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The Pennsylvania convention Center was a rather pathetic looking venue (looked like a converted grocery store) in Wescosville near St Luke's hospital center in Allentown south of Tilghman between 309 and PA Turnpike NE extension. It closed in 2006.
The Morning Call said that both Bethlehem and Allentown are looking at building a new convention center. Big shock, the favored locations are next to the casino and near the new hockey arena.
The officials envision a 100,000 to 200,000 square-foot center to host car shows, home shows and business conventions.
There are three older spots in the Valley right now that can host conventions, but without the giant showrooms.
192 rooms: Best Western Plus: Lehigh Valley Hotel & Conference Center 300 Gateway Dr. (built 1965)
110 rooms: Hampton Inn & Suites: next door to LVH&CC 200 Gateway Dr. (built 2003)
282 rooms: Rodeway Inn Conference Center 1151 Bulldog Drive (built 1958)
175 rooms: Holiday Inn: Allentown-I-78 (Lehigh Valley) 7736 Adrienne Dr. near route 100 (built 1988)
several other hotels in the immediate area
South Side Bethlehem has about 500 rooms - so a conference center will necessitate more rooms
80 Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Bethlehem 2201 Cherry Ln.
124 Comfort Suites University 120 W. Third St.
302 Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem 77 Sands Blvd. Sands originally intended to build a convention center, but plans are on pause
The 13 hotels clustered near the Airport contain 1400 rooms (25% of the Lehigh Valley total). Only one is less than a decade old. With the airport fading in use, business should be down in this area. IMHO, the government nevers wants to shore up old business, they only want new hotels.
100 Holiday Inn Express 3375 High Point Blvd.
108 Staybridge Suites 1787 A Airport Rd.
104 Extended Stay America 3050 Schoenersville Rd
106 Hilton Garden Inn 1787-B Airport Rd.
113 Homewood Suites by Hilton 2031 Avenue C
103 Fairfield Inn & Suites 2140 Motel Dr.
114 Courtyard 2160 Motel Dr.
120 Residence Inn 2180 Motel Dr. budgethotels
144 Days Inn And Suites 3400 Airport Rd.
69 Super 8 1033 Airport Ro...
105 Scottish Inn & Suites Allentown 18109
100 Knights Inn & Suites 1880 Steelstone Rd
115 Red Roof Inn 1846 Catasauqua Road
Last edited by PacoMartin; 11-16-2012 at 07:32 AM..
I'm sorry, the previous convention center was called Pennsylvania Expo Center, and it was 107,000 square feet. It also once housed Builders Square home improvement center. St Luke's Hospital has bought the center.
I recently was wondering what the deal was with the PA Expo Center. What was the problem? Not enough space? Couldn't draw people in?
It's possible it was too plain. The only hotel within walking distance was the aged Red Carpet Inn. There are plenty of hotels within a 2 mile driving distance, but maybe conventioneers view conventions as parties, and are not attracted to a place that offers little or no fun.
From my perspective, for West of Allentown I see 1414 rooms in 15 hotels, and another 400 mostly budget rooms in 5 hotels that are not far away. You have a solid base of places to stay at all costs within a few minutes drive.
Rooms Name of Establishment City & State Zip Code
175 Holiday Inn Allentown I 78 Lehigh Valley Breinigsville, PA 18031
111 Hilton Garden Inn Allentown West Breinigsville, PA 18031
64 Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Allentown Fogelsville Fogelsville, PA 18051
35 Glasbern Inn Fogelsville, PA 18051
80 Quality Inn Allentown Allentown, PA 18104
282 Rodeway Inn Allentown Allentown, PA 18104
77 Best Western Plus Allentown Inn & Suites By Dorney Park Allentown, PA 18104
29 Red Carpet Inn Allentown Allentown, PA 18104
22 Allenwood Motel Allentown, PA 18104
35 Lehigh Motor Inn Allentown, PA 18104
62 Sleep Inn Allentown Allentown, PA 18106
127 Comfort Inn Lehigh Valley West Allentown, PA 18106
83 Staybridge Suites Allentown West Allentown, PA 18106
108 Homewood Suites Allentown West Fogelsville Allentown, PA 18106
124 Hampton Inn Allentown Allentown, PA 18106
1414
44 Econo Lodge Allentown Allentown, PA 18103
121 Comfort Suites Allentown Allentown, PA 18103
70 Holiday Inn Express & Suites Allentown Dorney Park Allentown, PA 18103
58 Howard Johnson Express Allentown Allentown, PA 18103
105 Wingate By Wyndham Allentown Allentown, PA 18103
400
======================
The problem that I see with South Bethlehem is there is little or not infrastructure for that kind of event. There is a 124 room Comfort Suites University (20 years old) and an 80 room Holiday Inn Express (6 years old) on the South Side. The brand new 302 room Sands Casino hotel is basically the most expensive hotel in the Valley, and is only half full (and that includes comped rooms for gamblers).
