Venue

Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles

All NACW plenaries and sessions will take place at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, California.

Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles
506 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90071
www.thebiltmore.com
Phone: +1 213.624.1011

The Millennium Biltmore Hotel has been the premier choice for celebrities, presidents and dignitaries for 90 years. The luxury hotel provides sumptuous comforts and an ideal locale in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. The Biltmore is just one block away from the Metro Red Line subway station, making public transportation to Union Station and other exciting venues throughout Los Angeles extremely convenient. The hotel is just steps away from major attractions, such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Museum of Contemporary Art, Ahmanson Theatre, and LA Live.


Book Your Accommodations

NACW 2015 delegates are offered the special conference rate of US $170 per night. The special room rate is available until Tuesday, March 31, 2015 and is subject to availability. NACW 2015 delegates who book under this room rate also receive complimentary internet in their guestrooms as a special benefit of the conference. For the past three years, the special rate sold out, so please don’t delay in making your hotel reservations.

Book your hotel now

Directions, Transportation, and Parking*

From Los Angeles International Airport (LAX):

Public transportation:
The LAX FlyAway bus offers convenient regularly scheduled round-trips, seven days a week, between LAX and Union Station. Passengers leaving LAX may board buses on the Lower/Arrivals Level in front of each terminal under the green “FlyAway Buses and Long Distance Vans” sign. Each bus is marked with its service location – please be sure to hop on the bus heading to Union Station and not another destination. One-way fare is $8.00; cash is NOT accepted on the bus. Credit cards must be used for purchase on the bus. Upon your arrival at Union Station, take the Red or Purple Line subway to the Pershing Square stop; fare is $1.75. Exit the subway under the heading “Pershing Square” not “4th and Hill Street”. The Biltmore is across the street. http://www.lawa.org/FlyAway/default.aspx

Shared ride vans
Prime Time Shuttle offers shared van service to and from LAX at a cost of $15 each way for each passenger. www.primetimeshuttle.com. SuperShuttle also offers shared van service at a cost of $17 each way for the first passenger, $9 for each additional passenger. www.supershuttle.com.

Driving directions
To reach the hotel from LAX, exit beyond Terminal 7, stay in right lane to Sepulveda Blvd., merge on the right to the 105 Freeway East (Norwalk). Proceed to the 110 North (Harbor Freeway). Exit at 6th Street, go four blocks and turn left onto Olive Street, then go one block and turn left on 5th Street, go one block and turn left onto Grand Avenue, and turn left (2nd driveway) into the hotel.

Taxi
LA area taxi companies charge a flat rate of $46.50 per trip (group) in either direction for trips between LAX and downtown. Trips originating at the airport have an additional fee.

From Burbank Bob Hope Airport:

Public transportation:
Metrolink and Amtrak offer service to and from the Burbank Bob Hope Airport to Union Station, with an approximate travel time of 25-30 minutes. From the main terminal, you may walk to the train station or take the free Lot C shuttle to the train station. http://burbankairport.com/parking/buses-trains.html You may also take the Metro Rapid Line 794 or Metro Local Line 94 buses from the airport to the Biltmore, with an approximate travel time of 60-90 minutes. Board the bus on the SW corner of Hollywood Way/Burbank Airport, and exit the bus on Hill Street/5th Street. www.metro.net

Shared ride vans
Supershuttle offers shared van service to and from Burbank Airport and the hotel for a cost of $24 each way for the first passenger, $9 for each additional passenger. www.supershuttle.com. Prime Time Shuttle also charges $24 each way www.primetimeshuttle.com, and Road Runner charges $37 www.rrshuttle.com.

Driving directions
From the airport, turn left onto W. Empire Avenue, turn right onto N. Victory Pl, take the second left onto W. Burbank Blvd, take the first right onto N. Front Street, turn left to merge on to the I-5 S to Los Angeles, merge to the right to take 110 S, exit Grand Avenue, turn left onto W. Temple St. turn right on Grand, the Biltmore will be on the left.

Taxi
Estimated cost for taxi service from the Burbank Airport to the Biltmore is around $47.

*If you’d like to explore opportunities to share a cab to or from the airport and the hotel, please visit the NACW forum section. On the forum, you may post your travel information and coordinate transportation options with other NACW delegates.


