that Metroidvania guy
I apologize for taking longer to announce this than planned, but we were continuing to make sure that all attendees could have the best amenities possible at either venue before finalizing anything.
The hotel for SGDQ 2015 will be the Crowne Plaza St. Paul - Riverfront (to be rebranded as the InterContinental by the time we stay there).
The internet issue at the Ramada was resolved (thanks to 2DCon and friends for their big help with that), but ultimately we decided that the newly renovated Crowne would provide a much more enjoyable SGDQ experience. Based on feedback both from this thread and previous feedback threads from other GDQs, it was clear that comfortable rooms and spacious conference areas were of greater importance to the community than the advantages that the Ramada had to offer.
Again, the downsides of the Crowne are still being constantly addressed through our negotiations with other parking lots in the area (to try and reduce the price for people driving in) and our communication with St. Paul's convention bureau (to try and have restaurants stay open later for us). Even as it currently stands, people staying with a group of four will only see an extra $2.50 per night in comparison to the Ramada and an additional $5.50 per night if someone is driving in and the parking cost is split up (which I would recommend as a reasonable solution for parking). Considering the Crowne's benefits and overall better quality in a newly renovated hotel, this is worth the small increase in cost to attendees. Of course, for locals in the immediate Minneapolis/St. Paul area, I would highly recommend using transit to get there and avoid the parking issue entirely.
An additional benefit to the Crowne that we were able to secure is a 10% discount at the hotel's restaurant, which will help anyone who does not want to risk missing a particular run when eating or does not feel like walking anywhere. We are also working to have something similar to the Ramada's grab n go station set up late at night in addition to the hotel's 24/7 room service, and will make sure that it cannot be removed mid-week if it is something they can accommodate. We will be working to finalize these details, among others, before signing the contract and opening up group rate reservations to the public. This means it will possibly be another week or two before you can start reserving rooms.
Of course, if you have any questions or concerns, please go ahead and bring them up here. If there is anything else we need to clear up with the hotel, it is best that we do it now before signing the contract.
The hotel for SGDQ 2015 will be the Crowne Plaza St. Paul - Riverfront (to be rebranded as the InterContinental by the time we stay there).
The internet issue at the Ramada was resolved (thanks to 2DCon and friends for their big help with that), but ultimately we decided that the newly renovated Crowne would provide a much more enjoyable SGDQ experience. Based on feedback both from this thread and previous feedback threads from other GDQs, it was clear that comfortable rooms and spacious conference areas were of greater importance to the community than the advantages that the Ramada had to offer.
Again, the downsides of the Crowne are still being constantly addressed through our negotiations with other parking lots in the area (to try and reduce the price for people driving in) and our communication with St. Paul's convention bureau (to try and have restaurants stay open later for us). Even as it currently stands, people staying with a group of four will only see an extra $2.50 per night in comparison to the Ramada and an additional $5.50 per night if someone is driving in and the parking cost is split up (which I would recommend as a reasonable solution for parking). Considering the Crowne's benefits and overall better quality in a newly renovated hotel, this is worth the small increase in cost to attendees. Of course, for locals in the immediate Minneapolis/St. Paul area, I would highly recommend using transit to get there and avoid the parking issue entirely.
An additional benefit to the Crowne that we were able to secure is a 10% discount at the hotel's restaurant, which will help anyone who does not want to risk missing a particular run when eating or does not feel like walking anywhere. We are also working to have something similar to the Ramada's grab n go station set up late at night in addition to the hotel's 24/7 room service, and will make sure that it cannot be removed mid-week if it is something they can accommodate. We will be working to finalize these details, among others, before signing the contract and opening up group rate reservations to the public. This means it will possibly be another week or two before you can start reserving rooms.
Of course, if you have any questions or concerns, please go ahead and bring them up here. If there is anything else we need to clear up with the hotel, it is best that we do it now before signing the contract.
