Philadelphia

Coronavirus Battered Greater Philly's High-Flying Hotel Industry in 2020

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COVID-19 severely impacted the tourism and hospitality industries across the board this year, and hotels were no stranger to pandemic fallout, reports the Philadelphia Business Journal.

The local industry kicked off on a high note after a year of healthy growth and record-breaking revenue in 2019. 

By mid-March, however, Philly’s hotel sector was fighting to keep its head above water. Properties were seeing 30% occupancy or less versus the typical 85% to 90% range seen at that time, PBJ.com reports.

Many hotels began temporarily suspending operations in attempts to ride out the coronavirus storm, with The Loews Philadelphia Hotel and The Wyndham Garden Hotel at Philadelphia International Airport among the first. 

Layoffs ripped through local properties, with employees at the Warwick Rittenhouse Square Hotel among the first affected. By April, the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association was fundraising $540,000 to provide 5,400 displaced hotel workers with $100 grocery gift cards.

PBJ.com has details on Visit Philadelphia's efforts to help find work for hotel and restaurant workers. The business journal also shares some of the critical acclaim the area's hotels got this year amid the chaos.

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