Travel, Visa and Local Information
Conference Venue
The conference will be held at the Chancery Pavilion, Bangalore located at 135 Residency Road, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560025. This is a 5-star rated property located near the heart of the city. Many local attractions, public spaces, cultural sights and shopping are within walking distance or a short ride.
The conference events will be held in the Indian Affair, Sigma and Esquire halls of the hotel. More details of will be posted in the conference programme.
About Bengaluru (Bangalore)
Known as the Garden City, the city of Bengaluru (also called Bangalore) is located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of the state of Karnataka in India. Home to a diverse population of over 10 Million residents, Bengaluru is a major economic and cultural hub and the fastest growing major metropolis in India.
Bengaluru is also known as the Silicon Valley of India because of its position as the nation’s leading Information Technology industry (IT) exporter. Almost every Indian and multinational IT company has a presence here, and there is an active startup ecosystem. Many well-recognized colleges and research institutions in India are based here. Numerous public sector heavy industries, software companies, aerospace, telecommunications, and defense organizations are also located in the city.
Reservation at Group Rate at Conference Hotel (Closed)
CCGRID has negotiated a discounted group rate for attendees wishing to stay at the conference hotel. This room-block has a limited number of rooms available to attendees on a first-come first-served basis. The reservation cut-off date is Mar 28, 2023.
The group rate offered to conference participants is as follows:
- Single Occupancy: INR 5500/night + 12% GST
- Double Occupancy: INR 6000/night + 12% GST
This includes buffet breakfast at the ITHACA restaurant.
The hotel does not provide an option for online booking using the conference rate. If you wish to use the conference rate to stay at The Chancery Pavilion, please fill this form and we will notify the hotel to contact you by email to help complete the reservation.
NOTE:
- Filling this form does not guarantee a reservation. The CCGRID team will pass the request to The Chancery Pavilion, who will then contact you by email to take the reservation process forward. In case the hotel has not contacted you within 1 week of filling this form, please reach out to the CCGRID team: register.ccgrid2023@gmail.com.
- There are only a limited number of rooms available, and they will be allotted on a first-come first-served basis depending on their availability and the preferences/requests listed by you.
- The Hotel will require a deposit in advance from the guest to guarantee the reservation. The Hotel shall accept payment in the form of valid Credit Card or online wallets (India). This will be requested by email directly by the hotel. The email address domain for the Hotel is @chanceryhotels.com.
- Cancellation of the reservation or an early departure due to medical or personal emergencies will not be penalized if reasonable notice is given to the Hotel. Similarly, cancellation due to rejection of travel visa (with supporting documentation provided) up to 15 days prior to arrival date, will not be penalized. These are at the discretion of the Hotel.
Other Hotels near the Conference Venue
There are many other options for accommodation near the conference venue, for those wishing for a more premium stay or more modest costs. The following are popular hotels nearby (also available in a Google Map).
The Ritz-Carlton ➝
99 Residency Road, Bangalore, India
450 m from Venue
ITC Gardenia ➝
1 Residency Road, Ashok Nagar, Bangalore, India
600 m from Venue
JW Marriott Hotel ➝
24/1 Vittal Mallya Road, Ashok Nagar, Bangalore, India
1.3kms from Venue
Vivanta by Taj ➝
66 Residency Road, Ashok Nagar, Bangalore, India
1.3kms from Venue
The Elanza Hotel ➝
88/2 Richmond Road, Richmond Town, Bangalore, India
350m from Venue
St Mark’s Hotel ➝
4/1 St Mark’s Road, Ashok Nagar, Bangalore, India
400m from Venue
Purple Lotus ➝
46, 6th Cross Road, Ashok Nagar, Bangalore, India
1.2 kms from Venue
The Chancery Hotel ➝
10/6 Lavelle Road, Ashok Nagar, Bangalore, India
1.4kms from Venue
(Same management as conference venue, but different location)
Melange Astris ➝
1 Richmond Road, Langford Gardens, Bangalore, India
170m from Venue
Ramanashree Richmond Hotel ➝
16 Raja Ram Mohan Roy Road, Ashok Nagar, Bangalore, India
500m from Venue
ibis Bengaluru City Centre ➝
30, Rajaram Mohan Roy Road, Off Richmond Road, Bangalore, India
700m from Venue
Iris – The Business Hotel and Spa ➝
70 Brigade Road, Ashok Nagar, Bangalore, India
1.2kms from Venue
Travel Checklist
Travel Visa
All non-Indian citizens are required to have an Indian travel visa to enter India. Allow sufficient time (at least 6 weeks before your travel date) to procure the appropriate visa from your nearest Indian consulate. Indian embassies are present in most countries, and their websites will provide information on obtaining a visa. Carefully check the documentation required by the consulate, including requirements for security clearance for those who were born in or hold passports from specific countries.
