Ray Allegrezza — Furniture Today,
HIGH POINT — As many as 30 High Point hotels have agreed to set aside blocks of rooms for the spring market at


discounted rates as low as $59 a night, Market Authority President Brian Casey announced last night. 
 
Block rooms at the Airport Marriott in Greensboro, which had cost $289 a night, will be available for $199 a night, for example. The Best Western, Wendover Plaza will offer a rate of $109, compared with the usual $159 a night during market.
 
Other hotels include the Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn and the Innkeeper, all in Archdale, N.C. 

“We are adding hotels on a daily basis, so the 30 properties working with us now is by no means the final list,” Casey said. “This us just the first phase of our program, and we’ll be adding new hotels to the mix as we move forward.”

He did not say how many rooms he expected would be available under the plan.
 
Rooms can be booked through the Market Authority’s Web site at www.highpointmarket.org. as early as Nov. 6, Casey said. He credited the Hotel Task Force, formed by the Authority earlier this year and chaired by Marriott Hotel’s Pamela Vargas, as instrumental in achieving this change.
 
The secured rooms, which will be available until Jan. 31, represent rate reductions of 22% on average, and some as high as 41%, Casey said.

“Although some restrictions and minimum stays will apply, we expect these rooms to book very quickly,” he said. He added that e-mails with a link to the registration site will be sent to retailers, the group the Market Authority is targeting with this announcement.
 
Casey also indicated that plans are under way to create a similar task force to communicate with area restaurants regarding ways to better serve market attendees. “That’s on our radar once the October market is finished,” he said.
 
Casey made the comments during a reception held in his honor by the Friends of the Furniture Industry, a group made of High Point-area business people who wanted to welcome Casey and his family to the community, demonstrate their support of the market and open a dialog between the Market Authority and the community.
 
About 150 people attended the meeting at the String & Splinter Club in High Point.