**As of 04.24.09, New Overflow Hotel, JW Marriott: If you are unable to obtain a room at the New Orleans Marriott or the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, you may contact the JW Marriott New Orleans for reservations. Centrally located on historic Canal Street (just a block and half away from conference activities), this newly renovated hotel is only steps from entertainment and attractions, such as Bourbon Street, the Shops at Canal Place and the Aquarium of the Americas. To make a reservation at the JW Marriott, please call 888.364.1200 and mention you are attending the AGA PDC to receive the $120 rate.

Hotel Accommodations

This year’s conference activities will take place in two hotels. The New Orleans Marriott will play host to the Registration Desk, Exhibit Hall, concurrent sessions and most of AGA’s business meetings. The Sheraton New Orleans Hotel will host all of the general sessions and luncheons. For your convenience, both hotels are located on Canal Street and are directly across the street from each other.

We have reserved a block of rooms at both the New Orleans Marriott and the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel to accommodate PDC attendees.

The AGA room rate is $120 per night (plus tax) for single and double occupancy. Rates are only guaranteed until May 29, 2009, or until the block is sold out. We encourage you to make your hotel reservations early, for the best price and availability.

New Orleans Marriott
555 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
PH: 504.581.1000
Reservations: 800.654.3990

AGA Rate: $120

Check-in: 3 p.m.
Check-out: Noon

The New Orleans Marriott is located at the edge of the historic French Quarter and just steps from Bourbon Street, the downtown business district and iconic Big Easy attractions. See the city at ground level with a short walk to the Aquarium of Americas, IMAX Theatre, the National World War II Museum and a wealth of popular shopping destinations such as Canal Place, Riverwalk Marketplace, Café du Monde and JAX Brewery. Fresh from a recent $38 million renovation, the New Orleans Marriott features beautifully appointed guest rooms, a heated outdoor pool, a fully equipped fitness center, room service (6 a.m. – 11 p.m.) updated concierge lounge and on-site business center. Highlights include a new lobby with stylish wine bar, Starbucks coffee shop and gift shop. The New Orleans Marriott Hotel is home to the award-winning 5 Fifty 5, serving up a dining experience worthy of its French Quarter location.

To make a reservation, please call 800.654.3990 and mention you are attending the “AGA PDC” to receive the discounted rate.

Sheraton New Orleans Hotel
500 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
PH: 504.525.2500
Reservations: 888.627.7033

AGA Rate: $120

Check-in: 3 p.m.
Check-out: Noon

New Orleans is known for unforgettable dining, intoxicating live music, old-world charm and good-time living. And the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel is at the heart of it all. Located on historic Canal Street just steps from the French Quarter, the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel is a short walk from Bourbon Street, the Aquarium of the Americas, Harrah’s Casino, IMAX Theater, Riverwalk Marketplace and several renowned restaurants, live music clubs, museums and historic sites. This four-star hotel’s amenities include 24-hour, in-room dining, Starbucks coffee shop, fitness center and rooftop pool. Along with a great location, the hotel offers warm and inviting guest rooms, stylish drinks at the Pelican Bar and excellent food at Roux Bistro.

To make a reservation, please call 888.627.7033 and mention you are attending the “AGA PDC” to receive the discounted rate.

Hotel rooms are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis until the hotel is sold out. Make your reservations early!

Air Travel

Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY) is located 15 miles from the New Orleans Marriott and Sheraton New Orleans Hotel. The airport serves all major airlines, so no matter where you’re coming from your trip will be quick and easy.

Please contact your favorite airline or travel agent to make reservations. Many websites allow you to search for and purchase airline tickets online, including Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity. For the best rates and discounts you should make reservations at least 30 days prior to departure.

Car Rental

Coming soon...

Ground Transportation

Attendees can rely on the area's taxi and shuttle services for getting to the conference. Please refer to the information below when planning your trip.

Shuttle Service

Moving from the airport to your final destination has never been easier. Airport Shuttle New Orleans is the official ground transportation provider for the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY).

