. VIG, Trade Day attendees, exhibitors, artists, authors, and professionals) will be distributed to group members by their Gen Con coordinators. All registrant groups are subject to our standard housing registration Terms of Service.

Gen Con is proud to partner with Q-rooms to offer attendees a wide variety of discounted hotel rooms for the 2020 convention. Room type availability and rates vary by hotel.

Attendee group housing registration will open at noon (Eastern) on February 9, 2020 (“opening day”). Starting on that day, attendees can visit the online Gen Con housing portal to review guest room inventory and request a room assignment. The link to access the housing portal is located on the “My Housing” page within each attendee’s Gen Con account. After a room assignment request has been submitted, the online system will process the request and email the room assignment acknowledgment to the attendee email address provided.

Attendees can modify or cancel room assignments until housing registration closes at 11:59 pm (Eastern) on July 13, 2020 (the “closing date”). After housing registration closes, hotels will download final room assignments from the registration system, charge non-refundable deposits to guest credit cards, and issue hotel reservations confirming the room assignments. Until housing registration closes, the participating hotels will not have record of attendees’ room assignments.

Check out this slideshow from Q-Rooms for a step-by-step guide on making a reservation through the housing portal!

Housing Topics

If you are interested in learning more about housing registration, please click on the topic of interest below or scroll down the page to continue reading.

Sign in to your Gen Con account. Visit your My Housing page. Click the "Request Room" link. Click "Go To Housing Portal." The link will connect you with the online system where you can select the hotel and room type you want to be assigned. Submit all required information, read and accept the Terms of Service, then submit your room request.

Customer phone support will be restricted to individuals needing assistance to make changes to their initial room assignments. Callers are asked to have their room assignment acknowledgment number ready to expedite phone support on opening day. Please make sure to call the Q-rooms call center (317-688-1323) and not the Gen Con Customer Service line for all housing-related questions.

HOUSING PORTAL ACCESS SCHEDULING

Scheduled access to the housing portal is required to distribute initial opening server demand, eliminating housing registration "time outs" and system crashes. When housing registration opens, attendees who have purchased badges will be tallied and randomly assigned housing registration access times, after which they can use their “Request Room” links to visit the online housing portal to request specific room assignments.

After the randomized scheduling occurs, a countdown timer for your unique access time will appear on the “My Housing” page of your Gen Con account. Attendees should be aware that access to the online housing portal will be spread out over many hours, the duration of which depends on how many customers are queued for access. After opening day, housing registration access will be granted immediately upon completion of badge purchases.

Important note: Badges must be purchased by Friday, February 7, 2020 to be included in the randomized access queue. Any customers who purchase badges after the randomized housing access times have been issued will be placed at the end of the initial queue.

MULTIPLE ROOM REQUESTS

If you have purchased sufficient badges to qualify for more than one hotel room, all of your “Request Rooms” links activate concurrently, but you must request multiple room assignments sequentially, one room at a time. After you complete one request, you can click another link within your account to begin the selection process for the next room request. The system issues room assignments in the order requests are submitted.

ROOM SEARCH RESULTS ARE IN REAL TIME

When you access the housing portal and enter your search criteria, the available hotels and rooms are displayed in real time, meaning other users with access to the housing site may be considering the same inventory as you. Until you select a specific room type to begin the checkout process, displayed inventory remains available to other users who may select it before you do. Once you have selected a hotel room to begin the checkout process, the room will be held for 10 minutes while you complete the required guest and credit card information. Failure to complete the information and submit the request in the appointed time may return an error stating the room is no longer available. If that occurs, you must perform another inventory search and select a different room from among what’s available. We urge all users to have their guest information and credit card on hand when performing searches on opening day!

MINIMUM NIGHT STAY RESTRICTIONS

Minimum night stay restrictions are in effect for all hotels in the downtown area. Requests for hotels in the downtown area must consist of three or more consecutive dates and must include the night of Saturday, August 1, 2020. Minimum night stay restrictions will remain in place throughout the housing registration period. Room assignments at suburban hotels are not generally subject to minimum night stay restrictions, though some exceptions may exist.

