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When the Democratic Party picked New York for its 1992 presidential convention, the Crowne Plaza in Times Square was handed an incredible plum.
The brand-new hotel was selected to house the delegation from Arkansas, home state of a nominee named William Jefferson Clinton. Michael Silberstein, managing director of the 220-room property at the time, knew he had an opportunity to make a name for the place.
First he added grits to the hotel breakfast menu to make the Southerners feel at home. Then he posted a baby donkey at the door. Whether it was the Arkansans, the food or the donkey, the relatively unknown hotel got priceless free publicity.
"We caught all the media that was around," says Mr. Silberstein.
With another presidential convention coming to town, the Republican National Convention in 2004, hoteliers like Mr. Silberstein-who is now running a different property, The New York Palace-are angling to get the best states they can.
"We would love to see the Texas delegation," says John Moser, chief marketing officer for Manhattan East Suite Hotels. The hotelier owns 10 properties, including three in close proximity to the convention site, Madison Square Garden.
So would everyone else. The Lone Star State, of course, is home to President...