To find the shuttle, go to the lower level. Airport Shuttle ticket desks are located across from baggage claim areas 3, 6 and 12. The desks are staffed for ticket sales by cash or credit card daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. After 11 p.m., you may purchase a one-way ticket with cash from any driver on the loading dock outside of baggage claim area 6. The driver will provide you with a cash receipt, if needed.

Cost is $15 for a one-way trip or $30 for a round-trip shuttle. Shuttles depart from the airport approximately every 30 minutes. This is a shared ride service and shuttles may make several stops before reaching your hotel.

Please call 504.522.3500 or 866.596.2699 for more information, advance reservations or wheelchair-accessible service. For more information Airport Shuttle New Orleans, please click here.

*Rates are subject to change without notice.

Taxi Service

New Orleans has plenty of taxis available to take attendees to and from the hotel and throughout the city. The cab fare from the airport to the Central Business District and French Quarter is approximately $28.

Pick-up is on the lower level, outside the baggage claim area. There may be an additional charge for extra baggage. A $1 fuel surcharge is added to the total fare.

Parking

Valet parking is available at the New Orleans Marriott for $32 per day. Valet parking at the Sheraton is $30 per day. Unlimited in/out privileges are available for hotel guests only. If you are not a guest at the hotel, you will be charged for each time you enter and exit the garage.

*Parking rates are subject to change.

Weather & Dress

New Orleans’ average high temperature in June is 90 degrees and the average low is 72 degrees. To view the current weather forecast, please visit www.weather.com.

Business casual attire is appropriate for all conference activities. Since meeting room temperatures vary, we recommend that you dress in layers and bring a sweater or jacket to the sessions.

Comfortable walking shoes are a must, as many Big Easy attractions are within two to six blocks of the hotel.

Explore New Orleans

Indulge your senses, savor New Orleans’ rich cultural experience and celebrate everything that makes New Orleans a unique, authentic and enthralling destination.

Now is the time to fall in love with the Big Easy all over again. New Orleans is the epitome of resilience and heart, and is the ideal location for PDC 2009. Come watch the rebirth of this wonderful and beloved city.

Restaurants
The Big Easy offers one of the most incredible—and incredibly diverse—concentrations of exceptional dining and unforgettable cuisine in the world. More restaurants are open in New Orleans than ever before. This includes most of the city's culinary treasures, including such renowned restaurants as Galatoire's, Emeril's, Arnaud's, Commander's Palace, Emeril's Delmonico, Bayona, Herbsaint, Restaurant August, G.W. Fin's, Bacco, Peristyle, Palace Cafe, Lilette, Brigsten's, K-Paul's, Cuvee, NOLA, Bourbon House, Broussard's and Antoine's.

In addition, many of the city's favorite neighborhood hotspots such as Mother's, Casamento's, Ralph's on the Park, Jacques-Imo's, Upperline, Acme Oyster House, Gumbo Shop, Cafe du Monde, Muriel's, Tujague's, Tommy's and Pascal's Manale are also welcoming diners.

Wherever you choose to eat in New Orleans, prepare your palate to fall in love…your table awaits.

Music… and all that Jazz
New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz and a city that some of the world’s most popular musicians—from Louis Armstrong to Lenny Kravitz—have called home. A melting pot of musical inspirations and innovations, New Orleans has embraced music as an indelible part of its history, an important facet of its identity, and one of the most colorful threads in its cultural tapestry. From street performers to intimate clubs, jazz funerals to festivals, and symphonies to headlining rock concerts, music continues to permeate and enrich everyday life in New Orleans.

Walk the streets of New Orleans today, and you’ll still hear it: the hum, the beat, the rhythm. It’s everywhere. Jazzy and jubilant, soulful and spiritual, rocking and rolling—New Orleans music tells the story of the city and its people to anyone who will hear it, and in the most eloquent ways imaginable.

There’s cajun, zydeco, live music, gospel, jazz clubs and music halls, opera, blues and symphony. New Orleans has it all.

See a calendar of upcoming musical events.

