Housing Information
Hotel Accommodations
Hotel rooms have been reserved throughout the city of Philadelphia for RIMS attendees and exhibitors. View a list of hotels and map of the Philadelphia area with the hotel locations marked, as well as a list of participating hotels and their room rates. RIMS will provide complimentary shuttle service between the majority of hotels and the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
Hotel Reservations
Registration for RIMS 2012 is strongly recommended. You must register by Friday, February 10th to guarantee your room. If you are not registered, RIMS reserves the right to cancel your reservation or relocate you to another room or hotel (of equal or lesser cost) if it is deemed that the room is needed for a registered attendee. Registration opens on November 14th, 2011. Early Bird cutoff closes February 17th, 2012.
Hotel reservations must be made directly with the RIMS Housing Bureau using any of the methods listed below. Online reservation is strongly encouraged.
Online: Attendees Reserve Housing Now Exhibitors Reserve Housing Now
Phone: 800.221.3531 – U.S. and Canada (toll free) OR 212.532.1660 – International
Fax: 212.779.6128
Mail: Travel Planners, Inc., 381 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016
For additional information regarding hotel reservations, please contact the RIMS Housing Bureau at the phone numbers listed above. Agents are available to answer questions from 9:00am to 7:00pm (Eastern Time), Monday through Friday. Please note that the RIMS Housing Bureau is closed on weekends and holidays. Questions may also be emailed to the RIMS Housing Bureau at RIMS@tphousing.com.
Hotel Confirmation / Deposits
All hotel reservations must be guaranteed by a major credit card or by check made payable to the hotel. A deposit amount of one night room rate (plus tax) will be charged to credit cards of attendees who do not cancel by 72 hours prior to their scheduled arrival date.
If you plan to guarantee your hotel reservation by check, please be sure to indicate this on your Hotel Reservation Form. The check must be payable to Travel Planners, Inc. and received by the housing bureau by Friday, March 16, 2012. If the RIMS Housing Bureau does not receive the check by March 16th, your hotel reservation will be cancelled.
The RIMS Housing Bureau will mail, fax or email a confirmation in response to every reservation requested. If you make a hotel reservation online, you will receive a confirmation instantly, and if you make a hotel reservation by fax or mail, a written confirmation will be sent to you by mail, fax or email within five business days of receipt. If you do not receive your confirmation, please contact the RIMS Housing Bureau to verify that your request has been received.
RIMS Cancellation / Change Policy
You many cancel or make changes to your hotel reservation either in writing or online until 5:00pm (Eastern Time), Friday March 16, 2012. Written requests should be sent to the RIMS Housing Bureau and will be acknowledged with a confirmation within five business days. Please note, after April 2nd, all changes to accommodations must be made directly through your hotel.
Between March 26 and March 30, housing records will be transferred from the RIMS Housing Bureau to the individual hotels; therefore attendees are strongly encouraged to wait until after Monday, April 2nd to contact their hotels to make changes or cancellations.
To cancel or change a hotel reservation online, you will need your confirmation number and the email address you used to make your reservation. Online requests are acknowledged with an immediate email confirmation.
A cancellation must be made at least four days prior to your scheduled arrival date or you will be assessed a cancellation fee equivalent to one night room rate (plus tax). The hotel will not hold your room if you do not arrive on the first night of your reservation and you will lose your deposit.
The hotel cancellation policy will be strictly enforced. Please retain the cancellation confirmation from the RIMS Housing Center or the cancellation number provided to you by the hotel, as this proof of cancellation will be required to dispute any credit card disputes.
Travel Information
Conference and Exhibition Location
The Pennsylvania Convention Center is located at 1101 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107.
Train
Amtrak offers a 10% discount off the lowest available rail fare to Philadelphia, PA (PHL) between April 7, 2012 and April 25, 2012. To book your reservations, please call Amtrak at (800) 872-7245 or contact your travel professional. Please refer to Fare Code X25H-930 to receive the 10% discount at www.AMTRAK.com
*Note: The convention discount fare cannot be booked via Amtrak.com. This offer is not valid on Acela Express service or on the Amtrak Auto Train. Offer is valid with Sleeper accommodations, Business Class or First Class seating with payment of the full applicable accommodation charges. Fare is valid on Amtrak Northeast Regional service for all departures seven days a week, except during holiday blackout dates.
SEPTA Airport Rail Line also connects the airport with Philadelphia’s Center City. For more information, please visit www.septa.org.
