WWDC 2004 Hotel Brain Dump

I'm going to WWDC 2004, which is being held in San Francisco again this year. I did my hotel homework, which may be handy to other folks attending. Here's my brain dump, sorted by distance from the Moscone:

Moscone:

747 Howard Street
San Francisco CA 94103
The conference's location

W SF:

181 3rd St
San Francisco CA 94103
$300-350/night
1 block from Moscone

SF Marriot:

55 Fourth Street
San Francisco CA 94103
$204/night
2 blocks from Moscone
Official WWDC Hotel
Includes unlimited high-speed internet
Probably where most Apple folks are staying

Argent:

50 Third St
San Francisco CA 94103
$200-$230/night
2 blocks from Moscone
D'Arcy Norman says it "is a total ripoff. Avoid it like the plague."

Downtown Courtyard Marriott:

299 2nd St
San Francisco CA 94105
$189/night
2.5 blocks from Moscone
Includes unlimited high-speed internet
Peter Sichel had good experience there in 2003.

The Powell:

28 Cyril Magnin St
San Francisco CA 94102
$109/night ($89/night sans breakfast)
3.5 blocks from Moscone
Dave Polaschek had a good experience there
No A/C, but has working windows

Britton:

112 7th St
San Francisco CA 94103
$79/night
Cheapest hotel
4.5 blocks from Moscone
Philippe Casgrain had a good experience there in 2003

Grant Plaza:

465 Grant Ave
San Francisco CA 94108
$69-$79/night
6 blocks from Moscone
D'Arcy Norman says "It's not exactly a 5 star hotel, but it wasn't scummy, and it looks like they've really fixed the place up since I was there."

Hilton SF:

333 O'Farrell St
San Francisco CA 94102
$165/night
6.5 blocks from Moscone
Official WWDC Hotel

Ramada Plaza SF:

1231 Market St
San Francisco CA 94103
>$109/night (price not on website)
Tom Becker says it's a nice old-fashioned touristy hotel.
6.5 blocks from Moscone
No A/C, but has working windows

Update: Added three hotels mentioned by Philippe Casgrain and D'Arcy Norman. Also, the rates above assume double beds. Rates may go down slightly if you're traveling alone.

Update: A reader who would like to remain anonymous writes:

I just wanted to give you a tip: I just pricelined $65/night for the whole show at the Hyatt Regency, about a five-minute cab ride away. Last year, I got the same place for $40, but it's a bit of a game of chicken. Anyhow, knowing what bid they've taken already for a given period is pretty handy.

Update: I wiki-ized this page so folks can add+correct information without me being a bottleneck.

Wednesday, April 28, 2004
12:00 AM