Manhattan hotels get boost from Convention - 1992 Democratic National Convention; New York, New York

Real Estate Weekly, July 22, 1992 by Therese Fitzgerald

Thanks to the Democratic National Convention, hotel reservation clerks around Manhattan last week uttered a phrase that many have not been able to say in a long time - "Sorry, we're full."

Thousands of conventioneers were a needed push to hoteliers who have seen occupancy and profits plunge in the past few years and for whom July is usually a slow month.

Hotel managers were also grinning at the longer-than-average stays of the guests. Conventioneers began arriving in the city around the 11th or 12th of July and they were expected to stay until the 17th or 18th. And the amount of customers in hotel restaurants and shops was reminiscent of the roaring 80's.

Janet Green, director of Convention Housing, said the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC), made a whopping 20,000 hotel reservations for delegates, guests and media in 68 different hotels throughout Manhattan. Green estimates that another 5,000 convention-related reservations were made by the guests themselves.

Ken Walles, general manager of The Ramada Hotel, located at 401 7th Avenue across the street from where the convention was being held at Madison Square Garden, said his hotel had not been completely full "for a long time."

"It gave us a tremendous hit as far as revenue was concerned," Walles said.

As the official headquarters for the press during the convention, the Ramada racked up 600 reservations for convention week and had a number of sold-out nights. While they did not win the competition to be the official headquarters of the convention committee, Walles said, they were fortunate because convention press reservations were generally three days longer than others.

"We realized it would be more attractive for the press to be across from the Garden and," he said, "we said let's take the press because they will arrive earlier and stay later."

The Drake Swissotel, at 440 Park Avenue, had 240 of its 522 rooms filled with convention guests, which included the Indiana and New Jersey delegations.

The hotel was at 100 percent occupancy on July 11 and nearly full for the rest of the week. According to Sales Coordinator Suzanne Abreu, the hotel lately has seen occupancy in the 60 to 65 percent range.

"It's basically filled the hotel for one week," said Abreu. "It was a welcome boost for the middle of July."

The Holiday Inn Crown Plaza was sold out last week with 400 of the 770 rooms occupied by convention-goers. In addition to hosting the Ohio and Arkansas delegations, the hotel lists major media organizations, like the Washington Post, among its corporate accounts, according to Managing Director Michael Silberstein.

"Arkansas arrived Saturday and they'll stay until Thursday," Silberstein said, "It's a very long stay - much more than average."

Silberstein cautioned, however, that his hotel has had some sellouts recently. Unlike other hotels that cater principally to a business clientele, he said, his hotel is located in the heart of the theater district and is crowded all week and all year round.

There were sellouts at The Roosevelt Hotel, where four delegations counted for 300 reservations nightly. Manager Alfred Matter said occupancy for the hotel, located near Grand Central Station, has been in the 50's and 60's in previous weeks.

Bernard Wagner, general manager of the 305-room Ramada Renaissance Hotel, which opened on March 2, said he is seeing the difference even though his hotel was not open in time to accept delegation reservations. "It has certainly helped occupancy," he said.

Some hotels on the East Side of Manhattan were basking in the overflow. In addition to hosting 65 guests from several press groups, the Journey's End Hotel, at 35 East 40th Street, picked up some additional non-convention reservations.

"It's not only boosted occupancy, but it's displaced normal occupancy that would have stayed closer to the convention," said Manager Paula Power-Spirlet.

Even the smaller boutique hotels were busy. Robert Dann, manager of 92-room Fitzpatrick Hotel on Lexington Avenue, between 56th and 57th Streets, said they were full all week and 75 percent of their reservations were conventioneers. The hotel counted among its guests George McGovern and a number of union officials from Washington, D.C.

The impact of the visitors was felt as far down as Battery Park City. Though they didn't register too many delegates, the Vista Hotel, said spokesperson Phil Romeo, was a hospitality point for many of the foreign media and guests. Romeo believes the attraction was the global appeal of the World Trade Center, which is adjacent to the Vista. At the Window on the Worlds restaurant in the Trade Center, which Romeo also represents, luncheon reservations were unprecedented", he said.

"Just seeing the added foot traffic down here has given everyone a real boost," he said.

Special Services

Additional Security, restaurant and theater discounts, and information tables were among the special touches hotels offered guests during convention week. In addition to making visitors feel more comfortable, there were hopes that the delegates would choose the same hotel on the next visit to the city.