Annual Meeting

Housing Poachers

Warning: Look Out for Housing “Poachers”

When ASLA secures sleeping rooms at hotels for the Annual Meeting and EXPO (commonly referred to as room blocks), we research the properties to make certain that our attendees and exhibitors are adequately accommodated. These room blocks are established to ensure that rooms meet our standards and are offered at a discounted price. ASLA partners with Experient, the official registration and housing provider for the 2017 Annual Meeting, to ensure the best experience for our attendees, speakers, and exhibitors.

Room poaching is a practice carried out by third-party companies that act as travel agencies, wholesalers, or destination management companies to solicit attendees, speakers, and exhibitors for room reservations during our convention. The practice of room poaching makes it more difficult for us to meet our room block commitments and exposes ASLA to penalties and increased room rates for future conventions.

Often room poachers or housing pirates may misrepresent themselves as ASLA’s official housing provider and attendees and exhibitors may be contacted by fax, email, or phone with offers for cut rate housing. The poacher might inform attendees, speakers, and exhibitors that the hotel room block is “sold out,” and that if you do not book with them immediately, you may not get a room. Additional deceptive tactics may include:

• Room pirates/poachers may distribute forms or promotional materials that appear to be issued by ASLA.
• Room pirates/poachers may not deliver on their promises. When attendees or exhibitors arrive at the hotel, reservations are sometimes non-existent or the hotels are not conveniently located.
• Room pirates/poachers may seek to represent themselves as being affiliated with ASLA by illegally using our name or logo.

Don’t be misled! If you are contacted by anyone asking if you need a room for the ASLA Annual Meeting and EXPO who is not a representative with Experient, please get as much information as you can and pass it along to us at meetings@asla.org.