Expansions & Renovations

New Hospitality Projects Boost Appeal, Economy in Suburban Philly

New hotels, casino will create more than 700 Jobs

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA - February 6, 2012 - The hospitality hoopla that started in late 2010 in Valley Forge and Montgomery County, in southeastern Pennsylvania continues with the opening of three new lodgings and the major expansion and diversification of another.

“As a sales and marketing organization, our sales people love having new product in their back pockets when meeting with customers,” said Paul Decker, president of the Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau. “The new SpringHill and Hilton Garden properties expand the area’s attractiveness to meeting planners, trade show producers and both business and leisure travelers; and the casino’s ‘not your typical big-box’ nature offers a very appealing slant on gaming to all our diverse audiences. It’s also great to be able to tout such a unique inn as the Woodside Lodge at Spring Mountain.”

Set to open in the spring, the Valley Forge Casino Resort, formerly the Valley Forge Convention Center Complex, in King of Prussia, will generate 500 jobs. With 486 guest rooms among its two existing hotels, the resort will feature 100,000 square-feet of flexible meeting space, eight dining options, a ballroom, new nightclub and pool and fitness center. Fifty table games and 600 slot machines will occupy a nearly 40,000-square foot gaming floor.

“When we’re done, our guests will walk into an unmatched, sophisticated casino resort experience,” said President and CEO Saverio “Sal” Scheri. “Valley Forge Casino Resort is situated nicely in an area known for its shopping, rich history and exciting urban life.”

Also in King of Prussia, a 131-room SpringHill Suites is scheduled for a late February opening. The Marriott franchise is owned and managed by SSN Hotels/Ruchi Land Development LLC of Newark, Del. The all-suite hotel will offer a plethora of amenities, among them guest laundry facilities, an outdoor swimming pool and patio with a fire pit, and state-of-the-art fitness center. Food and beverage opportunities include a lounge with a full-service bar and light evening fare.

“We look forward to having a growing and lasting relationship with local businesses and the community,” said property general manager, Chad Ledford. “Through the SpringHill Suites innovative design, seamless blend of style, and excellent service, guests can be assured that their needs will be met and that they made the right choice.”

Five miles west in Oaks, Pa. and adjacent to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, the Hilton Garden Inn Valley Forge/Oaks is scheduled to debut in October. The 135-room hotel will feature more than 5,000 square-feet of meeting space, a restaurant and bar, indoor pool and outdoor gathering area with a fire pit.

Tonya Muncey, vice president of Hotel Performance Support for Synergy Hospitality, the hotel’s management company, said, “An airy pavilion lobby combined with well-designed guest rooms, convenient guest services and extra-friendly hotel team members make our hotel an ideal choice when traveling to this bustling business region.”

There’s also a boutique hotel in the mix. The Woodside Lodge at Spring Mountain, near Schwenksville, Pa., opened Feb. 2 and is a remodeled nine-room 1920s-era country manor. It's the only Philadelphia area inn adjacent to a ski slope.

Renovated at a cost of more than $1.5 million, the lodge now offers seven two-room suites, a first-floor ADA-compliant room and a bunk room that sleeps 10. Chef Michael Kenney will oversee a small full-service restaurant, bar and event space for up to100 people. His resume includes stints as private chef to actor Will Smith’s family and three members of the rock band Aerosmith. Also, his Canape Catering was among the winners of The Knot’s Best of Wedding Caterers for 2010 as voted by Philadelphia area brides.

“These welcomed additions to Montgomery County’s hospitality line-up will generate another equally important outcome,” according to Decker. “Together, the four projects represent 700 new jobs – jobs that aren’t associated with smokestacks, additional strains on local infrastructure or needy of increased government services. That’s big news in this economy and it’s typical of how positively, quickly and significantly the hospitality industry impacts the communities in which it does business.”

The Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau, Ltd. is a nonprofit, membership-based sales and marketing organization that aggressively promotes the Valley Forge area and Montgomery County as a convention site and leisure visitor destination by encouraging patronage of its 300-plus member hotels, restaurants, attractions and services. The Bureau’s website, at www.valleyforge.org, serves visitors, meeting planners, tour operators and residents.

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