Registration time has come, and the registration form is full of options! When it comes to lodging,  making the best choice can be complicated, especially if you haven’t been through it before. This post is based on our personal experiences as well as feedback we received at LauraPalooza 2010 and is designed to help you make a more informed choice about where you would like to lodge during the conference.

You may choose your own lodging, of course, but there are two local hotels with special conference rates you will probably want to consider. A double room at the higher-priced AmericInn will run you $260 plus taxes per double room for your three-night stay (Wed, Thurs, and Fri); it will be another $100 to stay over Saturday night. The hotel is a walkable three blocks from the student union, where conference activities are located. The Microtel is a lower-priced option ($60 per night for a two-queen room) but is five miles from campus.

Most people are familiar with hotel stays, so I’ll describe the dorm situation, which is a little different. Staying in the dorms is quite a bargain, but keep in mind that you get what you pay for. Keep your expectations realistic, and you will have a satisfactory stay. For only $150, assuming you’re sharing your room with someone (or $170 to stay alone), you get three nights lodging plus all your meals (a $35 savings on the special conference lunches alone!). And it’s only another $20 to stay Saturday night.

But people who are long out of college may not quite remember what dorm living is like. The rooms are spare and unfurnished, with built-in desks and closets, and twin beds on metal frames. When I stayed I found the mattresses to be much thinner than at a hotel, and I wasn’t at all pleased with the pillow, which was very thin and flat; you may want to bring your own.  You can see part of the bed in this photo — beds were lowered for our stay, but this gives you a good idea of mattress size and comfort, as well as the amount of space you have.) The room had a decent amount of room to move around and store your belongings, but hangers are not provided for the closets, so remember to bring your own. (Other people have suggested bringing your own clock and reading lamp, as neither are provided.)

The bathrooms can also be an issue. If you’re in a double room, there are four people sharing the bathroom, which means you’ll have to work out a shower schedule. My chief complaint about the bathroom facility was the lack of privacy for showering. I was very fortunate to have excellent suitemates who were always courteous and respectful of our privacy, so it was not an issue for me, but it could have been. The bathroom is shared between two rooms, and there was no way to lock the doors to keep others out while you were in there. This picture isn’t the best, but this is the view as you enter from your room — the shower is to your left and the toilet to your right. (The toilet does have its own lockable door for privacy… but stepping out of the shower to dress, you would be completely exposed if someone happened to open the door.) As long as you have courteous suitemates, this does not have to be a problem — we simply worked out a shower schedule and knocked before entering.

Maid service is not provided during your stay. You will receive one set of (thin) linens when you arrive to be used for the duration of your stay. Again, you may choose to bring your own from home.

The biggest benefit to staying in the dorms, other than savings, was convenience. It was so nice to be just a short walk away from the cafeteria and the student union, and to have meals ready and waiting for us. I would have found it very stressful to have had to leave campus for every meal and find a place to eat and hurry back for evening entertainments, and it was well worth the inconvenience of the bed and shower situations for me to have the convenience of location and food. This year, we have arranged that conference attendees can choose to eat at the dorm cafeteria and pay per meal, so hotel attendees don’t have to rely on off-campus restaurants.

If you attended the last LauraPalooza, where did you stay? We want everyone to make the best decision for them, so feel free to chime in with your own experience.