The World Series boosted Philly’s hotels and restaurants — but a long-term impact is unlikely

During the last two Astros World Series runs, Texans Dallas Hatton and Trey White have made it a tradition to root for their team in opposing cities.

So earlier this month, they flew to Philadelphia for Games 4 and 5. They booked three nights at the Wyndham hotel in Old City to make sure they could squeeze in some sightseeing, too.

Hatton, 36, and White, 42, both insurance agents, visited Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the Ben Franklin Museum, and Christ Church Burial Ground, and ate at several restaurants along Market Street — “Pretty sure we had enough cheesesteak to hold us over for a year,” White said.

After witnessing two Astros road wins, including a historic no-hitter, they returned to their homes about an hour east of Houston with positive reviews of Philadelphia and an excitement to return someday to see more of the city.

They were one of many groups who ventured into the city for the Fall Classic.

It’s too early to quantify exactly how many visitors came to Philly during the World Series. The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PCVB) is still analyzing the impact and expects to release a report later this week, but the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association expects hotel occupancy that week was up 20% compared with an average week this time of year, said executive director Ed Grose.

Airbnb spokesperson Haven Thorn confirmed that most Philadelphia Airbnb guests during that time were coming from Houston, Dallas, and Austin.

Visit Philadelphia, the region’s official tourism marketing agency, declined to comment until the PCVB completed its own analysis.

Phillies fans also ventured to the city from across the country and the region, including the Pennsylvania and New Jersey suburbs.

This influx of people provided “a short-term boost, definitely in the hospitality industry,” said George Diemer, an associate professor in Temple University’s sport and recreation management department. But “it’ll probably diminish relatively quickly and have very little to no long-term economic benefit.”

Ultimately, most of the money spent last week was on merchandise and game tickets and will go back to the Phillies’ owners, he said. The good news for fans, he added, is that the ownership has a reputation for reinvesting that money back into the team, which could lead to continued success in future seasons.

“It certainly doesn’t hurt ... the economic community” when sports teams do well, Diemer said, “but we [economists] get nervous because a lot of people tend to overestimate that economic impact.”

The economic winners, he said, were local hotels and restaurants.

During this time of year, hotel occupancy is typically around 70%, Grose said.

During the World Series games, “we suspect that our occupancy was in the low to mid-90s, with a nice jump in our average daily rate,” he said. “We don’t have exact economic impact numbers yet, but it’s going to be significant.”

Hotel managers across the region noted an anecdotal uptick in occupancy, Grose said, though Center City and airport hotels seemed exceptionally busy.

It was an added benefit that all the games were scheduled or played on weekdays, he said, because hotel managers have yet to see business travel rebound since the pandemic.

And when Game 3 was postponed, “that rain delay meant millions of dollars for the city of Philadelphia because that was another night of business we received.”

Many restaurants and bar owners had already reported seeing a boost in business due to the simultaneous successes of the Phillies, the Eagles, and the Union, with fans spending money on food and drink while watching the games. And these businesses got an extra bump when the World Series was in town, with more out-of-towners and locals out and about, said Ben Fileccia, senior vice president of strategy and engagement at the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association.

Even on Monday, Oct. 31, after that Game 3 rainout, many people stayed out to eat and drink, making for “a bonus day” for bar and restaurant owners, he said.

The restaurant community is optimistic, he said, that the energy of those four days will have a longer-term effect, too.

For rare, celebratory events like the World Series, “no matter where you are, you are creating this memory that is going to draw you back there,” he said. “You’re going to remember the energy you felt when you were in town for that.”

He said he is also hopeful the experience left an impression on suburban residents, some of whom city restaurant and bar owners have struggled to lure back in recent years as gun violence has surged.

In Center City, Reading Terminal Market saw a 6% increase in traffic — or about 767 extra visitors — on playoff game days, including World Series games, regardless of whether they were home or away, said spokesperson London Faust.

But not all Philadelphia attractions saw an increase in patrons during the World Series, said spokespeople for the Please Touch Museum, the Philadelphia Zoo, and Independence National Historical Park, though some did see more visitors donning baseball attire and feel a palpable excitement in the air.

At the Please Touch Museum in West Philadelphia, “visitation remained in line with our typical seasonality,” said chief growth officer Tracy Curvan.

Nearby, the Philadelphia Zoo was closed on two of the three days that the Phillies played home games in Philadelphia, having just switched to its winter schedule of Thursday through Sunday, said marketing and communications specialist Maria Bryant.

When it opened Thursday, “we had a good crowd,” Bryant said, “but nothing that would suggest it was from World Series tourism.”

At Independence National Historical Park — home to Astros fan White’s favorite sights, Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell — the World Series had “no significant impact” on the average number of daily visitors that week, said public affairs officer Andrew McDougall. The number hovered between 3,500 and 3,900 each day, he added, noting that park visitation has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

“Each week, there are folks in town for various reasons, conventions, conferences,” McDougall said. “For that particular week, it was the World Series.”

Diemer, the Temple professor, said this doesn’t surprise him: Economic studies have found that many people who pay to attend a game in person don’t also spend money on other attractions while in town. And while some suburbanites might come into the city, others may be more likely to stay away due to increased traffic and other factors, he said.

Economic benefits aren’t the be-all and end-all for the city, Diemer said, with the region also benefiting from what economists call “psychic benefits.”

“People that want nothing to do with sports, I’m sure they enjoyed the energy. It was electric,” he said. At the same time, “there is a lot more exposure to the city. The city gets to advertise, gets their name in the press a lot more. ... It’s really hard to put a price on that sort of thing.”