(from a customer) Rules of conduct when staying at a hotel for a fan convention (such as an anime convention) TalesFromTheFrontDesk

I am posting this from the perspective of your regular amateur convention attendee/cosplayer, who goes to about 5-8 conventions per year. There probably is something out there that describes what I'm about to write here, but since my searching skills are very weak, I'll write it down here for comments and critique from the esteemed hotel workers (since I know I'll forget something).

RULES OF CONDUCT WHEN AT A HOTEL FOR A FAN CONVENTION

Background

A lot of fan conventions are held at a variety of 3-5 star hotels, or the hotel is close to a convention center. We attendees are all here to have fun, but we must realize that our behavior reflects on the reputation of our fandoms, and it will influence our reputation in the eyes of those who choose not to participate in our activities.

Preparation

• In your convention budget, set aside approximately $20-$60, in $5s and $10s. You will use this part of the money for tipping. If you cannot afford this, see below on what you cannot do at the hotel.
• Pack as lightly as you can. Put all costumes in separate garment bags if possible.
• If you are cosplaying and require extensive use of makeup, bring your own towels, makeup sealant, and makeup removal wipes.
• When you make the hotel reservation, try to list the other occupants in the room for purposes of check-in. If you do not know exactly how many other occupants you will have, or if you do not know their names, you can amend that during actual check-in.

Arriving at the hotel

• If the hotel has a bellhop service, AND you are able to set aside the tipping fund and choose to use the bellhops, you will unload your luggage onto carts provided by the bellhop. They will give you a claim check for you to give them once you have checked into the room. Once they get your luggage to your room, tip every bellhop that brought your luggage up $5-$10.
• If the hotel has valet parking and if you choose to utilize it, unload your items onto the cart that the bellhop provides as in the previous point. Proceed as in the previous point, and in addition, tip the valet $5-$10.
• If the hotel does not have a bellhop service, park your vehicle in a legal parking space, and check in. Once you check in, borrow a cart if available and move your luggage to your room.
• If you cannot afford to set aside money for tipping, do not use the valet parking or the bellhop services. Park your vehicle in a legal parking space, check in, and move your luggage to your room by yourselves.

Checking in

• If you are coming as a group, one person who is listed on the reservation and has a credit card for incidentals will check in. This applies even if you plan to pay for your room in cash.
• Be sure to add the names of everyone that is staying in the room. This facilitates check-in and helps the front desk staff greatly if your roommates lose their keys.
• Everyone will present a government-issued ID to the front desk clerk to receive keys. You may also arrange for splitting payment types at this time.
• Be polite and respectful to the front desk clerk. Do not demand upgrades, excessive amounts of extra pillows/blankets, or microwaves/fridges. (The only time you should ask for fridges is if you are on medication that has to be chilled, and/or if you are feeding a baby.)
• If you are one of the very few who actually have elite status with the hotel in question, I highly suggest not using the special lines; you are here to blend in, not flaunt your wealth. Line up with everyone else.
• If you are using a debit card for incidentals, be aware that a small amount of your funds will be held for that use, even if you do not use the incidental services. The hold on the funds will usually be released after a few days. DO NOT COMPLAIN TO THE FRONT DESK EMPLOYEE ABOUT THIS, AS THEY HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THIS HOLD.

Conduct at the hotel

• As an attendee of the convention, you are representing the convention themselves and whatever fandom you want to promote. Your behavior to folks who do not understand why we are in costume will determine whether the convention is seen in a positive or negative light. This means that you should NEVER act in character if it causes normal folks to panic. (The biggest example of this is folks dressing up as Deadpool and using that as an excuse to act like immature brats.) Leave the "acting in character" in the LARP room.
• It is extremely rare for an entire convention to have a hotel just to themselves. There will usually be a few people that are staying at the hotel, but they are not there for the convention. Conduct yourself accordingly.
• Assume that the hotel staff knows nothing about all the events happening at the hotel. In particular, do not ask them for location of panel rooms, where is so-and-so guest, where is the exhibition hall, etc. The convention will usually have volunteers or staff who can assist you in these areas.
• If you are using body paint/makeup (ex. Homestuck cosplayers, Poison Ivy, etc.), you must use makeup sealant. In addition, you must have brought your own towels and use makeup removal wipes to prevent the hotel from having to destroy towels ruined by makeup. If you don't have either, choose a cosplay that doesn't use body paint/makeup.
• If you choose to use housekeeping services, give $5-10 from your tipping fund for every day they come into the room (except for the last day). If you cannot afford this, put the "do not disturb" sign on your door, as you cannot afford housekeeping services.
• Do not hold loud room parties or allow underage drinking in your room.
• Do not ask the hotel to remove restrictions on the televisions so you can plug in a game console. If you want to plug in your own game console, BRING YOUR OWN TELEVISION.
• DO NOT PULL THE FIRE ALARM UNLESS IF THERE IS A REAL FIRE.
• DO NOT SPRAY PAINT ITEMS IN YOUR HOTEL ROOM. (You will cause the HVAC system to malfunction in a way that causes a hotel-wide evacuation.)
• DO NOT JUMP IN THE ELEVATORS.
• DO NOT USE THE HOTEL BATHTUB/SINK TO DYE FABRIC OR WIGS. (Housekeeping will not like having to spend extra time cleaning up dye stains from the tub.)

Helpful tips

• If you are bringing costumes and you need to iron them, I suggest bringing your own iron. Hotel irons are notorious for poor temperature control, and will scorch a lot of fabric used in costumes.
• A cooler with the blue reusable ice packs is good for keeping fruit and drinks cool if you do not have a refrigerator at the hotel room.
• If you have relatively long wigs, you can buy special clips that attach to the hole in the bottom of a styrofoam wig head. These clips will allow you to mount the wig heads on the edges of tables.

Checking out

• There will be a mad rush on the last day of the convention for elevators and bellhop services. If you choose to use them, it is usually a good idea to move all your items to your car between 5-7am, as the elevators will not be crowded, and bellhop services will be readily available. As usual, tip $5-$10 to every bellhop that assists you in moving your luggage down to your vehicle.
• Clean the room as much as possible in order to make it easy for housekeeping. Put all trash in the trash cans or in garbage bags.
• Turn in all key cards to the front desk. If desired, have the front desk print your final folio for you.
• DO NOT ASK FOR A LATE CHECKOUT. The housekeeping staff have enough trouble trying to get all the rooms turned over for the next set of guests after you've had your fun at a convention; don't give them more problems by checking out late.

Submitted February 16, 2016 at 04:13AM by LiccaDollhouse http://ift.tt/1Lqnx2F TalesFromTheFrontDesk