One way that might help is people only get the hotel booking link after their con fee is payed?
We considered that, but this has several drawbacks. First, there is a percentage of our attendees who do not wish to attend if they do not manage to get a room at the main hotel.
Also, everyone working on processing the initial registration rush is doing this in their spare time, and it is much easier to get these volunteers for a single weekend than for a drawn out longer period.
Imagine the outcry if people had to wait up to two days for processing of their credit card payment before they could attempt to book a room...
I just feel frustrated at this situation, not knowing if I even have a room or not (or how long I might have to wait to find out)- my planned roommate is the same situation, not even sure if he should book his flights or not- he's not going to hang on waiting forever (like me, he's unlikely to come if he has to stay in an overflow).
If you still have not heard back from the hotel regarding your booking inquiry, please contact them and ask. You should have received a reply. Please give them the subject under which you sent your reservation inquiry.
We have heard about a few cases where the reply from the hotel did not reach attendees.