DEBT (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended							12 Months Ended					12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended	9 Months Ended				12 Months Ended			7 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	7 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009	Dec. 31, 2009 Line of Credit 2008 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2009 Line of Credit 2008 [Member] Financial Standby Letter of Credit [Member]	Dec. 31, 2009 Line of Credit 2008 [Member] Committed Line of Credit [Member]	Dec. 31, 2009 Line of Credit 2008 [Member] Uncommitted Line of Credit [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Line of Credit 2010 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Line of Credit 2010 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Line of Credit 2010 [Member] Financial Standby Letter of Credit [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Line of Credit 2010 [Member] Financial Standby Letter of Credit [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Line of Credit 2010 [Member] Swing Line Loan [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Mortgages [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Mortgages [Member]	Dec. 31, 2009 Mortgages [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Mortgages [Member] Assets Held-for-sale [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Mortgages [Member] Capital Hill Suites, Washington, D.C. [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Mortgages [Member] Courtyard by Marriott, Westside, Los Angeles, CA [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Mortgages [Member] Land Parcel, Eighth Avenue, New York, NY [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Mortgages [Member] Land Parcel, Eighth Avenue, New York, NY [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Mortgages [Member] Comfort Inn, North Dartmouth, MA [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Junior Subordinated Debt [Member] Hersha Statutory Trust I and Hersha Statutory Trust II [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Junior Subordinated Debt [Member] Hersha Statutory Trust I and Hersha Statutory Trust II [Member]	Dec. 31, 2009 Junior Subordinated Debt [Member] Hersha Statutory Trust I and Hersha Statutory Trust II [Member]	Jul. 30, 2010 Junior Subordinated Debt [Member] Hersha Statutory Trust I [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Junior Subordinated Debt [Member] Hersha Statutory Trust I [Member]	Jul. 30, 2010 Junior Subordinated Debt [Member] Hersha Statutory Trust II [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Junior Subordinated Debt [Member] Hersha Statutory Trust II [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Other Notes Payable [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Other Notes Payable [Member] Interest Free Loan Due to Lodgeworks, L.P. [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Other Notes Payable [Member] Interest Free Loan Due to Lodgeworks, L.P. [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Other Notes Payable [Member] Interest Free Loan to HHLP [Member]
Mortgages and Notes Payable
Long-term debt	$ 769,132												$ 717,367	$ 596,949		$ 61,758	$ 27,500	$ 30,000	$ 11,913		$ 2,968
Variable interest rate range, minimum (in hundredths)													2.28%					0.75%	6.00%
Variable interest rate range, maximum (in hundredths)													8.25%						16.00%
Interest expense				3,235				2,103	2,737				39,786	37,600	35,878							1,727	2,934	3,766
Debt covenant compliance status													We have determined that certain debt service coverage ratio covenants contained in the loan agreements securing 12 of our hotel properties were not met as of December 31, 2011. Pursuant to these loan agreements, the lender has elected to escrow the operating cash flow for a number of these properties. However, these covenants do not constitute an event of default for these loans. As of December 31, 2011, we were in compliance with all events of default covenants under the applicable loan agreements, with the exception of our non-recourse mortgage loan payable on the Comfort Inn, North Dartmouth, MA.
Accrued interest payable																					212
Maturity date range, start													February 2012
Maturity date range, end													September 2023
Subordinated Notes Payable
Subordinated notes payable																						51,548				25,774		25,774
Number of debt instruments																						2
Maturity date																	Jan. 15, 2015	Sep. 29, 2015	Jul. 01, 2013							Jul. 30, 2035		Jul. 30, 2035
Debt instrument, description of variable rate basis																	LIBOR	LIBOR	Wall Street Journal Prime Rate							LIBOR		LIBOR
Debt instrument, basis spread on variable rate (in hundredths)																	3.25%	3.85%	1.00%							3.00%		3.00%
Number of business days prior to quarterly interest payments for resetting rates (in days)																										2D		2D
Debt instrument, interest rate during period (in hundredths)																	3.79%	4.947%				3.35%	5.69%	7.31%	7.34%		7.173%
Other Notes Payable
Other notes payable, net																														217	223	498
Number of hotel properties whose management agreements were terminated																														7
Debt repayments																														217
Deferred Costs
Deferred costs, net of accumulated amortization	9,023	10,204																404		152
Capitalized interest	1,372	46	10
Amortization of deferred costs	3,535	2,381	2,059
Accumulated amortization	9,138	5,852
Debt Extinguishment and Principal Paydowns
Number of debts repaid														7															2
Unamortized deferred costs and defeasance premiums expensed	(123)	(878)	0											(932)
Aggregate future annual principal payments for Company's mortgages and notes payable [Abstract]
2012	101,120
2013	63,038
2014	43,969
2015	119,296
2016	215,717
Thereafter	226,659
Net unamortized discount	(667)
Total	769,132												717,367	596,949		61,758	27,500	30,000	11,913		2,968
Revolving Line of Credit
Revolving line of credit, maximum borrowing capacity				175,000	25,000	135,000	40,000		250,000		25,000	10,000
Fee paid for amendment to credit agreement				338
Line of credit, financial covenant terms									Requires that we maintain: 1) a minimum tangible net worth of $500,000, which is subject to increases under certain circumstances; 2) maximum accounts and other receivables from affiliates of $125,000; 3) annual distributions not to exceed 95% of adjusted funds from operations; 4) maximum variable rate indebtedness to total debt of 30%; and 5) certain financial ratios, including the following: a fixed charge coverage ratio of not less than 1.25 to 1.00 which will increase to 1.35 to 1.00 as of September 30, 2011, and 1.45 to 1.00 as of September 30, 2012; and a total funded liabilities to gross asset value ratio of not more than 0.65 to 1.00
Line of credit, expiration date									November 1, 2013
Renewal period of line of credit (in years)									1Y
Interest rate on loans provided under line of credit									Either (i) the Wall Street Journal variable prime rate plus an applicable margin ranging between 150 and 175 basis points per annum or (ii) LIBOR plus an applicable margin ranging between 350 and 375 basis points per year, subject to a floor of 4.25%
Line of credit, outstanding principal balance								51,000	46,000	8,563
Line of credit, weighted average interest rate (in hundredths)				3.25%				4.43%	4.29%
Line of credit, remaining borrowing capacity								190,437
Fair Value of Debt
Carrying value of Company's debt	758,374	694,720
Fair value of Company's debt	$ 785,453	$ 658,487