Author Topic: SDCC 2019 Hotel Discussion  (Read 210458 times)

Offline vegasndn

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Re: SDCC 2019 Hotel Discussion
« Reply #405 on: March 15, 2019, 01:54:02 PM »
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Given it was the Hard Rock, I'm sure it had to be some kind of fee.  Maybe a running water fee, or breathable air fee?  :o
Haha At the time I told wife it was rubbing elbow with the stars fee.


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Offline Dubb

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Re: SDCC 2019 Hotel Discussion
« Reply #406 on: March 15, 2019, 02:20:08 PM »
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Nope. It wasn’t any resort fees and I was just surprised at their answer which was take it up with onpeak. We had a good time there so I just meh’d.


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I mean, there ARE resort fees there.

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Re: SDCC 2019 Hotel Discussion
« Reply #407 on: Today at 07:35:13 PM »

Offline Iris

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Re: SDCC 2019 Hotel Discussion
« Reply #407 on: March 16, 2019, 02:15:52 AM »
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Hello! Long time lurker, first time poster! I have a question I hope is right to ask here!

Ok! So, last year was my first time at San Diego Comic Con and I must say I had a great time. In the Hotel Sale, I Got Hilton Bayfront, and I extended my vacation to the states by a few extra days and combined my reservation at the hotel when I arrived! I read that it was a possible on this forum, so thanks for sharing that!

My question is this - when I checked in Hilton Bayfront, I had my deposit transferred, then I paid for my extra reservation, then my total stay. So I paid about two thousand all together! Whew! But fun!

Ok, now when I was checking out - they required my card again. I showed them that they had already charged me on my online statement - but I think the guy at the desk was confused about what to do. They might have charged me again if I did not say anything.

Is it normal or should I expect that in the future? I just want to prePare properly, saving 2k is much easier than saving 4k. I know the authorization would have fallen off after a few days, but is that to be expected? Thanks for any help Good luck in future hotel sale!

(PS - I normally pay with debit, I don't like charging vacations AT ALL but will switch to credit if you think that was why it didn't Work. But that doesn't seem likely the reason, no?)

Sometimes hotels place a hold on your card, sometimes for a set amount below the price of the stay or sometimes the entire amount, for "incidentals" (extra towels, mini bar stuff, or even in the event that you trash the room.) It's very common to do the whole stay in a "hold" on your card when checking into a US hotel. It's basically to ensure that you pay for your room, all of the stuff you may charge to the room, and kind of a "security deposit" in case you destroy the room. Usually, so long as you pay the full amount and didn't do anything to harm the room in a lasting way, the charge disappears from your card after checking out (it can take a few days for the hold to disappear though.)

I can't say for CERTAIN that this is what happened with you, Hilton Bayfront has a history of being weird about charging con-goers oddly. One year, the full amount was charged to everyone's cards a few months before the event in some glitch/mistake despite a deposit already being paid. People only realized when they checked their statements and it was quickly reversed (no doubt because of all the panicked calls.) Semigeekgirl already mentioned a few of the other instances where they were wonky with their charging.

Honestly, I get not liking to charge things to a credit card if you have the money in your checking account to pay for it outright, but I really recommend putting US hotels/other travel charges on a credit card that has a limit of at least double of your stay's costs. That way, if it happens again your actual cash funds aren't tied up for an indeterminate amount of time and it's only your credit being utilized. It's also, often, easier to get improper charges taken off your credit card compared to your debit card. In addition, if there IS an issue and you have to dispute a charge, not every bank will automatically "lend" you the funds to temporarily replace the funds tied up on your debit card.

Of course, your mileage my vary because I don't know how your credit card and banks operate in your country/the laws and regulations surrounding them. But I know if I dispute a charge on my debit card, my bank will immediately return the funds pending investigation; however, not all banks do that (usually only big ones.) My mum was once horrified by how much I charged to my debit card (I didn't have a credit card for most of uni) except bills because of the issue of real money being tied up as opposed to credit.

