[EuroPython] Hotels

[Giovanni Bajo]

On Thu, 2011-02-17 at 18:00 +0100, M.-A. Lemburg wrote:
> Giovanni Bajo wrote:
> > On Thu, 2011-02-17 at 13:25 +0100, M.-A. Lemburg wrote:
> >> Hi Fabio,
> >>
> >> are the rates listed in the hotel list the special rates for EPC ?
> >> http://ep2011.europython.eu/pages/where/
> > 
> > When you see the mark "Affiliated", we have a special rate thanks to an
> > agreement with the hotel.
> > 
> > Otherwise, the list is just for your convenience and contains the price
> > that you can get if you call the hotel directly by phone. They are
> > listed there so that you can save doing a few international phone calls.
> > After the early bird opens, we will be refreshing those rates weekly.
> > 
> > You can compare them with those you get in the same hotels through
> > booking portals (eg: booking.com).
> >
> >> Is breakfast included in those prices ?
> > 
> > We don't know at this point. We will make sure to include this
> > information after the early bird opens.
> 
> Thanks for the clarification, Giovanni and Fabio !
> 
> Here's a useful link for (re)searching hotels:
> 
> http://www.de.kayak.com/hotels/florenz/2011-06-19/2011-06-26
> 
> > As for the wifi, please consider that we will have a special deal for
> > prepaid SIMs, with tethering included
> > (http://ep2011.europython.eu/mobile/). So one might evaluate this option
> > (especially if he/she owns an unlocked phone) rather than buying the
> > wifi in the hotel.
> 
> That's an interesting option. Would I have to reserve one of those
> in advance or will there be enough on arrival for everyone ?

You will be able to reserve one (or more) SIM through the website after
you've bought a ticket. This should allow us to pre-activate the SIMs
for you, so that you can grab them the moment you arrive and they will
be already working.

People might want to buy more than one Italian SIM for enjoying cheap
calls with their partner/family.

Alternatively, you can ask for one at the registration desk; we're
trying to setup things so that we can get you a SIM in half a day, but
the operator might take up to 24 hours to activate it, which would
obviously be a shame.

> I tried finding out how to get an Italian SIM card in Germany, but
> it appears to be a bit difficult from abroad due to the local
> regulations in Italy. Even buying one in Italy, I would have to
> get a local tax number (for whatever reason).

We will take care of all the administrative details. We will need a copy
of an ID (that you will be able to upload in digital form through the
website).

Also, we are aiming at prepaid SIMs which are "geek-friendly" (with data
plans, tethering, no VOIP/Skype filters, good speed even on 2G if you go
visiting the countryside and you need Google Maps, etc.). Given that we
know the market, our hope is that you can simply rely on our service in
bringing a good SIM to you without having to sort out the details
yourself. 

Obviously, we will be publishing all details about traffic costs etc.,
in case someone wants to investigate alternatives by himself.

It's just a bit too early right now, since we were going to finalize
these agreements with mobile operators by the end of March. You might
want to buy a ticket earlier than that, and you will obviously be able
to buy SIMs later with a different transaction.
-- 
Giovanni Bajo   ::  rasky at develer.com
Develer S.r.l.  ::  http://www.develer.com

My Blog: http://giovanni.bajo.it
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