ADA ACCESSIBLE ROOM REQUESTS

ADA-compliant Accessible rooms can now be requested when selecting rooms within the online housing portal, and on opening day all users are required to select rooms using the online housing portal. Once a hotel and room have been selected for check-out the system will prompt the user to enter guest information. Guests desiring a disability-compliant Accessible room should select the “Accessible” checkbox located below the guest information fields to place a request.

Within two weeks of housing registration opening, Q-rooms will review the Accessible room requests on file and confirm availability with hotels. As Accessible room assignments are confirmed, guests will receive updated acknowledgments indicating change of assignment from a standard room type to Accessible room type (e.g. standard double/double to Accessible double/double).

In the event Accessible room requests exceed the capacity of a particular hotel, Q-rooms will fulfill the Accessible room requests in the order the room requests were assigned by the online registration system. Q-rooms will address any shortages by soliciting alternative Accessible rooms at comparable nearby hotels and obtaining guest consent prior to changing their assignment to one of the Accessible rooms available.

Important: Federal ADA legislation requires all hotels to meet minimum accessibility requirements, and hotel location is not applicable to ADA criteria. Requesting an Accessible room in the Gen Con block has no bearing on hotel location relative to the convention center and does not improve one’s chances of obtaining a downtown room assignment.

CREDIT CARD REQUIREMENT

All room requests must be secured with a valid credit card having an expiration date later than the convention dates. Credit cards that expire before the convention ends will be rejected by the system. You must be an authorized user of the credit card placed on file to secure your room assignment, and you must accept the Terms of Service, which govern the cancellation fee or hotel deposit that will be charged to the credit card in connection with your assignment. You may change or update the credit card at any time before housing registration ends; and you may place a different card with the hotel at the time of check in if you desire to pay the remaining charges on a different credit card.

MODIFICATION POLICY

You can modify your room assignment as needed and free of charge, provided the assignment is not cancelled 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 13, 2020.

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.

CANCELLATION POLICY

All room assignments are subject to cancellation fees. Assignments cancelled before 11:59 pm (Eastern), June 8, 2020 are subject to a $50 USD cancellation fee per room. Room assignments canceled after June 8, 2020 are subject to a cancellation fee equal to one night room charge per room. Cancellation fees will be automatically charged to the credit card on file, and Q-rooms LLC will be listed as the charge originator on the credit card statements. No exceptions or refunds will be granted.

HOTEL DEPOSIT REQUIREMENT

After housing registration ends on July 13, 2020, your assigned hotel will charge a non-refundable deposit equal to one night room rate plus tax and convert your assignment into a confirmed hotel reservation. Hotels will begin charging deposits on July 13, but it can take 24 hours or longer for the hotel to complete the transactions and issue confirmed reservations.

WAIT LIST

An automated Wait List feature will be activated within one week of housing registration opening. This feature will enable users to request additional nights on the front and/or back end of their assigned dates that are currently unavailable for assignment. Nights for which a room is currently unavailable but eligible for wait list will be denoted by a red exclamation point (!) indicator beside the date. Upon requesting dates that include one or more wait list nights, the system will monitor inventory and automatically add the requested nights as they become available. Upon adding a night, the system will also email a confirmation message to the primary guest email address. Wait list nights included in your room assignment acknowledgement are not guaranteed until confirmed via new assignment acknowledgment.

Dates required to meet Nightly Minimum Stay Restrictions cannot be requested via wait list. Attendees needing lodging during the convention peak nights (Thu-Sat) should check availability online periodically. As other guests modify and/or cancel their room assignments, online inventory will update in real time. Using the wait list function to modify your assignment carries no fee, and you can modify your stay dates at any time during the housing registration period if you no longer need dates that were assigned by the system after submission.

ROOM ASSIGNMENT MANAGEMENT

All room assignments are unique and personal to the Gen Con account holder who purchased the badge and requested the assignment. The account holder can manage their room assignment as indicated under the respective Cancellation and Modifications Policies, either by making the change online or by contacting Gen Con Housing call center for assistance.

Room assignments cannot be transferred, traded, or otherwise re-assigned among Gen Con accounts, and room assignments connected to one Gen Con account will remain associated with the originating account until registration ends or the room assignment is canceled.

