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We have received the following information from the Linguistic Society of America:
The LSA staff learned over the weekend that Hilton Hotels & Resorts has terminated its Franchise Licensing Agreement with the Pittsburgh hotel we have been planning to use for our January 2011 Annual Meeting. In addition, the lender has filed for foreclosure on the hotel's owners, and the hotel's management company has changed.
What this means for the 2011 Annual Meeting is not yet clear. We are working with all due haste to resolve this issue absolutely as soon as possible. My assumption and my hope is that your societies will continue to plan to meet with the LSA, whether we meet at the same hotel, another Pittsburgh property, or in another city. As always, our primary consideration is that the LSA have a suitable property in which to hold its Annual Meeting and the meetings of our colleague societies.
We are undertaking talks this morning with Hilton corporate representatives, with the new management of the hotel, and with hotel staff. We expect that a resolution will be forthcoming within the next few days.
I am pleased to inform you that the LSA is going forward with plans to meet at the hotel in January 2011. An official announcement as to the affiliation of the property is expected by the end of September, and steps are being taken to reintegrate the online reservations system. Moreover, the hotel's staff remains in place to assure uninterrupted service to individual guests and to the meetings scheduled to take place there. The LSA is also seeking additional concessions on behalf of our meeting attendees in view of the inconvenience to which they have been put.
We remain committed to offering our attendees a visit to Pittsburgh that is rewarding intellectually, professionally, and personally. To this end, the Program Committee has planned a schedule of plenary, poster, paper, and organized sessions - available soon on the LSA Annual Meeting website -- featuring cutting-edge research from your colleagues throughout the field. The usual networking and professional development opportunities - including a dedicated Student Lounge - will be available as well. And the Local Arrangements Committee is working hard to provide you an exciting program of dining, sightseeing and cultural activities during your visit.
Again, an official announcement of the hotel's affiliation is expected by the end of September. We will provide additional updates and links to online reservations at that time.