Where Is Everyone Planning On Staying?

marusin · Joined: Jul 21, 2003 Posts: 8

Just wondering where everyone is going to be staying? I have a room currently booked at the Edgewater Hotel that is right next door to the Conference Center.

I booked it just to reserve a room (I can cancel within 48 hours of Gnomedex) but was wondering if anyone found any great deals for close by places (or is there one specific hotel that everyone is planning on staying at)...

The lobby scene is always fun at Gnomedex and I want to be smack dab in the middle of it! Smile

jwhowa · Joined: Mar 31, 2005 Posts: 4

Quote:

I have a room currently booked at the Edgewater Hotel that is right next door to the Conference Center.

I was going to do the same thing, but MAN $200 a night is pricey! Is that what you had to pay, or is there a better deal to be had for that hotel?

Thanks!
-jim
technodaddy.com

goretsky · Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 3:43 am Post subject:

Hello,

I was wondering about this myself.

The last time I checked, the Gnomedex web site had no mention whatsoever of adjoining or even nearby hotels.

Perhaps a member of the forum from Seattle can let us know which hotels are convenient to the Bell Harbor International Conference Center?

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

marusin · Joined: Jul 21, 2003 Posts: 8

No, unfortunately $200 is the quote I received as well. I booked it just so I have a place to fall back on but really would be interested in a place that is within walking distance where all the gnomies are staying (and is actually affordable!)...

IGGY · Joined: Jul 22, 2003 Posts: 36

Myself and my girlfriend were originally going with the Mariott across the street. So we could get our reward points for their reward program. We signed up for this during Gnomedex 3 in Des Moines. But now we are going with Edgewater. The Discovery channel just did a show the other day on Seattle. It included information and history in regards to the Edgewater hotel. We went with Edgewater in the end because city side rooms are cheaper than the Mariott rooms. We booked online using Expedia.

I'd have to agree that $950 ( inlcudes taxes ) for a 4 night stay at a hotel is pricey. I would have loved to have found something closer to an Iowa price. But nothing seems close to this convention center. And since breakfast and other meals are included. I'd rather not have a long walk or drive every AM to obtain nourishment. So we ended up going with Edgewater.

Do to pricing of the conference. It looks as if this will be the first year my better half doesn't buy a ticket. Which is going to make this vacation / business trip a bit unpleasant for me. As well as adding cost in regards to food. In the end it might be cheaper to just get a ticket. But by the time we will be able to. The show may be sold out. 300 spots should fill up fairly fast I would think.

lockergnome · Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2005 4:43 pm Post subject:

jwhowa · Joined: Mar 31, 2005 Posts: 4

Well, I ended up booking my room at the Madison Rennaisance Hotel, about 1 mile from the conference center. I was able to use Marriott rewards for 2 nights, and paid $189/night for the other two nights. I figure two free nights is worth having to take a cab to/from the venue, versus paying $200+ at the Marriott right by the conf center or the Edgewater. Hopefully, being a mile away won't mean I lose too many social opportunities! Smile

If anyone else ends up @ the Rennaisance, give me a shout and we can taxi-pool or something...

BTW, Chris: This BBS needs an RSS feed...

-Jim
jwhowa at netbox dot com
http://technodaddy.com

marusin · Joined: Jul 21, 2003 Posts: 8

jwhowa · Joined: Mar 31, 2005 Posts: 4

websage · Joined: Apr 04, 2005 Posts: 1

I chose The Warwick Hotel saved about 40-50 a night and it has Wifi Very Happy

you can check out a map at http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=47.614685,-...+WA+98121&hl=en

I just love google maps...

ocomik · Joined: Jul 22, 2003 Posts: 10

marcerickson · Joined: Dec 27, 2002 Posts: 77

I did a bunch of research last night. I can't see paying $200 a night or even $100 a night just to SLEEP for God's sake!

The conference centre (sorry, I'm Canadian) is basically at the corner of Alaskan Way and Wall Street.

Any of the downtown hotels will be expensive - that's the way it is in a large city. The cheapest downtown hotel - and it's within walking distance (provided your laptop case doesn't weigh 30 lbs. like mine does) is the Moore Hotel. $62 single, $69 - $79 double (one bed/two) or - if you can handle having the bath and facilities down the hall - $45 or $55. Cable TV - but no Internet Sad

. The theatre is on the National Register for Historic Places - I saw an Indigo Girls concert there in ~ 1989 - and is cool. The hotel - according to the site - looks clean but it might have theadbare carpets - I haven't stayed there. It would be an experience as it was built in 1907 - lots of marble - much of the finishing is from that time.

