If folks would like to share your housing experiences from this past GenCon, I suppose this would be the place to do it.

I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Monument Circle. First time staying there.

Overall, I had a pretty decent experience here. Check-in was relatively easy and quick. All I had to do was present my photo ID and credit card. The front desk staff found my reservation with zero problems.

Once I got up to the room, I was pleased to find a microwave, a fridge and a coffee maker, none of which cost anything additional to use. Huzzah for coffee. The bed was much more comfortable than I'd expected. Then again, when I checked in, I hadn't slept in over 28 hours. The room was quite clean, and the cleaning staff did a great job every day in cleaning around my stuff.

I dined several times in the hotel's restaurant/bar. For dinner, their food was serviceable, standard fare (burgers, sandwiches, etc.). The breakfast buffet was pretty good. It doesn't rival the Marriott's, but it's a decently-priced way to start off your day. Also, I managed to snag some extra cereal and milk on Friday to save as breakfast Saturday morning.

I didn't use too many services in the hotel. The big disappointment was the free wireless internet. I'd brought my work laptop along in hopes of checking email and such while I was at the 'con, but I wasn't able to set my computer up to use it. Admittedly, that could be due to either workplace security measures on the laptop or my own lack of competence, but I didn't think the instructions left to use the internet were all that clear. At least the hotel had two computers setup just off their front desk for checking email and such.

Checkout was a bit of a drag. First off, the middle of three elevators wasn't working right, so I had to take the stairs down to the lobby.....from the 13th floor. Fortunately, walking downstairs is much easier than going up. Once I managed to get to the lobby, there was a bit of a line to check out. Also, when I'd checked in, I requested four days of parking in the Chase Tower, which is adjacent to the hotel. That wasn't included on the receipt delivered to my room Sunday morning, so I couldn't use the express checkout option.

I returned to the hotel Sunday afternoon before finally leaving town. I asked for the staff to find the nearest Speedway gas station, and they directed me to the one over by the zoo. Imagine my surprise leaving town, as I found another Speedway on West on my way to 65.

So, based on comfort, convenience, location and service, I give the Hilton Garden Inn a 7 out of 10. If I had to stay there again, I would, but it's definitely not my first choice to stay in town during GenCon. I would have rated them higher if some things had gone a bit more smoothly.

As with all things, your mileage may vary.

Embassy Suites

The room was great. We had a total of 6 people, and everyone fit themselves and the stuff and the baggage, in just fine.

The one irritation was they were out of pillows, so there were none for the sofa pullout. Weird. Instead we got extra blankets and used those.

breakfast was good, of course.

Marriott Courtyard at the Capitol

I got my room here thanks to this forum.  I got the room I wanted and the other person saved the cancellation fee - win/win.  The Courtyard seemed above average for this brand, having an indoor swimming pool.  The most important facility for me is the buffet breakfast and this was good - good fruit, oatmeal and omelettes made to order.  The in-room internet worked fine.  The staff were helpful and friendly.  The only downside was the two-block walk to the convention centre but that was only a problem during the first day downpour and I was able to share a taxi and didn't get wet.

 Andrew

Embassy Suites for the fourth year running.  Just can't beat the amount of space and traveling with kids, this is even better.  Gives us a little privacy, anyway.

The breakfast is one of the highlites of the hotel and is a great way to start the convention off right.

The bellhops are great.  Every year they unpack the car, take it upstairs and then when we check out, they bring it downstairs for us and load up the vehicle.  Very much worth the tip money.  This year especially as I had about four cases of beverages left over from Saturday's party.  That guy earned his money.

Setting up things in the Penthouse suite for Saturday and the teardown on Sunday; these guys were right on top of things.  There were some "issues" but I only heard about them second-hand or over the phone.  They tried to make it up but we'll see how it panned out in the end.

As to staying there again; no problem.  Already making reservations.

The Westin was great...Last Year.

This year they got my room ready late (OK their busy I'll give them that.) The bed seemed uncomfortable for some reason this year. Upon check out we paid cash to clear our bill. We come home to find they charged my account aswell. They processe it just before pay day (ofcourse) and so now my account is over drawn.

