Today, the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association sent an open letter to City Council President Darrell Clarke, urging him not to grant two proposed hotels a combined $75M in tax breaks. They say that the Philly hotel industry is struggling, and new competition won't help. Last week, the owners of seven big Philly hotels sent a letter with a very similar conclusion.
The developers of the two proposed hotels have a different take: they say that other hoteliers are "just jealous." They say that the 700 hotel rooms their project will add can only help the PA Convention Center fulfill its potential (to hold two conferences at once,) and that a successful convention center will help other hotels in the city fill their rooms.
The GPHA agrees that the convention center is key to the success Philly's hospitality industry, but they're fervently opposed to the two new hotels: "overbuilding depresses performance to a level where it can lead to failure to reinvest in assets - and ultimately the quality of the hotels decline."
· PhillyDeals: Why some hotels now oppose Phila. hotel tax breaks [Philly.com]
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