I also looked at Google Maps Local Search (click on the Local Search link) using the keyword motel and found several places within reasonable cab or driving distance (or maybe walking). Anything that is close to Seattle Center (the Space Needle) is fairly close to the conference centre. And Hwy. 99 north of Denny Way (Aurora Ave N.) is a mixed commercial strip with several places on it or not too far from it. In fact I'd guess that if you don't mind budget accommodations you could find something around the $50 - $70 range just by driving up Aurora - and it won't be on the Web.

Me? I'm staying at a campground near Lake Sammamish for $20 - or I'm sleeping in my car. I billed a thousand bucks in my computer repair business last month and so far about $400 this month - the business just fell off of the table. A thousand is barely enough to pay my rent and phone bill - it doesn't pay the electric or heat and it doesn't feed me. It should get better - but it may not be for a couple of months - so I have to economize if I want to be at Gnomedex.

raines · Joined: May 21, 2005 Posts: 5

BuzzDroid · Joined: May 24, 2005 Posts: 2

I see a bunch of you are staying 4 nights and I'm trying to figure out why. According to http://www.mollyguard.com/event/16437164 the conference doesn't start until 5pm on June 23, so there is no reason to spend June 22 in a hotel.

With that said, I'm having trouble finding any information on the gnomedex.com site as to schedule. The closest I could find was the mollyguard registration page. Does the conference really start at 5pm on June 23 as suggested on the registration page?

By the way, I'm currently leaning toward staying at the SpringHill Suites Seattle Downtown at $132 night.

dmethvin · Joined: May 26, 2005 Posts: 1

I know that Priceline has gotten some bad publicity, but I have used it several times for hotels. I was just out in Seattle in April and used it for that trip. I got three nights in the Marriott Renaissance on Madison for $80/night. They have the typical ripoff $10/day extra charge for Internet access and unlimited phone, but since the Seattle Public Library is just a block away I used their free WiFi instead.

If you haven't used Priceline for hotels before, the way it works is that you select an area, a hotel quality level, and a price. They try to find a hotel that will accept your bid. If they can't you have to change your bid in some way; either raise the price, change the area, or lower the desired hotel quality. You can resubmit the same bid but you have to wait 72 (I think) hours. There is no guarantee you'll get a specific hotel no matter what you do though, and your credit card is charged as soon as the bid is accepted.

In Seattle, you'll want to select Downtown Seattle as your only area if you are trying for walking distance. For my bid I selected 3-star and 4-star hotels and $80, the bid was accepted by the Renaissance first time. There are a lot of good hotels in the same area and most of it is walkable to the Convention center, 8 blocks or so. The far west end near the Space Needle is a very long walk (although I've done it several times) but there is a monorail that will take you from the Space Needle to the downtown area close to the Convention Center.

If you're looking for more info on Priceline bidding and tips on the right price to bid, try BiddingForTravel.com,
http://p070.ezboard.com/fpricelineandexpediabiddingseattle

BTW, for getting from the airport to downtown, take the Grey Line buses. It only costs $18 for a roundtrip ticket and they stop at all the major downtown hotels.

Here's the Priceline map of the Seattle area:

<<-- click to expand

BobMorris · Joined: May 27, 2005 Posts: 1

I'm staying at

Red Lion Hotel on Fifth Avenue
1415 5th Ave

I think it's about $125 a night and is walking distance to Gnomedex. Wireless too! Can't stay anyplace without wireless.

I found them when I booked on Expedia

Bob Morris polizeros.com

IGGY · Joined: Jul 22, 2003 Posts: 36

raines · Joined: May 21, 2005 Posts: 5

IGGY · Joined: Jul 22, 2003 Posts: 36

strotter · Joined: Jun 02, 2005 Posts: 1

I'm going to be staying with my Dad, who lives in Seattle. But if I didn't have him, I'd probably stay at the Pioneer Square Hotel, located at the southern end of downtown, near Pioneer Square, at Yesler and Western. It's an older place, but it's well-maintained and it has Wi-Fi. My wife and I stayed there last year for 1 night, and I seem to recall that the price was something like $120/night. It's the closest hotel to Safeco Field, so if the Mariners are in town, the place will be full of out-of-town baseball fans.

The neighborhood isn't the greatest--Pioneer Square is the locus for Seattle's homeless population--but I've never had any problems there. The Elliot Bay Bookstore is about a block away in one direction, and the waterfront/Alaskan Way is a block away in the opposite direction. I'd guess that it's about a 15-minute walk from the hotel to the conference facility along Alaskan Way, and the weather should be pretty decent by then.

--scott--