Parking

Valet parking at the Biltmore is available for $42 overnight, which includes 24 hour in and out privileges. Enter the valet area on Grand Avenue, second driveway on the left after 5th

Self parking is available at the Pershing Square parking lot, which is a city-owned secured underground parking structure across the street from the Biltmore. The rate is a $16 flat rate for all day parking, but if you enter before 11:00 am it’s $10/day. After 5:00 pm and weekends is $7. You may enter on Olive, between 5th and 6th, or on 6th between Olive and Hill. For parking information, please call: 213.473.5557.


History

Construction for the Millennium Biltmore Hotel began in 1921 and took 18 months. The architects, Schultze & Weaver, were also responsible for New York City’s Waldorf Astoria and Park Lane. The hotel opened October 1, 1923 as the largest hotel west of Chicago. More than 3,000 guests attended the gala opening and dinner, including Cecil B. DeMille, the renowned film director and producer. In 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded at a banquet in the Crystal Ballroom. Legend says the Oscar statue was sketched here on a Biltmore napkin. The Biltmore was a frequent host of the Academy Awards, with winners like Shirley Temple, Bette Davis, Clark Gable, Walt Disney, and Judy Garland collecting Oscars within its walls.

The Biltmore has been the filming location for numerous award-winning feature films, television shows, cable specials and commercials. Films such as Chinatown, Ghostbusters, Pretty in Pink, Rocky III, Bodyguard, True Lies, Wedding Crashers, Fight Club, Iron Man, The Dark Knight Rises and many more have used the Biltmore as their choice location.

In addition to its famed Hollywood history, the Biltmore has served as a resource for military personnel and political leaders. During WWII, the hotel became a military rest and recreation facility. The 1960 Democratic National Convention was held in the Biltmore, and the current Biltmore lobby, which used to be the music room, served as campaign headquarters for John F. Kennedy. And President Ronald Reagan was feted at a farewell luncheon before moving into the White House in 1981.

When the Beatles visited LA in 1964 during their first world tour, they were secretly helicoptered in to the Biltmore’s rooftop as mobs of fans lined the streets below.

Dark lore surrounds the hotel, as well. Actress Elizabeth Short, later referred to as the “Black Dahlia,” was last seen alive in the Biltmore lobby before her still-unexplained death.

The Biltmore has received numerous recognitions and awards, including the prestigious National Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects.


Local Sights within Walking Distance

The City of Los Angeles offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy fantastic arts, culture, history and nature. We hope that you explore and enjoy the city’s offerings.

Museum of Contemporary Art
http://moca.org/
(free Thursdays 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm)

Walt Disney Concert Hall
http://www.musiccenter.org/about/OUR-VENUES/Our-Theatres–Concert-Halls/#Walt Disney Concert Hall
(complimentary guided tours offered on select days; more info and view schedule: http://www.musiccenter.org/visit/Exploring-the-Center/Tours/)

Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Museum
http://www.fidmmuseum.org/
(free admission, open Tuesday – Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm)

Bradbury Building
https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/bradbury-building

Los Angeles Central Library
http://www.lapl.org/branches/central-library
(complimentary walking tours available Monday – Friday 12:30 pm)

Grand Central Market
http://www.grandcentralmarket.com/
(home to several great eateries such as G&B Coffee, Eggslut, McConnell’s Fine Ice Cream, Sarita’s Pupuseria, Tacos Tumbras a Tomas, Olio Pizzeria, Wexler’s Deli)

Los Angeles City Hall
http://www.lacity.org/visitors/CitywideServices/ServiceDetail/index.htm?laServiceId=3409


Los Angeles sights accessible by public transportation:

Olvera Street
http://www.calleolvera.com/

Chinatown
http://www.chinatownla.com/

Barnsdall Park featuring Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House
http://www.barnsdall.org/

Space Shuttle Endeavor at the California Science Center
http://www.californiasciencecenter.org/Exhibits/AirAndSpace/endeavour/endeavour.php

Griffith Observatory
http://www.griffithobservatory.org/

Los Angeles County Museum of Art
http://www.lacma.org/

Hollywood Forever Cemetery
http://www.hollywoodforever.com/