Air Travel
American Airlines is offering all RIMS 2012 attendees a 5% discount off the lowest applicable published air fare. The discount is available from April 7, 2012 – April 25, 2012 for travel to Philadelphia International Airport. Book your reservations online at www.AA.com and enter offer code 4542BG.
Reservations can also be made by calling American Airlines Meeting Services Desk at (800) 433-1790 from anywhere in Canada or the US and providing the offer code of 4542BG.
*Please note, a reservation service charge of $25 per ticket will apply for tickets purchased through American Airlines Reservations and a $30 service charge per ticket will be applied to tickets purchased at the airport. These amounts are subject to change. At this time there is no ticketing fee for reservations made and ticketed on www. AA.com. The percentage discount can be booked online at www.AA.com for American Airlines and American Eagle flights only.
Attendees calling from outside Canada and the US should call their local American Airlines reservations number with the above promotion code.
Delta is pleased to offer discounts between 2% and 10% on roundtrip travel to RIMS 2012 in Philadelphia via the International Philadelphia Airport. Discounts are applicable for travel on and between April 10, 2012 to April 22, 2012. To make your air reservation call (800) 328-1111 and refer to account code: NY2D8.
*Please note, offer is not valid with other discounts, certificates, coupons or promotional offers. Discount does not apply to fares that are less than $125USD/$125CAD base one way or $250USD/$250CAD base round trip. Please adhere to other regulations as instructed when making reservations.
We are pleased to offer special discounts for RIMS 2012. You may book online at www.continental.com and enter offer code: ZKYR204098 in the offer code box when searching for your flights.
If booking through a travel professional or United Meetings at 800.468.7022, please give the following information:
Agreement Code: 204098 Z Code: ZKYR
Outside of the United States, lease call your local Continental Airlines Reservation Office.
*Please note, there will be a $25USD service fee collected, per ticket, for all tickets issued through United Meetings Reservations. This fee is subject to change without notice.
Visa Application Process for International Travelers
If you would like to request an invitation letter from RIMS for your visa application, you must first register for the meeting. Please allow five to seven business days for processing. Early-bird registration opens on November 14, 2011. Once you register, you will receive a registration confirmation number. Please email this registration number, your full name, institution/company name, and mailing address to conferenceadmin@rims.org to request your invitation letter.
RIMS encourages you to start your visa application process as soon as possible. Because of U.S. State Department regulations, U.S. embassies and consulates may require a face-to-face interview for most non-immigrant visa applications. For more information, please visit http://travel.state.gov/travel.
Car Rental
By using the Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD) number: J098317
(effective from April 10, 2012 – April 22, 2012), RIMS 2012 Conference attendees will receive the best Avis rate system-wide and may reserve through:
Avis Reservation Center at (800) 331-1600 or
Online Reservations
Taxis
Taxis are available at designated areas of the airport and Amtrak train station; follow signs leading to the transportation plazas and a transportation coordinator will assist you.
Airport Shuttles
Lady Liberty Airport Shuttle
Travel from the Philadelphia International Airport - $10 per transfer
· Reservations are not required for airport arrivals. Service is available from 5:30am until 12:00 midnight
· Shuttles depart the PHL airport approximately every 10-15 minutes.
· Upon Arrival please proceed to the Ground Transportation Counter (located in Baggage Claim) - Register with the counter attendant (ticket number will be called when van arrives)
· Dial 27 from the ground transportation counter phones (in Baggage Claim) and inform dispatcher of destination and number in party (please call after luggage is claimed)
· The ground transportation counter employees will then coordinate you outside to your Lady Liberty Shuttle van.
· Lady Liberty Shuttles pick up outside baggage claim at ZONE 7.
Travel to the Philadelphia International Airport
· Call 215-724-8888 one day prior to make a reservation in advance.
· Recommended pick-up time is at least 2 to 2.5 hours before departure time for domestic flights.
· Recommended pick-up time is at least 3 to 3.5 hours before departure time for international flights
Parking
There are multiple parking lots and fees at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
Shuttle Bus Service
RIMS will provide complimentary shuttle bus service between the majority of hotels in RIMS’ housing block and the Pennsylvania Convention Center (PCC).
Service will not be provided for the following hotels, which are within walking distance of the PCC: Courtyard by Marriott, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Le Meridien, Loews, and Philadelphia Marriott.
Service frequency will vary throughout the day. Please look for detailed shuttle bus schedules in your hotel lobby.