With the expansion of Philadelphia’s Convention Centre due for completion by 2011, Jack Ferguson, Executive vice president of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, says that some positive effect can already be felt by visitors in the run-up to the completion of Philadelphia’s Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB) expansion by 2011, since the local hospitality industry has embarked on renovation and construction projects worth US$231 million.

Some 2,500 rooms will be added by 2013. This year will see a wave of new hotels opening despite the economic crisis: Meridien inaugurated a 195-room four-star property in January. It will be followed by the end of the year with the opening of the Hotel Palomar by Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, as well as by a Four Points by Sheraton, located just across from the Convention Centre. In 2010, the Vine Hotel – a deluxe property with 325 rooms as well as apartments - will be a new landmark in the city centre with meeting space, a full-service spa, an upscale 24-hour restaurant and shopping facilities. Existing hotels have embarked on various projects and upgrades to guest rooms, meeting facilities and restaurants, with the latest in technology and comfort being the focus of most renovations. According to PCVB President Tom Muldoon, Philadelphia reached an all-time high of 550,000 international visitors in 2007, up by 27%. This increase is the highest of any major cities in the USA.