that Metroidvania guy
I've had a much longer process of finding the right hotel and negotiating prices than I expected, but we finally have a good fit for SGDQ that I am 99.9999% sure we're sticking with. The Crowne Plaza DIA has produced some great offers, and based on UA's tour of the place and internet check, it should work out perfectly for us.
General Info
- This is a Crowne that is not very far from the Denver airport (although it is further than the AGDQ Crowne was from Dulles) and has a free 24/7 shuttle. Yes, this means you can arrive at ass o' clock and still make it to the hotel ok. A few people last year had an issue with this, and it won't be as big of a deal now.
- Speaking of free shuttle, you can also take one from the hotel to anywhere in a 5 mile radius. The location is already good for restaurants, but this opens up even more possibilities.
- There is a restaurant on-site that is open from 6 am to 10 pm, as well as a lounge/bar that is open from 4 pm to 12 am.
- Here are a couple pictures of the lobby/dining area, courtesy of UraniumAnchor: http://imgur.com/a/uqOVd
Rooms
Quad rooms are $109 + tax. Considering it's the summer, this is a great deal. For comparison, the Sheraton's rooms last SGDQ were $119 + tax. The rooms appear to be very much the same as the AGDQ Crowne, coming with all the same standard features, along with a microwave.
Video courtesy of UraniumAnchor:
Conference Rooms
The conference room situation was a little surprising (in a good way). The conference room space we have is over twice the size of AGDQ's (2 big rooms with 17,500 sq. ft.) and can suit basically any size crowd that attends. You might be thinking "Wow, that must be expensive! Our registration fee is going to be ridiculous!". Aside from the fact that the price actually turned out to be cheaper anyway, you don't have to worry about this adding to the registration fee at all because Doctors Without Borders is so based. I anticipate the setup to be similar to AGDQ, with 4 major sections: main marathon room, practice room, casual gaming room, and lounge with the stream going.
Here is a video courtesy of UA again. Keep in mind this is about half of one room, and we have two of these rooms:
Restaurants
Besides the restaurant in the hotel, there are about 20 within walking distance and an additional 15 that can be accessed with the free shuttle. We unfortunately won't have the same pho restaurant as last SGDQ, but the overall selection is a lot better than before. Here is a full list of nearby restaurants:
I am still negotiating the food situation and some service (mostly internet and some electronics stuff) charges, so while I can't give a 100% accurate idea of the registration fee yet, I can tell you that it will be a lot lower than AGDQ's just because of the conference rooms being covered. Overall, I think this hotel is a pretty good fit for us. Of course, if you have any particular questions/concerns, I can address them or bring them up to the sales manager as I talk to her more this week and in the future.
Even though you could technically start booking rooms now, I would highly recommend you wait until our group rate is finalized and we have a code for you to use. I will post info about booking rooms when that is available.
General Info
- This is a Crowne that is not very far from the Denver airport (although it is further than the AGDQ Crowne was from Dulles) and has a free 24/7 shuttle. Yes, this means you can arrive at ass o' clock and still make it to the hotel ok. A few people last year had an issue with this, and it won't be as big of a deal now.
- Speaking of free shuttle, you can also take one from the hotel to anywhere in a 5 mile radius. The location is already good for restaurants, but this opens up even more possibilities.
- There is a restaurant on-site that is open from 6 am to 10 pm, as well as a lounge/bar that is open from 4 pm to 12 am.
- Here are a couple pictures of the lobby/dining area, courtesy of UraniumAnchor: http://imgur.com/a/uqOVd
Rooms
Quad rooms are $109 + tax. Considering it's the summer, this is a great deal. For comparison, the Sheraton's rooms last SGDQ were $119 + tax. The rooms appear to be very much the same as the AGDQ Crowne, coming with all the same standard features, along with a microwave.
Video courtesy of UraniumAnchor:
Conference Rooms
The conference room situation was a little surprising (in a good way). The conference room space we have is over twice the size of AGDQ's (2 big rooms with 17,500 sq. ft.) and can suit basically any size crowd that attends. You might be thinking "Wow, that must be expensive! Our registration fee is going to be ridiculous!". Aside from the fact that the price actually turned out to be cheaper anyway, you don't have to worry about this adding to the registration fee at all because Doctors Without Borders is so based. I anticipate the setup to be similar to AGDQ, with 4 major sections: main marathon room, practice room, casual gaming room, and lounge with the stream going.
