1.) HOW DO WE BOOK A HOTEL ROOM FOR THE EVENT?
Only registered delegates who have received a registration confirmation mail from the organizing team should book a hotel room for the event. Conference venue Westin Hotel, Lombard Yorktown Center has no more rooms available, and Embassy Suites by Hilton is also full now. If you are a registered delegate who is yet to book a room, please arrange your stay at hotel Hyatt Place –
Hotel Name: HYATT PLACE CHICAGO/LOMBARD/OAK BROOK
Address: 2340 South Fountain Square Drive, Lombard, Illinois, USA, 60148
Phone: (630) 932-6501 or Hyatt Reservations at +1 (888) 591-1234
Website: http://lombard.place.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html?corp_id=G-WHGC
Use the following codes while booking the room –
Group Code Section: G-WHGC
2.) ARE THERE ANY OTHER HOTELS RECOMMENDED FOR STAY?
No, at this point we recommend you book a room at Hyatt Place, Lombard only.
3.) WHAT ARE THE VISA REQUIREMENTS AND HOW TO APPLY?
Please visit the USCIS website and select your country of origin to get details and apply locally in your country’s local US consulate office or embassy only
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas.html
Please make sure your passport is valid till april 9, 2019 (6+ months beyond the date of WHC 2018). Once you have successfully registered, you will receive an email with Attendee Service Centre portal access where you will have the option to print your visa invitation letter. After logging into the portal, you can access visa invitation letter by going to top-level Menu–>Documents.
4.) IS THERE ANY SUPPORT FOR OBTAINING VISA?
Quite a few of those who intend to attend the conference have asked for help in securing VISA. In this regard, ‘The Swiss Holidays Agency’ has agreed to extend support in securing VISA to those who want to take their help. For providing these services, they will charge Rs.1000/-, all inclusive, per person, in addition to VISA fees, on Pan-Bharat basis.
The Swiss Holidays Agency
Romi Trehan, CEO
Phone: +91 98996 00672
E-mail: management@theswissholidays.com
5.) WHAT IS THE CONTACT ADDRESS INFORMATION FOR ESTA/VISA APPLICATION?
Please note below ESTA/Visa application contact information:
World Hindu Congress 2018,
Hotel Westin Lombard
Address: 70 Yorktown Shopping Center, Lombard, IL 60148
Phone: (630) 719-8000
6.) IS THERE A PREFERRED TRAVEL AND TOUR OPERATOR FOR WHC 2018?
Please note below details for recommended travel agents.
1. http://www.bhavyatravels.com/ – Bhavya Travels is a Full-Service Travel Agency and can provide travel packages for a group or individual.
2. https://www.flightsbird.com/ – Flight’s Bird is an Airline Tickets Sales Agency Only
7.) WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE REGISTRATION FEES?
Registration Includes:
- Access to all Plenary Sessions
- Access to all 7 Confrence Track Sessions
- All Meals
- Sep 6, Thursday – Evening Dinner
- Sep 7: Breakfast, Lunch, Evening Tea, and Dinner
- Sep 8: Breakfast, Lunch, Evening Tea, and Dinner
- Sep 9: Breakfast and Lunch
NOTE: All meals are vegetarian preparations only.
Registration Does Not Include:
- Hotel Accommodation (For Accommodation booking, refer to FAQ#1 above)
- Transportation from/to airport (Refer to FAQ#8 below)
8.) ANY PROVISION FOR TRANSPORT FROM/TO CHICAGO AIRPORT?
World Hindu Foundation of America has negotiated with a Van service company for delegate transport from and to O’Hare International Airport Chicago (ORD) at minimal cost:
Cost of one way from Airport to Hotel $20.00 per person (with 2 bags)
Cost of one way to Airport from Hotel $20.00 per person (with 2 bags)
Above charges are payable only at http://whc2018.worldhinducongress.org/airport-transfer-request/. Please also note:
- Transportation is provided to following Hotels only.
Hotel Westin Lombard, 70 Yorktown Shopping Center, Lombard, IL 60148
Hotel Embassy Suite by Hilton : 707 East Butterfield Rd, Lombard, IL 60148
Hotel Hyatt Place Chicago : 2340 Fountain Square Dr, Lombard, IL 60148
- Pick-up/Drop-off dates are for Sep 6th to 9th only.
