Traveler Information PDP Conference 2022

PDP 20-Year Reunion Conference: Advancing Inclusive Leaders in STEM

Conference hotel

The conference will be held at the Naniloa Hotel in Hilo, Hawaii. The hotel is on the waterfront on Banyan Drive near the Liliuokalani Park and Japanese Gardens, a nice place for walking, running, or taking in the view of the Hilo Bay and Maunakea. The hotel is about a 20 minute walk from downtown Hilo (address93 Banyan Drive). The contracted rate is $194.28 per night (including all taxes). They have extended this rate to conference participants for the 3 nights before and after the conference dates.

Note: the hotel will put a $100 hold on your credit card for incidentals, which will be removed upon check-out.

Hilo

Hilo is a charming town with a population less than 50,000, located on the east side of Hawaii Island amongst lush rainforest. Though May is not the rainiest month, Hilo has an average rainfall of about 140 inches, and participants should be prepared for  (tropical) rain.

Restaurants and meals 

There are a few restaurants, coffee shops and a small snack shack near the hotel. However there is not a grocery store within a comfortable walking distance. The hotel has snack machines, a sundry shop, and refrigerators, microwaves and coffee makers in the rooms. There are also eclectic bike rentals out front of the hotel on Banyan Drive.

Airports

The closest airport is Hilo International Airport (ITO), which is about a 10-minute drive from the Naniloa Hotel.

It is also possible to fly into Kona airport (KOA) which is on the other side of island, andabout a 2 hour drive from the Naniloa Hotel.

COVID requirements for flying into Hawaii

See all details here: https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/getting-to-hawaii/

Conference session dates and times

The meeting begins at 8:30am on Thursday 5/19, and ends with a celebration dinner on Friday 5/20. Participants are expected to attend all sessions. All guests will check-out of the hotel on Saturday 5/21/2022 unless otherwise indicated in the registration form. Please book your travel accordingly. 

Room reservations

• All participants confirm attendance by submitting the registration form HERE by March 7, 2022.
• Check-in to the hotel is 4pm, check-out at 11am.
• Do not book directly with the hotel; ISEE has a contract, manages room lists, and will handle any changes to reservations. 

Parking/Carpooling from airport

• Carpooling or sharing a rental car: A group of volunteers has put together a spreadsheet of participant arrival and departure times. Please reach out to people on your same flights to ride share, etc.
• The nearest airport to the hotel is the Hilo International Airport (airport code ITO). The drive from the airport to the hotel is approximately 10 minutes.
• There are not any taxis waiting at the airport, but it's very easy to use a rideshare app, and several helpful driving services you can find on Yelp. Reminder: ISEE does not cover the cost of ground transportation to or from the airports.
• Self-parking at the Naniloa is free (big lot right across the street). Valet parking is $25 per day, and is not reimbursed by ISEE.

Important information about travel reimbursement from ISEE

Participants who have either partial or full travel awards from ISEE need to be aware of two ways that participants may not get reimbursed:

• Accommodations at any place other than the Naniloa are not eligible for reimbursement. ISEE has a contract with the Naniloa, and all participants needing accommodations are required to stay at the Naniloa.
• Airfares for travel dates beyond standard conference dates are not reimbursable without a comparison quote at the time of airfare purchase. If you are adding personal  travel days to the standard conference dates (5/18 arrival, 5/21 departure), a comparison quote is required. You need to capture a quote for the airfare cost of the standard travel dates (5/18 arrival, 5/21 departure). Print a PDF of the comparison ticket cost when you purchase the ticket for your actual trip dates. Keep this comparison quote to submit with the reimbursement forms (additional instructions will be provided). You will be reimbursed for whichever flight amount is the lower cost.

For participants receiving a "full travel award" that includes airfare reimbursement from ISEE:

• You will book the airfare directly through UC Travel: 310-206-2639, option 2, or 800-235-8252, option 2. Call between 8am-4pm PST. Indicate the group name: PDP Conference

• Have your preferred flights and airlines ready to give to the booking agent. UC Travel is authorized to book your preferred flights up to the cost estimate in your acceptance email.

• UC Travel will ask for travel information including: name as it appears on identification, date of birth, gender, contact information, Traveler Number/ Global Entry/ TSA pre-check, Mileage number, as applicable. 

• Forward to ISEE@ucsc.edu a copy of the airline reservation when you receive the email. Deadline to book travel: March 1, 2022. Important- emails from UC Travel often go into the spam folder. Be sure to check your spam folder.

• You will not be reimbursed if you buy your ticket in any way other than through UC Travel.

Travel insurance is required for travel awardees and strongly encouraged for all participants. Participants will be responsible for all costs associated with medical attention and/or extended stay to quarantine due to COVID-19. This coverage is called 'trip delay' which covers the expenses related to accommodations. Travel insurance is inexpensive (~$30), and participants are strongly encouraged to avoid the potential of incurring costs which ISEE will not reimburse. ISEE will reimburse the costs of the Travel Insurance if requested. Please see our travel insurance page.

Bringing travel companions: We realize that many participants will want to bring travel companions. We ask that participants consider carefully the ramifications of bringing travel companion(s) to the conference. Companions will enjoy Hilo during the day and then share a sleeping room with the conference participant at night. There is some amount of additional exposure to the participant (and thus all participants) that arises from this situation, which will depend on the behavior and vaccination status of the companion. Travel companions may also incur additional expenses, if either the participant or companion tests positive for COVID. Travel companions will not be allowed to join conference activities such as meals (lunches and closing dinner provided for all conference participants). We certainly understand the appeal of bringing companions, but encourage you to think it through and have a plan for being as safe as possible, mitigating risks, and covering costs.