Accommodations

The 115th annual meeting of the AHA will be held in Boston at the Sheraton Boston, the Boston Marriott Copley Place, and the Westin Copley Place Boston. Blocks of rooms have been reserved at several hotels: the Sheraton, the Marriott, the Westin, the Hilton Boston Back Bay, and the Omni Parker House. Single room rates range from $79 to $99 and double rates range from $99 to $110. All rooms are subject to a 12.45 percent local tax. Rates are in effect three days before and after the January 4-7 meeting dates, with the exception of the Marriott, where rates will be in effect two days before and three days after the meeting.

Information about making a hotel reservation is on pages 42 and 43 of this issue and will be included as an insert with the Annual Meeting Program. Additional copies of the preregistration form can be obtained from the AHA headquarters by contacting the Convention Director, AHA, 400 A Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003- 3889. E-mail: aha@theaha.org.

Hotel Reservation

Beginning September 5, hotel reservations must be made exclusively through Passkey.com, the exclusive housing vendor of the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Reservations will be accepted via the AHA web site (www.theaha.org), the call center, fax, or mail (only if accompanied by a check deposit) through December 19, 2000.

The call center at (888) 442-8287 (toll free) will accept reservations during the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday.

International callers may call (312) 396-2122 to make reservations during normal business hours.

Faxes may be sent 24 hours a day to (312) 705-2562, seven days a week, but are processed during business hours. Fax—do not mail—forms with credit card confirmation.

To make a suite reservation, call the Boston Housing Bureau's housing manager at (617) 867-8208.

Only bookings made by check should be sent to Passkey.com/The AHA, P.O. Box 3191, Boston, MA 02241-3191. (Checks payable to Passkey.com/The AHA.)

A reservation confirmation will be sent from the bureau for all new reservations, modifications, and cancellations. Reservations that include an e-mail or fax address will be sent a confirmation letter within 72 hours. Otherwise, the bureau will print and mail a confirmation letter, which may take up to 10 to 14 days for receipt.

The Boston Housing Bureau and the five hotels require a standard deposit of $150 per room reservation. Deposits will be accepted by credit card or by check payment. If payment is to be by check, the check must accompany the housing request form. If payment is to be by credit card, hotels may charge the deposit fee at any point on or after December 13. Some may opt not to charge the deposit until the guest checks in and the full amount for the guest's hotel stay would appear on the bill at checkout. Please note that reservations will not be processed without a deposit.

Although the bureau will continue to accept reservations through December 19 based upon availability, the cutoff date for the AHA's official block is December 6. After December 6, remaining inventory in the block will be released and rooms will be available at the AHA's convention rates on a space-available basis until December 19. If all hotels sell out, the bureau will continue to assist attendees to secure housing.

Meeting attendees can continue to make, modify, and/ or cancel reservations from September 5 through December 19, 2000, via the AHA Housing Bureau. Reservations secured by check deposit will be assessed a $15 processing fee if cancelled at any time. Reservations secured by credit card may be made, modified, and/ or cancelled without penalty from September 5 through October 25, 2000, after which, cancellations will be assessed a $15 processing fee. Any cancellations made on/ after December 20, 2000, will result in forfeiture of the entire $150 deposit. All hotels will assess a penalty of one night's room/tax in the event of a no-show.

Preregistering and the Program

The printed Program will reach the membership in mid-October. The preregistration form is on page 39 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 20003-3889. E-mail: aha@theaha.org.

Travel Arrangements

The AHA encourages participants to make flight, train, or car rental arrangements through Association Travel Concepts (ATC) at (800) 458-9383, the AHA's official travel agency for the meeting. As the official agency, ATC has negotiated discounts with United Airlines, US Airways, Amtrak, and Alamo Rent-A-Car to bring attendees special air and train fares and car rental rates that are lower than those available to the public.

By calling ATC, you will save 10 to 15 percent off on United (I.D. # 598QX) and U.S. Airways (I.D. # 27621162) tickets purchased more than 60 days prior to the meeting. For tickets purchased less than 60 days prior, the discounts will be 5 to 10 percent off of the lowest available fares. Some restrictions may apply. Discounts apply for travel January 1 through 10,2001. ATC will also search for the lowest available fare on any airline serving Boston Logan Airports. ATC also provides personalized service, advance seat assignments, special meal requests, frequent flier programs, electronic ticketing, e-mail access for convenient booking of tickets, and more.

To take advantage of these rates and benefits, call ATC at (800) 458-9383; fax (619) 581-3988; e-mail: atc@assntravel.com; web site: www.assntravel.com. ATC is available for reservations from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m., EST, Monday through Friday.

To book travel on Amtrak, call (800) 872-7245 or contact ATC at (800) 458-9383. Make sure you refer to fare order number X-68N-965 when making your booking; discount fares available January 1-10, 2001. The offer is not valid on Auto Train, Club, or Custom Class service. Fare is valid on Metroliner Service during off-peak weekday travel and all departures on weekends.

You can also arrange to rent a car through Alamo, with discounted rates effective from January 1 through 10, 2001 Contact ATC at (800) 458-9383, noting I. D. #75911 GR.