Hotels

This forum is for general questions for staff that don't fit into one of the forums below. Please read the FAQ before posting new questions.
Post Reply
User avatar
Mirotic
Veteran Poster
Posts: 191
Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 1:57 pm
Location: New England
Contact:

Hotels

Post by Mirotic »

Good morning!
I saw you guys have the hotel booking up, but the Sheraton is not listed. Are they not offering con rates this year or will they go up later-- do we know approximately when?
Thanks!
I believe if time passes, everything turns into beauty. If the rains stop, tears clean the scars of memory away. Everything starts wearing fresh colors. Every sound begins playing a heartful melody. Jealousy embellishes a page of the epic. Desire is embraced in a dream. But my mind is still in chaos and..
2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019 / 2020 / 2021 / 2022
User avatar
coffeecake
Veteran Poster
Posts: 129
Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2009 7:27 pm
Location: RI

Re: Hotels

Post by coffeecake »

I'm surprised that they have any hotels listed at all this soon. To be fair though by the time they usually get them up its so close to the convention and a lot of rooms are taken already.
Anime Boston 2024:
Forest Minish (Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap)
User avatar
Master of NERV
Dedicated Poster
Posts: 390
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2006 4:37 pm
Location: Somewhere in MA

Re: Hotels

Post by Master of NERV »

coffeecake wrote: Thu Oct 18, 2018 2:22 pm I'm surprised that they have any hotels listed at all this soon. To be fair though by the time they usually get them up its so close to the convention and a lot of rooms are taken already.
Last year, I tried calling the Sheraton about August like usual. I was told that the block was reserved but they couldn't book anyone to it. I had to wait until hotel registration was announced on the con site.
AB 2003-2023 -- pre-reged for 2024!
2006, '12, '13: Commander Ikari (Evangelion)
2007: Dr. Akai (Maburaho)
User avatar
MomoMiraculous
I'm Special!
Posts: 974
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2007 6:50 pm
Location: Central CT
Contact:

Re: Hotels

Post by MomoMiraculous »

Master of NERV wrote: Thu Oct 18, 2018 10:04 pm
coffeecake wrote: Thu Oct 18, 2018 2:22 pm I'm surprised that they have any hotels listed at all this soon. To be fair though by the time they usually get them up its so close to the convention and a lot of rooms are taken already.
Last year, I tried calling the Sheraton about August like usual. I was told that the block was reserved but they couldn't book anyone to it. I had to wait until hotel registration was announced on the con site.
Huh interesting. The Hilton doesn't make me wait. I called a few weeks ago and was able to book my rooms for next year at the convention rate. Maybe that's just a Sheraton thing? -shrug- I personally prefer the Hilton so I've been staying with them for three years now.
2024 Cosplans (Subject to Change)

Rangiku - Bleach
Zenitsu - Demon Slayer
Marie - Splatoon
Tsunade- Naruto
Pidge- Voltron
User avatar
Kalyoth
Determined Poster
Posts: 221
Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2008 5:21 pm

Re: Hotels

Post by Kalyoth »

Anyone know if they ever finished the hotel? being built across from Hilton Boston Backbay across on Belvidere? Looked like it has been under construction for 2 years now? Or is it not a hotel? Looked like a High Price place.
"You mustn't let mistakes weigh you down. Acknowledge them and take what you've learned to move on. That is the privilege of being a man."

Full Frontal - Gundam Unicorn
windseeker
I'm new!
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2018 7:25 pm

Re: Hotels

Post by windseeker »

Mirotic wrote: Thu Oct 18, 2018 7:56 am Good morning!
I saw you guys have the hotel booking up, but the Sheraton is not listed. Are they not offering con rates this year or will they go up later-- do we know approximately when?
Thanks!
Where was the hotel booking info? I looked on the Hotel Information page and it only says info will be available in upcoming months.
User avatar
nodsviper
Experienced Poster
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Apr 04, 2017 6:38 pm

Re: Hotels

Post by nodsviper »

windseeker wrote: Tue Oct 23, 2018 1:07 am
Mirotic wrote: Thu Oct 18, 2018 7:56 am Good morning!
I saw you guys have the hotel booking up, but the Sheraton is not listed. Are they not offering con rates this year or will they go up later-- do we know approximately when?
Thanks!
Where was the hotel booking info? I looked on the Hotel Information page and it only says info will be available in upcoming months.
Looks like the info is provided in a different fashion with the experient service AB is now using. You can find all the info by clicking the 'Attendee Housing' button at the top of the page that is provided in this post:
viewtopic.php?f=66&t=23421
User avatar
theonlylostsoul
AB Executive
Posts: 273
Joined: Sat May 25, 2013 10:03 pm