Applications for a Conference Visa will require you to supply a letter of invitation from CCGRID. You may request the Visa letter as part of the registration process on Cvent by filling the details usually requested for the Indian visa. If requested, the invitation letter will automatically be emailed to you by Cvent (registration+ccgrid@computer.org). In case you do not receive the letter within 24 hours of registration, or require a custom visa, you may email the Registration Chairs, register.ccgrid2023@iisc.ac.in.
CCGRID organizers are in the process of securing required pre-approvals from relevant agencies of the Indian Government to ease your application for a conference visa. Within a few days of registering for the conference and requesting a visa letter, you will be provided with a PDF file having the relevant approval letters for the conference. This may be enclosed with your visa application form.
NOTE: The official Government of India website for Indian visas is https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/. This website has current and accurate information. There are many other websites that are run by travel agencies, etc. with official sounding names which may not give accurate information. Official government websites of India will have the suffix “.gov.in” in their URL domain name.
Flights and Airport
The primary airport at Bangalore is Kempegowda Bengaluru International Airport (IATA: BLR), which is about 35 km north of the city. It is a world-class airport with direct connectivity to major international destinations, as well as to hubs within India. You may fly directly here or travel through a hub city like New Delhi (DEL) or Mumbai (Bombay, BOM). We recommend that you make your flight reservations well in advance to get good connections and reasonable pricing. There is an Airport Taxi service (look for the Taxi queue outside the arrival gates), as well as App-base Taxi stands from Uber and Ola. These operate 24×7. Note that you may need to pay in cash for the Airport Taxi, while credit card payments should work for the App-based taxis. Tipping is not common or expected.
General guidance for first-time flyers within India (security, baggage, checkin, etc.) is available here.
Popular Domestic Airlines
Health & COVID-19
Many first-time travelers to India prefer to get preventive vaccinations (shots). The US CDC Website offers some guidance when traveling to India. Bangalore has good health facilities and affordable high-quality hospitals. In case you need any assistance, you may contact the conference organizers or your hotel desk.
At this time (Feb, 2023), COVID-19 in India appears to be under control. Mandatory pre-departure testing has been relaxed for International Travellers. Randomized COVID testing for a small sample of travelers may be done upon arrival. Latest information on COVID-19 requirements for Air Travel is available here. While masks are no longer mandatory (and you may not find many wearing one in Bangalore), we encourage you to carry an N95 mask and use it as you feel appropriate. We also strongly encourage you to be vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19.
Foreign Exchange and Transactions
While international credit cards are widely accepted in commercial establishments in India, several places rely on cash transactions in the local currency (Indian Rupee, INR), especially if the purchase value is not very high. We suggest that you either carry some Indian currency when entering India or purchase Indian currency at the currency exchange counters at the Indian airports, upon arrival.
The current exchange rate is about ~82 INR per US dollar. Please check the conversion rate before you travel as it has been fluctuating a lot recently. Once in India, you can purchase additional Indian currency from local branches of Citibank, Thomas Cook, etc. However, it is typically difficult to convert Indian currency back into foreign currency because of exchange regulations. You can also use an ATM to withdraw cash if your debit/bank card allows for it.
Many shops will support UPI for online instant money transfers using one of several UPI Apps (Google Pay, Phone Pe, etc.). However, this is not available to most international visitors (though it may be available to travellors from G20 countries as per recent report).
Local Details and Weather
Bangalore is at an elevation of about 1km. During the conference dates, the outdoor temperature will be around 22’C to 32’C. There are small chances of light showers.
The Indian Standard Time (IST) is 5.5 hours ahead of the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and is 13.5 hours ahead of the U. S. Pacific Standard Time (PST). In May the weather is tropical with temperatures averaging about 33° Celsius (~91° Fahrenheit) during the day and about 22° Celsius (~72° Fahrenheit) during the night. You can check the daily weather forecast here.
The local currency is the Rupee (INR), with a nominal exchange rate of USD1 = INR 82. The local language spoken is Kannada, though shops and hotels will also be able to speak some English. App-based Taxis booked using Uber and Ola smartphone apps are best for local transportation. The Bangalore Metro rail (Namma Metro) is reliable, but does not have high connectivity.
You will find good 4G (and sometimes 5G) cellular connectivity within Bangalore. Check to make sure your smartphone supports the relevant frequency bands in India. WhatsApp is popular in India and you will find it commonly used for messaging.
Tourism
Bangalore offers a number of attractions and activities to suit various preferences, ranging across cultural visits, shopping, food and drink, outdoors activities and day trips. You will be able to find details at various portals such as Attractions and Day Trips: TripAdviser, Holidify, Thrillophilia; Food: Zomato, and Shows: BookMyShow.
There are also various 2-3 day activities within Karnataka, including visiting Mysore city and outdoor activities in various national parks that host tigers and elephants, and in the neighboring states of Tamilnadu and Kerala.
Feel free to contact the local organization team or your hotel desk for suggestions and assistance.
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