Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to call the Westin directly to book my room?

No. Completing your General Synod registration will secure your room for the days of General Synod. Please note that upon check-in at the hotel you will need to provide a credit or debit card to the Westin for incidental charges, as the General Synod only covers room rate and tax. See the section under “Expense Reimbursement” for more information.

If you wish to come a few days early or stay a few days late for personal reasons, please see the “Arriving Early or Staying Late” section. 

May my spouse come to Tucson and stay in my room with me?

Yes, your spouse may stay in your room at the Westin with you, since all delegates will have single occupancy rooms.

If you do choose to have a non-delegate spouse accompany you to Tucson, your spouse may attend General Synod plenary sessions if they desire, although they may not sit with delegates on the floor of General Synod; there will be a small observer section at the back of the room for non-participants.

May my spouse join me for meals?

When you register for General Synod, you will have the option to pay for a meal package for your spouse, which covers breakfast on Thursday, June 13, through breakfast on Tuesday, June 18. Because meals at General Synod will be catered individual meals served in a designated meal space rather than cafeteria-style, pay-as-you-go like they are on a college campus, we cannot offer an option for spouses to choose some meals and not others; the meal package is inclusive of all meals during the time of the General Synod meeting, based on when most delegates are likely arriving and departing.

The spouse meal package is optional, but please note that if you are bringing a spouse who is not a delegate and opt not to purchase the meal package for your spouse, you will not be able to eat most meals with a non-delegate spouse. Since the General Synod is paying in advance for meals for all delegates, we ask that delegates be wise stewards of resources and attend all meals provided during the time of General Synod. 

There are two meal package options:

1. $475 – All meals from breakfast on Thursday, June 13, through breakfast on Tuesday,
   June 18
2. $325 – Lunch and Dinner (no breakfast) from breakfast on Thursday, June 13, through
   breakfast on Tuesday, June 18

My spouse wants to come with me, and we’ll be flying. How do we book airfare?

All delegates flying to synod must book airfare through the RCA’s travel agent, the Travel Advantage, at 800-553-6643. If you and your spouse would like to fly together to synod, your spouse’s travel would also need to be booked through the Travel Advantage, and you would need to pay the Travel Advantage directly for the cost of your spouse’s airfare. The General Synod will not reimburse delegate airfare that is not booked through the Travel Advantage. 

Please also note that if you choose to arrive early or stay late for personal reasons, and the resulting airfare is more expensive than it would have otherwise been (as determined by the Travel Advantage), you will be responsible to cover the cost difference, paid directly to the Travel Advantage.

What is available for my spouse to do while I’m at synod all day if they do not want to attend the meeting?

The Westin has a shuttle service that will take guests to restaurants, shops, etc., within a three-mile radius upon request. There is quite a bit within a three-mile radius of the Westin, including a number of restaurants, several shopping centers, hiking trails, and more.

My spouse is not a delegate, but wants to watch General Synod proceedings. Will there be a place for observers?

Yes, there will be a small section of observer seats available in the plenary space. Please note that observers must remain within the observer area and may not sit at delegate tables. There will also be temporary name tags available that observers will be encouraged to wear.

May I come early or stay late for some personal time in Tucson? Will the Westin offer a discounted room rate if I do so?

The Westin offers a discounted rate of $125/night plus taxes and fees for delegates and official synod participants (not observers) for a few nights on either side of the General Synod meeting (June 9, 10, and 11 and 18, 19, and 20), subject to availability of rooms at the time of booking. If you hope to arrive early or stay late and stay at the Westin, you will request these dates during General Synod registration. 

Please note that the discounted pre- and post-synod rate does not include breakfast or any other meals, and there will be an additional $5 per night discounted resort fee.

Travel costs: If you choose to arrive early or stay late for personal reasons, and the resulting airfare is more expensive than it would have otherwise been (as determined by the Travel Advantage), you will be responsible to cover the cost difference in your airfare. 

In addition, you will be responsible for arranging and paying for any airport transportation that falls outside of normal General Synod arrival and departure windows (i.e., if you are coming in earlier than Wednesday, June 12, and/or not departing immediately following closing worship on Tuesday, June 18).

I called the Westin to put down my credit card to pay for my extra nights and they said I am not on their list. What do I do?

If you are a General Synod delegate and it is not after May 22, 2024, the rooming list from registration may not have been provided to the Westin yet. Please make sure to call the Westin after May 22 to put down your credit card. 

