Registration Frequently Asked Questions



Registration Frequently Asked Questions(Microsoft FTEs only)This FAQ is categorized by the following topics: Registration Information HYPERLINK \l "Hotelinfo" Hotel Information HYPERLINK \l "AirTravelInfo"Air/Travel Information HYPERLINK \l "GroundTrans" Ground Transportation HYPERLINK \l "StillQuestions" Still Have Questions?Registration Information Q) How do I find out more information about the recent U.S. Executive Order regarding Immigration and restrictions for access to the United States? A) .?CELA will be updating to this location as things change.?Specific questions for those impacted can be directed to our mailto:askusimmigration alias.?Q) How do I get an invitation to attend S4? A) If you wish to attend S4, please contact the Allocation Owner for your group/Area listed on MyS4 to inquire about your eligibility to attend and invitation availability. Q) I tried to register with my employee ID and received an error that says I am not able to register, but I should be approved to attend. A) You will need to check with your manager and ask if he/she has submitted your name to the Allocation Owner for your Area who is managing invitations for your group/Area’s attendance. Allocation Owner are listed on the MYS4 site. Q) By when do I need to register? A) The deadline to register is Thursday, 12 January 2017. However, we recommend you register as soon as you receive your invitation to assure you reserve a conference hotel, can select a roommate and can make cost effective travel arrangements.If you cannot use your invitation, please let your Allocation Owner know as soon as possible so your invitation can be reallocated and another SSP can be given the advantage of attending S4. Q) I am only able to attend part of S4 and would like to give my invitation to my coworker to attend the remainder of the event.A) Your invitation is non-transferable. Only approved attendees are allowed to attend S4. Sharing your event badge with another attendee is against Microsoft policy. Please note that by accepting your invitation to attend S4 you are expected to attend the entire event. Attendee participation is highly encouraged at ancillary events for the full attendee experience and we ask that no side meetings or other activites be scheduled during those times to optimize the S4 investment.Q) Will I need my Microsoft Badge/Cardkey onsite? A) All S4 Microsoft attendees and speakers must present their Microsoft cardkey/badge or Government or State issued photo identification at registration when picking up S4 credentials. Your event badge is required for entry to all S4 sessions and events.? Q) When will registration for speakers be available and what is the process? A) Speaker registration and housing will begin on 23 November 2016.?Session Owners will select their speakers and invitations will be sent via email.?Speakers should visit the Speaker Portal at for critical guidance and information.Q) Will I be charged if I cancel my registration?A) As long as you cancel by 5 January 2017, there is no cancellation charge. However, Finance is requesting the event to implement a late cancellation fee of $1k USD inside of 4 weeks of the event and no show fee of $2k USD.? These fees will be charged back to the individual’s cost center in the same month the event takes place.?? It is the attendee’s responsibility to properly RSVP, avoiding any unnecessary charges.? More details on fees and dates can be found on the event site under Registration.?To cancel, go to the S4 registration website. Log-in using your Microsoft account or Microsoft employee credentials and click the “Cancel my Registration” button.?Hotel Information Q) Does the registration tool automatically assign a hotel, or do attendees need to make their own arrangements? A) Reserving a hotel is part of the registration process and can be done using the registration tool. Attendees should be aware of the following dates and procedures: Thursday, 20 OctoberHotel confirmations begin being emailed to attendeesThursday, 5 JanuaryAttendees must have selected a roommate from the list of invited attendees AND the requested roommate must accept the roommate requestFriday, 6 JanuaryRoommates will be assigned automatically and roommate requests cannot be guaranteedThursday, 12 JanuaryRegistration and housing requests must be completedNote: If you have not checked-in to your hotel prior to?midnight on the evening of your stated arrival date, it is standard hotel policy to cancel your reservation and charge a no-show fee equivalent to the cost of one night’s stay plus tax to the credit card on file. To ensure your reservation is not cancelled,?please contact your hotel directly and notify them if you will be arriving later than the hotel's published check-in time.?Q) Will there be connectivity at my hotel?A) Hi-speed internet access is included in your room rate. At the event, wireless access will be available in most public areas and power will be provided at sponsored charging lounges and often not available in the session rooms. Q) Am I required to have a roommate at this event? A) Yes. Microsoft has determined there are cost savings and benefits for