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I think the point of view is unique and missing the bigger picture.
Regarding "30,000 lost hotel nights", what sticks in my mind is the news story which ran multiple times about the "owner" of a Hilton in Staten Island saying that he was not going to honor reservations of any marathoners because he wasn't going to kick out the locals who were taking refuge there. He didn't say anything like "I understand it's a tough situation and we'll/Hilton will do everything possible to find accommodations for the runners at other hotels and at no additional cost to them" - which would have been the smart thing to say. Instead this hotel owner was being quite antagonistic about the runners for even thinking that they had any right to be there...even with reservations made months in advance.
The marathon hotel for the marathon I ran last month had an issue being overbooked and they called in advance and did exactly what I mention above - they apologized that they couldn't honor my reservation made 6 months earlier, would make accommodations at another hotel, at the marathon rate, and provide a bus to the marathon hotel.
I also believe that similar to this Staten Island Hilton, many NYC hotels were probably filled with others taking refuge who had been displaced from their homes. So, I don't think 30,000 hotel nights were actually "lost" nor the city lost the tax revenues - others likely took the majority of those nights.
It's a tough situation for everyone, however, based on some of the media I was seeing, and the backlash that was developing, I'd personally be concerned for the safety of the runners that would have participated had the marathon taken place.
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