BOOK ROOMS NOW...I DID!!!

I recieved the email from the Fig today...

 

I just called the guesthouse inn and he was ready to take another reservation for me. i said let me call you right back. and ended the call try it again it is the same guy with the accent.

 

yes, an accent, that is him. After he gave info , he just hung up on me. But I was able to book online at the main website, so everything is taken care of

 

We received our confirmation email from the Figueroa yesterday. We had booked a couple of days ago and when my wife called for confirmation the woman there said we were one of the first to book and would receive one of the first emails. I wouldn't be too worried if you haven't received an email yet.

As for the bad reviews--people who have had a bad experience are more likely to post a review. We don't know what the circumstances were. Somebody says the staff or manager was rude--maybe so, but why were they rude? Maybe the customer was being a complete jackass. Some people expect everything to be done for them when they go somewhere-well, this isn't a $500 a night hotel so don't expect a lot.

 

all I want is close reasonably priced and a place to sleep the small amount that I will actually sleep!!!

 

and this is why I'll miss Indy - you could walk around anywhere within walking distance from the RCA dome etc at night and not worry about it. Downtown LA is an entirely different story...plus things are so spread out you can't walk anywhere anyhow

 

I've got to agree. Reading through the responses I'd actually completely discount at least half of the negatives as they seem to be based purely in the expectations/wants/actions of the consumer and not the actions of the hoteliers. My family is in the industry, and I can't understand half of the complaints since they seem rather petty.

As for 'rude managers', that should hardly ever be an issue. You just have to know how to deal with people to get what you want, not just demand something occur.

 

and this is why I'll miss Indy - you could walk around anywhere within walking distance from the RCA dome etc at night and not worry about it. Downtown LA is an entirely different story...plus things are so spread out you can't walk anywhere anyhow


Yeah, Indy would have been ideal once again because its only three hours away for us and because of the connected hotels. Hopefully LA will have a guest list like no other Celebration, and hopefully they will have some extra special events. On the other hand, I feel fortunate that we can even consider going to LA if we want to when a lot of our SW friends aren't even considering it (...but we will see what happens when the disappointment of it not being in Indy wears off ).

 

The only thing that concerns me is how everyone says LA is so dangerous and shady. Is this overexaggerated or it is truly risky to be walking around downtown during any time except broad daylight? I'm a small young woman with no self-defense training...the last thing I need is to be dependent on several friends for chaperoning me everywhere constantly.

 

Pariah, I don't have the answer for you on that, but you still have almost a year to get some self-defense training, in case you might need it

 

I have a question of my own:

I see people who have booked with the figueroa mention that they are getting confirmation emails.
I wasn't even asked for my email address when I called and booked, but they did give me a confirmation number right there on the phone, so I shouldn't worry that they don't have my email addy then, should I?

 

My aunt that lives there told me to stay away from certain areas of the city which could be expected in any large city. Other than that the only thing she said to worry about is gangs.

 

If you have a confirmation number I am sure you will be fine. Also, when My wife called about the email the lady said they only go out once a day. We got our email this morning.

As to the bad reviews, most people have hit it right on the head when it comes to people who do reviews. People are more likely to leave bad reviews. My works at a Hotel as a reservations manager and they are lucky if they get 1 good comment card out of every 20 they receive. Now, if they only had a 5% satisfaction rate you would expect them to not stay in business very long. But in this particular case most of their business is repeat business that don't leave comment cards unless something went wrong. And even then the cards can have conflicting information. There has been more than one ocassion where they have received cards that that have 5 stars marked for customer service but in the comments it will say something like the front desk person was talking on their cell phone while they were being checked in. I think reviews can be great for products, but reviews for services tend to be a bit more subjective. Also, the hotel industry has some dirty practices. You can hire people to give competing hotels bad online reviews. It is not unheard of for even major chain hotels to particpate in this practice.

Bottom line is choose a hotel that is right for you, not one that Tom, Dick, and Harry think is right for you.

 

The only thing that concerns me is how everyone says LA is so dangerous and shady. Is this overexaggerated or it is truly risky to be walking around downtown during any time except broad daylight? I'm a small young woman with no self-defense training...the last thing I need is to be dependent on several friends for chaperoning me everywhere constantly.

I have a hard time believing that LA's Convention Center, where people from all over the world visit frequently, would be in a crime-ridden, criminal-infested area. Can your safety be guaranteed? Of course not. However, just staying within the convention center area and your hotel area should be fine. Being with a group of friends most of the time isn't a bad idea, and just use common sense.

 

Moriah, it's the same as when your in NYC, there are places where you need to be more on guard then others. I have been in FIDM area durring the day and night and never had issue. (but I carry my NYC 'tude w/me
In fact I saw more homless people on my walks to/from the INDY CC then in FIDM area (quite near the LACC). I have also seen lots of homless people in Downtown Atlanta and on route to the Civic Center.

