Ground Transportation and Travel Tips

• Passport/Visa Requirements
• Customs & Excise
• Airports, Transportation to the Hotel, and Map
• Other Transportation Information
• Weather/What to Wear
• Sun Protection
• Electricity
• Time
• Currency Conversion
• Tax and Tipping

Passport/Visa Requirements
All visitors traveling to the U.S. require Visas with the exception of Canada passport holders and those residents of Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and other participants in the Visa Waiver Program. Please note that as of March 2007, all visitors from Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean require passports to travel to the U.S. Please visit U.S. State Department's Travel Web site and/or check with your travel agent before commencing travel.

Customs & Excise

All visitors from outside the U.S. will be required to pass through a customs check administered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Click here to access the traveler entry form and more information about prohibited and restricted goods.

Airports, Transportation to the Hotel, and Map

Travelers have their choice of three airports when visiting San Jose:

• The Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) is the most convenient option, located three miles (5km) from our convention hotel.
  
  The Fairmont San Jose does not offer a shuttle service to and from the airport; you may take a taxi for approximately U.S.$15.00 to U.S.$20.00 one way. Or schedule a Super Shuttle in advance for approximately U.S.$19.00 ($9.00 for additional guests) by calling 408-558-9500 or going to www.supershuttle.com. Public transportation is available from the airport:
  
  
  • Take the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) #10 Flyer bus from the airport to the Metro Light Rail Stop (on 2nd Street); approximately U.S.$2.50.
    
    
  • Take the Light Rail to the Paseo de San Antonio Stop (6 stops from Metro Stop), walk thru Paseo to First Street (the hotel has a First Street entrance); approximately U.S.$2.50.
    
    
• The San Francisco International Airport (SFO), located approximately 13 miles south of San Francisco and only a 45-minute to an hour drive from San Jose, may be appealing for international travelers.
  
  To get to the Fairmont San Jose Hotel from the San Francisco airport, a Super Shuttle may be arranged in advance for approximately U.S.$39.00 ($9.00 for additional guests) one way by calling 408-558-9500 or going to www.supershuttle.com; Another option is the South and East Bay Shuttle Service, which provides door-to-door van service from U.S.$32.00 one way; call 408.225.4444 or go to www.southandeastbayairportshuttle.com; A taxi from the San Francisco airport to our convention hotel would cost approximately U.S.$140.00 one way.
  
  
• The Oakland International Airport (OAK), 37 miles north of our convention hotel, is also an option, although ground transportation to San Jose is limited. A minimum Super Shuttle fare is U.S.$105 (this fare does include up to 4 riders). The Oakland airport may be a good option for those people travelling with a group or planning to rent a car during their stay. The Super Shuttle contact information above may be used to arrange transportation from Oakland to San Jose.

For those members going on the two-day, post-convention California Dreamin’ excursion, the tour ends in San Francisco early Thursday morning, July 17. The tour bus will transfer you back to the San Jose Airport, departing San Francisco at 6 a.m. and arriving at the San Jose Airport at 7 a.m. Or if you are flying out of the San Francisco Airport, you may take a shuttle on your own from the San Francisco hotel for $15.00 or a taxi for $40.00.

Other Transportation Information

• The Fairmont San Jose's preferred limousine service is Wine and Roses Limousine Service. For more information call (800) WOW-LIMO (408-283-5466 outside the U.S.), or click on their name to visit their Web site.
  
  
• Hertz Rental car is located underneath The Fairmont San Jose's main building (Phone: (408) 286-6201). Several other rental agencies are located in both airports.
  
  
• For driving directions to the hotel and parking availability and cost, please click here.
  
  
• The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority's buses, light rails, and historic trolleys offer access to many of the area's attractions. VTA day passes, which offer unlimited access to all VTA transportation services, are available for U.S.$5.75 ($2.25 for seniors age 65 and over). Prices are subject to change.

Weather/What to Wear
Pack light and pack layers! High temperatures in July average 84 F/28 C, with cooler evenings. Casual dress is suitable for daily wear. Planning a visit to San Francisco? There you will enjoy much cooler weather, with an average daily high of 68 F/20 C and a low of 54 F/12 C in July. Dress for convention’s Opening Ceremonies is “California casual,” for meetings it's “business casual,” and for the Installation Banquet, a more formal event per Quota tradition, it's “party attire.”

Sun Protection
The sun shines on San Jose 300 days per year! Be sure to bring sunscreen.

Electricity
240/250 AC 50hz. Universal outlets for 100 volts are standard in hotels, apartments, and motels. Three-pin plugs are standard, and most hotels/motels have hair dryers and tea/coffee makers.

Time
San Jose operates on Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). If you are flying from the East Coast, please remember that you gain three hours upon arrival in San Jose. If you are flying from the South Pacific, you gain a day as you fly across the International Dateline.

Currency Conversion
Visit Oanda.com for up-to-date currency conversion information.

Tax and Tipping

Add-on sales tax in the San Jose area ranges from 7.25 to 8.75 percent, and taxes are not added into marked prices on items but rather added at the register. Tipping waitstaff at sit-down restaurants and bellhops and maid service staff at hotels is customary. Gratuity is typically added at a rate of approximately 18% when dining at restaurants in large parties.

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