# are hotels still available for the republican national convention? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 16, 2004, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hotels-still-available-for-the-republican-national-convention/260061 "2004-08-16T06:11:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chefIL11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chefIL11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chefIL11)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hotels-still-available-for-the-republican-national-convention/260061/1 "2004-08-16T06:11:33Z")
am I too late? (Probably) does anyone have any idea how close (Or far) a hotel with a vacancy is? ---
**Author:** ![cmason32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@cmason32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmason32)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hotels-still-available-for-the-republican-national-convention/260061/2 "2004-08-16T06:55:11Z")
Try [hotels.com](http://hotels.com) or one of the other discount services to check for vacancies. However, I would still check the rates of those hotels on their websites - sometimes those “discount” sites are more expensive than the hotel’s website. That being said, I’d be suprised if there were many rooms left. ---
**Author:** ![Ponster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponster/32/17081_2.png) [@Ponster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponster)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hotels-still-available-for-the-republican-national-convention/260061/3 "2004-08-16T06:56:00Z")
[List of offical hotels](http://www.gopconvention.com/contents/links/comeearly.html) The official hotels of the 2004 Republican National Convention are extending convention rates over the Come Early, Stay Late period so that you can turn your visit into a vacation. For more information, please call Travel Planners at **866-762-0043**. It’s being held at the Madison Square Garden so I can’t really see any problem in finding a place though maybe the ‘offical’ hotels are booked up already? ---
**Author:** ![Cillasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Cillasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cillasi)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hotels-still-available-for-the-republican-national-convention/260061/4 "2004-08-16T07:26:11Z")
I seriously doubt you’ll find any vacancies right near Madison Square Garden. In fact, the closer to MSG, the less likely you are to find rooms. If you’re not familiar with NYC, MSG is located at 7th Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets. The good thing about NYC is that it’s fairly easy to determine about how far away your hotel is from MSG since the streets are numbered (above the downtown area) and Manhattan is not that wide avenue-wise. Maximum convenience and safety would be between 23rd Street and 57th Street and between 2nd Avenue and 8th Avenue (which includes Lexington, Park, Madison and Avenue of the Americas). ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hotels-still-available-for-the-republican-national-convention/260061/5 "2004-08-16T17:28:26Z")
Keep in mind that we have very good public transportation here. Even if you have to bed down in one of the outer boroughs, you’ll usually be less than half an hour away from the hub of activities. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hotels-still-available-for-the-republican-national-convention/260061/6 "2004-08-16T17:38:43Z")
Why are they having a convention? I thought Bush was their candidate? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hotels-still-available-for-the-republican-national-convention/260061/7 "2004-08-16T18:13:08Z")
Now, be nice. There’s not much they can do about that at this point, and it gives them a chance to network and figure out how to prevent it from happening next time! ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hotels-still-available-for-the-republican-national-convention/260061/8 "2004-08-16T18:27:08Z")
Yeah, I know, but it’s an awful lot of money to decide, “Okay, let’s all vote for Bush.” ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hotels-still-available-for-the-republican-national-convention/260061/9 "2004-08-16T18:31:25Z")
It’s an infomercial, as is the Democratic Convention. The purpose is to energize the base and get them revved up for the rest of the campaign. It has nothing to do with nominating a candidate except in a technical sense. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hotels-still-available-for-the-republican-national-convention/260061/10 "2004-08-16T20:31:44Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Why are they having a convention? I thought Bush was their candidate? The same reason the Democrats had a convention, even thought everyone has known for months Kerry was going to be the candidate. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hotels-still-available-for-the-republican-national-convention/260061/11 "2004-08-16T20:48:06Z")
Yeah, I think the last time the nominee wasn’t solidly known before the convention was the 1968 Democratic race. Going in, RFK looked like a likely winner, aside from being dead and all, and Eugene McCarthy, long characterized as a protest candidate in this race, was looking better as a consequence of still being among the living, whereas as far as I know Hubert Humphrey was scarcely even on the average Democratic voter’s radar screen. In retrospect, they probably should’ve gone with the dead guy, although I suppose Wallace deserves some of the blame for how things turned out. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hotels-still-available-for-the-republican-national-convention/260061/12 "2004-08-16T20:58:18Z")
> [@HPL](#): > > The same reason the Democrats had a convention, even thought everyone has known for months Kerry was going to be the candidate. Well, I’m not the most politically-aware guy on the block, but I haven’t heard of _anybody_ seriously trying to run against Bush. Does he have any opponents? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hotels-still-available-for-the-republican-national-convention/260061/13 "2004-08-16T21:06:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Well, I’m not the most politically-aware guy on the block, but I haven’t heard of anybody seriously trying to run against Bush. Does he have any opponents? Well, there’s that Kerry fellow… ouch! stop that! ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hotels-still-available-for-the-republican-national-convention/260061/14 "2004-08-17T00:29:53Z")
Somebody’s gonna _yell_ at you guys. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cillasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Cillasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cillasi)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hotels-still-available-for-the-republican-national-convention/260061/15 "2004-08-17T01:33:57Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Keep in mind that we have very good public transportation here. Even if you have to bed down in one of the outer boroughs, you’ll usually be less than half an hour away from the hub of activities. I wouldn’t really want to depend on public transportation, especially buses, during the convention (which is one of the reasons why I will be in Florida that week). NYC traffic is going to be a horror, even the highways from the outer boroughs. Traffic around MSG is going to be severely restricted and there has even been talk of shutting down the subway stations in the area which will probably adversely affect that system too. ---
**Author:** ![beltbuckle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@beltbuckle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beltbuckle)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hotels-still-available-for-the-republican-national-convention/260061/16 "2004-08-17T02:03:50Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Now, be nice. There’s not much they can do about that at this point, and it gives them a chance to network and figure out how to prevent it from happening next time! Nice political pot shot. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lodoen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b3f665/32.png) [@Jeff\_Lodoen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lodoen)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hotels-still-available-for-the-republican-national-convention/260061/17 "2004-08-17T02:44:15Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Well, I’m not the most politically-aware guy on the block, but I haven’t heard of _anybody_ seriously trying to run against Bush. Does he have any opponents? [http://www.politics1.com/othergop04.htm](http://www.politics1.com/othergop04.htm) I only recognize Tom Laughlin aka Billy Jack. Will he still defend hippies? ---
**Author:** ![Merhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Merhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merhouse)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hotels-still-available-for-the-republican-national-convention/260061/18 "2004-08-18T01:37:21Z")
I didn’t catch specifics, but one of the NYC news programs (or maybe The Today Show) were talking about how the hotels are not seeing this huge influx of people everyone was hoping for. They said that the last week of August in NYC is pretty “slow”, and they haven’t seen it being anything but slow this year, either. Hope this helps 🙂