Even if they persuade Sands to build a second hotel building, you are talking about rooms that are double the normal rate for Lehigh Valley. When times get tough, the easiest thing for an employer to cut is the cost of a convention. Plus they are less picky about staying a decades old budget motel, then an expensive room at a casino.
Government officials always want to build for caviar and champagne crowd, thinking that they will make spend a fortune. But sometimes you have to build for the meatloaf and baked potato people. I don't think there is anything terribly wrong than trying to build up demand for your older hotels, instead of perpetually trying to build new ones.
Plus not every hotel on my list is old. The Homewood Suites Allentown West Fogelsville opened only 2.5 years ago. The Best Western Plus Allentown Inn & Suites By Dorney Park opened 5.5 years ago.
It's possible it was too plain. The only hotel within walking distance was the aged Red Carpet Inn. There are plenty of hotels within a 2 mile driving distance, but maybe conventioneers view conventions as parties, and are not attracted to a place that offers little or no fun.
From my perspective, for West of Allentown I see 1414 rooms in 15 hotels, and another 400 mostly budget rooms in 5 hotels that are not far away. You have a solid base of places to stay at all costs within a few minutes drive.
Rooms Name of Establishment City & State Zip Code
175 Holiday Inn Allentown I 78 Lehigh Valley Breinigsville, PA 18031
111 Hilton Garden Inn Allentown West Breinigsville, PA 18031
64 Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Allentown Fogelsville Fogelsville, PA 18051
35 Glasbern Inn Fogelsville, PA 18051
80 Quality Inn Allentown Allentown, PA 18104
282 Rodeway Inn Allentown Allentown, PA 18104
77 Best Western Plus Allentown Inn & Suites By Dorney Park Allentown, PA 18104
29 Red Carpet Inn Allentown Allentown, PA 18104
22 Allenwood Motel Allentown, PA 18104
35 Lehigh Motor Inn Allentown, PA 18104
62 Sleep Inn Allentown Allentown, PA 18106
127 Comfort Inn Lehigh Valley West Allentown, PA 18106
83 Staybridge Suites Allentown West Allentown, PA 18106
108 Homewood Suites Allentown West Fogelsville Allentown, PA 18106
124 Hampton Inn Allentown Allentown, PA 18106
1414
44 Econo Lodge Allentown Allentown, PA 18103
121 Comfort Suites Allentown Allentown, PA 18103
70 Holiday Inn Express & Suites Allentown Dorney Park Allentown, PA 18103
58 Howard Johnson Express Allentown Allentown, PA 18103
105 Wingate By Wyndham Allentown Allentown, PA 18103
400
======================
The problem that I see with South Bethlehem is there is little or not infrastructure for that kind of event. There is a 124 room Comfort Suites University (20 years old) and an 80 room Holiday Inn Express (6 years old) on the South Side. The brand new 302 room Sands Casino hotel is basically the most expensive hotel in the Valley, and is only half full (and that includes comped rooms for gamblers).
Even if they persuade Sands to build a second hotel building, you are talking about rooms that are double the normal rate for Lehigh Valley. When times get tough, the easiest thing for an employer to cut is the cost of a convention. Plus they are less picky about staying a decades old budget motel, then an expensive room at a casino.
