Hillary and Donald are bringing more than delegates to the conventions

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will help boost the economy before either of them get into office. At the very least, they are expected to help the hospitality industry in the two cities that are hosting the Democratic and Republican conventions next month.

As expected, the hotel occupancy levels and nightly rates have already jumped for the dates of the conventions in Philadelphia for the Democrats and Cleveland for the Republicans.

What is unusual is that those high occupancy levels and rates are not dropping dramatically after the conventions, which suggests that delegates and others attending the political shindigs may be hanging around for a few days for some tourist activities.

John Hach, a senior industry analyst for the travel consultancy TravelClick, said that data from dozens of properties show that occupancy rates for the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia have already jumped 125.6% while daily rates are up 38.6% to about $182 per night.

For the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, he said, occupancy levels are up 158.6% and daily rates have jumped 109% to about $141 per night.

But instead of dropping back to normal after the political events, hotel rates are easing back gradually, suggesting that some delegates and attendees may be adding a few days of travel to their visits to the City of Brotherly Love and the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Hach attributes this to a strong travel demand nationwide and good weather expected in both cities.

“It’s a good time of the year to visit these Northeastern cities,” Hach said.

hugo.martin@latimes.com

To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.

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