PHILADELPHIA…July 13, 2015…Center City hotels are reaping the benefits of a strong summer convention calendar that has already generated record hotel occupancy for June. Overall occupancy peaked at 89.4 percent, the highest monthly occupancy on record. The Average Daily Rate (ADR) for hotel rooms in Center City also broke records at $212.95, the highest since October 2014, another strong group and convention month. High mid-week occupancy, indicating strong demand from commercial, group and convention business, was driven by three citywide conventions – the Government Finance Officers Association (May 31- June 3), the Biotechnology Industrial Organization convention (June 14-18) and the International Society for Technology in Education convention (June 28 – July 1). Conventions booked by the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), including those three citywide groups, consumed 97,208 room nights in June, or 32 percent of all demand for hotel room nights during the month, and generated an estimated economic impact of more than $121 million for the region.

“We are thrilled that our convention and group business has helped secure the highest June hotel occupancy on record,” said PHLCVB President & CEO Jack Ferguson. "We consistently tout to our convention groups how easily accessible Philadelphia is for their attendees, and with all the national and international buzz about Philadelphia, conventions are drawing higher than average attendance. Three of our largest groups this year have broken or nearly broken their attendance records.”

The impact of PHLCVB-booked conventions creates compression, driving demand and rates even at hotels outside the immediate Convention Center district. At the Hilton Philadelphia at Penn's Landing, General Manager Bill Fitzgerald experienced first-hand the effect of these groups.

“June was a great month for us and for many Center City hotels. The importance of conventions to the hotel industry cannot be stated enough. When the Convention Center is consistently filled is when we thrive, benefitting the more than 65,000 hospitality industry workers in Philadelphia,” said Fitzgerald.

Although 2014 saw the highest annual occupancy rate since 1949, Center City occupancy and ADR are already pacing ahead of last year. Moving into July through September, generally a high season for international and domestic leisure visitors, the NAACP convention, the CONCACAF Gold Cup Championship weekend and the World Meeting of Families convention and Papal Visit will add to an already promising year for hotels and the rest of the hospitality community.

June Hotel Stats for Center City:

• 89.4 percent hotel room occupancy for Philadelphia Center City hotels – the highest on record dating back to 1993
• Occupancy was highest on Tuesdays (97.9 percent) and Wednesdays (96.4 percent), the strongest days of the week for business travel
• At nearly $213, ADR was 6.4 percent higher than any month since October 2014
• ADR was highest on Mondays ($231) and Tuesdays ($232) when PHLCVB-booked convention demand was highest
• At $190, RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room) was 10.7 percent higher than any month since October 2014

Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), www.discoverPHL.com , a private non-profit membership corporation, is the official Tourism Promotion Agency for the City of Philadelphia globally, and the primary sales and marketing agency for the expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center. The PHLCVB competes with its counterparts worldwide for convention and tourism business. The organization has departments dedicated to the multicultural, sports, and life sciences markets. The PHLCVB incorporates the short code PHL, an open source graphic identifier for the City of Philadelphia into the Convention & Visitors Bureau brand identity. The graphic identifier and other assets for use by public, private and non-profit organizations can be found at www.PHLpartners.com.

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Media Contact:
Khaila Edward
202.203.8279
khaila@discoverphl.com