Housing and Travel


Make a Hotel Reservation

Register and make your hotel reservation now.

Registration and housing must be done simultaneously. In addition, your AERA membership must be current through 2013 in order to receive the discounted AERA rate. Once you complete your registration, your registration summary will include a link to make an online hotel reservation. The link can be accessed from the online registration summary screen or the email registration confirmation. In the online registration summary screen, select the button “Hotel Reservations” that appears in the upper left side of the screen. In the email confirmation, select the link “Hotel Reservations” in the upper right side of the email. 

Special meeting group rates and exclusive AERA promotions and incentives have been negotiated with hotels near the Annual Meeting events. Register and request housing early as rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis.  Please reserve your hotel room through the Official AERA Housing Bureau to obtain the special group rates. Do not contact the hotels directly; the hotels will not accept reservations directly. 

In order to qualify for the AERA member rate, your membership must be current through 2013. This means that if your membership expires in December 2012, you must renew your membership at the time of registration in order to qualify for the member rate. AERA will not refund the difference in your registration rate if you register before renewing your membership.

Housing Information and Policies

AERA Official Housing Bureau Customer Service
For housing assistance or to modify your reservation, please contact Housing Customer Service at email: aera@connectionshousing.com or phone: 800-262-9974 or 404-842-0000.

If you are booking your reservation online and would like to make a reservation at a hotel you do not see listed in the available hotel options that appear as your choices, please contact the housing bureau for assistance.    

Deposits
Reservation(s) must be guaranteed with a credit card or check in the amount of one night’s room and tax for each room reserved in order to be processed. The hotel at which you have placed a reservation, not the AERA Housing Bureau, reserves the right to charge a deposit of one night’s room and tax on April 1, 2013. Deposits for hotel reservations may be charged to American Express, MasterCard, or VISA and cards must be valid through April 2013. Purchase orders are not accepted as payment. If you wish to pay by check, you may hold the room with a credit card and then mail a check to Connections Housing/AERA, 950 Scales Road, Building 200, Suite 201, Suwanee, GA 30024. Checks must be received by April 1, 2013. Make checks for housing payable to AERA Housing Bureau in U.S. dollars, drawn on a U.S. bank.

Changes or Cancellations in Hotel Reservation
All changes and cancellations must be made through the AERA Housing Bureau by April 19, 2013. After this date (subject to change), contact the hotel directly for changes and cancellations. Reservations cancelled within 72 hours of arrival will forfeit all deposits or be charged applicable cancellation fees.

Reservation changes can be made online or by phone, e-mail, or fax. Cancellations must be made in writing to the AERA Housing Bureau by fax at 404-581-5913 or by e-mail to aera@connectionshousing.com.

Please be aware that AERA registration and AERA housing are operated by two separate entities. For registration changes or cancellations, please call 800-893-7950 or 484-751-5136.


Airline Discounts

ATC is the Association's Official Travel Agency.



         























         





Hotel Listing, Rates, and Map


Headquarter Hotels
The Hilton Union Square is the primary site for the 2013 Annual Meeting. The headquarter hotels where sessions will be held are the Grand Hyatt, Hilton Union Square, Hotel Nikko, Park 55, Sir Francis Drake, and Westin St. Francis. The Intercontinental San Francisco Hotel is the headquarter hotel for NCME.

Hotel Map, Rates, Descriptions, and Amenity Chart
View the Map of Official Hotels, Hotel List and Rates, Hotel Descriptions, Hotel Amenity Chart, Hotel Special Promotions, and Travel Information.

Accessibility Rooms and Shuttle Service
AERA will be providing a shuttle service for persons with disabilities. Shuttles will travel between the Grand Hyatt, Hilton Union Square, Hotel Nikko, Parc 55, Intercontinental San Francisco, Sir Francis Drake, and Westin St. Francis. Shuttles will depart approximately every thirty minutes and will loop continuously throughout the day. AERA signs will be posted at all boarding sites identifying the location as an AERA Access Shuttle pick-up and drop-off site. To reserve an ADA compliant room at one of the hotels on the shuttle route, please contact Housing Customer Service at email: aera@connectionshousing.com or phone: 800-262-9974 or 404-842-0000.