Re: Hotels

Post by theonlylostsoul »

Mirotic wrote: Thu Oct 18, 2018 7:56 am Good morning!
I saw you guys have the hotel booking up, but the Sheraton is not listed. Are they not offering con rates this year or will they go up later-- do we know approximately when?
Thanks!
Hi there! Sorry for the delay, all around on this. The Sheraton should be going up in the next week or so on the booking website.
Kirsten (Kiri) Smith
Director of Operations
Anime Boston
rainjays
Getting the hang of this...
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2018 7:47 pm

Re: Hotels

Post by rainjays »

I was able to book the sheraton using the Experiant or whatever its called, link today. About an hour ago. We plan to call the Sheraton and confirm our booking.
Hokum_52
Getting the hang of this...
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2018 6:19 am

Re: Hotels

Post by Hokum_52 »

I googled the price range of the Sheraton hotel in Boston for the duration of the con, and holy crap is that expensive! I mean, the last time I've spent so much for accomodation, it was for the Japan Expo in Paris last year and we had rented this flat, divided between 8 people, it cost us as much as booking this hotel, but it was a flat, it was for a week and it was in the middle of Paris...
User avatar
theonlylostsoul
AB Executive
Posts: 273
Joined: Sat May 25, 2013 10:03 pm

Re: Hotels

Post by theonlylostsoul »

rainjays wrote: Tue Oct 30, 2018 11:34 am I was able to book the sheraton using the Experiant or whatever its called, link today. About an hour ago. We plan to call the Sheraton and confirm our booking.
They went live today! Hooray!! I'm glad it worked for you :D
Kirsten (Kiri) Smith
Director of Operations
Anime Boston
User avatar
basharoftheages
Under a bridge
Posts: 2367
Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2006 9:01 pm
Location: here
Contact:

Re: Hotels

Post by basharoftheages »

Hokum_52 wrote: Tue Oct 30, 2018 1:44 pm I googled the price range of the Sheraton hotel in Boston for the duration of the con, and holy crap is that expensive!
Boston hotels are really expensive, but compare that price you saw with the official con rate. In theory it should be pretty different. Booking directly for some of the other con hotels is $75-100 a night more if you don't book through the tool.
Justin Corriveau - Fan Creations Co-Coordinator (2023-2024)
Fan Creations Coordinator (2019-2022)
Fan Creations Staff (2016-2018)
Another Anime Convention AMV Contest Coordinator (2008-2016)
rainjays
Getting the hang of this...
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2018 7:47 pm

Re: Hotels

Post by rainjays »

Hokum_52 wrote: Tue Oct 30, 2018 1:44 pm I googled the price range of the Sheraton hotel in Boston for the duration of the con, and holy crap is that expensive! I mean, the last time I've spent so much for accomodation, it was for the Japan Expo in Paris last year and we had rented this flat, divided between 8 people, it cost us as much as booking this hotel, but it was a flat, it was for a week and it was in the middle of Paris...
Boston is pretty expensive, for sure. It just gets worse in the months the con is in April or May--high tourist times. The Sheraton is a 4 star hotel directly attached to the convention center, so naturally it's going to cost more. There are lodgings more similar to hostels, or AirBnB's similar to flats, available in the city, but they all come with risks and are further away.

I've booked hotels for the event a full year in advance and the con hotel block prices still tend to beat those prices, especially with the Sheraton and Hilton. The Colonnade, I booked a year in advance and the block price was maybe 20$ savings. Currently Sheraton is probably 200-300$ savings a night if you book with the hotel block.

