There are several wonderful choices for housing at the conference, each designed to cater to your specific needs.

Quick overview (click each link to get more details below)

Eastland Hotel:
Limited availability - all but smoking rooms have been reserved.
Center of all social activities for the conference
Luxurious older hotel
$139/night plus tax

Fairfield Inn Maine Mall:
Rooms are still available here.
Family-friendly, pool
15 minute drive to conference
$139/night plus tax

Harborview Dorm:
Limited availability - please reserve a room as soon as possible. A few rooms are still available!
Oceanside dormitory
10 minute drive to conference
shared bathrooms
$60 - 75/night

Peter A. McKernan Hospitality Center:
Limited availability. Currently there is a waiting list.
Luxurious oceanside bed and breakfast
10 minute drive to conference
$130/night

Bayley’s Camping Resort
For those who prefer the great outdoors

Portland Hall Dormitory
This dorm is full.
Older dorm in the city
$30 per person per night
5 minute walk to the Eastland Hotel.

LaQuinta Hotel
Inexpensive hotel just outside downtown area.
$102/night
Hotel shuttle to Eastland is possible. Short drive or cab ride to Eastland or other venues.

Eastland Hotel

Most of the Conferees will be housed at the Eastland Hotel, a delightful, luxurious, downtown hotel close to the main Conference site, the University of Southern Maine. Learn more about this beautiful, historic hotel at their website.

The air-conditioned Eastland Park rooms are available at a special Conference rate of $139 per night and include free parking for one vehicle per room. Conferees can also choose to share a room with another participant thus halving the cost per night. A limited number of roll-in beds are available for an additional cost of $15 per night, so the room can be used as an economical triple as well.

The Eastland will be the center of activity for the Conference and we recommend the hotel as the best locale for being at the heart of the Conference happenings.

Call the Eastland Park toll free: 888 671-8008 to make your reservation. Be sure to ask for the National Marine Education Association rate.

For those with families, a pool or Oceanside locale may be a better choice than staying downtown. We recommend the modern Fairfield Inn Maine Mall, an easy 15-minute car ride away from the Conference. It has a heated outdoor pool, a complimentary breakfast, and is a short distance from the Maine Mall’s wide array of fun shopping and restaurants.

Rooms are available there at the special Conference rate of $139 per room per night. To make a reservation, call: 207 883-0300 and ask for the National Marine Educators Association rate.

If ocean breezes are a must, we have also secured Harborview Dorm, a funky old brick building on the campus of Southern Maine Community College in South Portland.

A 10-minute drive from the Conference, Harborview is a small rustic dormitory with a limited amount of single, double, and triple rooms at the cost of $60 per room per night for singles and doubles, and $75 a night for a triple. There is an additional charge of $20.50 for linen or you can choose to bring your own. The sandy beach and rocky tide pools are just down the street. Call Sharon Bernier at (207) 741-5662 to reserve a room.

If a luxurious Oceanside Bed and Breakfast is more your style, may we suggest the beautiful Peter A. McKernan Hospitality Center, also 10 minutes away on the campus of Southern Maine Community College.

Geared to couples (5 rooms of the 8 rooms have Queen Beds), these beautiful rooms have delightful ocean and lighthouse views. This romantic bed and breakfast is available for $130 a night per room and includes a continental breakfast.

To make a reservation call Sharon Bernier at (207) 741-5662.

For those who might enjoy a camping vacation while attending the conference, we suggest contacting Bayley’s Camping Resort in Scarborough, Maine, Tel: (207) 883-6043. Bayley’s is set in the woods, a half-hour drive from the Conference and a short distance from 7-mile long Old Orchard Beach.

For those prospective conferees who are on a very tight budget, one additional option is USM's Portland Hall dormitory. Portland Hall dormitory is a modest downtown dorm with traditional dorm style rooms.

The two-bed rooms do have a private bathroom and the dorm is only a quick 5-minute walk from the Conference headquarters at the Eastland Park Hotel. Address: 645 Congress Street

Cost is $30 per person per night to share a room. To reserve space at Portland Hall contact:

Sherry Phillips
University of Southern Maine Department of Conferences,
88 Bedford Street, PO Box 9300, Portland, ME 04104
Tel: (207) 780-5960; Fax: (207) 780-5963;
e-mail: conferences@usm.maine.edu

La Quinta Hotel
We have been able to reserve 10 rooms at an inexpensive hotel La Quinta Inn And Suites just outside the downtown area. Unfortunately, you will not be able to walk to the conference hotel, but the new hotel has a free shuttle service and they may be willing to drop you off and pick you up each day. The price is $102 per night.

Phone: 207-871-0611. Please refer to the conference when making your reservation to get the reduced rate.

If you have any questions with your reservation, please ask to speak with Martin Murray. He is the conference sales rep at the La Quinta Hotel.

Check the website for more details.

If you have any questions regarding these many choices please feel free to contact Jeff Sandler by phone: (207) 767-3629 or e-mail: mmfish@maine.rr.com