Reservations for Hotel ABA Close to Half-Filled

Just two weeks since the American Booksellers Association announced the opening of reservations for the 2008 Hotel ABA at BookExpo America in Los Angeles, almost half of the available rooms have been reserved. The hotel, The Renaissance Hollywood, offers ABA bookstore and provisional members an exclusive room rate of $164, which is substantially lower than other available hotel rates during BEA, as well as an extraordinary package of other benefits. ABA is urging its members to make their reservations for the hotel as soon as possible to avoid being disappointed.

"Unfortunately, we have had a number of booksellers who waited too long to book rooms for the upcoming Winter Institute," said ABA COO Oren Teicher, "and that hotel is totally filled up. We want to be sure as many ABA members as possible don't get closed out in L.A."

Hotel ABA will be the site of the association's Day of Education as well as several ABA- and publisher-sponsored special events, which begin on Wednesday, May 28. The BEA trade show will be held from Thursday, May 29, through Sunday, June 1, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The Renaissance Hollywood's special rate of $164 per night is available exclusively to the association's bookstore and provisional members for check-in on Wednesday, May 28, through checkout on Monday, June 2. The rate is available until May 5 or until the group block is sold out, whichever comes first. Booksellers must make their reservations via the hotel's dedicated reservation webpage. Due to the popularity of Hotel ABA, the maximum number of rooms that may be reserved by each ABA member bookstore is limited to five. Booksellers with large stores or multiple locations whose staff may require more than five rooms should contact ABA's Margaret Nafz at [email protected]. Requests for additional rooms will be handled on a case-by-case basis. If more that five hotel rooms are booked at the Renaissance Hollywood at ABA's special rate without prior approval from the association, ABA reserves the right to cancel those additional reservations.

To travel to and from the convention center, hotel guests will have the option of using dedicated shuttle bus service or the Los Angeles Metro, which has a stop just a few-minutes walk from the Renaissance Hollywood. ABA will be providing complimentary Metro passes to booksellers registered at Hotel ABA.

Questions about ABA membership status should be addressed to the association's Margaret Nafz at [email protected]. Once reservations have been made via the hotel website, questions and requests for changes should be addressed to the hotel directly at (866) 835-7681.

Registration for the BEA trade show is scheduled to open around the end of December.