BizBash Best 2020 - 167

philadelphia

RenOvaTed & Reimagined
photos: luKe FranKe/audubon (John James audubon Center), isaaC maiselman (Kimpton hotel palomar), Courtesy oF the barnes Foundation, Christoper villano (the westin philadelphia), rose Colored glasses photography (rogue)

photos: Kory aversa (the urban green), Courtesy oF parx Casino (parx beer garden), Courtesy oF paddywax Candle bar, soCiety hill Films (maKhani modern indian)

These classic Philly venues have been upgraded and modernized.
1 Kimpton Hotel Palomar Philadelphia unveiled
a renovation to its meeting space in March
2019. The Rittenhouse Square hotel features
eight meeting rooms totaling more than 6,000
square feet of event space. The 1,750-square-foot
Burnham Ballroom and AIA Library on the 25th
floor hold 160 guests for cocktail-style events or 100
for seated banquets; the 700-square-foot Cret and
Wright rooms seat as many as 50 guests; and the
Pei and Calder boardrooms each seat 12 people.
Catering is provided by the hotel's Square 1682
restaurant. (117 South 17th Street, hotelpalomarphiladelphia.com)
In June 2019, the Spirit of Philadelphia
entertainment and dining cruise ship unveiled
a $1 million renovation. The vessel, which docks
at Penn's Landing, has sailed along the Delaware
River for 35 years; upgrades include a remodeled
dance floor and bar, enhanced lighting, and fresh
decor inside the cabin and on the three decks.
The ship accommodates 530 guests; catering is
prepared on board. (401 South Columbus Blvd.,
spiritcruises.com)
2 The Westin Philadelphia, a 275-room
hotel at Liberty Place in Center City, completed
a multimillion-dollar renovation of its Grand
Ballroom and Georgian Room in June 2019.
These two multipurpose event spaces have been
reimagined with watercolor-style wall coverings, leaf-motif carpets, and other inspiration
from Philadelphia's natural and historical world.
Measuring 7,437 square feet, the Grand Ballroom
holds 720 guests theater style, 700 for cocktail

receptions, or 540 for banquets. The 2,746-squarefoot Georgian Room fits 120 theater style or 170
for banquets. The hotel's food and beverage team
focuses on innovative American cuisine, as well
as healthy options from the "be-well" menu. (99
South 17th St., marriott.com)
Located across the street from Rittenhouse
Square, neighborhood staple 3 Rouge completed
a major renovation in March 2019. By moving
the central bar to the back wall, the 800-squarefoot space is now brighter and more open, with
seating for 60 guests at tables and 15 at the bar.
The New American menu includes dishes like
chicken liver mousse, poached sea trout, and
the famous Rouge Burger. (205 South 18th St.,
rouge98.com)
Loews Philadelphia Hotel in Center City
completed a renovation to its 33rd-floor event
spaces in October 2019. The decor is inspired
by the building's history as an Art Deco-era
bank, and panoramic views offer a backdrop
that showcases the city. The floor includes the
2,000-square-foot Howe room, which seats 205
guests theater style or 60 at banquet rounds, and
the 1,414-square-foot Lescaze room, which seats
140 theater style or 110 in rounds. The 573-squarefoot Roberts Board Room seats 18. In addition
to the enhancements to the meeting space, the
hotel's guest rooms have new flooring, color
schemes, and bathrooms. Additional meeting
space is located on the hotel's lower floors; the
hotel has 47,000 square feet of meeting space
total. (1200 Market St., loewshotels.com)

Where to Learn About
Nature
The John James Audubon Center opened
an 18,000-square-foot museum on its
200-acre historic property in June 2019. The
venue includes a classroom and outdoor
"bird-day" porch with capacity for 25 guests,
which is connected to a pavilion that can
seat as many as 250. A sound system with
HDMI connectivity, screens, and projectors
are available for presentations and slideshows. Interactive, family-friendly exhibits
dedicated to the conservation movement
that Audubon inspired make the venue
appropriate for guests of all ages. (1201
Pawlings Road, johnjames.audubon.org)

tech

In October, the Barnes Foundation launched
Barnes Focus (barnesfoc.us), an interpretive
guide to the famed museum's collection.
Using image-recognition technology, the
mobile guide recognizes the work and
delivers information about the piece,
the artist, and the collection as a whole.
(Visitors use their smartphone's camera to
view a particular work of art along with the
additional details.) Barnes Focus automatically integrates with Google Translate API,
so guests can easily view the guide in eight
different languages.

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http://www.marriott.com http://www.philadelphia.com http://www.rouge98.com http://www.spiritcruises.com http://johnjames.audubon.org http://www.loewshotels.com https://barnesfoc.us/ http://www.bizbash.com

BizBash Best 2020

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