Conference: First International Workshop on Human-Computer Conversation (Bellagio) (fwd)

Csaba Pleh Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences 202 Junipero Serra Blvd Stanford, Ca. 94305 T.: (415)321-2052, Fax: ...1192 Home: (415)947-9641 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 29 Jan 97 20:05:09 GMT From: Yorick Wilks <yorick(a)dcs.shef.ac.uk> To: norman(a)vocalis.com, David.Nash(a)anu.edu.au, ereiter(a)csd.abdn.ac.uk Subject: Conference: First International Workshop on Human-Computer Conversation (Bellagio) Resent-Date: Thu, 30 Jan 97 22:45:11 +100 Resent-From: pleh(a)izabell.elte.hu Resent-To: csaba.pleh(a)casbs.Stanford.EDU FIRST INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON HUMAN-COMPUTER CONVERSATION Bellagio, Italy, July 14th-16th 1997 ******************************************************************************** Usual apologies if you get this more than once! ******************************************************************************** This message contains details about registration and hotels. Its content along with previous messages about the purpose of the workshop, its program committee and how to submit papers (deadline March 29th) appear at URL: http://www.dcs.shef.ac.uk/research/ilash/Meetings/Bellagio/ ABOUT BELLAGIO - HOW TO GET THERE, REGISTRATION AND HOTEL ACCOMMODATION Bellagio is one of the most beautiful places we have visited in the entire world. It is located on the shores of Lake Como, the loveliest of all the Italian lakes, at the point where the three arms of the lake meet. Looking to the west, a journey of only 10 minutes by boat, one can see the small towns of Menaggio and Cadenabbia, as well as the Villa Carlotta with its famous gardens and sculpture collection. On the eastern shore lie many pretty villages, including Varenna which is also only a 10-minute boat ride away. Whatever direction one looks from Bellagio the views are exquisite. Bellagio was the summer residence of the Roman patricians and thereafter of the noble families of the region of Lombardy, who built many stupendous villas here. Poets and writers from every part of the world have visited and found inspiration in Bellagio: Pliny the younger, Longfellow, Mark Twain, Shelley, Stendhal, Flaubert, Faure, Liszt and Toscanini. The area around lake Como is famous for the production of beautiful silks. In addition local artisans offer carved olive wood, blown and decorated glass, handmade shoes and other leather goods. Among the delightful tourist sights in and around Bellagio are: VILLA SERBELLONI, which offers splendid views from its 8th century gardens; VILLA MELZI D'ERIL, a park full of azaleas and rhododendrons, as well as many interesting sculptures; VILLA CARLOTTA, built in 1747 and one of the gems of Lake Como; VILLA MONASTERO in Varenna, originally a 12th century Cistercian monastery; and the ISOLA COMACINA, a 12th century fortress which has beautiful views and a wonderful restaurant. There is also a golf course only 20-minutes away. Bellagio is an ideal place to visit as part of a vacation. The town of Como has excellent rail connections and within a few hours one can be in the Swiss alps, in Austria, in Southern Germany, or in any of the principal cities of northern Italy: Venice, Milan or Verona (where the opera festival will be in full swing before and after the workshop). Those of you who enjoy touring areas of great scenic beauty may like to visit the other Italian lakes: Garda, Maggiore and tiny Lake Orta. We have more than 40 years experience of travelling in this area and will be happy to advise anyone who needs assistance in planning their visit. HOW TO REACH BELLAGIO The best way for you to reach Bellagio will depend partly on how you intend to arrive in Northern Italy. The following information will give you the main options, but please do not hesitate to ask if you would like further advice or information. Arriving by air: The nearest useful airports to Bellagio are the two airports serving Milan. LINATE AIRPORT is mainly served by European scheduled services and is the closest to the city of Milan. From Linate one can travel into the centre of Milan (the airport bus arrives at the main railway station) from where it takes less than 1 hour by train to the city of Como. Once in Como take a taxi (a 5- minute ride) to Piazza Cavour from where the boats leave for Bellagio. The summer timetable for the boat service is not yet available but will be sent to everyone nearer the time. There are two types of boat - the Aliscarfi (express boat) which takes about 45 minutes and makes very few stops, and the slower boat which takes around 1 