Need a place to stay during Comic-Con? Discounted hotel rooms go on sale Thursday

With Comic-Con’s return to downtown San Diego just three months away, the always anxiety-inducing hotel sale for the July convention is returning as well — on Thursday morning.

Starting at 9 a.m., a block of thousands of discounted rooms in more than 50 hotels — largely in downtown San Diego, Mission Valley and near the airport — will go on sale for those lucky enough to have badges for this year’s convention.

“Each year hotel rooms for Comic-Con sell out in a matter of minutes,” organizers warn. “We want to make the process as clear — and more importantly — as fair as it can be.”

Canceled for the last two years because of the pandemic, the pop culture gathering that is normally held every July, will be in person this year, scheduled for July 20-24 at the convention center. Organizers offered virtual versions of the convention for the last two years and a much scaled-back “Special Edition” that was held in person last November.

The show, which normally attracts 135,000 attendees, is technically sold out, given that many attendees opted to roll their badges over from the canceled 2020 show to this summer.

Much like the process for securing badges, the hotel bookings procedure begins with an email sent on Tuesday to badge holders that will include the link to a waiting room/hotel reservation request form. Beginning at 8 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Thursday, those interested in reserving a room will be able to access the waiting room. One hour later, the actual reservation system will open, with purchasers granted access in random order.

A form will be provided for requesting hotel rooms during Comic-Con. Organizers point out that reservation forms will be processed based on the time when a user was granted access to the form, not the time when it’s completed and submitted.

Rates for the rooms that hotels have blocked off specifically for Comic-Con attendees vary widely, starting at $187 a night for the Days Inn San Diego Hotel Circle in Mission Valley to $395 for a suite at the Hard Rock hotel.

Confirmations of requested hotel rooms will be sent out in two groups, Comic-Con organizers said. The first will be sent on May 3 and the second a week later on May 10. Those whose requests cannot be accommodated will be notified no later than May 17.

Once placed in a hotel, purchasers have 72 hours from the date and time the email confirmation is sent to accept the reservation and make a deposit. Full details on the hotel booking system have been provided online by Comic-Con.