King of Prussia, PA – It’s a great time to be guest in Montgomery County, PA. Business is booming in the hotel industry with five new hotels in the pipeline. Although there is more inventory, there is also more momentum because when new properties come on the market it puts pressure on existing hotels to make improvements to their facilities.
Thirty-five million dollars in present capital reinvestment is going into existing properties across Montgomery County ensuring that visitors who come here enjoy the best comfort, style, and amenities.
Best Western Plus The Inn at King of Prussia recently opened a new fitness center. The unique space holds cross-fit elements and a yoga studio. The hotel has even partnered with a holistic lifestyle coach to help clients manage stress and improve their health and happiness.
Days Inn Horsham Philadelphia just underwent renovations and added luxury touches like an atrium lobby and granite floors.
Hampton Inn Philadelphia/Plymouth Meeting has spruced up its exterior and renovated all guest rooms top to bottom.
Fairfield Inn Philadelphia - Valley Forge just completed a full renovation, giving guests a new breakfast area and fitness center.
Normandy Farm Hotel & Conference Center in Blue Bell recently completed renovations to its lobby and conference center, which now includes an art gallery! Normandy also recently renovated its fitness center and added a retail bakeshop, selling sweet treats from award-winning pastry chef, Sam Nahhas.
In addition to improvements among the county’s hotels, new properties are joining the market. These include the Fairfield Inn & Suites Willow Grove, which opened last year. The hotel features the brand's new décor, designed to enhance the guest experience, and a warm and welcoming environment. Coming soon, the Residence Inn in Collegeville was designed to serve the local corporate markets as well as sports travel teams competing at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks.
“We’re very optimistic about tourism in Montgomery County,” said Mike Bowman, President and CEO of the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board. “With some spectacular new hotels coming into the county and all the improvements being made to our existing facilities, people have their pick of places to stay. And when they’re here we know they’ll have a great time learning about our rich history, exploring our vibrant arts scene, experiencing the best shopping in the country, and dining in our over 600 restaurants. All of this contributes to the economy in a positive way.”
According to Smith Travel Research, the industry leader in hotel data, Montgomery County hotels’ RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room) grew significantly (21%) between 2015 and 2016, mostly due to the Democratic National Convention (DNC) held in Philadelphia; much of that growth was lost from 2016-2017 with a 16.8% RevPAR decline. However, despite losing 16,000 DNC room nights this year, Montgomery County is keeping pace with demand. The 2017 RevPAR increase of $0.85 compared to 2015 represents a $153,288 increase in revenue.
Tourism is a major driver of Montgomery County’s economy. In 2016, tourism spending in Montco reached $1.5 billion and grew by 3.2% from the prior year according to Tourism Economics, a leading provider of economic impact data for destinations around the world. Beyond direct sales, the amount of business sales generated by tourism spending was $2.2 billion, when indirect and induced impacts were considered. This includes spending on things like construction, retail, recreation and entertainment, and food and beverages.
In 2016, tourism spending supported 4.1% of all jobs in Montgomery County, employing close to 20,000 people. With more new construction and improvements to existing inventory, the outlook for tourism-related jobs is positive.
Montgomery County’s hotel sector outperformed Pennsylvania’s in 2016 and Montco ranks first among the Philadelphia region’s suburban counties – Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, and Delaware – with a 41 percent share of the $3.7 billion in total visitor spending.
The improvements to area hotels aren’t the only recent tourism-related investments. King of Prussia Mall just underwent a multi-million expansion connecting the Court and the Plaza to create an unapparelled shopping experience all under one roof. This Spring, LEGOLAND Discovery Center opened in Plymouth Meeting. This Summer, the Elmwood Park Zoo opened “Trail of the Jaguar,” a 5,000 square-foot big cat encounter designed by architects from Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Last year, Valley Forge National Historical Park opened Sullivan’s Bridge, providing a scenic connection to the Schuylkill River Trail. Improvements to the Park’s Visitors Center and additional programming are planned for the future.
“Montgomery County benefits from 75 hotels that complement our outstanding tourism assets. History, nightlife, golf, arts and culture, and adventure are all clustered around accommodations that are new or have recently made significant investments in upgrading their facilities. This combination makes us unbeatable for weekend getaways, which can be planned through our website, www.valleyforge.org,” Bowman concluded.
