Budget
INTRODUCTION
We understand times are tough, and spending time away from your facility is not only difficult, but costly. We also know the value of attending the SFM National Conference will help invigorate you, and allow you to bring back new learned information to assist you in your foodservice operation. There's so much timely education available this year, you can't afford to miss.
The following are some low-cost travel tips for getting to and from San Fransicso.
LODGING
The Westin St. Francis
335 Powell Street
San Francisco, California 94102
Phone: (415) 397-7000
Fax: (415) 774-0124
Web Site: www.westinstfrancis.com
SFM has secured hotel rooms at The Westin St. Francis with a special rate of $199 plus tax for a single or double occupancy. Hotel reservations can be made by calling The Westin St. Francis directly at 1-800-937-8461.
**Please be sure to reference SFM to receive the special rate. Reservations must be made no later than September 7, 2009 to receive the discounted rate.**
TRAVEL TIPS
- Plan in Advance. The further out you know your travel schedule, the more time you have to watch airfare prices.
- Be Patient, but not too patient. If you've been researching for a while and a good price comes up, get it immediately.
- Buy direct from the Airline's website (if you can). Most major airlines now guarantee the best prices on their own sites (though occasionally this isn't the case). There are two reasons to book directly with the airline you will be flying. First, many sites (including Orbitz and Expedia) charge an additional fee if you book through them. The major airlines don't charge this fee. Second, and more importantly, you will get better service if something happens.
- Check Southwest.com. For some reason, Southwest Airlines isn't searched by the flight Aggregators. If you are flying somewhere that they fly to, check their website for prices. Be flexible with your arrival and departure days.
- If the price goes down, it never hurts to ask. Sometimes you will buy a ticket and the price will drop the next day. It doesn't hurt to call the airline and see if they'll reduce your price.
- Connecting Flights - You might think connecting sucks but it sure saves you a good chunk of money doing it. Consider the pros and cons and don’t write it off right away.
- Try to Get Back to the Same Airport - Flying in and out of the same airport is almost always cheaper. It’s not only the flight tickets but the car rentals as well.
- Travel Light - Airlines are starting to charge for everything now and if you have 2 bags or more, expect to be charged for it. Remember to not use over sized bags whenever possible and try to keep it all within one bag per person.
- Consider the time of day that you fly and how it will affect your total transportation cost. If you can use public transportation to get to an airport, make sure you don't buy a ticket for 6am before the subway has opened. (Likewise, if someone can drive you, don't buy a ticket that is right in the middle of their work day). If you hadn't paid $20 for that taxi ride, you may have been able to purchase a better plane ticket.
- Check out Farecast. There is a tool on the website called Fareguard. It will predict whether an airfare that you are looking at will go up or down. They are so sure of their predictions that for $9.95 you can buy "insurance" which will protect your fare for 7 days.
- Be flexible on your actual flying time. Red-eyes are the cheapest flights, followed by middle-of-the-day and evening flights. Try not to fly when it is most convenient for you.
- Use public transportation (subways, buses, trains) instead of taxis when possible. Most major airports offer cheap, high speed alternatives from the airport to the city center. If you are going to be traveling a lot, often times a day or multi-day public transportation pass can save lots of money.