Hotel ABA - NYC Confirmation Deadline Imminent

Now that ABA has announced its BookExpo America Education Program Schedule, ABA member booksellers who have pre-registered for Hotel ABA - NYC should be sure to send arrival and departure dates and credit card information to Travel Tech (BEA's travel company) by January 31 to ensure their reservations. On February 1, pre-reservations that have not been confirmed will be cancelled.

Booksellers with pre-reservations should have received e-mail notification from Travel Tech in mid-November outlining the procedures needed to confirm their 2005 Hotel ABA reservations. This year's BEA will be held from Thursday, June 2 - Sunday June 5, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City.

The Park Central is located at 870 Seventh Avenue at 56th St. in New York City and is the exclusive hotel for ABA member booksellers attending this year's BEA. ABA encourages booksellers to make arrangements to arrive at the Park Central on Wednesday so that they can take advantage of a Thursday full of free educational programming -- open to all owners and employees of ABA member bookstores who have registered for BEA. (The association encourages owners to bring bookstore staff members, as this event offers a broader perspective on how their store fits into the larger industry, and how important working at an independent bookstore is.)

In order for Travel Tech to generate a hotel confirmation number, booksellers who have pre-registered must provide the following information no later than January 31:

• Exact arrival and departure dates

• Number of beds required in each room and the number of people who will be sharing each room

• Credit card number and expiration date (One night's room and tax deposit -- $129 plus tax -- is required to guarantee the room. All cancellations must be received by April 18, 2005, to avoid the loss of deposit. All cancellations on or before April 18, 2005, are subject to a $25 fee for each cancelled reservation.)

This information may be provided to Travel Tech at (800) 395-4262, at [email protected], and on the Web at www.bookexpoamerica.com. (To register for the Hotel ABA, which is an exclusive arrangement for ABA members, booksellers will need a password, available by clicking here.)

Booksellers who have not pre-registered may also register for Hotel ABA 2005 online at www.bookexpoamerica.com, while rooms last. (Click on "Travel & Hotel"; then "Book Your Room"; select "ABA"; and enter the password to bring up the special ABA bookstore members-only package.)