Account holders who find themselves unable to attend the convention can modify their room assignment to designate a friend or family member as the primary guest for their room assignment. With cardholder consent, they can also put the primary guest’s credit card on file to secure the assignment and pay the hotel deposit after housing registration ends; but the account holder retains the ability to modify or cancel the room assignment at will and remains liable for the Terms of Service and any declined credit card transactions. If a room assignment is canceled and the credit card on file is declined for any reason, the account holder remains responsible for settlement as required to keep their account in good standing. Accounts that fall out of good standing will lose their housing eligibility as described under the Terms of Service .

User Tip: Individuals intending to share rooms should consider the Room Management limitations carefully before buying badges and requesting room assignments: If the account holder cancels his/her/their badge and becomes ineligible for a room assignment, the room assignment itself becomes invalid and will need to be canceled. Room assignments issued to one Gen Con account cannot be transferred to another account. To prevent loss of room assignment stemming from the account holder canceling his/her/their badge, we recommend that friends and family intending to share rooms designate one member of their group as the purchaser of multiple badges so the account will not become ineligible for a room assignment if another member cancels their badge. As long as there remains at least one eligible badge in a Gen Con account, one room assignment will remain valid and can be occupied by the remaining members.

Important Advisory: Individuals who’ve relied on attendee-to-attendee room trading to obtain rooms and/or avoid cancellation fees in previous years are advised to consider the new policy carefully before requesting room assignments for the current convention. Effective since 2018, all room assignments will remain connected to the originating account unless canceled. No exceptions will be granted.

CREDIT CARD SECURITY AND FRAUD PREVENTION

Gen Con and Q-rooms are taking all actions possible to protect your personal information and credit. The online housing portal already employs PCI level 1 encryption meeting the highest standard of internet security protocols. Gen Con Housing call center agents no longer accept credit card information by phone. Instead, Gen Con account holders must input and update credit cards associated with their room assignments via the secure online housing portal. If a credit card is declined by the system after cancelling a room assignment, Q-rooms will contact the account holder to issue a secure credit card authorization form via Adobe Sign service, which also employs top level encryption for data being transmitted via the internet. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope all attendees will be supportive of these new security measures.

HOUSING REGISTRATION TERMS OF SERVICE

In addition to the aforementioned policies, all room assignments booked for the 2020 convention are subject to our housing registration Terms of Service, available for review by clicking here. We encourage you to read the Terms of Service carefully before housing opens to save time on opening day. You will not be able to book a room assignment unless you indicate your acceptance of the Terms of Service during the online checkout process.



GEN CON HOUSING CONTACT INFORMATION

The Gen Con Housing call center will operate concurrently with Housing Registration opening on February 9, 2020. The call center will close at the end of the convention on August 2, 2020.

Daily Hours: 10 am – 6 pm (Eastern), Mon–Friday, except national holidays.

Call Center Phone: (317) 688-1323

Call Center Email: [email protected]

Travel to Gen Con 2020

Gen Con Travel Support

The travel support services to provide attendees with a convenient, reliable, and affordable means of arranging travel not only to the convention, but to any US destination year-round. This service, called Gen Con Travel, consists of an online booking site that can be accessed by clicking here. Users of the service will enjoy the convenience of booking a broad selection of flights, rental cars, and overflow lodging.

Please be advised: Lodging accommodations available through Gen Con Travel present alternative, “overflow” accommodations to the discounted group lodging available through the official convention housing block. Gen Con Travel hotel accommodations are sourced through Advanced Reservations Systems, Inc. (“aRes” for short), a global supply chain serving the leisure travel segment, and the selection and pricing of Gen Con Travel accommodations vary with market factors such as hotel locations, guest room availability, and seasonal demand.





FLIGHT INFORMATION

The Indianapolis International Airport is only a 15-minute drive away from downtown Indianapolis. The airport is served by eight major air carriers: Air Canada, AirTran, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and U.S. Airways.

There are various transportation options available from the airport including taxis, limousines, public transit, and rental cars.





DRIVING AND PARKING

Indianapolis is easily accessible via many interstate highways bisecting the city. Half of the nation's population lives within a day's drive of Indianapolis, which makes traveling to Indy by car an attractive option for many visitors. City, hotel, and lot-based parking is available in downtown Indianapolis.

The Indiana Convention Center is conveniently located on the corner of W. Maryland Street and S. Capitol Avenue in downtown Indianapolis. The facility address is 100 S. Capitol Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46225.



