Hotel

You will be staying in the Grand Pyramids Hotel, a newly renovated 4 stars hotel. You can see its location here.

We have secured accommodation and transportation for participants in the official program. Places were reserved based on first come first served basis. We are maintaining a waiting list for additional applicants and will attempt to negotiate additional rooms with the hotel.

The official check-in time is 14:00 on Saturday, 22nd November. We are trying to negotiate free early check-in from 11:30. If you want to check-in earlier, you will need to book an extra night as described in the next paragraph.

If you are arriving earlier than November 22nd, or departing later than November 27th, you will need to book your extra nights and arrange your own transportation between the airport and the hotel. If you wish to spend extra nights before or after the program at the same hotel, you can book those by emailing cai@his-cairo.com and stating in the email subject line "SWYAA extra night accommodation". Advance payment is required to book extra nights at the same hotel and the prices are:

• Single room per person including breakfast USD 85

• Double room per person including breakfast USD 48

• Triple room per person including breakfast USD 45

Please note that the hotel we selected is conveniently located for the official program, but is far from other attractions you may want to visit if you are staying longer in Cairo. Thus, it will be convenient if you are only staying one extra night. If you want to extend by a few days in Cairo, it may be more convenient to book a hotel near the city center.

Registration

We had three phases of application:

Phase 1 - Pre-registration: Was opened on May 31st. This was exclusively for SWYAA members (not family or friends). 40 discounted places at the Official Program were offered during that phase. To give equal chances to members in different time zones, we have split them in 4 batches, each of 10 places. Pre-registration for these batches was open at 00:00, 06:00, 12:00 and 18:00 Egypt time (UTC+3) on May 31st, 2025.

Phase 2 - Priority registration for SWYAA members: Was opened exclusively for SWYAA members (not family or friends) on June 1st at 00:00 Egypt time (UTC+3). Only 120 places were available in that phase (i.e. a total of 160 places in phases 1 & 2). This phase was intended to give priority to members before we accept applications for family and friends of participants.

Phase 3 - General admission: Was opened on June 3rd at 16:00 Egypt time (UTC+3). Applications were accepted for all remaining places at the Official Program not only for SWYAA members, but also for family and friends of attending SWYAA members.

Current situation - We are no longer accepting applications.

What is included and what is excluded?

The participation fee includes:

• Transportation from Cairo International Airport (CAI) to hotel on day of arrival (November 22nd).

• Accommodation for 5 nights (check-in 22 Nov., check-out 27 Nov.).

• Breakfast, lunch and dinner starting dinner on 22 Nov. until breakfast 27 Nov

• All transportation during the program.

• English speaking guides during tours.

• All entrance fees for visits planned during the program.

• Transportation from hotel to Cairo International Airport (CAI) on day of departure (November 27th).

Please note that the participation fee does not include:

• Any personal travel to and from Cairo.

• Your personal travel and health insurance.

• Medical expenses.

• Visas necessary for entry into Egypt.

• Incidental charges at the hotel (mini bar, laundry, calls. etc.).

• Bank transfer fees for when you make the payment.

• Accommodation before the beginning of the program or after the end of the program. (See the section titled "Hotel and Number of Participants" above for instructions on booking extra nights)

• Transportation from & to the airport if you are not arriving on November 22nd or not departing on November 27th.

• Any drinks/beverages (only water will be served with meals)

• Additional personal expenses.

Cancellation Policy

• Cancellation until 12 October, 2025 is fully refundable except for bank transfer fees

• Cancellation between 13 and 23 October, 2025 will be subject to a 25% cancellation charge applied to the total amount per person.

• Cancellation between 24 October and 7 November will be subject to 50% charge of the total amount per Person.

• Starting from 8 November no refund can be made in the case of cancellation.

• Bank fees associated with the refund transfers will be for the participant’s account.

• Bulk cancellation may not be possible and in the unlikely situation it happens, the possibility of refund will be subject to negotiation with the accommodation and travel providers and could be unachievable.

Flights

You will book your own flights from your home to and from Cairo. The cost of these flights is not included in the joining fees for the Global Assembly.

Please plan your travel to arrive at Cairo International Airport (CAI) on Saturday, 22nd November. Ideally, before 5pm so that you can join the ice breaking event in the evening.

Our volunteers will meet you at Cairo International Airport (CAI) on Saturday, 22nd November, starting from 1am. We have arranged a bus leaving the airport every 3 hours to take you to the hotel. You will need to arrange your own transfer if you are traveling on a different date or traveling via another airport.

If you are not joining the Optional Tour, you can plan your travel any time on Thursday, November 27th. We have arranged a bus leaving the hotel every 3 hours on Thursday, November 27th to Cairo International Airport (CAI). If you are traveling on a different date or traveling via another airport, you will need to arrange your own transfer.

Official Program Fees

We are securing a small amount of sponsorship to contribute to the cost of the Official Program for SWYAA members. We have applied these sponsorships to pre-registration & priority registration. No sponsorship will apply for the general admission or to single room reservations.

The joining fees for the Official program will be:

• Pre-registration for SWYAA members: USD 500 per person in a double room

• Priority registration for SWYAA members: USD 550 per person in a double room

• General admission: USD 600 per person in a double room

• Joining fee with single room accommodation USD 700 per person

Last year we announced that we are targeting a lower participation fee for the official program. We have been challenged by high levels of local inflation that prevented us from achieving that target. We hope you will understand and accommodate this increase.