Hotels in the Twin Cities are banking on John McCain and the Republican National Convention to lift a tourism market strained by a surge in rooms and increasingly budget-conscious travelers. The market couldn't ask for a better antidote, lodging analysts say. Hotel occupancies have edged down in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area this year, as they have nationally. But Robert Canton, director of the sports, convention and tourism group at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said the market is undoubtedly doing better than it would have without the Republican convention as the party's planners likely increased demand in the months running up to the four-day event that kicks off Labor Day.