This is despite the removal of approximately 510 hotel rooms from the market since 2001, a drop in the average daily rate from $131 in 2001 to $126 today, and an aggressive "Philly's More Fun When You Sleep Over" media campaign, launched by Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp. CCD/CPDC attributes much of the decline to escalating labor problems and "embarrassing public political conflicts" related to the Convention Center along with the national recession.
Convention Center attendance in 2002 was down by 90,000 since 2000, according to the report. Conventions account for 46% of hotel room nights here; business and corporate travel accounts for 35%, and tourism generates another 19%.
In preparation for the 2000 Republican National Convention, Center City increased its hotel room supply by 63% between 1996 and 2000, largely through the renovation of underutilized historic office buildings. Hotel Room occupancy was 74% in 1996, and fell to 64% in 2000. Average daily rates rose from $117 in 1996 to $142 in 2000. CCD/CPDC bases its report on data supplied by Horwath Horizon Hospitality Advisors LLC and Smith Travel Research.
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