I wont be staying there a third time.

 Stayed at the Hilton Downtown with my wife and five friends. Room was large enough that we had room to move even with luggage and a blowup mattress taking up space. Breakfast buffet wasn't bad, nothing amazing though. The walk wasn't too bad and it was pretty nice to have a good amount of restauraunts and a CVS real close. We purchased a fridge prior to coming and the hotel staff had no issues with us using it, so that was good. 

Next year we'll probably try to get a connected hotel, but if that falls through, I wouldn't hesitate to use the Hilton again.

Hyatt on Capital (connected)

We stayed at the Hyatt for the first time, and loved our room.  The layout was great, king-size bed very comfortable, and plenty of room.  I was surprised to find a fridge in the room; I guess I missed that on the list of features for the room. The shower/toliet area of the bathroom was the only thing small about the room, but even that wasn't terrible. We had an end room, so neighbors only on one side. Of course, we never heard anything from the one neightbor we had.  Our bill had a bottle of water added, but as soon as I told the desk clerk we didn't use any water, it was taken off immediately, not problem.

Now, I was in another room within the same hotel which was a double and it felt crowded. I'm not sure if it's because of the double or the different layout, due to our room being an end room. I much perferred our room and it's layout over the double.

 I would give our room a 9 out of 10 and will definitely stay there again!  

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, and it was a wonderful stay on all fronts--except the distance to the Con.  The Free breakfast was always stocked, whether we wanted cinnamon rolls, cereal, bisquits, muffins, sausage patties, hard boiled eggs, etc...we never had to wait!  We had AWESOME staff that went above and beyond for our comfort, and shuttling needs as I just could not handle that walk back and forth with my Fibro.  The pool and hot tub, were nice relief for sore aching feet and muscles--though the water had an odd salty taste and one of the jets in the hot tub was apparently broken, because whenever you kicked on the bubbles it made a horrendous noise!! lol

Overall--we would gladly stay there again....if someone would move it closer to the Convention center that is.  Next year--we are getting a connecting hotel again though.

Brewski~~  Make sure you DO NOT lose your recept!!  That is exactly what happened to us in 2005 at the Westin!!!  Our friend lost his receipt though, and since it was on his regualr credit card, he didn't know they had charged it until his next mont's bill came.  He was NEVER compensated and was out over $500.00!!   Good luck.

Brewski:

Upon check out we paid cash to clear our bill. We come home to find they charged my account aswell.

I'm just curious... is it actually processed or showing up as pending?  I know that when I checked out I had both the hold reserve on my card and then my actual paid transaction show up on the same card.  Check the dates, if it is dated from check in then it shouldn't go through if you paid it off to a $0 balance.  I just checked my statement to be certain, and the check in date transaction is still pending but the final pay off on Sunday already cleared. It can take about a week for a pending chage to drop off, I believe they have 7 days to turn in the actual receipts. 

Stayed at the Hilton Downtown again this year, so that's a total of three happy years at the Hilton. Would be four but managed the Embassy last year. So I, again, was quite pleased with the Hilton Downtown. We had the Queen/Queen Suite with pullout sofa, this is the room we always get. It fits 6 people nicely. The room was quite a bit bigger than we had last year at the embassy for the their Double/Double Suite with pullout sofa.

They allowed me to checked in super-early at no extra charge. Check-in is normally 3pm, and I was allowed to check in at 11:45. It was kind of nice to sit for a bit before going to the Hyatt to set up the Stink.

Hotel staff was super friendly, never had any issues with them. One great lady even talked to me a great deal about the con. 

Downside: was there was no FREE buffet, I hear the Hilton's breakfast buffet was quite good. But I had done some shopping before we left home so we had snacks and breakfast things in the room. Much easier than trying to get up extra early. 
And the housekeeping tried several times to come in while I was still sleeping, next time I'll remember to put out the 'do no disturb' tag. But they still came back and cleaned the room, and did a good job!
Also, the pool tasted like salt water, no I didn't drink it but you could tell when it got on your lips. At least it didn't smell horrible like the first year. 

