Re: Lua workshop 2005 -- accommodations

[Eric Scouten <scouten@...>]

Luiz Henrique de Figueiredo wrote:

> Here are some news concerning the Lua Workshop 2005:
>
> - Hotels
>  Workshop participants will be able to get reduced rates at local hotels.
>  The hotels are listed in the workshop page
> 	http://www.lua.org/wshop05.html
>  

Speaking as one who has reason to frequent these hotels ;-) , I'll give 
a brief commentary on each so you can make an informed choice:

Fairmont: IMHO the nicest of the batch. If you can get the Adobe rate of 
$130, that's a very nice discount. I think their standard rate is around 
$200/night. They have an "old" building, probably built in the late 
1980s that is ~18 floors and a "new" building, circa 2001, that is nine 
floors. Both are nice. Though not as elegant as some of the classic 
Fairmont hotels in other cities, this is definitely a luxury hotel with 
a good share of marble and fancy trim. High speed (wired) internet is 
available in all rooms for a fairly high fee ($13/24 hours IIRC). If you 
put your computer to sleep and come back to use it again within 24 
hours, be careful with how you sign into their high-speed internet. I've 
been double-charged a couple of times lately.

Hilton: Newer than the Fairmont (probably mid-90s) and more 
trendy/metal/square. I've only stayed there a few times and tend to 
avoid it mostly because I like the look and feel of the Fairmont better. 
Quite tall (24 floors?).

Marriott/Montgomery: I haven't stayed at either of these hotels. IIRC, 
the Marriott is very new (2003 or 2004?). Perhaps one of my Adobe 
colleagues can give a review?

Also worth considering, though there's not an Adobe discount: Hotel 
DeAnza (http://www.hoteldeanza.com/). Classic hotel built in the 1930s 
and lovingly renovated in the early 1990s. It was my hotel of choice 
until Adobe got a better deal at the Fairmont and took it off our 
approved travel list a few years ago. :-( They appear to have added 
high-speed internet since my last stay there. My guess is it'll be a 
little more than the $130 rate at the other hotels, but if you can 
afford it and you enjoy classic hotels, it's worth it.

All five of these hotels are within easy walking distance (4 blocks) of 
the Adobe buildings. Taxi fare from the airport to any of these hotels 
will run $15-18 each way. I don't think there's any viable alternative. 
It's a fairly long walk (nearly a mile?) from the airport to the light 
rail line.

For the budget-minded, look for hotels near the San Jose Airport (about 
2 miles north of Adobe's campus in downtown San Jose*). Orbitz shows a 
variety of hotels as low as $50. If you want to avoid taxi/rental car 
costs, look for locations near the San Jose Light Rail line. It runs 
frequently throughout the day and can take you within a few blocks of 
the Adobe buildings.

* If you have a seat on the right side of your plane as you're 
approaching San Jose, look down a minute or two before landing. Assuming 
you land from the south (most of the time, you do), you'll fly almost 
directly over the Adobe buildings.

-Eric