Your Arrival in Dallas

Transcription

1 Your Arrival in Dallas Airport arrival All international flights and most domestic flights land at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport (DFW). One relatively inexpensive form of transportation from the airport to Hyatt House in Addison The cost at this time is approximately $32 per person one way (a minimum $2 tip is expected). After you arrive at DFW, you to request a pick-up. You Inside a terminal of the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport may also reach them using their courtesy phone, which is located in the baggageyou to the door of Hyatt House in Addison. If you prefer a taxicab, the cost will be approximately $40- change at any time. Route from DFW Airport to the Hyatt House in Addison Luggage Lewis Drive, Addison, Texas 75001) on all of your luggage. If luggage is misplaced during your flight, the air carrier will then deliver it to the hotel instead of sending it back to your home country. 1

2 Your Stay at the Hyatt House We have arranged for the 2015 Academy participants to be housed at the Hyatt House in Addison, located approximately 10 miles from The Center for American and International Law. We believe it is very important for all Academy participants to stay in the same location amenities available at the Hyatt House are excellent. and the A suite, not just a room We have Academy participants because it offers a home-like setup with full kitchens and amenities. It also allows for the shared housing that many of our participants like to have. Amenities Every guest will receive: A hot, buffet breakfast each morning Weekly maid service (towels and trash daily) Fully-equipped kitchen in your room On-site swimming pool, spa, sport court, and work-out facility Access to the on-site gym facility Free van transportation in the immediate area (three mile radius) Bus transportation to and from classes each day Washers and dryers on site (not complimentary) High-speed internet access Data port and voice mail Access to office equipment, including printer, scanner, and fax Your Reservation You must make your hotel reservation through Academy staff. Please do not contact Hyatt House directly regarding your reservation. Payment for rooms is made directly by you to the Hyatt House, and you may pay in advance if desired. Otherwise, y with your check-in at Hyatt House. Please note that you must pay your room and incidental bills to Hyatt House during your stay. Accompanying your letter of admission will be a registration form and/or link for you to register for your housing. All housing registrations should be submitted by May 1, Roommate(s) If you would prefer or need to lower your housing costs, you may request to have one or two roommates. The Academy and the hotel will do their best to meet your request, The hotel 2

3 randomly selects roommates of the same gender upon check-in, but all will be Academy participants. The information below shows rates for the 2015 Academy. Option A: Private Suite $ per day per person, plus tax a private one-bedroom suite, including a living room, a fully equipped kitchen and a bathroom. NOTE: Only a limited number of rooms are available at this rate, and they will be assigned on a first-come-first-served basis. Option B: Private Bedroom/Bath in a Double Suite $89.00 per day, per person, plus tax a private bedroom and bathroom, plus a living room and fully equipped kitchen shared with one other Academy participant of the same gender. NOTE: Only a limited number of rooms are available at this rate, and they will be assigned on a first-come-first-served basis. Option C: Private Bedroom/Bath in a Trio Suite $76.00 per day, per person, plus tax One occupant has a private bedroom and private bathroom as part of this trio suite and will share the living room and the fully equipped kitchen with two other Academy participants. Option D: Shared Bedroom/Bath in a Trio Suite $61.00 per day, per person, plus tax The other two persons (of the same gender as the first) in the Trio Suite will share one bedroom (each with a single bed) and will share one bathroom, as well as the living room and kitchen. NOTE: Only a limited number of rooms are available at this rate, and they will be assigned on a first-come-first-served basis. Occupancy tax is an additional 13% and is subject to change. Participants who stay at Hyatt House for 30 consecutive days receive a reimbursement of the occupancy tax. Please do not check out of the hotel if you make a weekend trip, because the hotel will not hold your room for you. Suite Assignments and Suitemates The hotel computer system will assign your specific suite and room at the time of your check-in at Hyatt House. We cannot provide you with a suite number or the name of your suitemate(s) before the date you check in. Please know, however, that you will not be asked to share a suite with someone of the opposite gender. If you are traveling to the Academy with a friend and would like to share a suite with that person, be sure to note that information when you register for the Academy. Furnishings Hyatt House suites are fully furnished. The kitchens are equipped with a refrigerator, electric range, dishwasher, microwave, four place-settings of tableware, glassware, and cutlery. In addition, Hyatt House provides complimentary grocery delivery service. 3

