RSNA 2020 Hotel Room Upgrade Options and How to Get Them

For radiology professionals travelling from Australia, accommodation was an important part of planning for the RSNA 2020 Annual Meeting in Chicago. The event ran from 29 November to 4 December 2020, bringing international delegates, hospital teams and professional groups together at McCormick Place.

The booking service supported reservations across three-star, four-star and five-star properties, as well as room blocks for larger delegations. An upgrade could mean moving to a higher hotel category, choosing a better room type or securing a more convenient location, provided availability and booking conditions allowed it.

What an upgrade could mean

A hotel upgrade was not limited to a larger bed or a better view. A delegate booked into a three-star property might have requested a move to a four-star or five-star hotel, while someone already holding a four-star reservation could have sought a superior room, a higher floor or a suite.

Room upgrades were generally separate from hotel-category changes. A standard king or twin room could potentially be changed to a premium room within the same property. This distinction mattered for teams because a higher room category might be available even when the preferred hotel had no remaining standard rooms.

The original reservation terms remained important. Rates, deposits, cancellation deadlines and any group conditions could change when a booking was modified, so an upgrade should have been treated as a new confirmation rather than an informal request.

Start with the original reservation

The first step was to check the booking confirmation and identify the reservation holder. Individual delegates could usually manage their own booking details, while a team booking might have been controlled by a group organiser or travel coordinator.

The confirmation showed the hotel, room type, arrival and departure dates, rate, payment instructions and booking reference. Having these details ready made it easier to ask about a room upgrade or a move to another property in the RSNA hotel programme.

Australian attendees also needed to check dates carefully across time zones. Chicago was several hours behind Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and booking correspondence sent during Australian business hours might have been answered on a different day in the United States.

Compare hotel category and room type

A useful upgrade request specified the preferred outcome. “A better room” was less precise than requesting a four-star hotel near McCormick Place, a king room instead of a twin, or a suite suitable for a senior speaker and accompanying colleague.

Hotel category was especially relevant for Australian hospital departments and private practices working within travel policies. A manager might approve a higher category for a presenter, department head or visiting faculty member while retaining standard rooms for the rest of the delegation.

Room type could also affect the total cost. A king room, twin room, accessible room or suite might have a different rate and different availability. Travellers should have confirmed whether the displayed rate included taxes and fees, since United States hotel pricing commonly adds local taxes at checkout rather than presenting a single GST-inclusive figure familiar to Australian consumers.

Use group blocks strategically

Group reservations gave teams a stronger basis for coordinating accommodation. A room block could keep colleagues in the same hotel, simplify arrivals and reduce the administrative work involved in managing separate bookings.

When requesting an upgrade, the group coordinator should have identified which delegate needed the change and whether the remaining rooms had to stay together. Moving one person to a different property might have created practical problems for transport, meetings and shared expense reporting.

Delegations travelling from Sydney, Melbourne, Perth or other Australian cities could also have requested room assignments that matched flight patterns. A late arrival after a long international journey made a nearby hotel and a reliable late check-in particularly valuable, while an early departure could influence whether an extra night was worthwhile.

Work with availability and timing

Room inventory changed frequently as the meeting approached. A preferred room might have been unavailable at the first request but released later after another delegate cancelled. For this reason, it was sensible to place a clear request with the booking service and ask whether a waitlist or alternative property was available.

Flexibility improved the likelihood of success. Accepting either a king or twin room, considering more than one four-star property or allowing a hotel a short distance from the venue could open additional options. Travellers should have asked for the full revised rate before approving any change.

Location also influenced the value of an upgrade. A more expensive hotel within easy reach of the convention centre could save time and taxi costs, while a cheaper property might require additional transport planning. Delegates could use this guide to navigate Chicago transit when comparing hotels outside the immediate McCormick Place area.

Protect the budget and travel logistics

Australian travellers needed to assess the price in Australian dollars, not just the United States dollar figure shown in the reservation. Exchange-rate movements, international card fees and foreign transaction charges could alter the final cost. A small nightly upgrade could become significant across six nights or several rooms.

Travel policies should have been checked before payment. Some Australian universities, public hospitals and health networks required pre-approval for accommodation above a set nightly limit, while private practices might have authorised upgrades for speakers or executive delegates only.

The booking confirmation should have been updated after every approved change. Travellers needed to retain the revised room type, nightly rate, tax information, cancellation terms and payment record, particularly where a group coordinator was reconciling multiple rooms.

For archived RSNA 2020 arrangements, review the original confirmation and contact the booking or event administration team using the recorded reservation details. Clear dates, a specific room preference and a realistic budget gave delegates the best chance of securing a suitable upgrade when rooms were available.