PHILADELPHIA — Courtyard by Marriott Philadelphia South at The Navy Yard recently completed renovations to its public and meeting spaces and added enhanced cleaning technologies, including electrostatic sprayers to sanitize throughout the hotel and a recently installed Plasma Air purifying system to protect against viruses in the air and on surfaces.
The Courtyard Philadelphia South at The Navy Yard opened its doors in 2014 as the first—and still only—hotel located in The Navy Yard, a development with more than 150 businesses. In 2017, the hotel expanded to accommodate visitor demand, adding 40 rooms that increased the total key count to 212. Throughout the pandemic, the hotel has prioritized guest health and safety in addition to completing renovations to complement the room expansion.
To elevate the public spaces of the property, the lobby and Bistro, the hotel’s on-site dining, were renovated with updated seating and amenities. The Bistro has been transformed from a coffee bar to an entertainment-focused area serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, hand-crafted cocktails, and Starbucks coffee with outdoor dining and takeout available. The Bistro is one of the few public food and beverage options available at The Navy Yard. Other updates include pod-style booths with individual TVs, additional outlets to give guests more access to charge devices, and an HDTV video wall consisting of eight 60” TVs. The redesigned public lounge provides space and amenities for guests to watch events and sports from any seat in The Bistro or get work done. New window treatments were also designed to let in natural light.
“Our goal was to create a fresh, modern ambiance with multiple zones of connection and multifunction lounge and dining spaces for the area of the hotel with the highest traffic,” said Corinne Ritsick, owner of Ritsick Design Associates. “By creating more open and flexible seating arrangements, the space can be easily configured for dining, a party, live entertainment, or sporting events. Conveniently in the time of COVID-19, this flexibility has allowed the hotel to meet physical distancing mandates without sacrificing sociability.”
The hotel’s 1,400 square feet of meeting space was renovated to accommodate new audiovisual technology and allow for various meeting sizes and purposes. The main 1,457-square-foot meeting space can accommodate up to 100 guests (without COVID restrictions) and can be divided into two smaller breakout rooms for small-scale events and meetings. The upgraded boardroom has a built-in executive board table, 65” flat-screen TV, audiovisual equipment, and space for guests to meet safely and comfortably.
On the first floor of the hotel are three art galleries curated by InLiquid, a Philadelphia organization dedicated to making visual arts and culture accessible in Greater Philadelphia. The galleries—located behind the check-in desk, on the entry wall, and outside the meeting spaces—each feature a different local artist and rotate three times a year. Other amenities at the hotel include free high-speed internet access, a 24/7 fitness center, lobby convenience shop, business center offering print, copy, and fax services, and coin-operated laundry facility.
The property has also taken health and safety measures, including installing a Plasma Air purifying system. Plasma Air manufactures HVAC and portable air purification products designed to result in healthier and more productive indoor environments.
“The health, safety, and wellness of our guests was a driving factor in our decision to install the cutting-edge Plasma Air ionization systems in each of our hotel properties,” said Kam Babaoff, chairman, Ensemble Real Estate Investments. “Guests at the Courtyard Philadelphia South at The Navy Yard can maintain a level of confidence that there is clean and safe airflow throughout the property with the use of the latest bipolar ionization technology in its HVAC systems to help neutralize bacteria and viruses, and allergens.”
The hotel is located in South Philadelphia’s Navy Yard, which has more than 20 acres of parks, outdoor dining options, public art, and a variety of outdoor events. The waterfront business district encompasses 150 businesses—including Urban Outfitters, Inc., GSK, AlliedBarton Security Services, and FS Investments—and is in within walking distance of the surrounding Sports Complex and a short drive or shuttle ride to and from Center City Philadelphia.
“Courtyard Philadelphia South at The Navy Yard is an anchor to future development in the area, as we provide services and amenities to our neighbors and other tenants,” said Derek Beckman, general manager. “As the Navy Yard continues to grow and plans to expand with residential housing, we look forward to serving as a community hub that guests can look forward to visiting in our own little suburb of The Navy Yard, away from the noise of Center City.”