Nightlife
When the sun goes down, New Orleans comes alive with a magical energy all its own. New Orleans’ nightlife is back in full force and continuing to earn its legendary status—a diverse offering of music, color, flavor, fun and excitement.

New Orleans nightlife is the neon, noise and revelry of Bourbon Street; but it is also the shadows of moonlit couples walking along the Mississippi. It’s the abandon of red-hot live music and the gratification of all-night coffee and beignets. It’s beer, bands and bowling—all together, all night long. It’s just about anything you can imagine and many more things you can’t. Nightlife in New Orleans is always unforgettable.

Art and Culture
There is perhaps no other city that embraces and celebrates its artistic, cultural and historical legacy more enthusiastically than New Orleans. The city is a living, breathing museum to its own rich heritage and timeless intrigue. Whether your appreciation is for art, military history, architecture, sports or even voodoo or Mardi Gras, New Orleans has a museum that will take you on a once-in-a-lifetime journey of discovery.

New Orleans is passionate about preserving and appreciating its unique culture and colorful history. Explore artistic and cultural masterpieces at the city’s world-class museums and galleries, such as Musée Conti Wax Museum, Mardi Gras World, New Orleans Museum of Art, Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the National World War II Museum. Take a walk through living history in the vibrant core of the city: the French Quarter, the Warehouse/Arts District and the Garden District. Or, take a ride in living history—a streetcar—down Canal Street or along the river.

Shopping
Like most things in this unusual city, shopping in New Orleans is a wholly different experience. Though the surrounding areas boast malls to rival any in America, New Orleans still believes in the old-world marketplace tradition. Here, historic districts and luxury centers dedicated to the art of shopping gather remarkable concentrations of specialty shops, designer boutiques, galleries, cafés and restaurants.

Downtown, you can make shopping history at the French Market, America’s oldest operating public market. In the French Quarter, Royal Street is deservedly famous for its elegant antique furniture, décor and jewelry, while the Warehouse/Arts District has been called the “SoHo of the South” for its hip lofts and upscale contemporary art galleries. Designer divas and families alike will enjoy the Riverwalk Marketplace’s casual fun, giant food court, and up-close river views.

The Shops at Canal Place, located just one block from AGA PDC hotels, is home to exclusive designer boutiques and a stunning variety of more than 45 world-class shops and cafes, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Brooks Brothers, Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma and BCBG.

And then there is Magazine Street, offering six miles of eclectic shops, hip boutiques, art studios, galleries, spas, restaurants and cafés that run the gamut from upscale to offbeat, and sophisticated to shabby chic. Tucked into charming row houses, Victorian cottages and renovated warehouses, the street’s business and residential mix runs all the way from Canal Street to Audubon Park.

Golf, Sports and the Outdoors
New Orleans’ hauntingly beautiful landscape also offers an incredible array of outdoor activities, including the absolutely finest fresh and salt water fishing anywhere. The city also offers exceptional eco-tours, swamp tours, cycling, running and more in the area. Stroll beneath the moss-draped oaks in one of the city’s many parks, or tee up at an area golf course. Glide past alligators on an airboat in the heart of the swampland. Or take in the wildlife by visiting the renowned Audubon Zoo and Aquarium of the Americas. The list is long and varied, and every option takes advantage of the lush, water- and wildlife-filled environs unique to the area.

Gaming
With a flick of the wrist and a roll of the dice, New Orleans’ flourishing casino scene has sprung back to life. Harrah’s Casino, is located just a few blocks from the PDC hotels and features more than 2,000 slot machines, 90 table games and the largest poker room in the South. The Besh Steakhouse at Harrah’s and Bambu offer relaxed white linen table service, and The Buffet at Harrah’s offers a fantastic array of international cuisine. The ultra-hip Masquerade features an ice bar, hot music, ultra lounge, and signature slots and table games, and Party Gras is a completely new, themed slot area featuring the latest and most exciting games.

So let the good times roll! As you can see, there is so much to see and do. Start planning today… AGA’s PDC and the Big Easy await you!