Early Thoughts on FanimeCon 2011

Even though this blog is still working on coverage of Anime Los Angeles 2011, there's another major convention on the horizon: FanimeCon 2011.

If you haven't heard, hotel reservations went up today and like all the times that I've booked my room for FanimeCon I'm always one of the first. This will be my fourth year staying at a hotel room as the first year I stayed with someone else. For reference, I save my confirmation e-mails. It's interesting to see how much more I've spent on the room over the years.

• In 2007 I paid $140 for the room, which was at the Crowne Plaza.
• 2008 is when I started to book my own room at the Marriott and I have been staying there ever since.
• Nights: 3
• Rate: $85
• Hotel Tax: 10.07%
• Estimated Room + Tax Total: $280.68
• 2009
• Nights: 3
• Rate: $88
• Hotel Tax: 10.07%
• Estimated Room + Tax Total: $290.58
• 2010 is when I started to stay for Day Zero.
• Nights: 4
• Rate: $88
• Hotel Tax: 14.0%
• Estimated Room + Tax Total: $401.28
• 2011
• Nights: 4
• Rate: $88
• Hotel Tax: 14.25%
• Estimated Room + Tax Total: $402.16

As you can notice, the two factors that play into the higher pricing is the additional day for Day Zero and the hotel tax, which has jumped about 4% from 2008 to 2011. The pricing does not include valet parking, which FanimeCon attendees get the discounted rate of $12.50/day, which is the cheapest of all the hotels and a tad more expensive than the cheapest self-parking rate of all the hotels minus the Ramada. I always get the the valet parking for piece of mind since the car is secured underground, so that would add another $37.50 to the total bill.

I would say that reserving the hotel room is the hardest part of preparing for FanimeCon, as rooms quickly run out especially when people decide to camp online like they did today. But for this year this isn't the hardest part.

As for the convention itself, I have many plans that didn't come about until after Anime Los Angeles 2011. I knew that I was going to do something big for the California Conventions Blog at FanimeCon 2011, but in a way that I never thought of before. I'm still waiting to see what guest of honors and musical acts come to Fanime this year, and I expect nothing short of spectacular.

As for ALA 2011 reviews, mine will be up before the end of the weekend and the others will be up soon. Ryan's review is already up if you haven't seen it already, so go check it out.