Hotel
Westin Hotel
11 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 9H4
Canada
Phone: 613-560-7000
Hotel Reservations: https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/StarGroupsWeb/res?id=1412035802&key=1AC9C1F8.
The Westin Hotel is the venue of the conference, and it is also where we have an agreement for price-locked rooms. There are two room rates, $159 and $179, depending on the room you get. Map.
Directions on how to get to the hotel/venue from the airport, the intercity bus station, the train station.
Travelling to Ottawa
In addition to the info below, see also the link to Ottawa Tourism at the right under Ottawa Amusements.
The major airports of entry to Canada are Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. There are hourly flights from Toronto to Ottawa and frequent flights from Montreal to Ottawa. Several airlines also fly direct to Ottawa from overseas and the United States.
Ottawa can be reached by air, rail and road (bus and car).
Ottawa Transit goes right to the the Ottawa International Airport (YOW) and the train and inter-city bus stations. Or you can get a taxi from any of these to get to the hotel and/or conference venue.
We will be filling out more information on these pages as time goes by. In the meantime here are some links.
- Ottawa Tourism's page on how to get to Ottawa.
- The local transit company: OCTRANSPO.
- Ottawa International Airport (YOW).
- Train station closer to downtown.
- Train station in the suburbs (not recommended, unless you know someone in that suburb).
- Intercity bus station (WARNING, gratuitous javascript alert, try this site first.).
Directions to Venue/Hotel from Airport
Public transit
Public transit is a very workable option. You do not need to transfer and have a short indoor walk to the hotel. The cash bus price is $3.45. They do not give change on the bus so you must have exact change or you can overpay if you don't have change. You can ride the buses for 3 hours for one fare. Tickets can be purchased in the Rideau centre entrance near the Westin Hotel, and there may be a shop in the airport.
To find the #97 bus at the airport, head to the far right as you head away from the waterfall in the arrival area. Once you exit the far right hand revolving door, cross the one way road and head to the bus shelter on the right. (This is the end of the line so you can't get on the bus heading the wrong way.) The bus runs 24 hours a day with service every 15 to 30 minutes. You can see the stop schedule at: http://www.octranspo1.com/travelplanner/stop?stop=3039
You must get and keep a transfer when you enter the bus. It is your proof of payment if a fare inspector comes on board.
You remain on the bus for about 30 minutes. Ottawa buses announce the next stop by loud speaker and display the stop name on the stop request signs. You are going to the RIDEAU CENTRE - MACKENZIE KING stop.
When you arrive at the Rideau Centre mall, walk to the left along the street and enter the mall. When you get to the courtyard, take the left hand branch of the mall. Some way down the left, you will see an entrance to the Westin Hotel (if you get to second courtyard, you have just walked past the entrance). Inside the hotel, follow the signs to the front desk. The entire walk is less than 5 minutes.
The bus route servicing the airport and the downtown core (ie. Westin Hotel via Rideau Centre Shopping Plaza) is the #97 Bayshore-Bells Corners, or #97 Airport --- if returning in the direction of the airport.
Taxi
A taxi from the airport will cost about $45 in rush hour (according to http://www.taxifarefinder.com/).
Shuttle Service
The Ottawa Shuttle Service works on demand only. You must book your seat in advance. Call 613-680-3313 to arrange your pick-up or use their website at: https://ottawashuttleservice.bookingtool.net. The return cost is about $90.
Other
Additional transportation information can be found at the Ottawa International Airport website (Fly YOW). The site has a specific "TRANSPORTATION" page that is accessible from the Parking & Transportation sub-menu on the main, left-hand navigation pane. The weblink is: Ottawa Intl. Airport - Parking & Transportation.
Driving
If you are driving to the conference, basic details are provided by the hotel at: http://www.thewestinottawa.com/directions. Note that if you are not experienced in winter driving, you may wish to avoid it.
Directions to Venue/Hotel from Intercity Bus Terminal
The Intercity Bus Terminal is also known as the Central Bus station, or the Greyhound Station. For further details, see the Canadian or American sites depending on your starting point.
Taxi
A taxi will cost about $10 (according to http://www.taxifarefinder.com/) but could cost twice as much during rush hour.
Public transit
Public transit from this location is not recommended if you have large luggage, are travelling in rush hour or don't have winter clothes and boots. You will have a short walk outside and a wait at a bus stop without a shelter along a very busy road. The cash bus price is $3.45. They do not give change on the bus so you must have exact change or you can overpay if you don't have change. You can ride the buses for 3 hours for one fare.
To find the city bus at the intercity bus terminal, head away from the arrival area and out the doors to Catherine St. Walk past the bus stop directly opposite the terminal (the bus stopping here heads in the wrong direction). Continue to walk left on Catherine St. (against the direction of car traffic) 2 blocks to Bank St. Cross both Catherine St and Bank Street until you are at the bus stop in front of the low brick retaining wall. Check the sign to confirm this is bus stop number 8895.
Any bus which stops here will take you to the hotel. It might be bus 1 (Rideau Centre or Rockcliffe) or bus 7 (Rideau Centre or St. Laurent). Both bus routes runs 24 hours a day with service every 15 to 30 minutes. You can see the stop schedule at: http://www.octranspo1.com/travelplanner/stop?stop=8895.
You must get and keep a transfer when you enter the bus. It is your proof of payment if a fare inspector comes on board.
You remain on the bus for about 30 minutes. Ottawa buses announce the next stop by loud speaker and display the stop name on the stop request signs. You are going to the RIDEAU ST stop.