I was just super tired this year and am very glad that I didn't overschedule myself. Next year, if I make it, will be worse. *sigh*

I will stay at the Hilton again 9 out of 10 from me.  

Embassy Suites for the first time.  It was really nice to have the two rooms, especially since it was just two of us. We had people over a couple times. The breakfast was very nice, hop on down, get some food and bring it back up. However, two blocks away becomes a loooooong ways with aching GenCon feet, and it got to the point where I had to really plan out where I was going to minimize the back and forth.  Next year I'll probably go back to the Marriott, but next year I'll also probably volunteer fulltime for True Dungeon again. 

Also, I have acrophobia (heights) pretty bad and the Embassy kinda freaked me out with that atrium area.  It's silly, but there ya go.

This was my 3rd year staying at the Westin and I was pleased as always. 

I arrived on Wednesday and they let me check into my room at 8am just as they did last year.  The staff was very friendly, they didn't give me any problems in leaving keys for my other roommates to pick up later. 

The elevators are always fast and smooth in that hotel, which is something I can not say for others I have stayed in.  I have never had problems getting an elevator and only one time was it too full for me to get in through the entire stay. 

At checkout time I discovered 2 odd charges, that seemed to have come from the minibar.  I told them we had not taken anything out of it and they didn't even argue the point, they just removed the items ($15).  They had no problems with rearranging the bill and taking odd payments from different people and gave me the final bill showing the zero balance (I always wait to get the final bill after everyone has settled their portions). 

WildeEnchantress:

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, and it was a wonderful stay on all fronts--except the distance to the Con.  The Free breakfast was always stocked, whether we wanted cinnamon rolls, cereal, bisquits, muffins, sausage patties, hard boiled eggs, etc...we never had to wait! 

I have to agree - the 2nd time I have stayed there (previously the Best Western), free parking, and the walk for me is not bad at all.

JT

Stayed at the Westin this year and had a fabulous stay. The staff was friendly and efficient, the room was spacious and clean, and the maid service was impeccable. We were even able to have the mini-bar locked so that we didn't have a repeat of last year's incident. I do have two comments/complaints:

(1) The lighting in the bathroom was terrible. I actually called maintenence because I thought a bulb was out and was told that it was supposed to be that dim. Apparently they were slowly adding in more lightbulbs but our floor hadn't been serviced yet. 

(2) When we checked in, something weird happened. We check in on Wednesday and presented our confirmation (from the Housing Bureau) which clearly stated we had reserved a King room. However, the concierge asked us if we would like a King or a Double/Double. Confused, we told him that the King was what we had reserved and what we wanted. All was well. Until the next day when our friends went to check in at the Westin to find out that, despite their reservations, the hotel was all out of Double/Double rooms! I have to wonder if this was because they kept asking people what type of room they wanted and someone who didn't have a Double/Double reserved took one anyway. It was kind of frustrating. Though, they attempted to make it up to them by giving them acccess to the 15th floor lounge - free food and a huge place to game! 

We stayed at StayBridge Suites, which is about 3 blocks south of the convention center, across from Lucas Oil Stadium. 

Pros:
~free breakfast buffet every morning, and free dinner Wednesday & Thursday.
~free parking
~full kitchen in room (including full sized fridge!)
~comfy beds with feather pillows, down comforters, and down mattress pad
~very quiet, the ceiling is soundproofed!
~plenty of drawers/closet space, including drawers in the vanity in the bathroom
~FREE laundry facilities
~grill on patio for cooking out
~for a 2 bedroom suite (sleeps 8!) it was comparable in price to a 1 bed at Marriott (non-block pricing)

Cons:
~limited parking, but there is a parking garage 1 block away that is free to hotel guests
~Lucas Oil Stadium had an event and set off fireworks (very low to the ground, IMO) at 10pm--I have an infant, it woke him up...ugh
~the room keys kept being deactivated, for EVERYONE! the front desk manager told me that it happened to just about everyone that was attending GC, for no reason
~no shade the whole walk to the convention center, definite minus because it rained...

