Hotel rooms tight for Democratic National Convention

Some say Denver is risking a barrage of grumpy press reports during the Democratic National Convention if it can't find more hotel rooms for the folks who buy ink by the barrel.

With more than four months until the August convention, some of the country's biggest news outlets have yet to secure temporary barracks for the armies they're sending to cover the conclusion of this year's dramatic presidential primary.

It could be a temporary issue, as hotel reservations are held in limbo during the still-unresolved contest between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Convention organizers downplay talk about a Fourth Estate housing crunch, saying they're making more hotel rooms available to media representatives in Denver than were made available during the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.

Still, some media logistic planners have gone into panic mode lately after the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) notified them that they might get only a fraction of the rooms they have requested -- and few of those within walking distance of the Pepsi Center venue.

"It really is a crisis," said Andrew Taylor, chairman of the Standing Committee of Correspondents, which represents congressional reporters on Capitol Hill. "It doesn't sound like party officials are aware of how big a problem it is."

The Obama-Clinton matchup has stirred unprecedented national and international interest, especially with speculation about a suspense-filled floor fight starting on Aug. 25 in Denver.

Prime downtown hotel rooms have become a precious commodity. And it has created tension between media companies and the DNCC, which has locked up 17,000 hotel rooms across the region for state delegations, party dignitaries, media representatives and others.

Some national television networks and The Associated Press, which employs Taylor, have reserved big blocks of hotel rooms on their own. But other outlets, including The New York Times, USA Today, Reuters and others, have requested dozens of hotel rooms via the DNCC. So far they've been allotted only a fraction of the rooms, various sources said.

Natalie Wyeth, spokeswoman for the DNCC, said that's only the first phase of the room allotments.

"I can't underscore enough the unprecedented amount of media attention for this convention," she said. "We're doing everything to the best of our ability to accommodate the interest in the convention."

What has media outlets worried is that the organizing committee recently encouraged them to start looking for additional rooms on the open market, outside the reserved stock.

Theoretically, there are another 25,000 hotel rooms in the six-county Denver area. However, as of this week, many hotels reported being booked solid for convention week, and even some low-budget facilities were advertising New York-style prices.

For example, the travel site Expedia.com listed the modest Budget Host Inn near Six Flags Elitch Gardens, which currently costs $65 per night, for $429 per night the last week of August. A hotel manager did not dispute the figure but said reservations are not accepted this far in advance. Besides, she said, owners had not decided whether to be open or proceed with a planned renovation that week.

Some predict that if journalists get upset about conditions, long commutes or other issues, their woes could contribute to an unwelcomed storyline during Denver's coming-out party on the national stage.

"Reporters are the worst. They're just notoriously self-centered when it comes to their hotel accommodations," said Carl Hulse, veteran correspondent for The New York Times and a member of the Standing Committee of Correspondents.

If there are housing troubles, "It could potentially reflect on Denver's ability to handle such a great event," Hulse said. "If people don't have rooms, they're going to ask the question: 'Should the convention have been here in the first place?'"

Richard Sharf, president and chief executive officer for the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, has pledged to help any media groups that are still looking for housing. He's compiling a list of available rooms, though he believes some hotel owners are holding back openings, hoping to get better prices over the summer.

"Hotels are notorious for making hay when the sun shines," he said. "They're holding back a little bit, waiting to see how things flesh out. I think you're going to see a lot of rooms become available."

Sharf speculated that DNCC officials were holding extra rooms until they find out whether they need space for the Florida and Michigan delegations, or for either one or two top candidates after the last primaries in June.

"Regardless of who the nominee may be or otherwise, we know it will be a historic event, and people want to be here to be part of this," Wyeth said.

E-mail M.E. Sprengelmeyer at sprengelmeyerm(at)shns.com

(M.E. Sprengelmeyer writes for the Rocky Mountain News)