Ben, the BG is just under a mile away from the gates of Universal, and there is a free shuttle bus that will take you there and bring you back (IIRC, it runs every 30 minutes). The convention rate is in place for a couple of days before the convention.
If you'd rather be closer, there's a Hilton and a Sheraton on site at Universal, though they're quite a bit pricier than the BG.
