Portland International Airport is well known for being voted the best domestic airport, its Sasquatch statues, and its green patterned carpet. Conference attendees will have no issues finding affordable flights in and out of Portland. We estimated that attendees coming from major east coast airports can fly to Portland directly for $600 round trip. 

Beginning May 7, 2025, if you plan to use your state-issued ID or license to fly within the U.S., make sure it is REAL ID compliant. If you are not sure if your ID complies with REAL ID, check with your state department of motor vehicles.

NEW: CAPS Room Block at Hotel Zag

As of mid-March, a block of rooms is available at Hotel Zag at a competitive rate. Rates are for King rooms for bookings between May 26-30th. If you would like to request a different room type or additional nights, please book first and then contact edwin.martinez (@) thehotelzags.com.

>> CAPS Conference Booking Link for Hotel Zag 

Additional booking opportunities:

Thanks to our partnerships with Portland State University and the OSU STEM Research Center, attendees may be able to book discounted rooms at other nearby hotels where these Universities have arrangements. Please note that these discounts are via the University, not through AAPS/CAPS, and therefore hotel staff will not be familiar with this event. Sometimes in order to receive these discounted rates, the reservation must be made online or via telephone-please follow instructions posted on each site. While all of these hotels are located in downtown Portland, some may be closer to the Smith Memorial Union where the conference is held than others. See below for details on public transportation options that connects many of these hotels to the university center, airport, and other popular regional destinations.

Hotels on the following site are listed by proximity to the PSU campus. 

>> Access hotel discounts available via PSU

Additional hotel discounts are also available through negotiated rates through Oregon State University Portland Center. Hotels on this list may be further from the PSU campus and closer to the OSU Portland Center where Friday workshops will be held. 

>> Access hotel discounts available via OSU

Many of these hotels also honor a limited number of rooms at federally negotiated rates for affiliated guests – please inquire with the hotel directly before booking.

Attendees will easily be able to navigate Portland without renting a car. The Max light rail train service stops at the airport and PSU’s campus. The train and TriMet bus service can also help transport attendees to our potential field trip locations. The cost of one ride on the train or bus is $2.50. Other transportation options such as Uber and Lyft are widely available. Portland also has a bikeshare program. 

We will provide and facilitate transportation to field trips or other special events that are not readily accessible from public transportation. Please note in registration if you require additional assistance with transportation to special events.

Portland is a foodie city! For this reason, we have deliberately chosen not to cater many aspects of the conference. To make it easy for attendees when choosing meal locations, the local host team will provide a food guide on the conference website. There will also be some meal time networking events for attendees to grab a meal with a smaller group and meet new people. Attendees are expected to cover the cost of their meals, but AAPS will facilitate the reservations and signing up. Typical lunch or dinner costs in Portland are $17-25.  

AAPS offers several opportunities for those seeking equitable participation options. These include:

• reduced rate tickets
• volunteer options to offset ticket costs
• no-commitment fee waivers
• LIMITED stipends to support costs of travel or participation 

All eligibility and (where relevant) application details are available on the registration rates page. For those requiring the application form, submit by 30 January 2025 for best chances of support.