The Eagles Super Bowl parade on Valentine's Day boosted hotel occupancy to 90% in Center City and drove $4.3 million in additional revenue for the hospitality industry that weekend, according to a report released Wednesday by Visit Philadelphia and other local tourism organizations.
The economic boon for Center City hotels was a welcome surprise among industry leaders who usually expect a downturn in room bookings during the late winter.
MORE: Franklin Square's playground is getting a climbing tower, rope swing and zip line
"This has been great for Philadelphia hotels because normally February is not exactly our busiest time," Ed Grose, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, said of how the Eagles' Super Bowl run drove overnight visitors to Center City.
The report includes all Philadelphia hotels between the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers, from Pine Street north to Vine Street, in addition to hotels in University City.
Compared with the same weekend last year, hotel bookings in Center City increased by 71% with an additional 11,089 rooms sold between Feb. 13 and Feb. 15. The city's hotel occupancy was up 37% compared with last year and revenue increased by 164%, not adjusting for inflation. Valentine's Day fell on a Wednesday last year. It was on a Friday this year, coinciding with the parade.
The economic data includes information from the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, which compared Center City's hotel performance during the parade weekend with the last time the Eagles celebrated a Super Bowl victory with a parade in 2018. Demand for Center City hotel rooms was up 24% for this parade, and room revenue increased by 42% — again, not adjusting for inflation.
Grose said he believes people learned from the huge crowds at the last parade and chose to book hotels to be closer to the action. The city estimated about 1 million people turned out for this year's parade.
"People wanted to be downtown," Grose said. "They didn't want to worry about driving into the city and finding parking. They prefer to stay a night in Philadelphia."
It wasn't just the parade weekend that lifted Philadelphia hotels. During the Eagles' three-week stretch of home playoff games — Jan. 12 against the Green Bay Packers, Jan. 19 against the Los Angeles Rams and Jan. 26 against the Washington Commanders — Center City hotels reaped $2.4 million in added revenue. That was up 37% compared with the same period a year ago.
The marquee NFC championship game was an unexpected gift to city hotels after the Commanders defeated the top-seeded Detroit Lions in the divisional round of the playoffs to secure the game would be played at Lincoln Financial Field. That gave Philadelphia an extra week of football-related tourism.
"It's a high-profile game. More media came to town, the teams," Grose said. "And people came in to watch the game, especially from Washington, D.C."
The hospitality industry had expected 2025 to be a down year for hotels in Philadelphia, mainly because convention calendars are a bit lighter than usual this year, Grose said. Much of the industry's focus has been gearing up for the nation's semiquincentennial celebration in Philadelphia next July. That summer also will bring the FIFA World Cup and the MLB All-Star Game to the city.
Notably, much of the Eagles-related tourism can be attributed to people who live in the Philadelphia region who stayed in the city rather than make a day trip, Grose said.
"To be able to sell hotel rooms to people who are local, it gives give people who live out in the suburbs a chance to come in and enjoy their city and everything that it has to offer," Grose said. "Our restaurants see a lot of business. Uber drivers see a lot of business. It's a civic pride and a 'feel-good' event for the city."
More than anything else, Grose said he's happy the Super Bowl parade gave a well-earned windfall to hospitality workers.
"If you're a bellman, if you're a front desk agent, if you're a waiter or waitress, this is a big thing for you and it's a lucrative day," Grose said. "Our hospitality people work very hard, and it's good to see them rewarded with a banner day that wasn't expected."