Hotel occupancy in Philadelphia’s urban core reached 73 percent between May 25 and August 31, which is a 9.5 increase over the same period last year, writes Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza for WHYY.
According to Visit Philly officials, this “upward trend in hotel occupancy and demand” signals “continued recovery and growth in our travel and hospitality sector.”
The improvement compared to 2022 is even more noticeable, as data shows a 24 percent jump.
The average daily rate – showing how much hotels cost – also increased in Center City by 0.3 percent between 2023 and 2024.
While leisure travel has mostly rebounded, there has been a slower recovery in business travel and group travel, which includes conventions and meetings.
“Philly has seen stronger leisure room nights than in 2019 so we’ve had that segment of the market recover but are still waiting for those other two segments [business and group] to fully come back,” said Aran Ryan, director of industry studies at Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics Company.
The city is already gearing up for a big 2026, with an expected 500,000 visitors likely to visit the city between the FIFA World Cup soccer games, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, and the 250th birthday of America.
Read more about Philly’s tourism recovery in WHYY.
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