hour 15 minutes. My own preference is the slower boat because the journey on the lake is so beautiful it seems a pity to shorten it! MALPENSA AIRPORT is further from the centre of Milan and is served mainly by intercontinental flights and by charter airlines. From Malpensa one can also take the airport bus into Milan and then proceed as described above. We can also arrange to have a taxi or mini-bus meet you on arrival at Linate or Malpensa and drive you to Como (or to Bellagio if you do not wish to complete your journey by boat). Once we know the flight numbers and arrival times for all the delegates we will work out a taxipool schedule to minimize the cost. LUGANO AIRPORT (Switzerland) is a lesser used alternative. It is not a busy airport but if you can get a direct flight there it would be a convenient way to arrive. Travel from Lugano by taxi to Menaggio, on the western shore of Lake Como, and then take the boat across the lake. (10-minute journey, frequent sailings.) The boat from Menaggio will drop you a few feet from most of the hotels. Arriving by rail and boat: Como is about 1 hour north of Milan by rail. Or you can arrive from the north via Zurich (approx 4 hours), Geneva, etc. Once in Como we suggest that you take the boat as described above, though taxis will be happy to drive you to Bellagio. HOTEL ACCOMMODATION Bellagio offers a wide range of hotel accommodation from de-luxe 5-star down to 1-star. We are making arrangements with the following hotels but we would also try to help anyone who would prefer 2-star or 1-star accommodation. (There are no 4-star hotels in Bellagio but we have inspected the 3-star hotels listed below and believe them to offer very good value.) Below we give the rates per day for: [a] Room with breakfast; and [b] Half- board (room with breakfast and one meal). Room rates are given in Italian lira, together with the equivalent in $US calculated at today's exchange rate. All rates include tax and service. There are many pleasant restaurants in Bellagio, the best of which is at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni. Even if you are not staying at this hotel you will certainly enjoy taking advantage of the opportunity to eat there. All of the other hotels mentioned have their own restaurants and there are many smaller restaurants spread around Bellagio. GRAND HOTEL VILLA SERBELLONI (de-luxe 5-star) The hotel was opened in 1872 and has long been regarded as one of the leading hotels of the world. Among the many famous guests who have stayed there are English Lords, Russian Princes, European royalty, and the American Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. The hotel boasts a large swimming pool, a health and beauty centre (squash courts, sauna, Turkish baths, hydromassage, etc.) It has beautiful gardens and is located a 1-minute walk from the landing piers where the lake steamers arrive. Standard Double room: Single or double occupancy, Lira 479,000 per night ($299), including breakfast. For half board add L. 95,000 ($59) per person - this is for an excellent 4-course meal. De-luxe room with lake view: Single or double occupancy, Lira 651,000 per night ($407), including breakfast. For half board add L. 95,000 ($59) per person. It is possible to have a third person in a room. The supplements for room and breakfast only are approximately: $24 for a baby cot (up to 2 years); $35 (for children from 2-8 years of age); $53 (age 9-14); and $76 for 15 years and over. Supplements for half-board are approximately $59 (2-8 years); $87 (age 9-14); and $125 (15 years and over). For those of you interested in a longer stay but at a reduced cost, The Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni also offers 13 self-contained apartments, all with 1 bedroom, 1 sitting room, kitchenette and bathroom. The apartments are located in a private park about 1-minute's walk from the hotel and are fitted with air conditioning, satellite TV and direct dial telephones. Apartments are available only by the week, with arrival and departure on Saturdays. Rates for a small apartment are approximately $900 per week, for medium sized apartments $1,075 per week and for large apartments $1,580 per week. An extra bed in one of these apartments is approximately $97 per week. HOTEL FLORENCE (3-star) This hotel has no swimming pool but the food is outstanding. The hotel overlooks the edge of the lake and is next door to the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni. Satellite TV and telephone in every room. Double room: [a] Room and breakfast L. 210,000 ($131); [b] Half-board L. 320,000 ($200). Single room: [a] Room and breakfast L. 155,000 ($97); [b] Half-board L. 200,000 ($125). HOTEL BELVEDERE (3-star) Situated on a gentle hill less than 10-minutes' walk from the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, with its own gardens, terrace, solarium, private parking area and garage, and swimming pool. It has a superb view of the lake. All rooms have satellite TV, radio, mini-bar, safe, hair dryer and telephone. Double room: [a] Room and breakfast L. 218,000 ($136); [b] Half-board L. 310,000 ($194). Single room: [a] Room and breakfast L. 135,000 ($84); [b] Half-board L. 160,000 ($100). HOTEL METROPOLE (3-star) Situated at the edge of the lake, 1-minute's walk from the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, but with no swimming pool. The hotel has satellite TV and telephone in each room. Double room: [a] Room and breakfast L. 82,000 ($51) per person; [b] Half- board L. 112,000 ($70) per person. For single occupancy add L. 20,000 ($13). For a room with a balcony and view of the lake add L. 5,000 per person ($3). A third person in the room will be given a 10% discount off the above rates. Children from 0-4 years are free. Children from 5-10 years receive a 50% discount off the above rates. OTHER HOTELS Some of the hotels in Bellagio are closed during the winter so we are unable to give room rates at the present time. BOOKING ARRANGEMENTS Mid-July is the height of the holiday season so rooms get booked up well in advance. We advise everyone to reserve their rooms as soon as possible but we will make every possible effort to find suitable accommodation for late bookers. In order to register for the workshop and to reserve your hotel rooms please fill in the following information and return it, together with payment of the workshop registration fee of 180 pounds ($300) plus the cost of 1-night's hotel accommodation to: David Levy, Intelligent Research Ltd., 89, Constantine Road, London NW3 2LP, England. Tel: +44 171 485 9146 Fax: +44 171 482 0672 e-mail: DavidL(a)intrsrch.demon.co.uk Please note that a no-show will not receive a refund for the hotel accommodation unless we are able to reassign the booking to another delegate. If paying by cheque please make your cheque payable to Intelligent Research Ltd. If using a currency other than pounds sterling please convert at the current rate used when selling that currency for pounds sterling. REGISTRATION AND HOTEL BOOKING INFORMATION Mr / Mrs / Ms:.......... Last name:........................................................... First name:............................................ Address:................................................................................................................ .................................................... .................................................................................. Postcode / Zip:.......................... Country:............................... Home telephone number: .................................... Work telephone number: .................................... Fax number:....................... e-mail address:.................. PLEASE INDICATE BELOW YOUR HOTEL REQUIREMENTS: 1st choice: ................................. 2nd choice: ................................. Any other comments or requirements: .......................................... Single or double occupancy:............................................. Room and breakfast only or half-board:...................................... Arrival date in Bellagio: .......................................... Departure date (note that the workshop will finish on July 16th in time for delegates to reach Milan in the evening):.................... HOW TO PAY You may pay by credit or debit card; or by check or postal order (preferably in pounds sterling or US$). Credit Card Payment: Name:................................ Credit Card Address (if different from above):.................................................................................................................. ......................................................................................................................... Please debit my Mastercard / VISA / American Express / Diners / Switch account (delete as appropriate): Card number:......................................... Expiry Date:............................ Issue No (Switch):....................... Signature:..................................................... Check / Postal Order payment (pounds sterling): I enclose full payment by cheque/postal order for............. made payable to Intelligent Research Ltd. Please send to: David Levy, Intelligent Research Ltd., 89 Constantine Road, London NW3 2LP, England.