KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.
According to Tourism Economics, a provider of economic impact data for destinations, Montgomery County’s hotel sector outperformed Pennsylvania’s in 2016. Last year, tourism spending in Montgomery County reached $1.5 billion and grew by 3.2% from the prior year, according to the Valley Forge TCB.
Montgomery County ranks first among the Philadelphia region’s suburban counties with a 41 percent share of the $3.7 billion in total visitor spending. Hotels across Montgomery County have spruced up everything from room decor to technology upgrades, investing heavily in infrastructure improvements.
The Fairfield Inn Valley Forge is in the midst of a full renovation that will include a new lobby, guest rooms, and fitness center. Normandy Farm Hotel & Conference Center in Blue Bell recently completed renovations to its lobby and conference center, which now includes an art gallery.
Normandy has also recently renovated its fitness center and added a retail bakeshop. Looking ahead to 2018, the Crowne Plaza Valley Forge will be renovating its 224 guest room accommodations.
In addition to improvements among Montgomery County’s hotels, new properties are also joining the market. These include the Residence Inn in Collegeville, designed to serve the local corporate market as well as exhibitors at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks.
“Montgomery County benefits from 75 hotels that complement our outstanding tourism assets,” said Marc Kaminetsky, VFTCB director of sports, tourism & convention sales. “History, nightlife, golf, arts and culture, and adventure are all clustered around accommodations that are new or have recently made significant investments in upgrading their facilities. This combination makes us unbeatable for [events].”
Filling both the refreshed and new rooms in the county is an ongoing effort for both the sales and marketing teams at the VFTCB. The tourism board has a new focus on the meetings market, branding its support for corporate off-sites as “Revolutionary Events” and encouraging meeting planners to “Forge the Extraordinary” in the Valley Forge & Montgomery County region.
Through the “Revolutionary Events” brand the VFTCB promotes the:
- Convenient location – minutes from Philadelphia International Airport
- Welcoming team of professionals providing planners with customized information about the many stylish hotels and unique venues throughout the Valley Forge & Montgomery County region
- Complimentary services to make the meeting planner’s job easier and ultimately make any meeting more successful
- Unique teambuilding activities at places like iFly, Escape Room, and Painting with a Twist
“As an added benefit to working with the VFTCB, planners enjoy financial support through our Revolutionary Events Savings Program, our newly energized signed agreement bonus offer,” Kaminetsky continued. “The VFTCB will work hard to make your meeting a success.”
To learn more about the Revolutionary Events Savings Program, contact the VFTCB or visit www.valleyforge.org/meetings.
