What do I need to know about booking a hotel room?
You must reserve an AVID-contracted hotel room through the housing platform.
Learn more about hotel accommodations on the city page of your desired Summer Institute.
A credit card is required to guarantee and hold your room reservation. This is strictly for guaranteeing and will only be charged in the event of a late cancellation or no-show. If you plan to use another form of payment, such as check or purchase order, or if you will be paying by credit card and the credit card holder will not be present at check-in, please contact the hotel directly. The hotel booking page will list exact dates for when to begin contacting the hotel to arrange payment.
The cancellation date for any reservation is approximately 8 weeks before the Institute begins so that unused rooms can be released back into inventory for other partners. The hotel booking page will have the exact date for cancellation. Name changes can be made up until arrival.
AVID does not handle any financial transactions for hotel rooms. The transaction is between you (individual, school, or school district) and the hotel.
Who can answer hotel-related questions?
Guests should contact the housing customer service phone number listed on the housing site.
Will AVID Care still answer Institute questions?
Yes, AVID Care is the primary customer service line for Summer Institute questions. If guests have questions about hotels or room blocks, AVID Care will provide the event housing customer service number and email address to the caller.
What happens if the guest calls the hotel directly to book a room or block of rooms?
The hotel will refer them to the event housing partner to reserve a room in the AVID block.
What happens if the guest wants to book a room directly with the hotel outside the block?
We encourage guests to book within the AVID room block, so they receive the group rate and special concessions, like complimentary Wi-Fi in their guest room, unless otherwise noted.
What should a guest do if they have already booked a block of rooms with the hotel directly?
Guests should cancel the block with the hotel and register the block with the event housing partner. This should be done before any cancellation fees apply to the original reservation.
What is the process of using a purchase order in lieu of a credit card to guarantee a room block?
All guests must use a credit card to create and guarantee their reservation.
If you plan to use another form of payment, such as check or purchase order, or if you will be paying by credit card and the credit card holder will not be present at check-in, please contact the hotel directly. The hotel booking page will list exact dates for when to begin contacting the hotel to arrange payment.
I guaranteed the rooms with a credit card, so are the rooms paid for?
No, payment for all rooms will be due at the time of check-in, directly to the hotel. If advance payment arrangements are required, please reach out to the hotel directly, approximately 2 weeks prior to the event. The hotel booking page will list the specific date. If the credit card holder will not be present at check-in, please be sure to contact the hotel for a credit card authorization form no later than 7 days prior to your arrival.
Does the requester have to provide names for each room when booking a block of rooms?
At the time the block is guaranteed, names are not required. The deadline in which unique names must be provided is approximately 8 weeks prior to the event. The event housing partner will accept name changes until 4 weeks prior to the event, then the hotel will accept name changes until arrival. The booking page has all of the dates of the events for your reference. You will also receive confirmations during the block request process with exact deadline dates for that particular event.
When reserving a block of rooms, what is the difference between a “group name” and a “username”?
The “group name” is the school or school district name, while the “username” is the name that the user will use to log in to their account.
What happens if the requester doesn’t provide names for room blocks by the cancellation date?
The rooms will be released. If you still have TBD registrations at the name deadline, a name will still need to be included; however, you may contact the hotel directly after the name deadline to make changes to the placeholder TBD name.
I made a reservation for the Waitlist Hotel. What should I expect?
The event housing partner is currently working with hotels to add additional rooms to our event blocks. As soon as those rooms are contracted, your reservation will move into a confirmed hotel, and you will receive a confirmation with those hotel details.
Please do not make a reservation directly with another hotel at this time, as the event housing partner is working to confirm your room. This process may take up to a couple of weeks, so if you do make other arrangements, please cancel your Waitlist Hotel reservation; otherwise, you will still be subject to cancellation penalties if you have duplicate reservations.
Can the requester book half of the rooms at one hotel and the other half at another hotel?
Yes. They can put the request in the Special Requests field on the event hotel booking page.
Can a guest reserve a room outside of the official conference dates?
Guests can request a room. If there is no available inventory, the requested night will be automatically waitlisted, and the event housing specialist will check availability. If the hotel cannot provide more rooms, the waitlist will close, and the requester will be notified. If rooms are added to the block, the requester will receive a confirmation via email.
How does the guest know when the reservation has been accepted and completed?
The housing bureau will send the guest a confirmation email when a room is reserved through the housing platform. The hotel will send an additional confirmation email, with a hotel confirmation number, to the guest no later than 7 days before the event starts.
Is there a place to put a hotel reward number to get credit for the stay?
Yes, there is a space on the hotel booking page to add the hotel reward number.
How can a guest request special accommodations?
There is a place on the hotel booking page where the guest can indicate special accommodations.