Yes, there are definitely other hotels that you can stay in. We used to Doubletree because it offered a good block rate. We recommend staying within 15-20 minutes of Annapolis. There are many options for Air Bnb, hotels, etc.
No, you do not have to stay at the DoubleTree to go to the after party. The bar is on the first floor and anyone can come.
It takes about 15 minutes to travel from the hotel to the venue. We recommend arriving at the venue no earlier than 4:50p.m because the Sailing School is an active school. We want to make sure that the students can get out before our guests begin to arrive.