One date holds the block rate
The NSTA National Conference on Science Education runs November 4 to November 7, 2026 at the Indiana Convention Center, 100 South Capitol Avenue, Indianapolis. The venue forecasts 4,000 attendees. NSTA routes every hotel reservation through IMN Solutions, its official housing provider. Reservations must arrive by October 11, 2026 to guarantee availability and conference rates. After that date hotels take reservations on availability and may charge higher rates. Rooms are first-come, first-served.
What the block charges
NSTA publishes one rate per property. Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, the headquarters hotel, is $269. JW Marriott is $279. The Westin is $254. Hyatt Regency is $259. Embassy Suites is $269. Courtyard By Marriott and SpringHill Suites are $249. Fairfield Inn & Suites is $239. Omni Severin is $249. Hyatt Place is $231. Hampton Inn is $209. Holiday Inn Downtown is $199. Tru By Hilton is $189.
The spread from $189 to $279 is $90 a night for the same four nights. Three figures sit close together: $239 at Fairfield Inn & Suites, $249 at Courtyard By Marriott, and $269 at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown headquarters.
The skywalk and the missing shuttle
NSTA states that it will not provide shuttle service between conference hotels and the convention center. A delegate who books off the block covers that trip.
The Indiana Convention Center publishes 7,100 hotel rooms in downtown Indianapolis, more than half of them within blocks of the center and Lucas Oil Stadium, and 4,700 connected by skywalk. The center publishes the skywalk hours as event-dependent, with lockdown at approximately 11:00 p.m. and reopening at approximately 6:00 a.m.
Visit Indy counts its connected package at 12 hotels and 5,200 rooms. The list includes JW Marriott Indianapolis at 1,005 rooms, The Westin Indianapolis at 575, Hyatt Regency Indianapolis at 499 with direct connections to the convention center and Circle Centre mall, Embassy Suites Indianapolis Downtown at 360, Conrad Indianapolis at 247, and Courtyard, SpringHill Suites and Fairfield Inn & Suites at 621 rooms combined. Signia Hilton Indianapolis is listed at 803 rooms as expected to open in 2026. The convention center's own news index carries an April 21, 2026 item titled “Signia by Hilton Indianapolis Now Accepting Reservations for February 2027.” Confirm the opening date before relying on those rooms.
Inside NSTA's rate table the connected names start at $239. Tru By Hilton at $189, Holiday Inn Downtown at $199, Hampton Inn at $209 and Hyatt Place at $231 sit below that figure. Over four nights the gap between $189 and $239 is $200. A delegate at the lower figure covers the walk to the center, and a delegate at the higher figure uses the skywalk. The two lists name some properties differently, so confirm the property attached to a rate with IMN Solutions.
Tuesday to Saturday, three nights or four
NSTA's Schedule at a Glance sets the shape of the week. Wednesday November 4 carries registration from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and the ticketed Professional Learning Institutes from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Thursday November 5 opens the Expo Hall at 11:00 a.m., holds exclusive hours to 1:00 p.m. and closes it at 5:00 p.m. Friday November 6 runs the Expo Hall from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday November 7 runs concurrent sessions from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the Expo Hall from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and a closing reception from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.
The Saturday expo close at 1:00 p.m. and the 3:00 p.m. end of the closing reception make a Saturday checkout work. A Wednesday arrival through a Saturday November 7 checkout is three nights. A four-night hold means arriving Tuesday November 3, which the 8:00 a.m. Wednesday institute start supports.
The conference ends on Saturday November 7. Lucas Oil Stadium holds the ISSMA State Marching Band Finals that day at 9:30 a.m. and a Colts home game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday November 8 at 1:00 p.m., so the weekend carries stadium demand. The convention center's next entry is the Midwest Healthcare Engineering Conference & Trade Show, which opens Sunday November 8 in Exhibit Hall A with a forecast of 600.
Deposit and cancellation terms as published
IMN Solutions takes a valid credit card guarantee of one night's room and tax for each room reserved and does not charge the card at that stage. Acknowledgements go out within 24 hours. Hotel confirmations arrive by email about two weeks before the conference.
The published terms set a $50 processing fee per room reserved for a cancellation made after Monday, February 9, 2026, and a room cancelled less than 48 hours before arrival carries that $50 fee plus a hotel penalty of one night's room and tax. The February 9 date precedes the conference. Confirm the current threshold with IMN Solutions on (571) 579-3867, Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST, or by email at nstahousing@imnsolutions.com.
The 20,000-attendee Friday inside the conference
The convention center's own listing puts the Monumental Health and Fitness Expo in Exhibit Hall A-B on Friday November 6 with a forecast attendance of 20,000, the same Friday as NSTA's Expo Hall day. NSTA forecasts 4,000 for the whole conference. Two shows share the building that day, so protect the Friday night first.
Booking beyond the block
hotelhuddle.com sends one request to 50 or more hotels in the destination. Submitting is free. Hotels respond in 24 to 72 hours. The platform adds no markup to the rate. Terms clause 3.2 reads “RFP submissions are free on hotelhuddle.com. There is no charge for submitting requests.” Clause 3.3 states that the platform strives to connect users with a minimum of five hotel responses within seven days. Most hotels offer group rates for 10 or more rooms per night, and some offer discounts from five rooms depending on season and availability.
Submit the dates as Tuesday November 3 to Saturday November 7. State whether the Tuesday night is needed. Ask every property for its cancellation deadline, deposit and attrition terms in writing before you commit.
Sources: nsta.org National Conference in Indianapolis pages (housing, Schedule at a Glance, Expo Hall), icclos.com event, attendee and news pages, visitindy.com connected hotels, lucasoilstadium.com events, and hotelhuddle.com terms and how-it-works. Confirm rates, fees and cancellation terms with the property.