Hotel ABA Registration Off to a Good Start

On November 9, the American Booksellers Association announced the opening of registration for Hotel ABA - Brooklyn, the hotel exclusively for ABA member booksellers planning to attend BookExpo America (BEA) 2007. Now, just one week later, close to 250 reservations have already been made.

Approximately one thousand booksellers are expected to stay at the hotel, the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, during next year's BEA at New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, from Thursday, May 31, to Sunday, June 3.

A premier hotel with first-class amenities, the Marriott offers ABA member booksellers a special room rate of $159 per night and an extraordinary package of other benefits. In addition, ABA's Thursday Day of Education and the annual Celebration of Bookselling, also planned for Thursday, will be held at the hotel.

ABA members must make their reservations for Hotel ABA via ABA's trade website, BookWeb.org. Reservations will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. No private reservations will be accepted directly by the hotel.

Hotel ABA - Brooklyn's amenities will 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 their 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; after the 28th, cancellations and no-shows will incur a $159 charge to the credit card holding the reservation. Questions about hotel reservations should be addressed to ABA's Margaret Nafz at margaret@bookweb.org or (800) 637-0037, ext. 6614.

Registration for BEA is expected to open online and by phone by early December. ABA member booksellers will be able to receive $10 off the registration fee via a special code that will be available in a password-protected area of BookWeb. A coupon for the discount will also be mailed to stores with Book Sense in an upcoming Book Sense Red Box.