- Any other option of transportation will be the responsibility of the delegate.
- All early and late arrival/departures please make your own arrangements
- Please book your transportation now by paying at http://whc2018.worldhinducongress.org/airport-transfer-request/ We will not have any provision for collecting the charges in cash/credit card at the airport.
We will have WHC Volunteers at the ORD Airport from Sep 6th Afternoon onwards till Sep 9th Afternoon at Terminal 5 – International Arrivals. At present, we only have plans for O’Hare Airport Chicago, (ORD). If someone is arriving earlier or leaving later than these days, they will have to inform us in advance and plan for their stay and transport needs.
Please email transportation@whc2018.org or call 1-888-777-1473 Ext. 104 if you have any questions related to transport.
9.) ARE CHILDREN ALLOWED AT THE CONFERENCE?
We will have a Day care area for Children (there may be a nominal-fee for this service). It is not recommended that children be in conference halls. All accompanying children above 15 years of age are required to register as students and may attend youth sessions.
10.) WHAT IS THE REFUND POLICY?
Ordinarily, no refund will be admissible under any circumstances. Hence the delegates are requested to firm up their plans, keeping the same in view. Refund will be considered in the following cases.
Visa Status:
In case of refusal of VISA, the fees paid will be refundable, at the discretion of the WHC-2018 Directors, after deducting administrative charges incurred by WHC-2018 and a processing charge of USD $50 or currency equivalent. In such a case, the claimant has to file the refund claim at least 7 days before the date of the event/conference along with the VISA refusal document via emails to registration@whc2018.org or fax to 1-866-530-6714
Medical Reasons:
In case a delegate is unable to attended the conference due to medical reasons, the fees paid will be refundable, at the discretion of the WHC-2018 Directors, after deducting administrative charges incurred by WHC-2018 and a processing charge of USD $50 or currency equivalent. In such a case the claimant has to file the refund claim at least 7 days before the date of the event/conference along with the Medical Reason and Doctors Note, and submit these documents via email to registration@whc2018.org or fax to 1-866-530-6714
Registration Declined:
In case your registration is declined, conveying of the reason of rejection is not binding. The fees paid will be refundable, after deducting administrative charges incurred by WHC-2018 and a processing charge of USD $50 or currency equivalent.
The last day to get a refund against cancellation as per the above agreed refund policy is August 9th, 2018. Please note: any cancellations after August 9th are non-refundable. Only valid Medical Reasons will result in refund post this date, and delegate will be required to provide proof of medical condition.
11.) WHAT IS THE HOTEL CANCELLATION & REFUND POLICY?
Should a delegate want to cancel a hotel reservation booked through World Hindu Foundation, he/she would need to know the following: WHF has pre-negotiated room rates with Hotel Westin – the main venue of the World Hindu Congress 2018. This required entire payment upfront to book the entire hotel for the conference duration, and hence there is no refund if cancellation is done without reason. Refunds will be approved for the same reasons as mentioned in FAQ#10 only.
12.) ANY PROVISION OF SIM CARD FOR INTERNATIONAL CALLING?
SIM Card for $40 (for GSM unlocked phones only) will be available at the registration desk in Westin Hotel, payment accepted by Cash or Credit Card (Credit Card Fee $1.50). Features as below:
- Unlimited-Nationwide Talk and Text
- Unlimited Data with 5GB at up to 4G LTE
- Unlimited-International Talk & text to 75+ COUNTRIES
- $15 Bonus International Credit
- Lyka mobile company Bharat and 75 other country cell phone call is free
12.) CAN DELEGATES UPDATE PERSONAL DATA AFTER REGISTERING?
Delegates can log in to the attendee service centre portal using the credentials received in the registration confirmation email, to update their registration data. Note: Only name and primary email cannot be changed, rest other data can be changed. You can also download/print your visa invitation letter, invoice and registration barcode through the attendee service centre portal. To access these documents, log into the portal and click on top-level Menu–>Documents.
If you still have any questions or issues, please call: +1-888-777-1473 Ext. 101# or email registration@whc2018.org OR info@worldhinducongress.org