Hotel ABA Close to Selling Out

Time may soon run out for the owners and staff of American Booksellers Association member stores who have not yet registered for Hotel ABA - Brooklyn. The New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, the exclusive hotel for ABA member booksellers at this year's BookExpo America (BEA), is almost booked to capacity. Booksellers who want to take advantage of the Marriott's special room rate of $159 per night and an extraordinary package of benefits should register for the hotel via ABA's trade website, BookWeb.org, soon.

When making their reservations, booksellers should keep in mind that this year's ABA program begins on Wednesday, May 30, with a special series of literary events planned in and around the Hotel ABA in Brooklyn. On Thursday morning, booksellers will need to hit the ground running to make the most of ABA's daylong education program, capped by the Celebration of Bookselling, both to be held at Hotel ABA. On Friday, day-time activities move to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, where in addition to exploring the trade show floor, booksellers can participate in the Book Sense gift card and BookSense.com users group meetings, the Book Sense Picks Author Luncheon, and ABA's Town Hall and Annual Membership meetings. On Saturday, ABA will also offer informational panels and programs at the convention center. (Look for details about all of ABA's programming and special events at BEA in upcoming editions of BTW.) The trade show will be held at the Javits Convention Center from Friday, June 1, to Sunday, June 3.

All hotel reservations are being handled on a first-come, first-served basis. No private reservations will be accepted directly by the hotel.

Hotel ABA - Brooklyn's amenities include:

• Complimentary coffee and pastries each morning
• A series of publisher-sponsored receptions, including ARCs, each night
• A special ABA Welcome Table in the hotel lobby where booksellers can pick up BEA badge-holders, copies of the BEA exhibitors' guide, updated information about convention events, and a welcome package with special surprises from ABA and publishers
• A special dedicated shuttle bus service between the hotel and convention center
• A complimentary New York subway MetroCard
• Wednesday afternoon walking tours highlighting the literary history of Brooklyn
• A Wednesday evening author reception at a special Brooklyn venue

The Javits Convention Center will include a special "Hotel ABA - Brooklyn Book Drop," where booksellers who are guests of the hotel will be able to store and ship books, instead of carrying them back to Brooklyn each night.

The deadline for hotel reservations is Wednesday, March 28. Reservations may be cancelled prior to March 28, without penalty. Questions about hotel reservations should be addressed to ABA's Margaret Nafz at [email protected] or (800) 637-0037, ext. 6614.

Travel Tip: Booksellers flying in for this year's show will have a much easier trip from the airport to Hotel ABA if they arrive at either John F. Kennedy International Airport or LaGuardia Airport, both in Queens, New York. Booksellers using New Jersey's Newark Airport will have a more time-consuming and expensive trip!