But if those prices aren't up your alley you might find better ones if you're willing to take the T. Downtown Crossing isn't very far and has some hotels, or the outer cities also have a lot of hotels. The AC hotel in downtown Boston is near Broadway, and is pretty cheap; there's also one near Alewife station, and Assembly station. They're pretty awesome hotels.
Hokum_52
Getting the hang of this...
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2018 6:19 am

Re: Hotels

Post by Hokum_52 »

Okay, thanks for the advice. I'll attend the con as a part of a trip to the US (I'm European) so I was shocked to see that the prices were ridiculously higher than what I had seen when looking for prices in different cities I'm looking to visit.
Sorry for the noobish questions, I'll be on the lookout for other hotels or AirBNBs then!
User avatar
mylaluu
Getting the hang of this...
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 9:03 am

Re: Hotels

Post by mylaluu »

I have been unsuccessful in reaching a person at the Sheraton desk to ask this.
I was looking into book a room at the Sheraton through Experient, but want to know if there will be a charge upfront (first night & fees).
The last few years I've stayed at the Midtown and they do not charge until check in. But after last year's bad experience, I would prefer not to go back.
User avatar
Nemra
AB Asst Director
Posts: 1090
Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2007 7:06 pm

Re: Hotels

Post by Nemra »

The experient booking site has a customer service line/email on the right hand side that will be able to help you with booking related questions.
Nabil Samuel

Assistant Director of PR

User avatar
solovki
Getting the hang of this...
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2013 6:08 pm

Re: Hotels

Post by solovki »

Are there any con-rate codes that can be used at the hotels website themselves. I have 300k Hilton points and would like to use them for the Con rather than paying in cash.
User avatar
Kalyoth
Determined Poster
Posts: 221
Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2008 5:21 pm

Re: Hotels

Post by Kalyoth »

I am also a Hilton Honors member. Sadly - you are charged the points based on the room type you book - no discount code will change that outside of deals only Hilton could offer. Cheapest room you will find is 70,000 points a night. Some are 138k - 141k a night. Go through the hilton honors site fast as I was able to get a room using my points. Besides being by far the better hotel vs. any Marriott Property i've stayed at, a brief 3 minute walk across the street is no inconvenience. Just a shame for all the money the Sheraton charges all year long they can't get rid of that hideous plush carpeting that's been in the Sheraton for over a decade...
"You mustn't let mistakes weigh you down. Acknowledge them and take what you've learned to move on. That is the privilege of being a man."

Full Frontal - Gundam Unicorn
rainjays
Getting the hang of this...
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2018 7:47 pm

Re: Hotels

Post by rainjays »

Is it normal for con hotel block reservations to not appear in the hotel's reservation listings?

We just called the Sheraton to confirm our booking (third party sites always make me nervous) and they claimed our reservation doesn't exist. Can't call Experiant until Monday to ask them, so I thought I'd ask around on the forums to see if this is normal hotel block behavior. Is it just that every reservation within the block is "separate" from standard reservations?

We want to ensure that our room was booked for the right number of people, but it's hard to do that if the Sheraton doesn't think we exist, haha.
User avatar
DemonGirl-Setsuna
Veteran Poster
Posts: 167
Joined: Fri Apr 05, 2013 12:12 am
Location: New Hampshire

Re: Hotels

Post by DemonGirl-Setsuna »

rainjays wrote: Sat Nov 03, 2018 4:40 pm Is it normal for con hotel block reservations to not appear in the hotel's reservation listings?

We just called the Sheraton to confirm our booking (third party sites always make me nervous) and they claimed our reservation doesn't exist. Can't call Experiant until Monday to ask them, so I thought I'd ask around on the forums to see if this is normal hotel block behavior. Is it just that every reservation within the block is "separate" from standard reservations?

We want to ensure that our room was booked for the right number of people, but it's hard to do that if the Sheraton doesn't think we exist, haha.
I had gone through the same type of paranoia last-year. (When they first started to use Experient to book/reserve the hotel-rooms for AB hotel-blocks)

I have a membership to the SPG Rewards program (a.k.a. Sheraton), and after I had used Experient to reserve my room for AB 2018 there had been no indication/proof on my SPG Account that the room had been booked.

I did receive a Reservation Confirmation e-mail from Sheraton about a week before I was due to check-in.
AB 2024 Cosplay(s);

~ To be Announced... ~


Been attending Anime Boston since 2010!
*Survived the Con Depression of 2020-2021*
User avatar
Aidan2
AB Executive
Posts: 3510
Joined: Mon Jun 12, 2006 2:49 am

Re: Hotels

Post by Aidan2 »

i will poke our Ops team to give a better answer.

But it is my understanding that Experient will not hand the reservations over until much much closer to the event. The rooms are on contract by AB and managed by Experient on our behalf, however holding off inputting them into the various hotel's systems allows for those booking to be more flexible with changes and cancelations (Remember when there was a one night deposit on booking?).

This means that Experient will wait to send in the reservations, so calling the hotels directly to confirm will not accomplish or confirm anything.
Michael Lee
Director of Technical Operations
Post Reply