communication department

The official conference hotel for the Technical Communication Summit (June 1–4) is the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. STC encourages attendees to reserve rooms at the official hotel, which is connected via skywalk to the convention center where most activities and events will take place (several events are scheduled in the Marriott). The hotel has designated a block of rooms at lower rates during the conference available on a first-come basis. Other hotels are available several blocks away at higher room rates; however, there is no sponsored transportation available.

For each conference planned, STC negotiates a lower room rate and guarantees a set number of rooms will be reserved by attendees within the room block. This ensures an adequate number of rooms at the lower negotiated rate and discourages the host hotel from increasing room rates in response to a surge of reservations. If the room block is not fulfilled, STC must pay for unsold rooms within the block. Attendees who stay at hotels other than the official hotel are not counted toward meeting the room block obligation.

Filling the room block at the official conference hotel helps STC when negotiating room rates for future events. Hotels share room block information, as well as statistics about STC’s purchases of food and beverage, meeting rooms, and other revenue-generating activities.

STC leaders are asked to include this information in their newsletters and/or on their Web sites and to encourage their members to book by May 5 to take advantage of the rooms blocked at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. Members who make reservations at the host hotel will automatically be entered to win a selection of prizes, such as: complimentary room nights during the conference, restaurant certificates, or STC merchandise. Reservations may be made by calling +1 800-266-9432 or online on the STC Web site. The cost for a single room is $218 (USD) or double room $228 (USD) per day plus tax. Additional people in the room are U.S. $20 each.