Oct. 23--The Major League Baseball World Series could smack a grand slam for the Valley of the Sun's languishing hotel industry, local tourism experts say. 

Local hoteliers say they might fill a few more rooms this weekend because the Arizona Diamondbacks will host the World Series opener, but the big boost will come weeks or months later. 

A short sleeve-shirted crowd will have cold-weather dwellers from all around the country pining for a trip to Arizona, said David Muth, general manager of the Hilton Phoenix East/Mesa. "The weather will be great, and the stadium shows well," Muth said. "You can't overstate the importance of that. Climate is still our most important feature. The high point (for local hotels) in 10 years was in 1997. I don't think it's a coincidence that the year before, the Super Bowl was here." 

East Valley hoteliers, already reeling from several tough years caused by a spate of hotel building that far outstripped demand for rooms, were envisioning a recovery this year. Then the economy turned sour and the hoped-for recovery was postponed. The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and the national fear of flying that followed, quashed those hopes. 

The World Series could get tourism back on track by showing that people can travel, do fun things, in large crowds and feel safe, said Rachel Sacco, president of the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. 

And if that all happens in the Valley, it will leave TV viewers and visitors with warm feelings for the destination, she said. 

"It comes at a wonderful time for the nation," Sacco said. "Baseball is America's pastime, and to have the World Series here is a wonderful time for us. It's tremendously exciting. We're getting close to the winter season, and it's all about opportunities and possibilities." Chaparral Suites Hotel in Scottsdale is getting inquiries about room availability for the weekend, said general manager Tom Silverman. 

Bookings won't peak until people latch on to tickets later in the week, he said. And there won't be a lot of those, even if half of Bank One Ballpark's 98,000 tickets for the series opening weekend eventually find their way into the hands of out-of-towners. 

But millions of baseball fans from around the country and around the world are expected to watch the spectacle on TV. Arizona, with the first two games, gets the big weekend viewing crowd. And the sun-drenched scenes that the national and international media will film while they are here to fill in game-day lulls "will make people think of the Valley the next time a snowflake falls," Silverman said. 

"When you get on national TV for hours at a time, it's better than paid advertising," he said. 

The baseball championship has no history in the Valley, but San Diego, a World Series destination three years ago, estimated the event had an $18 million a day impact on the local economy, said David Radcliffe, president of the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau. That was in flusher economic times, but Radcliffe estimates this weekend could leave Valley businesses pocketing $20 million or more. 

Another huge sporting event scheduled to rev into the Valley this weekend, the annual NASCAR extravaganza at Phoenix International Raceway, is likely to have a bigger, short-term economic benefit, Radcliffe said. One of the Valley's biggest room-fillers every year, the races typically attract 100,000 car-lovers who stay for four or more days, according to race organizers. Most of the attendees are from out-of-town, and while a big chunk of the participants camp out at the track, the rest fill hotel rooms from Glendale to Scottsdale. 

The NASCAR races conservatively inject more than $60 million into the local economy every year, Radcliffe said. The Sunburst Resort in Scottsdale, Tempe Mission Palms Hotel and Tempe's Fiesta Inn are booked solid with NASCAR visitors. The Doubletree La Posada has about a third of its rooms reserved for race fans, said Mark Lindsey, marketing director for the posh Paradise Valley resort. And more are expected. 

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