SIGAda Reservation Traps

SIGAda Reservation Traps

[Geoff Mendal]

I just tried to get the "SIGAda" hotel rate for
the upcoming Pitts conference. If you call the
hotel directly, they will gladly book your
reservation, but will *NOT* give you the
SIGAda convention rate.  Instead, the hotel
will give you another number to call
(412-255-8747). Once you call this number,
they will tell you to call back on the
800 number (800-245-1099). After calling this
800 number, the travel agency (Mon Valley Travel)
will take all your information, but *YOU* must
mention that you want the SIGAda rate, or else
you'll get shafted. Beware...

gom
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Re: SIGAda Reservation Traps

[Brosgol]

Geoff-

Sorry about the problems you encountered in trying to make hotel
reservations, but thanks for your unintentional help in debugging the system.
You have discovered the dangers of trying to do things too much in advance
(i.e., before receiving the registration package in the mail).  The problem
is due to our attempt to streamline the registration process by having
people go through a central source (Mon Valley Travel): this would be
useful both to the registrant (by making him/her aware of special air fares)
and to the local arrangements folks (by facilitating the tracking of
registrations).  Alas, some preliminary announcements for the meeting seemed
to suggest that instead of doing this, people should contact the hotel
directly.  That's why you ended up being routed through half the phones in
Western Pennsylvania: the hotel had been advised that people would be
registering through Mon Valley Travel, but the existing information
on the conference seemed to imply otherwise.

Our intrepid local arrangements coordinator, Suzanne Broughton, is
working to get things fixed so that people can register either through
Mon Valley Travel (this is the preferred technique) or through
the hotel, and get the special SIGAda room rates in both cases.  If I hear
of any late breaking developments, I'll let you know.

-Ben