Convention Hotels

Sometimes, a convention hotel offers attendees a fantastic rate to encourage them to stay and spend money at the hotel. At Telefantastique 2, in the UK in 1999, the con hotel's best rates online were in the £180-200 area. Alternate sources had rooms as low as £130. The convention rate was £45 for a single, and that included tax and breakfast! The fans were appropriately appreciative and pretty much drank the place dry.

However, if you are ever planning to attend a science fiction convention, especially in Australia, it may pay to check into alternate ways to book your accommodation. Some hotels seem to believe that con attendees are simply a captive audience, to be milked at the door.

Here are a few examples. Note that these are real prices. US hotels usually try to misrepresent their prices by leaving taxes out. Priceline and Hotwire are even worse, as they also add fees to their quoted nightly rate.

ConventionDatesHotelCon rate
per night
Lower rate
per night
Where to bookNotes
Conquest 905-7 Oct 1990Mayfair Crest$135 $126Flag Inns Required (free) membership of Flag's Inn Club to obtain the lower rate
Swancon 26Easter 2001Rydges Perth$146 $138Hotelclub.com Rydges themselves offered an even lower weekend rate near the time
ConJose29 Aug-4 Sep 2002Hyatt Sainte ClaireUS$130.90 US$61.30Priceline.comUnusually lucky, but shows how much hotels may discount rooms sometimes
Swancon 28Easter 2003Kings Perth$95 $78Hotelclub.com
Continuum11-13 Jul 2003Hotel Y$115 $102Hotelclub.comCheap rate wasn't available close to the convention, as the con filled up the hotel
Swancon XXXEaster 2005Emerald Hotel$95 $80Entertainment Book
Continuum 314-17 Jul 2005Hilton on the Park$170 $157/$140Hilton.com$140 rate for Sunday only
Interaction4-8 Aug 2005Glasgow Hilton£100 £95Hilton.comCheaper rate only worked for booking 3-8 Aug, but many would arrive the 3rd anyhow
Convergence 28-11 Jun 2007Rydges Melbourne (Spa suite)$259 $199Rydges.comStandard rooms were marginally cheaper through the con.
Nippon 200730 Aug-3 Sep 2007Intercontinental The Grand Yokohama¥31,000 ¥20,790/¥32,340Intercontinental.comOfficial con bookings had to be paid in full in advance, as well as costing more! ¥32,340 rate was for Friday only
Denvention 36-10 Aug 2008Sheraton DenverUS$171.12 US$80.39Hotwire.comCheaper rate for Thursday onwards, even available when the con rate was sold out
US$158.12Tchotelsavings.comCheaper rate for Sunday only, even available when the con rate was sold out
Aussiecon 42-6 Sep 2010Hilton Melbourne South Wharf$225 $152.50Hilton.comFri/Sat/Sun, including breakfast, pre-paid by 31 Jan
$188Hilton.comPre-paid rate
Holiday Inn On Flinders$205 $189.75Ichotelsgroup.comEntertainment Book rate
Hotel Enterprize$95 $85Ubook.com.au
Swancon 41Easter 2016Pan Pacific Hotel Perth$219 $132/$177Panpacific.comThu/Sat $177, Fri/Sun $132, but did not include breakfast as the con rate did
Swancon 42Easter 2017Metro Hotel Perth$139 $117.56Metrohotels.com.auAlso 1BR Apartments even cheaper