Hilton claims NATPE didn’t pay for rooms, meeting space

Grace Leong

Wednesday, March 6, 2002 | 11:09 a.m.

The National Association of Television Program Executives, already facing declining attendance at its annual Las Vegas convention, is now being sued by a hotel that claims NATPE failed to pay for rooms and meeting space it reserved for the January event.

The Las Vegas Hilton filed suit last week in Clark County District Court against NATPE, based in Santa Monica, Calif., which saw a drop in attendance at its Las Vegas convention this year because of a slower economy and cost-cutting in the broadcast industry.

The Hilton alleges NATPE failed to use and pay for all 2,400 hotel rooms and meeting space that it reserved for the Jan. 14-29 convention.

The official NATPE convention was at the Las Vegas Convention Center, adjacent to the Hilton. But the Hilton said an unspecified amount of meeting space was reserved by NATPE at its hotel in conjunction with the main convention.

Hilton, a 3,200-room property owned by Park Place Entertainment Corp. of Las Vegas, said it agreed on Dec. 22 to provide the meeting space and reserve hotel rooms for a total of 11,630 room nights for the show.

NATPE spokesman Les Eisner and Park Place spokeswoman Debbie Munch declined comment on how many rooms and how much meeting space, if any, were actually used by NATPE.

Eisner declined comment on the Hilton's allegations.

Several key exhibitors didn't exhibit at the show in order to save money, opting instead to meet clients and exhibit at the Venetian hotel-casino.

NATPE's organizers said 9,600 people registered for the show this year, compared with 13,913 that attended last year.