Government officials always want to build for caviar and champagne crowd, thinking that they will make spend a fortune. But sometimes you have to build for the meatloaf and baked potato people. I don't think there is anything terribly wrong than trying to build up demand for your older hotels, instead of perpetually trying to build new ones.
Plus not every hotel on my list is old. The Homewood Suites Allentown West Fogelsville opened only 2.5 years ago. The Best Western Plus Allentown Inn & Suites By Dorney Park opened 5.5 years ago.
These are good points. Conventioneers won't necessarily be able to pay top dollar to attend, especially if their companies or organizations are reimbursing or paying for the rooms outright. It seems like the west would be the best spot in terms of rooming. Unfortunately The Powers That Be probably want the convention center in one of the city's limits, which doesn't seem to be ideal.
These are good points. Conventioneers won't necessarily be able to pay top dollar to attend, especially if their companies or organizations are reimbursing or paying for the rooms outright.
The US Government GAO sets a room rate for a region that they will pay for official travel without argument. The default room rate for the middle of nowhere is $77 (not including tax). In Pennsylvania, the two lowest city rates are $82 for Scranton, and $83 for Lehigh Valley. The highest rates for PA are $137-$143 for Philadelphia at different times of the year. The GAO rates do not change for weekday/weekend.
Many corporations use the GAO per diem rates for their employees since they are readily available. While it is not always possible to get that rate in downtown locations, it is usually available for most hotels that are on the highways.
The Sands Casino rooms are $129 weekdays and $169 weekends which is down at least $30 from when they opened. But on weekends it exceeds Philadelphia allowance.
Because Southside Bethlehem has so few hotels, it is usually difficult to get a room at the Comfort Inn Suites (1 mile from casino) or Holiday Inn Express (3 miles from casino) for $83 as they are usually well over $100.
So a theoretical employee who is attending a convention at Sands Casino must drive to the lower priced hotel. But many people drink alcohol at conventions, and especially at casinos so they really prefer to walk, not drive 10-15 miles, change into evening clothes, and then drive home at night.
Choosing a weekday night at random, the Holiday Inn Express in Southside Bethlehem is $109.
Wyndham Hotel group has some of the lowest priced rooms for the same night.
$49.95 Knights Inn And Suites Allentown
$50.99 Super 8 Allentown
$58.46 Howard Johnson Inn and Suites - Dorney Park
$71.10 Days Hotel Allentown/Bethlehem Airport
$71.99 Ramada Allentown/Whitehall
$76.49 Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Allentown-Fogelsvi...
$87.20 Wingate by Wyndham Allentown
The US Government GAO sets a room rate for a region that they will pay for official travel without argument. The default room rate for the middle of nowhere is $77 (not including tax). In Pennsylvania, the two lowest city rates are $82 for Scranton, and $83 for Lehigh Valley. The highest rates for PA are $137-$143 for Philadelphia at different times of the year. The GAO rates do not change for weekday/weekend.
Many corporations use the GAO per diem rates for their employees since they are readily available. While it is not always possible to get that rate in downtown locations, it is usually available for most hotels that are on the highways.
The Sands Casino rooms are $129 weekdays and $169 weekends which is down at least $30 from when they opened. But on weekends it exceeds Philadelphia allowance.
Because Southside Bethlehem has so few hotels, it is usually difficult to get a room at the Comfort Inn Suites (1 mile from casino) or Holiday Inn Express (3 miles from casino) for $83 as they are usually well over $100.
So a theoretical employee who is attending a convention at Sands Casino must drive to the lower priced hotel. But many people drink alcohol at conventions, and especially at casinos so they really prefer to walk, not drive 10-15 miles, change into evening clothes, and then drive home at night.
Choosing a weekday night at random, the Holiday Inn Express in Southside Bethlehem is $109.
Wyndham Hotel group has some of the lowest priced rooms for the same night.
$49.95 Knights Inn And Suites Allentown
$50.99 Super 8 Allentown
$58.46 Howard Johnson Inn and Suites - Dorney Park
$71.10 Days Hotel Allentown/Bethlehem Airport
$71.99 Ramada Allentown/Whitehall
$76.49 Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Allentown-Fogelsvi...
