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Philadelphia Hotel Industry Elated With Papal and Democratic Convention Windfalls

By Paul Kurtz

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- This week's announcement naming Philadelphia as the host city for next year's Democratic National Convention is another big win for the city's hospitality industry.

First Pope Francis, now the Democratic convention.

"This is great news for us.  We are on a roll," says Ed Grose, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association.

For now, he says, the 2016 DNC convention will have to sit on the back burner while hotels prepare for the crush of humanity that will be arriving in this September for the papal visit.

"We're getting used to holding big events," Grose tells KYW Newsradio, "and the DNC will take place after the papal visit, so we're going to be well prepared."

Grose says the city's hotel landscape has improved greatly since the Republican convention was held here, in 2000.

"We have about 14 percent more rooms in our inventory, and many of our hotels have upped their game and increased their service level," he says.  "If you look around, you'll see more luxury hotels or upper-level hotels than there were in 2000."

Grose notes that three more hotels are being built, but they won't be ready in time for the 2016 convention.

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