I am attempting to pull off a very cool present, but I kind of have no idea what I am doing.

October 22, 2008 12:53 PM

I want to get passes for my husband to go to Comic-Con next year for THIS year's Christmas. The pass price is very favorable right now ($75.00), and I can wait to get plane tickets if I need to, but I'm completely clueless about the hotel.

There are ONE MILLION options on the comic-con site for hotels. I do not want to, nor am I able to, pay $1000 for four or five nights of hotel. $500 to $700 is probably more doable but I know NOTHING about the conference area, what hotels are in the 'hood vs what hotels are places you would want to stay, etc. Hotels are listed here. Any information that anyone has on booking a hotel that will not break the bank, esp if that hotel is walking distance of the con, will win a cookie that will be, obviously, anonymously delivered. (Anonymous because I don't really want to give away my attempted planning.)

posted by anonymous to travel & transportation (5 comments total)

you're already hosed when it comes to finding super walkable housing for the con, because all of those disappear pretty much immediately. if you're willing to take the bus or ride bikes, then that widens your options. the weather in san diego is really nice so a bit of a journey could be a nice thing!
posted by lia at 1:03 PM on October 22, 2008

I go to ComicCon most years. The key is to find a hotel within walking distance of a trolley stop. The trolley will let you out at a stop directly across the street from the SC convention center. Google Maps will show the exact location of the trolley stops and then just search for nearby hotels.

Last year, we tried something new: we stayed in a hotel next door to Legoland out in Carlsbad and drove to Qualcomm stadium's trolley stop. There was no fee to park there all day, all day passes for the trolley cost about $5 and the ride took about 30 minutes.

Feel free to mefi mail me about it. This year we're booked in Old Town (again, has a trolley stop).
posted by jamaro at 2:25 PM on October 22, 2008

There are lots of hotels in walking distance to the convention center, but I doubt you're going to find anything in the price range you want. The closest places are the Marriott, Omni, Hard Rock, Gaslamp Hilton, Hyatt and Embassy Suites. There are other hotels a little further away that might be a bit more reasonable, just look for things in the Gaslamp area.

I agree with jamaro that you are much better off looking for something near a trolley stop since there are several special trains added every year just to get people to/from ComicCon. I'd suggest Old Town also, and Mission Valley would be another good place to look as there are several trolley stops in the area.
posted by sbrollins at 2:52 PM on October 22, 2008

I got distracted halfway through writing and forgot to finish my first comment: the Carlsbad idea was fun but it required a car and the length of the travel (30 minutes of driving, another 30 on the trolley) meant we were reluctant to leave the Con once we got there and reluctant to leave the hotel when we got back. I wouldn't recommend it unless you're a huge LEGO fan.

The nice thing about staying closer in is being able to drop into the Con in the mornings and evenings when the exhibit halls are less crowded and run back to the hotel to decompress mid-day. The super fun thing about the trolley is the majority of the people riding it will also be Con attendees and there's usually a great sense of community. I would consider any hotel located in Old Town or closer to downtown as close enough to make multiple day trips to the Con. (
I haven't stayed in Mission Valley yet so I can't speak to how close it would feel).

Another thing, you might not need a rental car. A lot of the hotels (especially chains) run free shuttles from SAN and that combined with the trolley and bus will get you most places. One year we stayed in the Gaslamp, I burned out on the con on the 2nd day and spent the day instead at the zoo: getting there via trolley and bus was one of the least painful public transit experiences I've ever had (and I generally loathe riding on pub transit). The other advantage to not having a car is most of the closer-to-SDCC hotels charge for parking, anywhere from $12-25/day. (There's also city garages downtown which are cheaper but might not be as handy to your hotel).
posted by jamaro at 4:12 PM on October 22, 2008

You could also look for an hotel close to one of the free shuttle routes (PDF). You don't have to stay in one of the official convention hotels to take the bus, you only need your badge.

I don't think the official hotel reservations are open yet, as last year they were opened on February. If you end up taking one of the official hotels, be prepared to buy it first thing in the morning, as they sell out in hours.

I think it would be better (and cheaper) to search for an hotel in Travelocity or Kayak.
posted by clearlydemon at 4:19 PM on October 22, 2008