DENVER—With hotel rooms in high demand for next year’s Democratic National Convention, federal security agents could have to sleep in dormitories or share any extra rooms they can find.
Democrats have reserved a block of 17,000 hotel rooms for delegates, party officials and others. But a few thousand federal forces, from Secret Service and FBI to the National Guard, also need a place to stay.
At previous big events, such as the Olympics, Secret Service agents have stayed in dormitories and rental houses, spokeswoman Kim Bruce said Wednesday. She said the Secret Service, the lead agency for convention security, hasn’t completed its arrangements for Denver.
“It would not be out of the ordinary to be looking at other places,” she said.
Robert J. Garrity, special agent in charge for the FBI in Denver, said one reason agents have trouble finding hotel rooms is that federal rules limit the agency to $140 a night to house out-of-town agents. Some of the rooms reserved by Democrats start at $128 a night, but many cost more, up to $279.
“The laws of supply and demand often dictate that we’re not in a competitive position when we’re looking for rooms,” Garrity said.
He said the FBI is looking at housing agents in the Johnson & Wales University dorms near the former Stapleton airport or other similar sites.