$87.20 Wingate by Wyndham Allentown
Do either of the SS Bethlehem hotels have shuttles to the casino? I know that some of the Philly hotels have shuttles to the convention center and Sugarhouse.
Do either of the SS Bethlehem hotels have shuttles to the casino? I know that some of the Philly hotels have shuttles to the convention center and Sugarhouse.
Loop Public Bus for $2 goes by one south side hotel, and the two downtown hotels on the North Side (Hotel Bethlehem and Hyatt). But those other downtown hotels are not cheap either. You can never get a room for $83 in either of those hotels.
If the convention center is only going to host neurosurgeons and high priced legal conventions, then the attendees can usually expense any hotel. But you have to think most of the pricey conventions will go to Valley Forge where they have 486 rooms and at least a dozen other large hotels in the immediate area. They also have a casino right in the center where you can walk back to your room. That conference center is only 45 miles away.
The Lehigh Valley has 58 hotels with an average of 98 rooms per hotel, and occupancy for the first half of 2012 is 57.2% at an average daily room rate of $86.08. The GAO maximum reimbursable rate for the area is $83. While everyone always wants those numbers to go up, just building expensive hotels and exhibition venues does not mean people will rush here and spend a lot of money. Communities go bust by gambling too much.
Last edited by PacoMartin; 11-17-2012 at 08:57 PM..
Loop Public Bus for $2 goes by one south side hotel, and the two downtown hotels on the North Side (Hotel Bethlehem and Hyatt). But those other downtown hotels are not cheap either. You can never get a room for $83 in either of those hotels.
If the convention center is only going to host neurosurgeons and high priced legal conventions, then the attendees can usually expense any hotel. But you have to think most of the pricey conventions will go to Valley Forge where they have 486 rooms and at least a dozen other large hotels in the immediate area. They also have a casino right in the center where you can walk back to your room. That conference center is only 45 miles away.
The Lehigh Valley has 58 hotels with an average of 98 rooms per hotel, and occupancy for the first half of 2012 is 57.2% at an average daily room rate of $86.08. The GAO maximum reimbursable rate for the area is $83. While everyone always wants those numbers to go up, just building expensive hotels and exhibition venues does not mean people will rush here and spend a lot of money. Communities go bust by gambling too much.
You make an excellent point. It doesn't seem like the Lehigh Valley really needs a convention center. Plus, plenty of venues (ArtsQuest/SteelStacks, local universities and hotels, etc.) have the capabilities to host seminars, events, trade shows, etc. If the Expo Center didn't work, what makes them think that a different type of convention center will. It seems like it's completely unnecessary for the area.
You make an excellent point. It doesn't seem like the Lehigh Valley really needs a convention center.
Well you have to scale things to expected budgets. If the Lehigh Valley GAO rate is $83 for room (less tax) and $51 for food and incidentals, and the PA tourist office says $86 is average daily rate for a room, you should plan for that level of spending for each convention attendee.
The Holiday Inn Allentown Center City has 224 rooms and is 37 years old. Right now they will offer rooms most nights for $83. But the brand new hotels will want more money. So if you build the convention center in center city Allentown, you more than likely are building a place to expensive for the potential conventions. You end up with a white elephant.
The King of Prussia/Valley Forge GAO rate is $116 for hotel rooms (without tax) and $66 for food an incidental expenses. Considerably higher.
Lehigh Valley should build a convention center scaled to the smaller allowances. That includes having a variety of hotels nearby to accomodate all budgets.
I did hundreds of official trips and if a convenient hotel would not go lower than $100 I might take $17 out of my food budget. But if the hotel was $124 then all but $10 of my daily food budget was gone. I could petition the business office to go as much as 50% over hotel rate (i.e. $41.50 over $83), but I had to argue that it was more than just an inconvenience to drive further, and it impaired my ability to do my job. It could be a difficult argument to make conclusively, and I only did it once in a mafia controlled town in Sicily. I was simply afraid to stay in the hotels that were in the violent dockside area which were the only ones within per diem. Everyone had an Uzzi as far as I could see.
Unfortunately, government officials think if you build it then they will come.
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