Conventions demand room to grow.
That was in 1997 when 57,000 attended the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigerating Exposition, a trade show for the heating and air conditioning industry. Lots of day trippers were there, but only 8,000 hotel rooms were booked during the show's peak nights. The GOP is expecting about 40,000 to hit town to watch Texas guv George Bush get crowned as it president apparent. They will take up 18,400 rooms during the five peak nights of the convention that runs from July 31 to Aug. 4. The demand for rooms in the first quarter of this year was about the same as in 1999, says the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association's Mickey Rawley .