39,000 Hotel Rooms Expected To Be Filled In Philadelphia For NFL Draft
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Tens of thousands of hotel rooms are expected to be filled this week for the NFL Draft.
Throw in the Penn Relays and it's looking like a tight squeeze in the city, but officials say there are still rooms available.
The NFL Draft was last in Chicago, and based on the hotel rooms booked there, Julie Coker Graham, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, says the city came up with its own prediction.
"We're projecting a total of 39,000 rooms that will be consumed," she said.
But even with those 39,000 rooms off the board, Ed Grose, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, says if you need a place to stay, you may be in luck if you act now.
"I'm still showing rooms available however they are filling up," said Grose.
Grose says there are still rooms within walking distance of the draft, and elsewhere.
"There are rooms available in the airport area, in the Valley Forge area and even as far as Exton, which is a 43-minute Amtrak ride into Center City," he said.
Grose says, much like the papal visit and DNC, the city is showing it can handle big events.
