Nan Desu Kan 2024

August 30, 2024

Nan Desu Kan 2024

Friday: This year I'm going to try and give you some live updates on this post.

So far the con already got off to a bad start. When I got to the parking lot the guy autocharged me $33 for the day instead of the hourly charge that con goers were supposed to get and different then what was posted on the NDK website.

When I told the guy he was not charging me right he wouldn't even acknowledge my comment. I then went inside and talked to a female employee. She thought it was supposed to be hourly as well and seemed shocked that they were forcing to make people pay at the front instead of when they leave. She said that she would go and check with the parking manager. When she came back she said that NDK leadership had agreed to the higher day rate for con goers then what other visitors pay... I told her that was super bad business practices since groups at most places get discounts and not upcharged from the regular price. I also told her that I was press and would be letting everyone know what the Gaylord is doing. I really don't know why this place is staying in business with all of the bad customer service they give not to mention the pool HVAC system collapse that happened. Not only should the con move because the Gaylord has been horrible the whole time they have been here for many reasons, but I'm thinking the city needs to formally investigate if not just close them down. The funny thing is, when I went to the NDK staff to let them know what was going on and that they needed to update their website, they were surprised at what the hotel was doing as well... I'll let that sink in.

So dealing with that already put a bad taste in my mouth for the con this year. This shows that their is a total lack of understanding with the Gaylord on first impressions. Every year I hope things will get better, but they just keep disappointing.

Pool collapse video: https://youtu.be/hN90pOKMGII?si=iGitO3jps5F92wB0

YouTube of me letting people know what is going on: https://youtube.com/shorts/OPsHcQDFMSk?si=7hJVjNNkE3JJIwBt

9/2/24 Update

So I waited a few days to add more to this post. This parking thing took up a whole bunch of my time on Friday and the refund that the hotel staff member said I was supposed to get still has not hit my account. The Gaylord just messed up the whole NDK experience for me. It also didn't help that on Friday when trying to track down my friends that normally volunteer for the con that many were missing. I would find out reaching out to them that they had decided to not do NDK this year because of it being at the Gaylord again. One had even decided to fly to Texas and to volunteer at San Japan instead. This really depressed me. It's not like NDK's leadership is not aware of the on going issues with the Gaylord and the negative experiences that con goers are having. Then on Saturday I found out that more people were deciding to forfeit their NDK tickets instead of dealing with what the Gaylord was doing. This included major local cosplayers who are at the heart of the Colorado geek community.

Pic From the Gaylord's Profile on Yelp.

Pic From Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phillip.burrell.142

I spent most of the con depressed and full of melancholy. The overall NDK experience was destroyed this year for me. This con has held a special place in my heart for years and I have been attending for around 20 years, but... is this going to be my last NDK? The odds are not good if they continue to stay at the Gaylord. I used to highly recommend this con, but I can't do so any more in good faith. Yes there were other little problems that can happen at any con, but emotionally they were made worse because of the stress the Gaylord had caused and everyday you had no idea of what kind of mess you would walk into. Is this good bye to NDK?

______________________

Other People's Experiences