4 Meals Except for class lunches and a few special events, meals are not provided by CAIL. The hotel provides a complimentary, hot buffet breakfast from 6:30-9:30 A.M. Monday through Friday and 7:00-10:00 A.M. on Saturday and Sunday. Some participants prepare their evening meals in their suites, though several restaurants are within walking distance, and participants will receive a few of their evening meals at scheduled events. Daily meal costs will likely be between $15 and $40 depending on where you choose to eat. On class days, there will usually be a onehour and fifteen minute luncheon break at about 12:00 noon. Lunch will be served. Recreational facilities Hyatt House has a small fitness center, a sports court and an outdoor swimming pool. What to wear The average high temperature in the Dallas area during the months of June and July is in the 90s Fahrenheit (close to 32 Celsius). You may wear appropriate informal, comfortable clothes (e.g., pants or slacks and a shirt or blouse) to the classes. However, the classroom is air-conditioned, and you may wish to have a sweater or jacket with you. Business attire is customary dress for a few activities, such as law firm receptions and the farewell luncheon. You may wish to wear national attire for the class photograph. Bring shorts and tee shirts for lounging around the hotel and pool. And, bring your swimsuit! Mail and messages Participants should pick up their mail at the front desk of Hyatt House. Notices about Academy activities and any personal messages that are received at the offices of The Center for American and International Law will be posted outside the classroom. Dietary notice Some who attend our Academy have personal dietary restrictions or preferences. Most eating places serve a wide variety of food. However, when meeting as a group, we cannot always accommodate dietary preferences. Ground transportation For those staying at Hyatt House, bus transportation will be provided between the hotel and your classes at the Center for American and International Law. EACH MORNING, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, THE BUS WILL LEAVE FOR CLASSES PROMPTLY AT 8:40 A.M., AND WILL RETURN TO HYATT HOUSE AFTER CLASS. If you are delayed past departure time, you must provide your own transportation to class that day. 4

5 If you choose to stay somewhere other than the Hyatt House, you must provide your own transportation to and from class each class day. A courtesy van is available at Hyatt House from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M. Monday through Friday for nearby shopping (within 3 miles of hotel), at no charge. Please tip the driver for each trip. Car rental You may wish to consider renting a car for your stay in Dallas (though it is definitely not necessary and most participants do not rent cars). The main requirements to rent a car are a parking is available at Hyatt House. Telephone and Internet services Local calls are available free of charge from your room at Hyatt House. Please note that long distance calls from your hotel room to your home country or anywhere else (other than in the immediate Dallas area) are very expensive. You will probably want to purchase a phone card for international calls, which should significantly reduce the rate you pay. The hotel usually sells them. There are nearby stores where phones cards may be purchased. High-speed Internet access is available at Hyatt House. Each room has one hard-wire connection to the Internet that is complimentary, as well as free high-speed wireless Internet access. Wireless internet service is also available at CAIL during class days, and a limited number of desktop computers with Internet connections are available. Emergency telephone numbers If you have an emergency at any time and cannot reach the CAIL office, please feel free to contact Jasmine Hunt at (972) or Mark Smith at his home (972) or his cell (972) Cleaning and laundry Hyatt House provides on-site coin-operated laundry facilities for a modest cost. Pickup and delivery services for dry cleaning are also available for a charge. Illness or accident CAIL does not provide health or accident insurance. We do not provide medical care or cover the cost of medical care. In the U.S., healthcare is not provided to you free of charge by the government. We urge you, therefore, to ensure you have adequate access to medical coverage. You may wish to purchase insurance that will cover you for health or accident problems that may arise while you are participating in the Academy. Although we will try to assist you as much as we are able, CAIL, SWIICL, and the Academy assume no responsibility for health, accident, or medical-related expenses. 5