Take what I said with a grain of salt, because like I said that could just be the Bayfront being screwy. However, I vaguely recall having the same thing happen and to my friend at least twice during our stays at the Bayfront, but I thought it was normal so I didn't say anything about it/didn't take it up with customer service because it is normal in the US and the charges disappeared quickly.

Some hotel chains do it commonly, I've heard (and looked it up a bit) that Marriott properties often practice this in the US at least and most hotels I've stayed at have done this as well.

Basically, I recommend using a credit card with a higher limit or be prepared to have at least 2x the amount of your stay in your checking account/debit card tied up for a few extra days past checking out.

In the event it is actually a hold/authorization on your card, ALWAYS check that it falls off in a few days after check-out. There are definitely incidents of the charge not falling off and people having to dispute the charges because something went wrong.

I hope this helped!

Edit: I forgot to say, if you're still iffy about using a credit card, you can still charge it to your cc and then IMMEDIATELY pay it off once you get home. That's usually what I do with my credit card as much as possible.
And grammar corrections.
« Last Edit: March 16, 2019, 02:25:43 AM by Iris »
Author of the Hotel Exchange Deposit and Transfer Walkthrough. If you need help with figuring out the logistics of an OP deposit, transfer, etc., please feel free to DM me here or Discord and I'll do my best to help. If you DM me on Discord, please identify yourself and that you're from the forum.

Offline Webdude007

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Re: SDCC 2019 Hotel Discussion
« Reply #408 on: March 18, 2019, 01:47:31 AM »
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Hello! Long time lurker, first time poster! I have a question I hope is right to ask here!

Ok! So, last year was my first time at San Diego Comic Con and I must say I had a great time. In the Hotel Sale, I Got Hilton Bayfront, and I extended my vacation to the states by a few extra days and combined my reservation at the hotel when I arrived! I read that it was a possible on this forum, so thanks for sharing that!

My question is this - when I checked in Hilton Bayfront, I had my deposit transferred, then I paid for my extra reservation, then my total stay. So I paid about two thousand all together! Whew! But fun!

Ok, now when I was checking out - they required my card again. I showed them that they had already charged me on my online statement - but I think the guy at the desk was confused about what to do. They might have charged me again if I did not say anything.

Is it normal or should I expect that in the future? I just want to prePare properly, saving 2k is much easier than saving 4k. I know the authorization would have fallen off after a few days, but is that to be expected? Thanks for any help Good luck in future hotel sale!

(PS - I normally pay with debit, I don't like charging vacations AT ALL but will switch to credit if you think that was why it didn't Work. But that doesn't seem likely the reason, no?)

Every hotel has it's own policy.  Here's my experience...

Marriot Marquis and Marina (MMM) is absolutely awesome! In order to check in, they only put a hold on your card for the nights you didn't put a deposit down for, plus incidentals.

Hotel Solamar, US Grant, and I believe Manchster Grand Hyatt: In order to check in, they put a hold for the entire stay.

Horton Grand:  My memory is a little vague because I was more worried about seeing a ghost there and the hotel decor had a creepy vibe, but I think they wanted to charge me for the whole stay but when I protested, the manager came out from the back, did some sort of magic on the computer, and handed me the room card.  So they must have only put a hold only for the 2 remaining nights plus incidentals.

I know for those with great credit, it's generally not an issue.  But for some of us with not so big credit limits, it's helpful to know.

Offline rickythump

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Re: SDCC 2019 Hotel Discussion
« Reply #409 on: March 18, 2019, 01:20:28 PM »
Yeah, it varies from hotel to hotel as others have mentioned.

IIRC, our group had some of the same issues with the Hilton Bayfront last year. I believe someone in our party had a deposit hold for a thousand as well as the final charge upon checkout for another thousand and the pending charge was on their card for at least a couple of weeks after they got home. It does always seem like HBF is the one hotel that always has some variations to whatever their official policy is.

One semi-related tip that I can pass along is if you don't plan on ordering room service or anything like that is to make sure to tell them at check-in that you want to disable "bill to room" charges. Last year at the HBF in the middle of the night I had a $100 charge notification on my credit card for the bar in the hotel and it turned out someone (perhaps erroneously) charged their bar tab to one of our rooms. We called the front desk and they immediately took care of it, but I'll definitely disable that feature at any future check-ins.