If you are not a General Synod delegate, you are not eligible to receive the RCA rate. The RCA has a contracted rate for a room block the size of the delegation; non-participants may not book a room at that rate.

For further information about the facilities at the Westin, please see Facilities Info

If I make plans to come early or stay late, and my plans change, can I cancel?

You would need to contact Andrea Grooters (agrooters@rca.org) to cancel or change any extra nights you have booked; if you do not contact Andrea to cancel them you will be responsible for any charges incurred. The Westin permits cancellation up to seven days prior to your arrival date to avoid penalty.

Note that if you are flying to synod, and your change in plans requires a change in your flight reservation, the General Synod will not cover the cost of any change fees (if there are any) or any difference in the flight cost. You would need to call the Travel Advantage to change your flight, and pay any applicable fees or price differences directly to the Travel Advantage.

What expenses are not reimbursable?

The following expenses are not reimbursable, and should not be included on a reimbursement form:

• Airfare: all airfare must be booked directly through the Travel Advantage. If you book your airfare on your own, it is not reimbursable
• Car rentals: the RCA cannot reimburse directly for a car rental. If you are driving to synod, you may submit for actual mileage and tolls, up to the cost of round-trip, economy, 30-day advance purchase airfare, but may not be reimbursed directly for a rental car. If you are flying to synod and choose to rent a car while you are there for convenience, that is a personal expense.
• Anything beyond one piece of checked luggage, roundtrip
• Airport transportation, such as a taxi or Uber, that you choose to book yourself rather than using the General-Synod-provided shuttles. (This includes transportation to or from the airport if you are arriving early or staying late, or planning to arrive outside the available shuttle windows [link to “Arriving by Air”].)
• Any expenses related to a non-delegate spouse traveling with you.
• Any meals or other food outside of General Synod-provided meals.
• Any lodging expenses incurred while traveling to or from synod.
• Any expenses related to coming early or staying late, including lodging and resort fees, increased airfare cost, and airport transportation that falls outside the days of General Synod arrival and departure.
• Any incidental expenses that you charge to your hotel room. 

Why will the Westin ask me for a credit or debit card when I check in? Isn’t the General Synod covering my lodging?

The General Synod covers the room rate only; you will be asked to provide a credit or debit card to the Westin when you check in to cover any incidental charges. The Westin will require a deposit of $100 for incidentals for each day of General Synod (example, 6 nights will be $600, which will be released/refunded if you do not charge any incidentals to your room); if you do charge incidentals to your room and you were to go over $100 in charges, an additional $100 deposit would be authorized. (Note: If you are arriving early or staying late for personal reasons, an additional deposit of $100 per day beyond the RCA-paid days will apply.) 

If you provide a credit card, the deposit will take the form of a temporary hold on your card, which will be released upon checkout if you have incurred no incidental charges during your stay. If you provide a debit card, the deposit amount will be removed from your account, and released back into your account following checkout if you have incurred no incidental charges during your stay; it may take 7-10 days following checkout for the funds to be released. 

Can I get reimbursement for lodging if I stay somewhere other than the Westin?

We encourage all delegates to stay at the Westin for the nights of General Synod. If for any reason you choose to make lodging arrangements for yourself somewhere other than at the Westin, you will be permitted to request lodging reimbursement of up to $125 per night for five nights (or the actual cost of your lodging, whichever is lower; receipts must be kept and submitted). No General-Synod-arranged transportation from other sites will be provided.

How much reimbursement am I eligible for if I drive to synod?

If you choose to drive to Tucson for General Synod, you can submit for reimbursement for mileage (the 2024 IRS rate is 67 cents/mile) and tolls up to the cost of roundtrip, economy airfare at the 30-day advance purchase price (price as determined by the Travel Advantage). The RCA will not reimburse you directly for a car rental for liability reasons; if you choose to rent a car to drive to synod, you will need to submit for reimbursement via actual mileage/tolls, and will be eligible for a reimbursement amount up to but not exceeding the amount of roundtrip, economy airfare at the 30-day advance purchase price. Meals and lodging en route are not reimbursable expenses.

How do I submit for reimbursement for General Synod expenses?

Visit Expense Reimbursement. When you submit, be sure to include copies of all applicable receipts. 

Please do not submit a reimbursement form for expenses you have yet to incur. Reimbursement forms should not be submitted until after General Synod. 

Please also note that reimbursement forms must be submitted within 30 days of the end of General Synod. This means that all reimbursement forms for delegate expenses incurred for the 2024 General Synod must be submitted by July 18, 2024.