Hotel Reservations

You can reserve a hotel room either by calling Best Western or online.

To register by phone, please call the hotel directly to make your reservation.
You can call either of these phone numbers: (352) 331-3336
Mention group "Vibrational Astrology Conference 2023" to get the special rate.

 

Hotel Phone Number: (352) 331-3336
Hotel Website: www.gatewaygrand.com

Room Rates

Double/Double S/D	(Single or Double Occupancy)	=	$105.00 / night + tax
King Suite S/D	(Single or Double Occupancy)	=	$105.00 / night + tax
Double/Double S	(Single Occupancy)	=	$105.00 / night + tax
King Suite S	(Single Occupancy)	=	$105.00 / night + tax

Check in time is 4:00 P.M. and check out time is 12:00 P.M.
All guests are subject to the Hotel's policies.
Hotel booking rates ends February 10, 2023.

Method of Reservation

Individual Call In. Individuals must call the Hotel directly to make their own reservations.
Please ask them to call us at 352-331-3336

Group Rate

Mention group Vibrational Astrology Conference 2023 to get the group's special rate.

Cutoff Date

Friday, February 10, 2023

All reservations must be received by Friday 2/10/2023. After this date any new reservations will be accepted based on availability at prevailing rates. Individual reservations must be cancelled by 6:00 PM on date of arrival to avoid No-show penalty of one night’s room/tax.

Payment of Guest Rooms

Each guest will be responsible for his/her own hotel charges, including room/tax/incidentals. A valid credit card must be provided at time of reservation or room must be pre-paid by cash or check at least 2 weeks prior to arrival.

Incidental charges

Each guest will be expected to present a credit card or $75.00 cash deposit upon arrival to guarantee payment of any incidentals charges.

Hotel Amenities

• Complimentary full hot breakfast buffet
• Complimentary Airport Transportation (advance notice required)
• Complimentary Internet Access/Wi-Fi
• Complimentary 24-hour Business Center with Printer
• Complimentary 24-hour Fitness Center
• Complimentary Local Telephone Calls
• Pet-friendly ($20 per night pet fee)
• Large outdoor Pool Terrace with cabanas and Jacuzzi
• Guest Laundry Room on property / Valet and Laundry Service available
• Massage Studio on property
• Gator’s Den Sports Grill, with a TV at every seat – also provides evening Room Service for Dinner

Transportation

Nearest Airport
Gainesville, FL (GNV)

Arrival and departure times
If you plan to attend the pre-conference then you probably want to plan on arriving by at least 1 PM and keep in mind that planes sometimes get delayed. If you do NOT plan to attend the pre-conference, then arriving by 5 PM is nice as we plan to meet for dinner and this gives time to get settled and meet other attendees.

The conference ends at 5:30 PM on Sunday. Staying until Monday gives another evening to meet with friends and colleagues over dinner Sunday evening and have more time to leave the following day.

There is a small airport in Gainesville with flights from Atlanta, Dallas-Ft Worth, Charlotte and Miami so you will fly into one of these cities and transfer to a flight to Gainesville. There is also an airport in Jacksonville, FL (about 1½ hours from Gainesville), Orlando (about 2 hours from Gainesville) and Tampa (about 3 hour drive from Gainesville). The Gainesville airport is most convenient.

Transportation to and from Gainesville airport and the hotel
There is a free shuttle from the Gainesville airport to the hotel that is provided by the hotel. When you reserve a room at the hotel, mention that you would like to take the hotel shuttle from the airport and also take it on your return to the airport.

Driving to the Hotel
Exit I-75 at Exit #390, Route 222 (NW 39th Ave)
If you are heading north, make a left after getting off I-75, cross the bridge that goes over I-75 and make the first right. If you are heading north, make a right after getting off I-75, and then make the first right. The hotel is very close to the I-75 exit.

Restaurants/Dining

Friday evening: There will be car pools and shuttles from 4:45 PM to 5:15 PM to the nearby restaurants and returning back in time for the opening at 7 PM. There are several restaurants and a grocery store that are very close to the hotel (2 minute drive). If you want to pack your own lunch and snacks for the conference, this is a good time to also get some things at the Publix grocery store.

Lunch Saturday and Sunday: There is a restaurant in the hotel, and we are arranging with the hotel to have sandwiches, salads, etc. at a reasonable cost for our attendees. There are also the nearby restaurants but we are making sure that there is a good variety of choices at the hotel, including vegetarian and vegan options.

Saturday evening: Banquet buffet is free for all registered attendees. There will be good options for everyone.

Sunday evening: Many of you will still be here and we will meet in the hotel lobby to head out in groups for dinner.

Public Meeting Spaces

One request that we received from our survey of the first 2019 conference is to have more public meeting spaces and to make venues to help people interact more. The Gateway Grand Hotel is much better than this than the hotel where the 2019 conference was held and we plan to facilitate this. We are making other improvements based on your feedback, such as to the Saturday evening banquet. The first conference was a huge success and the feedback was tremendously positive, but there are always improvements that can be made. If you were at the first conference, you know how inspiring it was.

Attending the Conference on a Budget

Some tips for saving money

• Arrive early enough to use a car pool or free shuttle to go to the Public Super Market. It has a good size organic section and other choices. There is a large breakfast area where you can bring your lunch and also have Friday and Sunday evening dinner from things from the grocery store rather than eat at a restaurant.
• Room together with others to split the room cost. The double queen room has 2 beds and the King Suite has a pull-out couch. If you want to get 3 or more people in a room, mention it to the receptionist when you reserve the room and they will let you know what is possible.
• Register by September 7, 2020 so you get the lowest registration rate of $225.

Fresh Air And Exercise

During the 45-minute breaks between classes stroll out to the pool area. There is also a 24-hour fitness center. The weather in north Florida at this time of year is typically very pleasant. It sometimes gets a bit chilly or hot and it may rain, but usually is pleasant.

Things to Do in Gainesville

If you stay in Gainesville longer, then some of the spots often visited are the Butterfly Museum, the Art Museum, downtown Gainesville, several Springs just north of Gainesville in High Springs and other towns, Kanapaha Gardens, the town of Micanopy just south of Florida, and there are often concerts, shows, sporting events, etc. throughout the year. There are some new age centers, such as Temple of the Universe which is about a 20 minutes drive north of Gainesville. St Augustine is east of Gainesville and is a big tourist area and Orlando is about 1½ hours South and the Tampa/St Petersburg area about 2 hours south on the west coast. These are major travel destinations. No doubt there are other things I am neglecting to mention. Gainesville is best known as the home of the University of Florida so if you see lots of orange and blue and "Gators" everywhere that is why! Many people enjoy Gainesville because of the southern friendliness, high levels of education and creativity, diversity, and lots of green spaces with large oak trees, etc.

Map of Conference Hotel Area