Hotel

    The Health Science Center has the advantage of a rather high volume of travelers which has afforded some excellent partnerships with a few surrounding hotels. With San Antonio having a major tourist attraction, the hotel industry here has been refined through innumerable room-nights from travelers all over the world. Downtown alone has dozens of upscale and luxury hotels to cater to even the most finicky traveler.

    When booking a hotel for a visitor, keep in mind their needs and their itinerary. To help smooth out this aspect of travel, here are some points to keep in mind:

• Be sure the guest has the State occupancy tax exemption form to give to the hotel front desk upon checkin.
• For the main campus, the majority of travelers do quite well in the Courtyard Marriott. A clean property with a staff ready to help and a long-standing relationship with the Health Science Center, we have heard many raves about the hotel. Also, it is one of the lowest priced hotels that are contracted in this area.
• If you have a need for a guest to stay at the riverwalk, there are a few choices as well. We do have rate agreements with both the Westin and the Contessa along with direct billing . We can also direct bill from the Marriott Riverwalk/Rivercenter. Be aware that space can be scarce and this will control what type of rate you will receive.
• See Contacts  for the link to the direct bill hotel listing. To strengthen the business relationship, there are a few hotels that are allowing direct billing to the Health Science Center. Normally, direct billing is allowed only for conventions or bills over a certain amount. It takes quite a bit of work for a hotel to process a direct bill, so this indicates their willingness to maintain a business relationship with the HSC .
• If you are booking a flight reservation, it is best to book the hotel (and car) reservation at the same time to avoid any future confusion.
• Remember the per-diem limits for in-State travel: $85/night for hotels, $36/day for meals. This applies only to other State employees visiting our campus. Non-employees are paid at-cost with all receipts turned in with the local/state voucher.
• The Health Science Center has an agreement with two local, full-service hotels. Embassy Suites and Marriott Northwest have an agreement to share conference space between the two properties, and both have set up direct billing for the University. Additionally, shuttle service to/from the Health Science Center to either location will be provided by Embassy Suites.