Call in advance, talk to a manager about their deposit policy, and if they try to do something different at check-in let them know what you were told when you called. Of all the hotels I've stayed in over the years, I've never really had a bad experience with any of the hotel staff *knock on wood* and everyone is super helpful and accommodating.

Offline sessionka

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Re: SDCC 2019 Hotel Discussion
« Reply #410 on: March 18, 2019, 01:36:26 PM »
Just found out a co-worker is going to a work related convention in San Diego.  He's staying at the Hard Rock.  It's his first time to San Diego.  I gave him the low down on distance from the airport to the hotel, and distance from the hotel to the convention center. 

It's scary how much I know about this stuff...and I don't live anywhere near there.

 :) ???
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Offline rickythump

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Re: SDCC 2019 Hotel Discussion
« Reply #411 on: March 18, 2019, 02:08:55 PM »
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It's scary how much I know about this stuff...and I don't live anywhere near there.

It's awesome! I was just having a discussion about this the other day; I feel like I know downtown San Diego very well just from my time going to the conventions every year.

Offline vegasndn

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Re: SDCC 2019 Hotel Discussion
« Reply #412 on: March 18, 2019, 11:48:20 PM »
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Just found out a co-worker is going to a work related convention in San Diego.  He's staying at the Hard Rock.  It's his first time to San Diego.  I gave him the low down on distance from the airport to the hotel, and distance from the hotel to the convention center. 

It's scary how much I know about this stuff...and I don't live anywhere near there.

 :) ???
Same here when friends head to San Diego I say take this freeway that freeway and you’re there. We’ve stayed at a lot of places during our time at comic con. So I help them out as much as I can.


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Offline marcia29

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Re: SDCC 2019 Hotel Discussion
« Reply #413 on: March 19, 2019, 03:09:08 AM »
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It's awesome! I was just having a discussion about this the other day; I feel like I know downtown San Diego very well just from my time going to the conventions every year.

I have poured over downtown maps so much I think downtown San Diego is imprinted in my brain.  :D
It is 2024, and I am still asking...where's my flyin' car??!! @fannishmarcia

Offline janray

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Re: SDCC 2019 Hotel Discussion
« Reply #414 on: March 19, 2019, 05:51:13 AM »
Me too! Guilty pastime on break at work, Google Maps street view "walking" downtown.  :P

Offline Emerald_Mom

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Re: SDCC 2019 Hotel Discussion
« Reply #415 on: March 19, 2019, 06:59:44 AM »
First year I attended CC I didn't leave until Monday evening, so, had the day to do what I wanted. Daughter and I took the trolley around the loop that it travels, getting off several times to sight see. It was a really good way of getting the "lay of the land" for the following year!
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Offline marcia29

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Re: SDCC 2019 Hotel Discussion
« Reply #416 on: March 19, 2019, 07:06:31 AM »
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First year I attended CC I didn't leave until Monday evening, so, had the day to do what I wanted. Daughter and I took the trolley around the loop that it travels, getting off several times to sight see. It was a really good way of getting the "lay of the land" for the following year!

Hmmm...I might do that this year....great idea1 ::)
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Offline sessionka

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Re: SDCC 2019 Hotel Discussion
« Reply #417 on: March 19, 2019, 07:37:43 AM »
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First year I attended CC I didn't leave until Monday evening, so, had the day to do what I wanted. Daughter and I took the trolley around the loop that it travels, getting off several times to sight see. It was a really good way of getting the "lay of the land" for the following year!

I thought I was weird for doing things like that.  Now I know I'm 'normal'.   :) :)
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Offline Sakura17

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Re: SDCC 2019 Hotel Discussion
« Reply #418 on: March 19, 2019, 10:36:05 PM »
Do we have a tentative date of when hotel registration goes up? I want to put in PTO for work in advance.

Offline accelerate

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Re: SDCC 2019 Hotel Discussion
« Reply #419 on: March 19, 2019, 10:39:07 PM »
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Do we have a tentative date of when hotel registration goes up? I want to put in PTO for work in advance.

April-ish is the best guess.

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