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Where to Stay

The Big Picture

Interaction has reserved accommodation at a total of 24 locations. This is necessary due to the smaller size of British hotels compared to those in the US, but it also enables us to offer a wide range of price and other options.

The accommodation falls into five distinct groups:

• The On-Site Cluster (740 beds in total) consists of three hotels – the Moat House, which is physically connected to the SECC, and the City Inn and Campanile, which are just a couple of minutes’ walk away. The Moat House will be part of the main convention site and will host selected programme and evening events.

  Note: the main allocation of rooms in the On-Site Cluster is now sold out. We do however hold a reserve of rooms for people who have access / mobility issues - details on how to apply for one of these will be published here in the next few weeks

• The Party Cluster (1000 beds) is centred on the Hilton, which will host the ‘US style’ evening parties, and also includes the nearby Marriott, Holiday Inn and Milton hotels. The Party Cluster is one stop from the main convention site via the Glasgow light rail line.

  Note: the main allocation of rooms in the Marriott hotel is now sold out. The Hilton is around 70% full. We still have plenty of rooms in the other hotels. We also hold a small reserve of rooms for people who have access / mobility issues or who will be running parties - details on how to apply for one of these will be published here in the next few weeks

      

  The short walks from the Hilton to the Marriott & Holiday Inn

• The City Hotels (2000 beds) are located to the East of the Party Cluster, towards and within the City Centre. The 10 hotels in this group offer good value and are well located for the main restaurant and theatre districts.

• The Budget Accommodation (500 beds) consists of University (self catering) rooms and Eurohostel accommodation. This accommodation starts from under £15 per person per night but is relatively basic.

• The Boutique Accommodation (100 beds) consists of four hotels (Langs, the Malmaison, the Arthouse and, of course, One Devonshire Gardens) which can offer that special experience for those willing to spend a little bit extra.

Convenience and Location

Glasgow offers a variety of travel options to get you to and from the convention site at the SECC. The best option for public transport is the low level rail line which crosses the city from west to east. From Exhibition Station – located next to the SECC – the next stop to the East is Anderston, which serves the Party Cluster hotels. After Anderston comes Central, located at Glasgow’s main line station with connections to London and the South. Central Station is also convenient for Glasgow’s main restaurant streets: Argyle, Buchanan, and Sauchiehall. Finally, beyond Central is Argyle Street in the recently redeveloped Merchant Quarter of the city. This area features more restaurants, including some of the newest and most exciting in Glasgow.

The low level rail service is cheap and frequent. Return (round trip) tickets from the city centre cost around £1, and we hope to negotiate a pass which will provide unlimited travel during the convention for well under £10. Trains run to the SECC once every 15 minutes during peak hours. One note of caution: people with mobility problems should probably avoid Anderston station, as there is no lift (elevator) from the platform to ground level.

Staying with public transport, another option is the public bus service which stops at the SECC and will also be covered by the travel pass. For a more personalised alternative, Glasgow’s taxis are cheap and easy to find, with trips between the city centre and the SECC costing around £4 per taxi.

Those with mobility concerns should note that both taxi and bus services have some vehicles suitable for carrying wheelchairs.

Finally, those wishing to drive will find that secured private parking is limited at the hotels (especially those in the city centre), but plentiful at the SECC. However, hotels with limited private parking often offer reduced rates at nearby public car parks. If you need parking facilities, please check the website or contact us for information before booking.

Staying in the UK

Every country has different standards for hotel accommodation and the UK is no different. In this section we’ve tried to explain what you can expect from the room you have booked.

Room and Bed Sizes: UK hotel rooms are much smaller than those in North America. Single rooms are meant for just one adult and come with one ‘single’ bed, whilst twin/double rooms are generally meant for two adults and come with two ‘single’ beds in a twin or one ‘double’ bed in a double. Some hotels offer larger bed sizes or different bed configurations. On the following pages, we have included information on the typical bed types that you will find in each of our facilities.

Minimum Bed Sizes
Bed Size	Inches	Meters
‘Single’	36" x 75"	0.9 x 1.9
‘Double’	52" x 75"	1.3 x 1.9
‘Queen’	60" x 80"	1.5 x 2.0
‘King’	75" x 80"	1.9 x 2.0

Bathrooms: All rooms have ensuite bathing and toilet facilities, excepting the Eurohostel and the University accommodation at Cairncross, which come with shared facilities. Electricity: The UK power supply operates at 240 V and members from overseas (especially North America) may need adaptors/transformers.

Access: We have indicated the number of disabled and deaf rooms available at each of our hotels. These rooms are specially tailored to the needs of the disabled or hard of hearing. Electrical Eggs can provide more information.

Noisy and Quiet Rooms: Due to the large number of accommodation locations, we cannot allocate noisy or quiet areas in each individual hotel. The Moat House and Hilton hotels have therefore been designated as noisy / party hotels, and should be avoided by those wanting a quiet room.

Planning Your Trip

Whilst our main focus is naturally on the accommodation needed for the Convention itself, our arrangement with Infotel extends beyond this for any member who is planning on a longer stay. Infotel can provide accommodation across all of the UK, and for those wanting to spend more time in and around Glasgow, we hope to be able to offer the same highly discounted rates that are on offer for the week of the convention.

To find out more, visit Infotel’s website at www.infotel.co.uk, or call them on (+44) 870 752 2235.

© UK 2005 Ltd, 2002-2004. All rights to content reserved to UK 2005 Ltd, unless otherwise indicated. This page maintained by webmaster@interaction.worldcon.org.uk.

Page last updated 11^th October 2004