50 Days of Dragon Con Day 27

The Host Hotels

Every year we the con goers completely take over 5 host hotels.  The Sheraton, Westin, Hyatt Regency, Marriott Marquis and Hilton.  The hotels are all AMAZING to the onslaught of us the gaggle of nerds.  Dragon Con has a contract with the hotels that on their internal TV station they run Dragon Con TV.  Dragon Con TV is run 24 hours a day throughout the con.  Lots of random skits and the morning info show.   They even do parodies of current music.  Pretty cool when you are in your room getting ready in the morning and have it on in the background. 

Considering there are 40,000 plus con attendees plus staff, and guests that puts us over 50,000 people.  Not everyone stays in the host hotels, but they are FULL.  The hotels also have contracts with other folks to allow for other non con attendees to be there as well.  With all of us, the staff at all of the hotels is absolutely stellar.  I have never had a bad staff experience.  Some are meeh but never a BAD one.  The hotels even design their room keys especially for Dragon Con.  Pretty neat.  The Hilton even has some of their staff dress up as a greeting committee.  They provide snacks and water while you are in the registration line.

For all of the trouble we may cause and all of the chaos that comes with us, I think the host hotels do a fantabulous job.  The Hyatt has even sent an email this year that lets their guests register for the con next year at their registration in a couple of weeks.  WOO HOO.  Last year the Hilton did something of the similar.  I hope they do it again.
To all of the staff of the hotels, thank you for making us feel so welcome.

The voucher for a room for the 2015 con

50 Days of Dragon Con Day 30

Lost...At A Con

Have you ever had to pee so bad you thought your eyeballs were floating?  Of course you have.  We all have.  One Thursday before con, I was doing some recognisance.  I was still a newbie then.  In fact I think this was my second or third year at con.  I was wandering around and got myself lost below ground somewhere in the Hyatt.  It was the maze that is the in between spot between the Hyatt proper and the International Tower.  UGG if you have ever been there, you know what I am talking about.  There are several floors and all of them are confusing.  They all look similar.  I was looking for a bathroom and I kept seeing signs to go here and there but I could not find the bathroom to save my life.  Finally I found my way to the Hyatt proper and their wonderful bathroom.  YAY.

While I am on the subject of con bathrooms, the Marriott is the bomb-diggety.  They have gorgeous bathrooms that are all individual and they have people in there cleaning almost all of the time.  I have never been to a Marriott bathroom that has been out of toilet paper or paper towels.  They are such the poo.  This is not to say that the Hyatt, Hilton, Sheraton and Westin are bad, just they are not as cool as the Marriott.  If you have a need to make #1 or #2 and it is not a rush situation,  recommend making a stop in the Marriott.

50 Days of Dragon Con Day 37

Should I have done that?

The first year at con I decided to go to Atlanta at the last minute.  With con being over a holiday-Labor Day- to get the time off of work I needed to request those days months before.  Since it was last minute, there was NO chance I would get the time off.  I decided to risk it and go to con anyway.  At that time I lived in San Francisco.  I had time off available so I decided to go to the con and call in sick to work.  This is not always a nice thing to do but at this time and place in my job, I thought screw them.  LOLOLOL
Once we got through the registration line I decided it was time to call in sick to work.  Now off to find a place that might be quiet enough to do the dirty deed.  In the Sheraton there is an enclosed stairwell that is sort of off of the beaten path.  It is in that stairwell that I called in to work.  I felt kind of bad, but after seeing all of my peeps, that was a fleeting thought.  Once I called in I sat there for a bit as I looked through the pocket program and planned out my day.  I think it was totally worth it.  For all of my friends in Pharmacy Services (only 2 are still there) I am sorry!  (but not really).

That is the couch I called in on.