2014: A Record Year For Leisure Visitation In Philadelphia

Center City Philadelphia is on track to close 2014 with record hotel occupancy and the best Friday and Saturday occupancies to date. The leisure travel segment—those who come to Philadelphia for fun vacations and getaways—is a major contributor to these milestones.

Record Hotel Occupancy: 76%:

Center City Philadelphia’s hotel occupancy is projected to hit 76%—the city’s highest since 1949. Travelers from all segments (leisure, group, business) will have filled a projected 3.1 million rooms.(Source: PKF Consulting)

Leisure: The Segment That Loves Philadelphia Back:

Leisure is on track to close out a record year in 2014. In Center City Philadelphia hotels, leisure accounted for 31% of hotel room nights, as opposed to just 14% in 1997, when VISIT PHILADELPHIA® began marketing Philadelphia as a leisure destination. (The other segments: group/convention, which is projected to reach 33%; business, 31%; airlines, 3%; and government, 2%.) (Source: PKF Consulting)

Once viewed as a gap filler during hotel need periods, leisure is now a critical part of the market mix.

Weekend Wonder: Friday & Saturday Top The Occupancy Charts:

Weekend hotel occupancy—a major indicator of a destination’s leisure strength—is higher than all other weekday nights. Fridays and Saturdays are on track to reach their highest occupancy rates ever in 2014.

Center City’s busiest night of the week since 2007, Saturday is on track to reach an all-time occupancy high in 2014, finishing at 89%. Friday likely will be be the second-busiest night of the week for the first time ever. Friday occupancy is also on track to reach an all-time high, finishing at more than 80%.

Hotel Occupancy by Day, January 1-December 13, 2014:

• Sunday: 60.0%
• Monday: 71.5%
• Tuesday: 80.5%
• Wednesday: 81.3%
• Thursday: 78.0%
• Friday: 82.4% – record high
• Saturday: 89.4% – record high