Here is a video courtesy of UA again. Keep in mind this is about half of one room, and we have two of these rooms:
Restaurants
Besides the restaurant in the hotel, there are about 20 within walking distance and an additional 15 that can be accessed with the free shuttle. We unfortunately won't have the same pho restaurant as last SGDQ, but the overall selection is a lot better than before. Here is a full list of nearby restaurants:
Casual & Fine Dining within walking distance
- Wine & Roses Jazz Club – 3995 Lewiston Street
- Outback Steakhouse – 16301 E 40th Ave
- Ted’s Montana Grill – 16495 E 40th Circle
- Uno’s Chicago Grill – 16375 E 40th Ave
- Urban Sombrero Mexican Grille – 16221 E 40th Ave
- Applebees – 16485 E 40th Circle
- Chu’s Asian Café – 15470 Andrews Dr.
- Thai Chili Sushi Bar – 16221 E 40th Ave
Fast Food within walking distance
- Wendy’s – 4020 N Chambers Road
- KFC / A&W – 15495 Andrews Drive
- Taco Bell / Long John Silver’s – 4105 Chambers Road
- Sonic – 4400 Chambers Road
- Subway – 15470 Andrews Drive
- Qdoba – 15470 Andrews Drive
- Pizza Hut – 15470 Andrews Drive
- Einstein’s Bagels – 16495 # 40th Circle
- Jimmy John’s Sandwiches – 3995 Lewiston Street
- Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta – 16221 E 40th Ave
Restaurants within a 5 mile radius via complimentary shuttle
- Emil-ene’s Steakhouse (owner has own shuttle & will pick up at hotel as well) – 16000 Smith Road
- Improv Comedy Club & Dinner Theatre – 8246 E 49th Ave. #1400
- Texas de Brazil – 8390 Northfield Blvd. #1800
- Twisted Martini
- Toby Keith’s “I Love This Bar” and Grill – 8260 Northfield Blvd. #1370
- La Sandia Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar – 8340 Northfield Blvd. #1690
- Islamorado Fish Co. – 7970 E 49th Ave
- Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar & Grille – 8354 Northfield Blvd. #1710
- Olive Garden – 8314 Northfield Blvd.
- Red Lobster – 8268 Northfield Blvd.
- TGI Friday’s – 8104 E 49th Ave.
- Jim ‘n Nicks BBQ – 8264 E 49th Ave.
- Chili’s – 3451 Tower Road
- Bar Louie – 8332 Northfield Blvd. #1595
- McAllister’s Deli – 3471 Salida Street
- Wine & Roses Jazz Club – 3995 Lewiston Street
- Outback Steakhouse – 16301 E 40th Ave
- Ted’s Montana Grill – 16495 E 40th Circle
- Uno’s Chicago Grill – 16375 E 40th Ave
- Urban Sombrero Mexican Grille – 16221 E 40th Ave
- Applebees – 16485 E 40th Circle
- Chu’s Asian Café – 15470 Andrews Dr.
- Thai Chili Sushi Bar – 16221 E 40th Ave
Fast Food within walking distance
- Wendy’s – 4020 N Chambers Road
- KFC / A&W – 15495 Andrews Drive
- Taco Bell / Long John Silver’s – 4105 Chambers Road
- Sonic – 4400 Chambers Road
- Subway – 15470 Andrews Drive
- Qdoba – 15470 Andrews Drive
- Pizza Hut – 15470 Andrews Drive
- Einstein’s Bagels – 16495 # 40th Circle
- Jimmy John’s Sandwiches – 3995 Lewiston Street
- Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta – 16221 E 40th Ave
Restaurants within a 5 mile radius via complimentary shuttle
- Emil-ene’s Steakhouse (owner has own shuttle & will pick up at hotel as well) – 16000 Smith Road
- Improv Comedy Club & Dinner Theatre – 8246 E 49th Ave. #1400
- Texas de Brazil – 8390 Northfield Blvd. #1800
- Twisted Martini
- Toby Keith’s “I Love This Bar” and Grill – 8260 Northfield Blvd. #1370
- La Sandia Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar – 8340 Northfield Blvd. #1690
- Islamorado Fish Co. – 7970 E 49th Ave
- Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar & Grille – 8354 Northfield Blvd. #1710
- Olive Garden – 8314 Northfield Blvd.
- Red Lobster – 8268 Northfield Blvd.
- TGI Friday’s – 8104 E 49th Ave.
- Jim ‘n Nicks BBQ – 8264 E 49th Ave.
- Chili’s – 3451 Tower Road
- Bar Louie – 8332 Northfield Blvd. #1595
- McAllister’s Deli – 3471 Salida Street
I am still negotiating the food situation and some service (mostly internet and some electronics stuff) charges, so while I can't give a 100% accurate idea of the registration fee yet, I can tell you that it will be a lot lower than AGDQ's just because of the conference rooms being covered. Overall, I think this hotel is a pretty good fit for us. Of course, if you have any particular questions/concerns, I can address them or bring them up to the sales manager as I talk to her more this week and in the future.
Even though you could technically start booking rooms now, I would highly recommend you wait until our group rate is finalized and we have a code for you to use. I will post info about booking rooms when that is available.
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