Transportation
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) lies just 14 miles south of downtown San Francisco. Approximate time to downtown ranges between 20-30 minutes depending on the time of day and mode of transportation. For complete information on airport transit, visit the Web site for San Francisco International Airport, http://www.flysfo.com/web/page/tofrom/transp-serv/

The source for Bay Area traffic, transit, rideshare, bicycling and parking information. Free, 24/7 in the nine-county Bay Area: Call 511 or www.511.org 

Door-to-Door Van ServicesNearly a dozen door-to-door van services operate from all terminals at SFO. Fares average $15-$20 per person.

TaxiTaxi service is available from SFO to downtown. Approximate fare to a downtown destination is $40-$50. Taxis may add a $2.00 pass-through fee to all airport fares leaving SFO. Voluntary ride sharing for two or more persons with a maximum of three destinations is permitted.

Car Rentals: Auto rental counters are located in the centralized SFO Airport Car Rental Center. To access the Rental Car Center from the airport terminals, take the AirTrain Blue Line. AirTrain, SFO’s fully automated people mover system, operates 24 hours every day and provides convenient and frequent service throughout SFO. AirTrain stations are located in all terminals, terminal parking garages, the Rental Car Center and SFO’s BART station.

San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni): Welcome to the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni). Founded in 1912, Muni is one of America’s oldest public transit agencies and today carries over 200 million customers per year. Muni provides transit service within the city and county of San Francisco 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Muni operates approximately 80 routes throughout San Francisco with stops within 2 blocks of 90% of all residences in the city. Operating Historic streetcars, modern light rail vehicles, diesel buses, alternative fuel vehicles, electric trolley coaches, and the world famous cable cars, Muni’s fleet is among the most diverse in the world. Click here for rates 

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART): BART is the fast, easy, inexpensive way to get to San Francisco and around the Bay Area. Trains arrive at the SFO International Terminal every 15 minutes and it's just 30 minutes to downtown San Francisco. A one-way ticket from SFO to downtown is $8.25; find fares from the airport to any station by using the QuickPlanner. BART operates rapid rail service to northern San Mateo County, San Francisco and the East Bay directly from SFO. The SFO BART Station is located on the Departures/Ticketing Level of the International Terminal (Boarding Area G side). BART is easily accessed from any terminal by riding SFO's AirTrain to the Garage G/BART Station stop. There is no charge to board AirTrain. BART provides a connection to Caltrain at the Millbrae station. For more information on BART, please visit their website http://www.bart.gov/.

Travel Tips

Phone Numbers:
You may want to keep the following phone numbers at hand:

  • Emergency: 911.

  • San Francisco Visitor Information Center: 415-391-2000

  • University of California – San Francisco Medical Center at Parnassus

505 Parnassus Ave.

San Francisco, CA 94122

(415) 476-1000

 

Time Zone
San Francisco, California is in the Pacific Time Zone. Daylight savings time is in effect from the second Sunday in March until the first Sunday in November.

Weather
Average daily high temperature in April is 61 degrees Fahrenheit. Average low is 46 degrees Fahrenheit.

What to Wear
April weather is the most uncertain of the year.  There can be a dry heat wave in the 80’s for a few days, and a week later it can rain. May can be sunny and mild, or there can be sustained overcast with temperatures usually in the 60s and 70s. 

The city averages a little over 300 days of sunshine per year.  San Francisco has a reputation of being windy, due to its location near cold ocean waters and its topography which funnels the winds through the city, so you'll want to have at least a jacket.  Layers of clothes will ultimately serve most practical. Ocean water temperatures are typically in the 50s and 60s.