Expanded Convention Center spurs new hotel in Philadelphia

One of the first new hotels to be built from the ground up in Philadelphia in more than a decade will rise across the street from the newly-expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center.  

The almost 250 room Hilton Home2 Suites hotel will be constructed on what is now a parking lot at 12th and Arch Streets.  Mayor Michael Nutter says it’s an important construction project for Philadelphia.

“This project will create more than 120 construction jobs and more than 140 permanent hotel jobs those are jobs that most likely will be held by Philadelphians,” said Nutter.

State Senator Larry Farnese says construction workers could use the help.  “It’s putting people back to work with family sustaining jobs,” Farnese said.

  • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

The Parkway Corporation will build the hotel.  President Robert Zuritsky says the project is the right one even in the current economy.

“This project is the result of a public private effort to add hotel rooms and many new jobs to the city and the Convention Center,” said Zuritsky. “We never would have accomplished undertaking this without a series of incentives without a series of incentives from the state and the city.”

The city is offering loans to make the building more energy efficient,  The state and federal governments are kicking in 12 million dollars worth of help for the 60 million dollar project.

Groundbreaking should come in next two months and the building completed in about two years.

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal