If they are having trouble negotiating a contract, this sure won’t hurt. Game theory, which I am guessing they know all about - let the hotel know that they are shopping too, unless they get a better deal. They don’t even have to jump, just show the hotel that they are willing to.
If I were them, honestly, I’d move out of NYC. Too expensive. Probably not NJ either.
Shifting it to the areas of Columbus, Cleveland, Buffalo, or Pittsburgh would probably help a lot on price and stay within driving distance of NYC. Depending on where people are coming from, it may not really be that much further. (You could do Albany, Syracuse, or Rochester too, but it would be harder to get to except from NYC and the NE.) Columbus and Pittsburgh are more than 100 miles from the boarder, which may be of help to the organizers. Both of which have good convention centers for up to 10K+ attendance.
I don’t know how underground HOPE is; Washington DC or Baltimore may or may not be valid, depending.
There is Indianapolis and Cincinnati and Louisville, Chicago and Detroit. But these are pretty far from the NE region, where I am presuming the majority of their clients are.
Some dark horses that might be a cool idea:
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South Beach. They have a nice convention center. Expensive room rates, though. Also two very good international airports.
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Myrtle Beach. Big convention center, relatively low room rates, really low room rates off-season. While it’s a more diverse area than most in the south with fewer issues, you have to drive through the south to get there.
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The Greenbriar, West Virginia. Expensive room rates, and their convention rates are probably as expensive as last year’s in NYC. However… holding the HOPE in the Bunker? Priceless.