 All in all, the cons were not that bad, and the pros definitely made up for it.  The staff was great, the hotel was clean. 

We got our room at The Westin, I only had minor trouble checking in but that was my fault and the two ladies who helped me Maranda& Lindsey were very nice and took care of everything.

They had also asked me if I wanted a Double/Double which I didn't want to screw anyone over becides since it was just the two of us we would have no need for the extra bed.

Pros:
Connected to the ICC, a must for me. I don't have much time as it is usually.
Same hotel as the anime-which I didnt take advantage of at all this year, sadly.
Same hotel as The ENnies which was awesome, because we would have been super late.
45$ upgrade. Took full advantage of it. Breakfast was the same eggs&bacon everyday but fruit, water, and snacks were awesome.
Internet came with it also, which we needed badly.
The *Heavenly* bed of course, loved it as always..
Hotel staff was very quick when I asked for a cott, and for the cott to be removed.
Had no issue's getting extra pillows or towels when asked.
Employee Erik took his time to follow us to our room to address some concerns and took care of the problem the best he could.
Nice view- Could see the city skyline, beautiful.

Cons:
14th floor sucked, but never had to waite to long for elevator (shrugs)
A few plugs did not work in our room, a little annoying.
No where to put your clothes, the hotel does not acommidate well for long stays.
Over Priced room service. There were I think 3 fees, just to get room service! sheesh!
Internet constantly dropping, if I pay for it..I'd like  it to keep me connected all the time.
They screwed up on the bill the first time, had an extra 200$ that was not suppose to be there, quickly fixed however.
15th floor Lounge closed way too early for me, they should have longer hour's for GenCon.
The buisness center does not have someone on site to fix their problems, Color printer was broken and who knows how long it had been that way.

 I am sure I am forgetting a lot, but this is all I can think of at the moment. Steve feel free to put your 2 cents in.

But overall, I still love The Westin. I plan on 'trying' to get a room there again for future GenCons.

 Stayed at the Days Inn downtown.

Pros:

-Mostly clean, beds comfortable, plenty of pillows. AC/climate control worked great.

-Fairly cheap

-Somewhat close to the ICC. About a 13-15 minute walk.  

Cons:

-Housekeeping didn't change over the towels....I know this because they were still damp when I got back in the afternoon.

-Continental breakfast was really bare-bones and limited, heavy on sugar and high-glycemic items, no protein.

-Umm, it's a 15 minute walk to the ICC

Better digs than last year, but I think I'll be getting a connected-ish hotel next year. This Staybridge sounds promising.  

Dylanesque30:

Cons:

-Housekeeping didn't change over the towels....I know this because they were still damp when I got back in the afternoon.

Maybe they did give you new towels, but the dryer wasn't working right. So hoping you were a crazy GenCon who was gone from 8am-11pm, they hung them up to dry  

Dylanesque30:

 Stayed at the Days Inn downtown.

Pros:

-Mostly clean, beds comfortable, plenty of pillows. AC/climate control worked great.

-Fairly cheap

-Somewhat close to the ICC. About a 13-15 minute walk.  

Cons:

-Housekeeping didn't change over the towels....I know this because they were still damp when I got back in the afternoon.

-Continental breakfast was really bare-bones and limited, heavy on sugar and high-glycemic items, no protein.

-Umm, it's a 15 minute walk to the ICC

 

Better digs than last year, but I think I'll be getting a connected-ish hotel next year. This Staybridge sounds promising.  

 

 

FYI all, according to the seemingly knowledgable guy I talked to at the Day's Inn desk Monday A.M, they're undergoing a renovation, and will be a Best Western Inn and Suites by next year's Gencon. Just thought I'd pass that on.

Dylanesque30:

-Housekeeping didn't change over the towels....I know this because they were still damp when I got back in the afternoon.

  A lot of hotels no longer change the towels every day. They say it's a green thing, but it's probably just cheaper. If you hang them up, housekeeping won't change them. If you toss them on the floor, you get new ones.