Hotel for 2015 Championship - 1 person booking now

[sanddrag]

Anyone have a recommendation for a hotel for Championship that might still have a room for me booking this late? Anyone book recently? Thanks.

Also, is there parking at the America's Center / Edward Jones Dome complex?

[Alan Anderson]

There is daily parking available for volunteers in a lot just north of the Edward Jones Dome. So far as I can tell, overnight parking is not provided. Information is in the volunteer orientation materials.

[GreyingJay]

My team was just recently booking accommodations and we noticed that for one or two people only there is still plenty of space. The problem is trying to book multiple rooms for multiple people (e.g. two queens instead of one king), those are booked pretty solid.

[rberglund]

FRC 1369 has 3 rooms at Quality Inn Airport that we will probably not use and return to inventory. We are only waiting on 1-2 decisions from parents (Decision due 4/14). Don't know how long it will take for those rooms to show back up in inventory as available.

[jds2001]

I just searched on Experient (as a standalone volunteer, not with a team) and there's a room at the Renaissance Grand (essentially across the street) and the Drury Inn Convention Center.

Seems to be plenty of availability close. You need to book by Tuesday though via Experient (or so the site says). I'm at the Hilton at the Ballpark (and there seems to be no availability there)

As for the parking situation, page 12 of the volunteer orientation has all the details. Not free, but cheap (perhaps I'm judging cheap by my NYC standards, but still.....)

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by jds2001

I just searched on Experient (as a standalone volunteer, not with a team) and there's a room at the Renaissance Grand (essentially across the street) and the Drury Inn Convention Center.

I have an experient championship website account and I logged in and all I can see is a generic "Hotel availability pending" like I reserved before I started this thread. Is there a different way for me to get to what you see? Any tips for what to log into or click on?

[jds2001]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

I have an experient championship website account and I logged in and all I can see is a generic "Hotel availability pending" like I reserved before I started this thread. Is there a different way for me to get to what you see? Any tips for what to log into or click on?

I just clicked on the link in the email (subject was Action Needed: 2015 FIRST Championship {ROB152:3991}) and it took me to a page where I could see my existing reservation or make a new one. I clicked on "make a new reservation" and put in the search criteria (check in/check out dates) and then it brought me to the list.

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by jds2001

I just clicked on the link in the email (subject was Action Needed: 2015 FIRST Championship {ROB152:3991}) and it took me to a page where I could see my existing reservation or make a new one. I clicked on "make a new reservation" and put in the search criteria (check in/check out dates) and then it brought me to the list.

Ah, I don't have any such e-mail (at least not yet). I also see you previously mentioned that you registered as a volunteer. Is that a different link as the first step in the process? I registered as a "team" with a "block" of 1. Wasn't sure how to do it otherwise.

I do have an airport hotel booked, but I'm still looking to get closer.

[jds2001]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

Ah, I don't have any such e-mail (at least not yet). I also see you previously mentioned that you registered as a volunteer. Is that a different link as the first step in the process? I registered as a "team" with a "block" of 1. Wasn't sure how to do it otherwise.

I do have an airport hotel booked, but I'm still looking to get closer.

Ahh, yes - it is different. Experient will send you that email within a few days after you are assigned in VIMS. It took 5 days for me (assigned on Feb 11, email received on Feb 16).

You might want to give them a call at 800-758-5590 if you don't have anything by Monday.

[lkg9999]

I booked a block of rooms for my team but we have decided to not go and I'll be returning the rooms to inventory. Does anyone know how quickly they are available for re-booking my another team?

[BandChick]

Originally Posted by lkg9999

I booked a block of rooms for my team but we have decided to not go and I'll be returning the rooms to inventory. Does anyone know how quickly they are available for re-booking my another team?

How many rooms are you going to drop? My team just last-minute qualified (district rankings), and we're desperately searching for 9 rooms. I can piecemeal together if need be, but I need rooms!

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by BandChick

How many rooms are you going to drop? My team just last-minute qualified (district rankings), and we're desperately searching for 9 rooms. I can piecemeal together if need be, but I need rooms!

If you're looking to go this route, I recommend calling Experient as soon as they open. The website is terrible.

Experient just e-mailed me with an assigned room at the Hampton Inn at 7 Commerce Drive, Collinsville IL 62234. I'm going to pass on that.

For anyone else, when I booked on my own last night, there were rooms at the:
Westin, $300+/night
Ritz Carlton, $300+/night
Hampton Inn Airport, $179/night
Some of the other more distant Hampton Inns.

I tried the 20 or so hotels within about 12 miles of the venue, on the west side of the river, all booked solid according to those hotels' own websites.

[AdamHeard]

Why go through experiant?

I just checked booking.com and hotwire.com and found rooms

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

Why go through experiant?

I just checked booking.com and hotwire.com and found rooms

The first question I can't answer, but as for the 2nd question, I've been standing at hotel front desks where other customers who booked through sites such as hotwire and booking.com were denied rooms when they arrived because the hotel oversold, and where I was given the room because I had booked through the hotel directly. Be careful about booking through non-Experient 3rd-party booking services.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

Why go through experiant?

I just checked booking.com and hotwire.com and found rooms

Don't use hotwire. The prices are cheap but their customer service is horrible. They screwed me massively when I stayed in Florida.