Tips for Travelling to Tech Conferences, Part 2

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Being the Microsoft Technology Lead for my company puts me on the road a lot. In this series I’m sharing my experiences and best practices, so your tech conference experiences may end up on a higher level. (perhaps even the level of a free holiday abroad)

In the first part of this series, I shared my tips on booking the best tickets. Now it’s time to book the best hotels, while not burdening your company with excessive expenses.

 

Tips for booking the right hotel

When you stay in the same chain, you get rewarded

Just like with airlines, many hotel chains have loyalty programs. Events like TechEd offer a range of hotels, including Hyatt, Starwood, Marriott and Hilton. While booking the Hilton might set off some alarm bells when you expense your hotel bill, the other three chains offer good value for money.

Depending on the loyalty program, as little as fifteen eligible nights will earn you a loyalty level where you get room upgrades for free.

Check the amenities for hairdryers and ironing boards

You want to look sharp at the convention. Hairdryers allow you to dry your hair fast after showering (for example after your morning workout). Ironing boards and steam irons allow you to straighten out the folds and kinks in your clothing due to being packed in your suitcase(s).

Work around the limitations of typical hotel Wi-Fi

Hotel Wi-Fi is notoriously bad, especially in hotels used during tech conferences. The lack of speed and signal strength might frustrate you, but another real problem is you may, typically, only connect three devices per room. Opt for a wired connection when you book your hotel and bring your own wireless router.

Only use a wireless router that is capable of WPA2. Remember, this is a tech conference…
If you intend to buy a wireless router to this purpose, opt for a wireless router with an opening for a Kensington lock. This way you can secure your wireless router to a piece of furniture and avoid theft.

Bring a power distribution unit

Next to the wireless router in my bag is a power distribution unit (PDU) with my regional plugs. This way I can charge all my devices and plug in all my stuff, while only needing one conversion plug.

Bring an RFID enabled card with you

Power in most hotel rooms is turned off when you leave the room. Typically, hotels will require you to place your hotel room key in a slot next to the door. In some hotels you can stick any card in the slot and make the power stay on (for your wireless router, charging devices, etc.), but in some hotels this functionality requires a RFID-enabled card.

As an alternative you can ask the counter to supply you with an extra room key. Charges may apply.

Share a Room (optional)

Being on a budget, means you might need to compromise. One way of compromising on cost is to share a room with a colleague. While room sharing might sound drastic, it offers some significant advantages. As an avid room sharer, I have never needed to worry about getting back to the hotel after too many drinks. As I said before on dealing with room sharing: “Don’t get mad, get drunk.

One thing you should check, before you book a room you intend to share, is the door to the rest/bathroom. This needs to be a solid door (not a see through kind of glass) and it needs to be equipped with a lock from the inside. When in doubt, mail or call the hotel before booking.

 

Concluding

Dress sharp, look sharp.

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