A bit of information about the conference venue:
The Royal National Hotel is situated just round the corner from Russell Square tube, and just a short walk from Oxford Street.
The main conference takes place in the Galleon Suites, through the North Entrance. We should have an easy to spot desk in the reception area there.
The BDD workshop will be held in the Alexandra room, behind the main reception, via the South Entrance.
Facilities available to guests (not included in the price, though) include wi-fi, a gym and pool, restaurants and a bowling alley!
Discounted rooms are available from £72, and if you book 2 nights and ask nicely, you can get a free three course meal! Quote the code 'BOGO'.
Of course, there are plenty of other hotels and accommodation in the area to choose from.
Wi-fi wil be available to all delegates during the conference.
A handy map: The hotel entrance is right on the tip of the diamond.
Mini Travel Guide
For those of you travelling from Heathrow or Gatwick, a mini travel guide
HEATHROW
Two good options:
1. The Piccadilly line on the London Underground will take you directly from Heathrow to Russell Square tube, just round the corner from the hotel. This will cost around £4, but takes up to 45 minutes.
2. The Heathrow Express train goes to Paddington station and takes just 15 minutes, and costs around £17. You can then get a Bakerloo line to Piccadilly Circus then change to the Piccadilly line for Russell Square.
A taxi would cost around £30. Not sure how long it would take, but London traffic is not good!
See here for more details
GATWICK
The Gatwick Express train goes to London Victoria and costs around £17. There may be some similar services to London bridge. From there, I'd suggest the Victoria line to Green Park, then switch to the Piccadilly Line to Russell Square.
Several buses also run, costing £2-10. but take 90 minutes
A taxi would cost £75-£100, I wouldn't recommend it.
See here for more details for Gatwick, and here for other London airports!
The tube is a good way to get around. Oyster cards might be worth looking into if you plan to get around a bit.
This app helps you plan tube travel from station to station:
http://www.presselite.com/iphone/londontube/
Tube exits is a handy iPhone app that has a tube map, works underground and even tells you which carriage to get on to arrive right by the exit at your destination :) (if you already know where you are going)
http://www.tubeexits.co.uk/