attendees to share rooms, so S4 attendees must comply with this policy. Exceptions to this policy are speakers and employees who are director-level or above. Q) How do I request an exception to the roommate policy based on a medical need?A) If an employee is requesting a single room due to medical necessity, they can contact Benefits@ to obtain the necessary information and forms for the medical accommodation process. Please alert askS4@ to expedite the process as quickly as possible. All other exceptions require direct manager approval in email prior to the roommate deadline, Thursday 5 of January 2017, to be considered. No exceptions will be considered after the deadline.? ?Q) Can I make my own hotel accommodations?A) Due to contractual obligations, Microsoft needs all S4 attendees stay at the conference hotels and reserve rooms using the registration process. Q) When will I receive my hotel confirmation? A) Attendee hotel confirmations will be sent out starting Thursday, 20 October. After this date, hotel confirmations will be emailed generally within 3 business days of new registrations or change requests or as soon as your roommate has registered. Please note that confirmations may take longer to process if your reservation request includes additional hotel nights (prior to or after the event). Q) If my roommate has requested a room, do I need to request a room as well?A) Yes, we need to account for all attendees staying in the S4 hotels. You will need to request a room when you register and both you and your roommate will need to accept each other as your preferred roommate in the registration tool. Q) By when do I need to request a roommate?A) Attendees must have selected a roommate from the list of invited attendees by Thursday, 5 January 2017. If both you and your roommate are not registered for the event by this date, or you or your requested roommate did not respond to the roommate invitation by this date, we cannot guarantee you and your requested roommate will be assigned to each other. Starting Friday, 6 January 2017, a roommate will be assigned for you. Q) Can I change my roommate?A) Due to the size of the event we cannot accommodate roommate changes after they have been assigned. Q) Why did my coworker get a single room and I do not?A) Occasionally randomly selected people are assigned single rooms to minimize Microsoft’s obligation to pay for unused hotel rooms. Q) If I end up with a single room because my appointed roommate cancels or is a no-show, will my originally appointed roommate still be responsible for his/her portion of the hotel room bill?A) The cost of the hotel, taxes and any incidental charges are the responsibility of whoever occupies the hotel room regardless of prior roommate assignments. The payment transaction is between the occupant/s and the hotel. Unfortunately, Microsoft has no way of charging someone who does not occupy a hotel room. Q) What if I need to change/cancel my hotel dates? A) Please note the following procedures: PRIOR to 12 January 2017 – To change your arrival or departure dates, or to cancel your hotel reservation, return to the registration website. Log-in under the “Existing Registration” section and on the next page click on the “Update my Registration” button.?On the Summary page, click the “Edit” button under the Housing Section to make updates.? AFTER 12 January 2017 – To change your arrival or departure dates, or to cancel your hotel reservation, please contact the hotel directly. The phone number for your hotel is listed in your confirmation email.? VERY IMPORTANT – Please Read:? Failure to check-in to the hotel on your scheduled date of arrival may result in the cancellation of all nights in your reservation and a no-show fee equal to one night's room rate plus tax charged to your credit card by the hotel. If you are delayed during travel or if you will arrive after 18:00/6 p.m., we suggest you contact the hotel and tell them your estimated arrival time or change your arrival date, if necessary.?Note: You may still be required to pay for the original check-in night.Cancellations must be made 24 hours prior to check-in to avoid paying a hotel cancellation fee.?Cancellations made less than 24 hours prior to check-in will result in a charged to your credit card by the hotel of one night's room rate plus tax. Cancelling when you have a roommate – Should you need to cancel your hotel room and you have a roommate, be advised the S4 hotels have been instructed to “hold the room” for your roommate to assure he or she has a hotel room. In a roommate scenario, if one roommate is a no-show, the full cost of the room is the responsibility of the individual who occupies the room.If you experience any problems modifying or cancelling your registration/housing, please contact the S4 Registration and Housing Team at S4@experient-.? Q) Is my hotel room directly billed to Microsoft? A) No. You are responsible for paying all hotel costs, which will be reimbursed by Microsoft via Employee Expense Reimbursement Proceedure. Hotel and flight charges should be charged to your group’s cost center or T&E budget. Q)? My family will be accompanying me to Bellevue, WA during the event – how