Convention Expected to Boost Hotel Occupancy

Consulting group PricewaterhouseCoopers is forecasting that next year’s Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles will generate 87,000 overnight stays at area hotels, boosting average monthly hotel occupancy in the region to more than 80% capacity. The figure represents a bump of no more than 7 percentage points, the company noted, because average regional hotel occupancy for August, the month the convention is scheduled, has been about 76% capacity in recent years. The event is expected to draw 35,000, including 15,000 media representatives. In May, PKF Consulting predicted the four-day convention would pump about $132 million into the local economy.