Welcome to the Hotel California

February 12, 2003

An Exclusive Money-Saving BEA Hotel Deal for ABA Member Booksellers

Getting the best housing deal possible at BookExpo America is always a major concern for independent booksellers. This year, BEA management, together with ABA, has found a great solution for any ABA member bookseller interested in the best hotel value at the show.

Beginning on May 25 and extending to June 7, the Radisson Wilshire Plaza will become the exclusive host hotel for independent booksellers. The BEA trade floor will be open from Friday, May 30, to Sunday, June 1, and there is a wide range of educational programming beginning on Thursday, May 29, which is a day of special ABA-sponsored bookselling educational sessions.

The overwhelming majority of the Radisson Wilshire Plaza's rooms have been reserved for ABA bookstore members only, all for the low price of $111 a night. The Radisson Wilshire -- an independently owned, franchise hotel -- is a comfortable, recently renovated business-style hotel located fewer than 15 minutes from the Los Angeles Convention Center. This special rate will be available from May 25 through June 7, allowing greater flexibility in booksellers' travel planning.

The affordable room rate is only one feature of the exclusive package. This independent bookseller-only deal also includes:

• A complementary continental breakfast;
  
• An exclusive hotel hospitality suite, which each evening during BEA will be a comfortable, convenient meeting place for booksellers;
  
• A special ABA/BEA concierge 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, all without having to wait in Convention Center lines;
  
• Special shuttle bus service between the Radisson and the Convention Center;
  
• Exclusive access in the hotel to exhibitors' materials, including publishers' catalogs and ARCs.
  

ABA and BEA staff have recently completed on-site inspections of the hotel, assuring quality, and they report that it offers a wide range of amenities -- from two full-scale restaurants to in-room Internet access. In addition, the hotel location -- in the heart of the mid-Wilshire neighborhood -- offers a wide range of restaurants within walking distance.

This is an exclusive deal for ABA bookstore members, and is being offered on a first-come, first-served basis. ABA member bookstores were recently notified via e-mail, and initial response has been strong. However, rooms are still available. For more information on bookseller accommodations, click here.

Topics: BookExpo, News - Bookselling,