CAA News Today

For the first time, CAA will offer free wireless internet at the Hilton New York to all 2013 Annual Conference attendees from Tuesday, February 12, to Sunday, February 17. Service will be available in all session rooms, the Interview Hall, the Book and Trade Fair, and Career Services, including the Student and Emerging Professionals Lounge.

Officially, coverage will encompass the entire Concourse Level, Second Floor, Third Floor, and the Americas Halls 1 and 2. The Hilton’s lobby, restaurants, and bar, however, may not be covered. To connect, use your laptop or mobile device to find the wireless network called CAA WiFi and enter the password “arts2013” (without quotes) into the WPA2 encryption key. The password is case sensitive and must be in lowercase.

Connecting to the internet at the conference is essential, whether you are searching for a job, contacting friends and colleagues in New York, or communicating with your school or institution back home. The following information below may be subject to change but should be reliable.

Hilton New York

The Hilton New York offers two tiers of wireless internet service in rooms to its guests and thus has two prices: $14.99 and $18.99 per twenty-four hours. The hotel, though, was not able to confirm the exact download speed for each. For full details in advance, please contact the Hilton, not CAA. While onsite, ask a hotel representative from the concierge or check-in desk for more information.

Sheraton New York

The Sheraton New York is generously offering free high-speed internet access in rooms to all guests who are attending the conference (a value of $14.95 per day). When you check in, tell the hotel representative that you are here for CAA and ask for the log-in information. The Sheraton also provides free Wi-Fi inside the hotel lobby to anyone—you need not be a guest. To gain access, simply request the password from the concierge or check-in desk, as you cannot automatically connect just by opening a browser. For more information in advance, please contact the Sheraton, not CAA. While onsite, ask a hotel representative for more information.

Park Central Hotel

The Park Central Hotel, the conference hotel for students, charges $14.10 for twenty-four-hour access to its wireless connection, which can be used by guests throughout the building. For full details in advance, please contact the Park Central, not CAA. While onsite, ask a hotel representative at the concierge or check-in desk for more information. A Starbucks with free Wi-Fi is located next door to the Park Central, and sometimes its internet bleeds into the hotel lobby.

Candidate Center

As part of the conference’s Career Services, the Candidate Center—located in Concourse A, Concourse Level, Hilton New York—houses a bank of computers that CAA members may use only for the Online Career Center. No other internet use is allowed on these computers. Hours are Wednesday, February 13–Friday, February 15, 9:00 AM–7:00 PM. You must have a CAA membership card to enter the Candidate Center.

Starbucks

Bottoms up, coffee drinkers! A smallish Starbucks—located directly across the street from the Hilton, at the northeast corner of Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue) and West Fifty-Third Street—offers free wireless internet to its guests. No special password is needed—just connect when you open a browser. This location is usually open from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM during the week, and from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday, according to the company.

A handful of other Starbucks are within a few blocks of the conference. Use OpenWiFiSpots (below) or download the free Starbucks smart-phone app for Apple or Android devices for the locations.

Other Area Hot Spots

OpenWiFiSpots, which calls itself a comprehensive directory of free wireless hot spots, lists sixty-four free sources near the Hilton in midtown Manhattan, including hotels, cafés, and restaurants. This list, however, may not be completely up to date.