LoneStarCon 2, the 1997 Worldcon: Hotel Information

The Second Occasional LoneStarCon Science Fiction Convention and Chili Cook-off, Variously known as the 55th World Science Fiction Convention and LoneStarCon 2, the 1997 Worldcon, To be held from August 28th through September 1st, in the year 1997, in San Antonio, Texas.
LoneStarCon 2, the 1997 Worldcon: Hotel Information

Reprinted from LoneStarCon 2's Progress Report #4.5

otels, Hotels, Hotels
by Patty Wells & Ben Yalow

Introduction

The highlight of this mailing is the housing form for the Worldcon, as provided by the San Antonio Housing Bureau. All hotel reservations must be mailed or faxed to them, in order to allow reservations to be handled for the multiple hotels that we're using. Telephone requests are not accepted.

For LSC-2 we have a room block of slightly over 2000 bedrooms. To put this in perspective, this is a block similar in size to that of last year's Worldcon in Anaheim. It is a number that we feel confident will provide plenty, as well as a variety, of rooms from which to choose.

Please do not call the hotels directly. They will not make reservations at the convention rates except through the Bureau and we wouldn't want anyone to pay rack rate. The form may be mailed or faxed to:

LSC-2 Housing
PO Box 2426, San Antonio, TX 78298
Fax: 210-270-8702

We are very happy to have the San Antonio Housing Bureau handling the bookings for this Worldcon. We believe that this will greatly help in keeping mistakes to a minimum. However, the Housing Bureau's computer system is based on using a set format on their housing form. This mailer is essentially their canned form with out hotels noted on it. In a break from their normal procedure, which we much appreciate, they have added the feature that we find most useful in blocking for our conventions. There is a check-off box for Party or Quiet (Non-Party) floors.

Please send in only one form per room. If several people are sharing the room, select one person to send in the form, and list the other people on the form in the space provided. This will ensure that your room share contingent does not end up with multiple rooms blocked.

Hotels are designated on the form by a three letter code, not by the name of the hotel. The codes can be found on the map in this mailing, and in the text of this article next to the name of the hotel.

Booking Suites and Party Floors

As we go to through the process of allocating suites, feel free to let us know what your questions and special considerations are. The more information we have, the better we can ensure an enjoyable con for everyone.

The Marriott Rivercenter has been designated the party hotel for LoneStarCon 2. However, due to the number of rooms and suites we have blocked in the Rivercenter, not all floors there will be designated as party floors. There are a large number of suites available at the Marriott Rivercenter, and a very limited number blocked at the Marriott Riverwalk. All suite requests, for parties or not, are being forwarded to the concom, in order to ensure that the suites will be allocated by people who understand the needs of the various members of the SF community. An advantage of the Marriotts is that there are enough suites, in a variety of sizes and layouts, to meet the needs of most SF-related groups.

Suites in the Rivercenter range from the King Junior Suite, about the size of 1-1/2 ordinary bedrooms, and costing $175 per night, to the Presidential Suite, with a parlor four times that size, and costing $600 per night. Connecting bedrooms are available for most suites, at the cost of a regular bedroom.

If you want a suite, please indicate that on the hotel form, and send it in to the same Housing Bureau address as you would any other hotel room request. The bureau will forward the form on to our housing coordinator, who will contact you to discuss your suite requirements. At that time she will need to know particulars on whether you will be holding open parties, or other usage you have planned for the suite so that you may be blocked in a way that will cause the minimum of complications at the convention.

Please send in your suite requests as soon as possible, since there are a limited number of suites in some specific sizes and layouts.

Regardless of whether you are requesting a suite or a regular room, if you want to be blocked on a party floor, please indicate that on the housing form in the Special Requests section by marking the box for Party Floor. If you want to be blocked on a non-party floor, mark the box for Quiet (Non-Party) Floor. Please keep in mind requests for specific levels are subject to availability at check-in. If you don't care, then leave that area blank, and you may be assigned either kind of floor, depending on what rooms are available at check-in. This applies only to the Marriott Rivercenter, since all of the other hotels are totally non-party.

Our Hotels

The headquarters hotel is the Marriott Rivercenter (MRC), about two blocks from the Convention Center, and located on the scenic Riverwalk. It has about 1000 rooms. We've blocked all but a very few for the convention's use. This will be the party hotel, including the con suite, but it will have a large number of non-party floors, as well. The Hugos, Masquerade, and Meet-the-VIPs events will all take place here, as will much of the night program. Child care will be located in this hotel, as well. Almost all of the suites that the convention has blocked are in this hotel. Rates will be $99 single, $109 double, $119 triple, and $129 quad, with suites starting at $175 on up.

ALL of the other hotels will be non-party hotels. These include:

Our primary overflow hotel, with 450 of its 500 rooms blocked for convention use, is the Marriott Riverwalk (SAM). It's located on the block between the Marriott Rivercenter and the Convention Center. Currently it is planned that filking and gaming will be in this hotel. There are a few small suites in this hotel. Rates are the same as in the Marriott Rivercenter.

The Menger (MEN) is an old hotel (established 1859), and is located right next to the Alamo. It's very well preserved, and is quite different from the more modern hotels that make up much of the block. We have 250 rooms blocked at the Menger, with rates of $91/105/112/112 for single through quad occupancy.

The Holiday Inn Crockett (HIC) has 175 rooms blocked, with rates of $89/99/109/109 for single through quad occupancy.

On the other side of the Convention Center, and a few blocks away, are the last two hotels in the block. The Hyatt Regency (HYR) is the closer one, with 100 rooms blocked, at rates of $109/109/119/129 for single through quad occupancy.

Finally, we have 100 rooms blocked at La Mansion del Rio (LMR), about a block further away than the Hyatt. This hotel is probably the most luxurious, and idiosyncratic of our hotels. It wasn't originally built as a hotel, but was converted a number of years ago. It features distinctive individual rooms, some opening onto the several courtyards in the hotel, or onto the river passing behind the hotel. Rates here are $109/109/119/134 for single through quad occupancy.

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