When you arrive in lower level of the Rideau Centre, walk back on the same side of the street 1/2 block to the mall entrance. When the hallway forks, take the right hand branch. When it forks again, take the right hand branch. When you arrive (in the area under construction) at the escalators, go up 2 levels. At the top, turn right. The entrance to the Weston Ottawa hotel will be just down a few stores on the right. Inside the hotel, follow the signs to the front desk. The entire walk is less than 5 minutes.
Directions to Venue/Hotel from Train Station
Public Transit
Public transit is doable and involves two brief indoor walks. The cash bus price is $3.45. They do not give change on the bus so you must have exact change or you can overpay if you don't have change. You can ride the buses for 3 hours for one fare.
Walk away from arrival area and exit at the centre portion of the main doors. Directly across the road is the entrance to a pedestrian walkway / bridge. Cross over bus roadway and take the second stairs or second elevator down to bus stop.
If you are travelling in morning rush hour, be aware that express commuter buses do not automatically stop at this stop. If another passenger flags down an express bus, you can take it but must pay the cash peak fare of $4.90.
Take any route 94 (Riverside, Baseline or Stranherd), route 95 (Tunney's Pasture, Baseline, Fallowfield, or Barrhaven) or route 96 (Tunney's Pasture). Both bus routes runs 24 hours a day with service every 15 to 30 minutes. You can see the stop schedule at: http://www.octranspo1.com/travelplanner/stop?stop=3024.
You must get and keep a transfer when you enter the bus. It is your proof of payment if a fare inspector comes on board.
You remain on the bus for about 15 minutes. Ottawa buses announce the next stop by loud speaker and display the stop name on the stop request signs. You are going to the RIDEAU CENTRE - MACKENZIE KING stop.
When you arrive at the upper level of the Rideau Centre mall, walk to the left along the street and enter the mall. When you get to the first branch, take the left hand hallway of the mall. Some way down the left, you will see an entrance to the Westin Hotel (if you get to second courtyard, you have just walked past the entrance). Inside the hotel, follow the signs to the front desk. The entire walk is less than 5 minutes.
Taxi
A taxi ride will cost about $15. Due to construction congestion, a rush hour ride may cost closer to $25.
Smoker?
Ontario law prohibits smoking in all enclosed workplaces and enclosed public places. Outside smoking on private or public property is often restricted to selected areas (away from building entrenaces). At the airport, the outdoor smoking area is located to the far right on ground level (near the public bus area). Ecigaretters fall under the same restrictions.
Invitation Letters
Foreign attendees might need an invitation letter in order to obtain a visa to get into the country. We can issue invitation letters on request. Send an email to invite@netdev01.org with a request for a letter. We will arrange to get the required information, which we will put into a letter, print, sign and send to you by postal mail.
The Canadian Government has some information on coming to Canada for a conference. We will try to facilitate your visit, but we are not experts in international travel. It is up to you to determine the requirements and comply with them.
What to wear in Canada in February
If it's your first time in Ottawa in winter, don't panic. We haven't lost a visitor to frost in weeks. :-)
Indoors, just wear your regular clothes. You might want to have an extra shirt or sweater around. Those of you staying at our recommended hotel, the Westin, will not have to go outside to get to the venue. There are also a few food options reachable without going outdoors.
For those brave souls wanting to experience Winter: it depends. If it is properly cold (i.e. 5 Celsius below freezing point or colder for the high of the day), and you are not going to be outside long (eg, you just need to get from the airport into the taxi and from the taxi into the hotel/venue), then regular structured closed shoes with socks and a decent winter jacket/parka should be ok (and maybe hat, gloves/mittens and scarf if it is quite cold). However if it is warmer, closer to the freezing point or above, you can get away with a thinner jacket. Also it will be slushy and you might like to have waterproof footwear. In this case, large wellies with thick socks will do nicely. As long as your feet are dry, you'll be ok.
If it's really cold, -20 C and below, and especially if it is windy, you'll want a scarf and windproof hat, proper winter coat, gloves/mitts (maybe both). You should also dress in layers: thin t-shirt, a shirt, a sweater (aka jumper in Europe) over that and then the parka. Maybe both regular pants and a windproof shell over them, or long underwear and regular pants. Or all three layers.
If it has just snowed a bunch (more than 2 inches) you'll want the waterproof boots if it's warmer (down to -5 C) or any boots if it is colder (below -5 C). When the snow is all frozen, you don't have to worry so much about water getting into your footwear.
A note about winter coats and layers - my parka consists of a heavy polar fleece jacket, with a wind/water resistent overshell. So my parka is itself layered and I can take apart the two layers and use them separately. Other parkas have a single thicker layer (which is really several layers sewn together) - sometimes down-filled - often with water-resistant outer shell.
About getting your feet wet - it's not the end of the world - just uncomfortable and bad for your shoes. Don't hang around outside if your feet (or other body parts or clothes) are wet, or it might become the end of your world. Or the end of your toes. So if you have to walk through a slush puddle to get somewhere, and you know you won't be outside much longer, you can do it. Most people prefer not to if it is avoidable, but you cannot get through winter without it happening a few times.
You will definitely want UV-blocking sunglasses when the sun shines. It gets very bright when the sun shines on the snow.
Link to Environment Canada, for weather reports for Ottawa. http://weather.gc.ca/city/pages/on-118_metric_e.html
Another perspective on what to wear: http://www.ottawatourism.ca/en/features/winterlude-packing-guide