Accommodations

The 112th annual meeting of the AHA will be held in Seattle, at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, the Sheraton Seattle, and the Westin Seattle. Blocks of guest rooms have been reserved at the Sheraton, the Westin, the Renaissance Madison, the Crowne Plaza Seattle, the Seattle Hilton, and the Four Seasons Olympic hotels. Rates at the Sheraton, the Westin, and the Madison are $89 single, $99 double; at the Crowne Plaza, $90 single, $99 double; at the Hilton, $93 single, $98 double; and at the Four Seasons Olympic, $114 single and double. The rates include a $4 per room, per night rebate to be devoted by the AHA to underwrite the costs of usage the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. All rooms are subject to a 15.2 percent state and sales tax.

See pages 12-13 of the September issue of Perspectives for the Hotel Reservation Form and more detailed hotel information. Additional forms may be obtained from the Convention Director, AHA, 400 A Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003. E-mail: aha@theaha.org. The form should be completed and mailed to the AHA Housing Bureau at 520 Pike Street, Suite 1300, Seattle, WA 98101 (and not to the AHA headquarters office). If you use a credit card, you may fax the form to the Housing Bureau at (206) 461-5853. Your faxed form is considered your original reservation form and you do not need to send a confirmation by mail, as it could result in a duplicate reservation. It is not necessary to use a cover sheet. Please note that the Housing Bureau does not send confirmations that your fax was received.

No direct telephone reservations with the hotels or the bureau will be accepted. Reservations are processed on a first-come, t-served basis until the housing cut-off ate of December 8. You must indicate a preference as instructed on the Housing Form. The Housing Bureau reserves the right to assign a hotel if your first choice is sold out and other choices are not indicated. After December 8, meeting rates may not apply and the Housing Bureau will be working on an availability basis.

The Housing Bureau will send an acknowledgment indicating your hotel assignment either by mail or by fax (if you have indicated a fax number on your housing form). This acknowledgment is not a confirmation. A confirmation will follow from the hotel. Individuals should allow two to three weeks for receipt of the hotel's confirmation. Changes and cancellations must be made in writing to the Housing Bureau. If a change or cancellation occurs within two weeks of the convention dates, individuals should contact the assigned hotel directly. Please note that a credit card guarantee is required for all reservations. If an individual wishes to guarantee a room, she or he should send a check for the first night's deposit directly to the assigned hotel indicated on the bureau's acknowledgment form. Please do not send cash or checks with the housing form.

Preregistration and the Program

The annual meeting Program will reach the membership in October. The preregistration form is on page 16 of this issue and is also included in the Program mailing. Additional copies of the preregistration form are available through AHA headquarters by contacting the Convention Director, AHA, 400 A Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003. E-mail: aha@theaha.org.

Travel Update

The AHA encourages participants to make flight arrangements through Association Travel Concepts (ATC), the AHA's official agent for the meeting, at (800) 458-9383. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST. When booking through ATC, you will receive 5-10 percent off the ticketed price on the AHA's contracted carrier, United Airlines. You can save $25-$75 off the ticket price on all major carriers, including United, as part of the ATC Travelsavers Club. You will automatically be entered into a drawing to win two round-trip airline tickets if you book your travel through ATC. You can also call United at (800) 521-4041 or your local travel agency and refer to United ID # 514RS. Discounts apply for travel January 5-14, 1998.

Discounted car rental rates have also been negotiated with Alamo Rent-A-Car with rates effective January 1-18, 1998. Contact Association Travel Concepts (ATC) at (800) 458-9383. You can also call Alamo at (800) 732-3232 or your local travel agency and refer to ID # 444415GR.