SDCC 2023 Hotel Discussion

[darqamin]

hmmm....  That's interesting.  I stayed at MMM as well, and requested a change to the North Tower when I checked in. It ended up being a city view, but it didn't matter to me, as I just really wanted to be in the North Tower.  Did you request a bay view?

Yes I did request a bay view and they said it would be something like $70 or $80 more per night - far too much for me given I am converting from CAD to US already.

I think that if I had checked in Tuesday I might have had more luck, it was already busy when checking in on Wednesday. But the past years was Wednesday and always bay view 

I am just a member (0-9 nights) and don't think I'll make it to 10 for the next level in 2023 (if they count per year, not sure if it is that or the last 12 months before checkin)

[sessionka]

Yes I did request a bay view and they said it would be something like $70 or $80 more per night - far too much for me given I am converting from CAD to US already.

I think that if I had checked in Tuesday I might have had more luck, it was already busy when checking in on Wednesday. But the past years was Wednesday and always bay view 

I am just a member (0-9 nights) and don't think I'll make it to 10 for the next level in 2023 (if they count per year, not sure if it is that or the last 12 months before checkin)

So past years you've gotten Bayview without paying an up charge?

I think you're right about checking in earlier.  I've checked in on Monday night, and there's absolutely no line.  I haven't really had any problems with my request for changes to the North Tower. 

[Friends of Comic Cons]

[Transmute Jun]

Agreed on the night. 15 years ago, I would check in Wednesday morning and the line would be short. Then all of Wednesday was bad, and I had to check in on Tuesday. Now Tuesday is starting to get bad, and I check in on Monday. Based on the number of people I see lined up in the lobby, by Wednesday noon there is not a lot of room choice.

[darqamin]

Yes, last year I was able to get bay view at MMM without a charge. Some years ago I also stayed at MMM with friends and I believe it was the same for them.

On onpeak last year and this year, it doesn't say which type of room you get. I can't remember what the booking said on Marriott before I arrived last year (I just remember saying I want bay view when I checked in), this year it said city view when it showed up on my Marriott account just before the convention. Not sure if they are randomly assigned when it goes from on peak onto their system (so that you wouldn't have to worry about changing it if you got the side you want) or if they all say city view by default.

[sefton42]

Mine said bay view when it went into my account.

[ozzz]

I checked in Friday 9:30AM there was no line but it took them a couple of minutes to find me an available room but I did get bay view as assigned before on the app.

[dolphina]

Name of Hotel: Hilton Bayfront

Type of Room: 2 full-sized beds tower room facing south 20th floor Fridge and Coffee maker in room

Number of Nights You Stayed: 6 nights

Year(s) You Stayed There: First year there

Hotel Review:

* Were there any dining options inside or near the hotel? There were few dining options and food delivery was the best bet. There is a general market downstairs that does breakfast sandwiches that are decent, but expensive. It was over $30 for 2 sandwiches, a cup of coffee, and an oatmilk.

* How was the hotel staff?  Staff was helpful and courteous.

* Did you order room service? Did not order room service.

* Tell us about the hotel amenities, like the gym or pool. Did not use amenities as they closed by the time I got back from afterparties.

* How long did it take you to travel to and from your hotel by shuttle, trolley, or on foot? By foot it was about 12 minutes to Hal G from my room and all the way to Hall A about 17 min.

* Are the walls of the room thin?  What are the noise levels in your room from outside sources (hallway or next door)? I could hear doors closing and people talking in the hall, but not noises from their rooms.

* Does the hotel have free WiFi for guests? Yes with password provided by front desk

* Are you a member of the hotel's rewards program?  What level do you have, and what kind of perks did you get? Yes I'm a member, but not a high enough level for perks.

* Is there anything else you like to mention about the hotel (i.e., celebrity sightings) or your room that isn't mentioned above? A few celebrity sightings in the lobby area and the bar. Mostly Con professionals

What did you like about staying at this hotel?

List:
- close location to the convention center
- fast elevator
- friends staying here
- easy to meetup in lobby

Finally, what didn't you like about staying at this hotel?

- couldn't set the thermostat lower than 66
- the fridge didn't get very cold and took a long time for drinks to chill
- limited food options and was a long walk to gaslamp for other options.
- Front desk doesn't answer when I called. I tried multiple times, even just to schedule a taxi.

One more thing was that a friend had random charges on his account each day that would later fall off. The front desk said those were incidental fees that can range from $2-$300/day. However, the front desk employee could not explain what the charges were for and whenever he'd ask to speak to someone that could explain it, they'd put him on hold then hang up.

We did have that same issue with the thermostat in our room too, but ours wouldn't go below 68, which sounds like a cool temperature, but it wasn't. I did talk to a couple of others who were staying at Bayfront and their room did not have this issue.