 

Basically, you just need to follow the rules for the big cities:

1. Do not make eye contact. I'd say don't call attention to yourself in any way, but I figure with the costume thing, that's out the window...
2. Walk FAST and with PURPOSE. Figure out your route and ask questions BEFORE you leave a safe, well-lit and populated place. The vibe you give off is 99% of your defense. Know where you're going. Act like you know it, and that you need to get there quickly. The trick is to act like you've lived in LA all your life, and make others believe the same.
3. Never, ever, ever open your wallet and flash cash (even a buck or two), jewelry, etc. even briefly on the street. Count your money in the hotel room first. Have some singles and change in your pocket.
4. If you carry a purse or bag, don't carry it on your shoulder, cross the strap across your chest. Keep the bag zipped closed, and under your arm. Make sure the zip pull is facing forward (not behind you).
5. When in doubt, take a taxi. Make sure it is a licensed/medallioned cab of a "known" brand (Yellow, CityCab, etc.).
6. This is going to sound hokey (hello Han!) but it literally works-- before you leave, surround yourself with the Force. Calm your mind, and go on "High Alert" with your senses. Don't drop your guard! Define a mental personal space of about 3-4 feet around you, and if someone gets into it, you step out. Even saying something like "I am invisible to criminals" will help focus your mind.
7. If you see someone selling DVDs on the street, and the movies are still in first-run in the theater, don't buy them. Yes, this is a "duh," but you'd be surprised. This is a major problem, and sometimes undercover cops are the vendors. Ignore shell games, 3-card monte, etc., just walk by and DON'T say anything.

In fact, one of my best experiences was going to New Orleans last April, where one of the handy "key" type guidebooks gave a stern listing of stay-safe rules, which quite prominently stated (among other things), "Never answer anyone who comes up to you and bets you he can 'tell you where you got them shoes.'" We laughed at this until we asked the hotel concierge -- this is the truth. Someone would sucker a tourist into betting that the con artist could tell where the rube bought his (rube's) shoes. Rube would agree. The bet was, the rube would take off one shoe, the con artist would examine it closely, then pronounce its purchase origin. If the con artist was right, the rube had to give the con artist both the rube's shoes, and sometimes money (the con artist would bet $100 or something, which the rube felt was a sucker bet for the C.A.). So some idiots would actually agree to this. The CA would take the shoe, look at it, and then simply say "The same place you got the other one." This is no joke. Sad, really.

The Parrot
Caryn B.

 

Uhh...it's not Ceti Alpha V or something like that, but it is also *NOT* a tourist idyll, by any means. It's next to freeway onramp/splits, and in a very industrial/homeless infested part of town. This is not Anaheim. There is a space of several blocks between most of the hotels and the convention center. Make good use of the shuttles and taxis. Ditto on the common sense thing.

Caryn B.

 

For those who have reserved a room at the Figuera Hotel, how much are you guys going to be paying per night? I reserved a room, and it's going to be in the vicinity of $130 per night.

 

2 twin beds @ $134 a night

 

Yep, that's the price. I wonder if it'll be cheaper if I just purchased one with a King or Queen bed.

 

Homeless people don't deter me. We're drowning in them up here in New York City, I'm used to that. It's gangs and thugs that I worry about. I've never felt uber-vulnerable over here--in the past I've walked back from my college to my dorm 3/4 of a mile away at 5am or walked from a train station to my apartment in a rather icky part of Queens at 3am. But over here I've never felt or seen real miscreants around, thankfully, and I feel oddly safe most of the time. I'm just not familiar with LA and was curious as to whether the "risky" myth was true or not.

 

I have a room at the Figueroa Hotel for $134 a night twin beds. I am sharing it with a fellow fan!! We have two other rooms booked that are connected for other fans. We went to C3 and the most important thing is to have a hotel room because more than likely the room set aside for fans will be gone in 10min. we had that problem last time. No other hotel would book us, so it was a good thing we booked the confort inn. This time it is the Figueroa Hotel and they treated us very well. Hope to see oher fans there. We should have a Figueroa Hotel group and meet eachother!

 

buggy, we definately should do that!
planning can take place closer to CIV

I also remember for CIII there was a thread created to list who was going to be staying at which hotel, I wonder if someone will do that again this time around.

 

That would be cool. When do you suppose that thread will be created? I enjoy meeting new fans. C3 i met tons of people and had blast.

 

Uhh...it's not Ceti Alpha V or something like that, but it is also *NOT* a tourist idyll, by any means. It's next to freeway onramp/splits, and in a very industrial/homeless infested part of town. This is not Anaheim. There is a space of several blocks between most of the hotels and the convention center. Make good use of the shuttles and taxis. Ditto on the common sense thing.

Meh. The only thing between us and our hotel room is a parking lot so I'm not too worried about it, but I don't plan on taking walking tours of downtown LA at two in the morning either


Our room at the Fig was 134 a night with a King size. It'll do.