Getting there
The J/i conference takes place just a few miles north of Washington D.C. at the College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, 3501 University Blvd, East Hyattsville, Md. 20783. The hotel is adjacent to the University of Maryland campus and a short walk away from the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. The host hotel offers directions and maps online.
Hotel Room Discount
A limited number of hotel rooms are available for Journalism Interactive attendees at a special rate of $109 per night. To get the conference rate, attendees may either book online through a special reservation page here, or may call Globetrotter Travel at the following numbers and specify you are booking to attend the UMD Journalism Interactive conference (call lines are open Mon.-Fri., during office hours.) Do not call the Marriott for this rate, it must be booked with the online form or by calling Globetrotter:
Local: 301-570-0800, press 2 when prompted
Toll Free: 866-235-5467, press 2 when prompted
Transportation from Airport
The hotel has no courtesy shuttle bus to DC-area airports. We recommend you take the SuperShuttle, which is perhaps the most affordable way to reach the Marriott conference center from all three airports. The SuperShuttle offers shared shuttle van service and is available from Baltimore (BWI,) from Washington Dulles (IAD,) and Reagan National (DCA.) Its rates are about half the cab fare. Uber and Lyft car services also are available.
Driving distance is 20 miles from Reagan airport, 30 miles from BWI, and 35 miles from Dulles. If you fly in early on Friday, allow extra time because you’ll be heading into rush-hour traffic from all three airports. If you fly into Reagan airport, you could use the Washington, D.C. Metro service to reach the metro station in College Park, Md., just a short cab ride from the conference a few miles away.
Free Parking
The host hotel, the College Park Marriott, has a large parking garage adjacent to the hotel conference center. Parking in the garage is free for all J/i attendees.
Training on Saturday
Parking also will be available for free on Saturday in front of the University of Maryland’s journalism building, Knight Hall. Hands-on training takes place all afternoon Saturday in Knight Hall, which is located just a five-minute walk from the Marriott conference center.