6 Prescriptions You should bring with you an adequate supply of any prescription medications you are taking. Pharmacies in the U.S. will not automatically fill a prescription. It is necessary to have your home pharmacy call or fax the information to the U.S. pharmacy. If that cannot be accomplished, it will be necessary for you to make an appointment with a physician, and have the physician write you a new prescription. This can be very expensive (the cost of a typical physician visit is about $150 for patients with no insurance coverage). And, the cost of the prescription can vary. It is best to bring a six-week supply of any medications you may need. Banking It is difficult to locate local banks that convert foreign currencies into U.S. currency. You should have U.S. currency with you when you arrive at the airport. If you have questions concerning money matters, please contact Stacy Crowe, our Director of Finance at CAIL, at her e- mail address (scrowe@cailaw.org) or call her office phone at (972) Security for valuable possessions Hyatt House has a limited number of lockboxes at the front desk that are available for your use free of charge. There are no security boxes in your room. Mailing packages to your home country The United States Postal Service offers many types of service. In sending packages to your home country, be sure to check with the post office ( or call ( ) to determine the weight limit for each country and the type of services available to ship your package. Each country has its own predetermined weight limit. Forwarding address At the close of the Academy, be sure to advise Jasmine Hunt of your forwarding address so that we can forward any mail received after your departure. An address list of all participants will be prepared and distributed to everyone at the end of the last session. Smoking All rooms at Hyatt House are non-smoking. Smoking is only permitted outside. Anyone who smokes in his/her room is subject to a $200 fine for each occurrence. Our classroom facilty is also non-smoking. Continuous stay (and one free night) considered continuous. You may not check out until your stay is complete without incurring penalties that you must pay. One exception is that the hotel has allowed for every Academy guest to have one night away without charge during their stay. If you wish to be out of town at any time during your stay, you will need to pay the hotel for all of the nights you are away, except one. (This benefit does not include a refund for those who do not go out of town during their stay.) Early check-out Check-outs are permissible before the departure date, but you would lose your tax waiver (13% of your total hotel bill). If you wish to check-out, and then check back in later, the hotel may or may not have the same room (or any room) available for you, and you could lose your ability to use the transportation provided for the Academy. Personal responsibility Although we partner with Hyatt House in making arrangements for your housing, you are responsible for all payment arrangements. They will require that you sign 6

7 rules. Information about these rules will be made available to you in your information packet when you check-in. Please ask the hotel representatives if you Academy, including the hotel, enjoyable. We have limited ability, however, to intervene in your relationship with the hotel. We cannot make decisions for the hotel, nor can we be responsible for paying any room charges ourselves. 7

8 The Dallas Experience Education takes place inside and outside the classroom. A substantial effort is made to introduce Academy participants to the Dallas community. The schedule includes a variety of extracurricular activities. Our goal is to introduce Academy participants not only to the study of American and international law, but also to the people and culture of the United States. Opening Day Orientation A mandatory orientation for all participants is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, May 17, 2015 at 4:00 p.m. at the Center for American and International Law. A reception at CAIL will follow, giving you a chance to meet your fellow participants and members of the staff. A bus will depart from Hyatt House at 3:45 p.m. for the orientation and will return to Hyatt for the orientation is business casual. For example, men should wear pants and a shirt and women slacks and a blouse. Group Activities We are scheduling a wide variety of group activities for you to enjoy during your stay. These include attending a major league baseball game and professional rodeo, participating in an international food festival, attending a Memorial Day Picnic, touring downtown Dallas (home of the The Sixth Floor Museum and other area attractions) and downtown Fort Worth (the Stockyards and museums), shopping at a local shopping mall, and attending law firm receptions. At the International Food Festival, participants are asked to prepare a dish popular in their own countries. Since you have a kitchen in your hotel room and can prepare meals, you may want to bring certain spices which would be difficult to obtain here in the U.S. However, you should check with Customs before you board the plane with these items. Participants share a meal in the hotel courtyard. You will receive an activities calendar when you arrive. Participation in some of these activities is mandatory. For any mandatory event there is no charge to you. Optional activities will be available according to your interest and willingness to pay for admission and transportation. A local host takes two participants to the East Texas Oil Museum. 8

9 Local hosts One of the unique dimensions of have local hosts supplied by Global North Texas and the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers. Your hosts will be available during the Academy and will help acquaint you with the people and culture of Texas. One of the highlights of the Academy is a farewell party presented by the participants for their local hosts. It includes a talent show put on by the 2015 Academy Class. You may want to bring music or national attire for this special event. Attending local religious services Many religions of the world have houses of worship in the Dallas area. We want to assist you with the available opportunities and will provide a list of places of worship. Please feel free to talk with Academy staff concerning any questions you might have about places of worship, or about transportation to those places. Some of the local hosts will also be available to assist you. Leaving Dallas The Farewell Luncheon will conclude by 2:00 p.m. on the afternoon of June 26. Because of delays at the airport, you should not schedule a flight any earlier than 6:00 p.m. on June 26. You may want to schedule your return flight for June 27. 9