Travel and Lodging Information
Directions to Conference Site
The Winship Drama Building, on the northwest corner of 23rd Street and San Jacinto Boulevard, on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin.
- How to Get to the University of Texas at Austin Main Campus
- University of Texas at Austin Main Campus Map (the Winship Drama Building is in Section 5)
- Winship Drama Building
- Capital Metro (Austin's Bus System)
Lodging
Housing for the 2010 PTO Conference
Reservations for our group can now be made by calling 800-222-8733 and mentioning the group name (Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed) or by visiting the PTO PTO Austin 2010 Conference page on Doubletree's website to reserve rooms. Click here to reserve rooms online.
Group Name: Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed
Group Code: UTT
Hotel: Doubletree Guest Suites
303 W. 15th Street, Austin, Texas, United States 78701-1692
Tel: 1-512-478-7000 Fax: 1-512-478-5103
The PTO conference committee has reserved its block of rooms at the Doubletree Guest Suites on 15th Street in the heart of Austin, Texas.
Cost: All rooms are $139 per room, per night. In order to get that conference rate, which is significantly cheaper than the usual rate, you must say you are registering as part of the block of rooms for the PTO Conference and provide the reservation code, which Doubletree Hotel hopes to provide by Friday of this week (March 5). Again, that code will be posted here immediately upon our receipt of it.
Deadline for Reserving Rooms At the Reduced Conference Rate: May 13, 2010.
***We encourage you to reserve early, well before the date above, in case our hotel block fills (which is very possible). We don't want you to miss the chance to reserve a room at the conference rate. If you contact the hotel after May 13, you will not receive our group rate.***
Please Read: About Our Hotel Choice
PTO is very aware of the need to make the conference as affordable as possible. We, of course, always wish hotel prices could be a little cheaper than they are. While $139 does not sound cheap at first, the price is a little deceiving because you actually get a lot for your money. We chose this hotel for a variety of reasons:
1) PRIME LOCATION-Both for the conference and for taking advantage of Austin's nightlife. Near the intersection of 15th Street and Guadalupe Street, Doubletree is one of the few options in Austin that puts you right in between the University of Texas (both its campus and its nearby eateries) and Central Downtown Austin (popular Congress Avenue is just a four blocks away from Doubletree). In addition, the restaurants of the South Congress area are only a bit further away (about twenty blocks, accessible by a longer walk, a short car ride, or public transportation). Because the university campus is so big, it is still a bit of a walk (about twelve blocks total; four blocks east, eight blocks north) from the hotel to the conference location (the Winship Drama Building), but there are few options that would have put us closer. Plus, Doubletree offers a complimentary local shuttle during the day and into the evening. When one or a few people use the shuttle at once, it is free. If large groups (meaning close to a shuttle full of people) use it to go to or from the conference site or anywhere else, there will be a small gratuity charged. Again, however, many people may wish to walk.
2) All rooms at Doubletree are suites and allow for especially convenient room-sharing. EVERY suite includes a sleeping room, a living room (with a sleeper sofa), and a full kitchen (sink, refrigerator, microwave, stove, and oven). In the sleeping room of your suite, you have your choice of either two queen beds or one king bed. The math for the two-queen bed arrangement comes out pretty nicely-even IF no one wants to share a bed, you could have three people sharing and you're still paying slightly less than $50 per person, per night. If some people are willing to share beds, obviously the cost gets even better.
3) Thanks to the kitchen in each unit, you can cook to save costs, if you wish to do so.
4) All rooms feature complimentary wireless internet.
5) Pool onsite. (Definitely bring your suit! It's more than warm enough for the pool here at that time of year!)
6) Fitness Center onsite.
7) Small on-site restaurant and bar (in addition to the many nearby pubs, bars, and restaurants).
8) Business Center onsite.
9) Find out more about amenities at the Doubletree Guest Suites click here.
Lower-Cost Housing Options
Note: There are no university dorms available to us for this conference. That is not necessarily bad news, however. UT's dorms are far more expensive than the dorms PTO has used in the past. Instead, we refer you to two other housing options (the first of which is DEFINITELY a better deal than the university dorms anyway):
1) Dorm-Style Housing with Alpha Xi Delta Sorority
Alpha Xi Delta Sorority House offers an extremely affordable housing option, and they have agreed to keep the dates of the conference (and the dates of the pre-conference and post-conference workshops) open for our members to contact them and reserve spaces! See the information below, and contact them sooner rather than later if you are interested. Space is limited. To find out how to reserve a space, you can contact Emily Abbott, President of Alpha Xi Delta's Building Committee, at the following email address: axid_bcpresident@yahoo.com
Cost of staying at the Alpha Xi Delta House:
$250 TOTAL PER PERSON, PER WEEK, meals included. (An excellent deal for those going to the pre-conference or post-conference in addition to the conference itself).
OR
$150 total, per person, for three nights (the nights of the conference), meals included.
About Alpha Xi Delta's location:
The Alpha Xi Delta house is located just four blocks west of Guadalupe St, also known as The Drag (which features the majority of the restaurants and shops near campus). The walk between this housing option and the Winship Drama Building is approximately eight blocks (two blocks south, and then six blocks east). Individuals who wish to take advantage of the price of this option but who have a mobility concern or disability that prevents them from walking that distance should contact PTO 2010 Accessibility Co-Chair Talleri McRae at tallerimcrae@hotmail.com to indicate that they would be interested in requesting a pick-up in the morning (prior to the start of each day's activities) and a drop-off at the end of the day. In order to preserve our ability to provide that service to those who really need it, we ask that those who are able to walk do so.
Physical Address of Alpha Xi Delta:
2508 Rio Grande St (at the intersection of 26th and Rio Grande)
Austin, Texas 78705
Other Miscellaneous Information About Staying at Alpha Xi Delta House:
- Access to the backyard pool.
- Onsite cook who prepares lunch and dinner (breakfast is continental-style).
- Mostly shared rooms; some rooms share bathrooms with other rooms, while others have private baths.
- Alcoholic beverages are not allowed on the property.
Again, individuals should make their reservations directly with Alpha Xi Delta.
2) La Quinta Inn at the Austin Capitol (Might not be cheaper than Doubletree, depending on the dates of your stay and the date you contact them to make the reservation; prices fluctuate.)
No room reservation block here. We think Doubletree is a better option for a variety of reasons. We are merely providing the contact information so that you have it in case you wish to check in with one of the other inns relatively close to the University.
300 E. 11th St.
Austin, TX 78701
Phone: 1-512-476-1166
Fax: 1-512-476-6044
This option is located 12 blocks directly south of the Winship Drama Building (conference site).