Hello Frank
Go ahead and register direct with the Loews. I will be arriving on the 16th with the rest of the CAP staff. We decided against booking a block of rooms because we could not get favorable terms, yes the rates would have been better at $179 a night, but we would have had to put up nearly $30,000 in deposits which we didnt have in the budget.
The last two years we have had everyone book their rooms direct with the hotel for our Miami events and thats the format we are following again this year.