Room at the inn after all?

Yesterday was the day that hotels started charging deposits for reservations booked via Travel Planners for the San Diego Comic-Con. Accordingly, many people started ditching their reservations. And a quick check revealed hotels rooms for the coveted Wed-Sun period available at MANY close and/or even REASONABLE hotels, from the Hyatt to the Doubletree to the Solamar to the “wonderful rooms” at the W. Obviously, a lot of San Diego Dreamin’® just wasn’t going to happen this time — their eyes were bigger than their wallet, so to speak. We know that rooms always free up, but this was, based on our regular, anecdotal checking, a much wider selection than usual…a sign that maybe things are cooled down a bit due to the economy or other matters. And also proof that if you don’t get the perfect room on Hoteloween…there may be a second chance to get it right.

One things we’ve noticed — everyone is DEFINITELY planning ahead way more than before. In the past, people were always pleading with us up until the last minute for rooms and passes — this year? Not at all. Proof that the hive mind CAN adapt, perhaps.

Incidentally, we were looking for an old link and came across last year’s con wrap-up and realized that it really makes sense to write notes for next year and actually read them a year later. For one thing, IDW will be exhibiting, despite CEO Ted Adams’s ponderings last year. BUT, they won’t be throwing a party, we hear. So…a nip here, a tuck there.

One thing we remember from last year is you gotta have a posse! Allies. People to go to Ralphs and get you carrot sticks while you’re meeting the cast of The Mighty Boosh; that kind of thing. A lot of our usual posse won’t be at the con – we note with particular anguish the absence of Trish M and Zena T — but we’ve got some core group lined up to pull our ass out of the line of fire if the heat gets to be too much. We recommend you do the same.