should we handle the hotel accommodations? A) S4 attendees will have a full schedule and the event requires attendees’ full attention and participation.?For these reasons, we discourage bringing family to S4.?If you decide to bring your family, we request you arrange separate hotel accommodations for them outside of the S4 hotel block. Please note you will still be required to stay within the S4 hotel block during event dates to ensure we meet our contractual agreements with the hotels.? Flight/Travel Information When making your flight arrangements, please ensure your flights into and out of Seattle International Airport (SEA) are made so that they do not interfere with attendance at S4.?Q) How do I book my flight for S4? A) Visit the Microsoft travel information page for the link to the MSTravel Online Booking Tool for your region or country, company travel policies you should read before you travel and other helpful information.Per Microsoft travel policy, all S4 attendees are to fly coach/economy. Business-related travel arrangements for all Microsoft employees must be booked and purchased through the designated travel agency in the employee’s country or through the designated?online booking tool, where available.?All US-based employees are required to use the online booking tool for domestic reservations. Microsoft reserves the right to refuse reimbursement for travel that is not booked through the agency or online tool. Q) International Travelers - My airline or airline booking agency is advising me I need to provide my US?hotel contact information.A)?Some?airlines are now requiring international passengers to provide their US hotel?name/address/phone information upon airport?check-in.?If you register and reserve hotel accommodations using the S4 registration tool, you will be sent in email a hotel confirmation that will contain the required information.?You also may be asked to show your round-trip ticket and provide emergency contact numbers. Be sure to have this information with you at airport check-in to show?airline agents and/or immigration officials to avoid being delayed or denied boarding.Q) How do I get a business visa or invitation letter to attend S4? A) If you are a non-U.S. attendee and a visa is required for your travel to Bellevue for S4 please visit Passports & Visas to review possible business travel visa requirements. Please note that Global Migration provides these links as a courtesy, but does not process business visitor visas.? In some cases a “business sponsorship” letter is required? along with your visa or passport. As part of your registration to S4 February 2017, you have the opportunity to complete an online form to receive a business sponsorship letter for access to the US. If you selected “No” to the request form already, you can return to your registration record and complete this form. Please access your registration here.? You will need to print the letter you receive after completing the form,? and carry it with you as part of your travel documents for your trip to S4 February 2017 in Bellevue.If you have questions regarding travel, please visit the Microsoft Travel Agency Contacts page for answers. Send email to MSTravel for all other queries related to the travel program or policy.Q) I am approved to attend S4 and will be extending my stay in Bellevue. Will I have access to the event hotel to check my emails, pick up materials, etc.?A) Access to the venue and S4 event services will only be available during the official S4 event dates and times. Q) Who should I contact if I am not finding my travel answers here?If you have other questions regarding travel, please visit the MSTravel FAQ page and/or the Microsoft Travel Agency Contacts page for answers. Send email to MSTravel for all other queries related to the travel program or policy.Ground TransportationQ) Is transportation provided to/from the airport? A) Transportation to and from the airport is the responsibility of each attendee.Q) How much will a taxi cost from the airport to my hotel? A) Taxi fare from Sea-Tac International Airport to downtown Bellevue is approximately $50-55 USD, not including tip or extra costs for additional passengers. Q) Will I need a car during S4? A) No. Shuttles are provided between the S4 conference hotels and the event venue. If you need to go to the Microsoft main campus, company shuttles are available from the Microsoft office at Lincoln Square in downtown Bellevue during business hours.Still Have Questions?Q) Who do I contact for a question about…? A) For questions regarding your registration, the registration tool, hotel arrangements or roommate selection, please email S4@experient-. ? For all other general S4 event questions not answered on this website, visit . After thoroughly reading through the information provided on this website, if you still have questions, email Ask S4mailto:s4@experient-. If you have other questions regarding travel, please visit the MSTravel FAQ page and/or the Microsoft Travel Agency Contacts page for answers. Send email to MSTravel for all other queries related to the travel program or policy. ................
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