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Hotels Hotel prices are subject to a city tax of 7% (comprising Pennsylvania’s state tax of 6% plus 1% for Philadelphia) and a bed tax of 7%. The 14% total tax is usually added to the bill at the end. The prices quoted below are the starting prices for a double room, excluding room tax and breakfast, unless otherwise specified. Business Loews Philadelphia Hotel Another new arrival, this hotel, right in the centre, occupies the vast PSFS building once home to America’s first savings bank. This grand old building, dating from 1932, is Art Deco in style. The vast lobby sports beautiful rugs, a grand piano, Cartier clocks, the old bank vault and a long bar, with ranked champagne bottles, above which a huge curved mural in tiny stones encircles the rear wall. Sizeable rooms off wide corridors echo the 1930s theme in colour and style. The corner rooms are recommended. Room facilities include cordless two-line telephones, modem points for fast Internet connection and fax-printers, while the range of meeting rooms all have Internet access. Breakfast is served in the ample ground-floor restaurant, Restaurant at PSFS (see the Restaurants section). 1200 Market Street Tel: (215) 627 1200. Fax: (215) 231 7305. Website: www.loewshotels.com Price: From US$145. Omni Hotel For those interested in history, the Omni Hotel is ideal. This corner-site, country-style hotel is not only within a short walk of historic sights like the old Statehouse and the Liberty Bell, as well as museums, small galleries and several very good restaurants, but it is also located near the newly emerging downtown business district near the river. For business travellers, the hotel has a dedicated business centre, five meeting and banquet rooms, with state-of-the-art facilities. The decor is opulent – soft colours and carpeting – while the guest rooms are spacious. The Penthouse suite has particularly fine views. All rooms have desks with two-line cordless telephones and modem points. The Azalea is an old-style restaurant overlooking the busy Chestnut Street. There is also a fitness centre and swimming pool. 401 Chestnut Street Tel: (215) 925 000. Fax: (215) 925 1263. Website: www.omnihotels.com Price: From US$139. Philadelphia Marriott Massive and modern, the new Marriott fronts Market Street in the city centre. It is located right beside the rail terminal, with easy access to the Conference Center. It is immensely popular for large gatherings – the meeting infrastructure is well rehearsed and the range of meeting rooms is impressive, from enormous ballrooms to suites. On the main floor, which covers a whole city block up to Arch Street (main entrance), vast lobbies are decorated with charming murals (the circular central one with sculptures is a water garden). There are plenty of bars, restaurants and coffee corners. The bedrooms are big and reflect the Marriott chain’s careful interior design planning. Of the 1408 guest rooms, 460 have been specially designed for business travellers, with big work desks, two-line telephones, voice-mail and modem points for high-speed Internet access. 1201 Market Street Tel: (215) 625 2900. Fax: (215) 625 6000. Website: www.marriotthotels.com Price: From US$130. The Sofitel This new addition to Philadelphia’s hotels is a decided asset to a city with a stock of good hotels. It is nicely sited in the residential quarter, close to shops and many good restaurants. Decidedly French in feeling, many of the staff come from France and are very friendly, not making it feel too formal. A large foyer, good-standard meeting rooms and particularly helpful front-desk personnel and concierges, make this an excellent choice in a relatively quiet location. The guest rooms are large and very well planned, especially the suites, which are so large as to be ideal for small gatherings themselves. 120 South 17th Street Tel: (215) 569 8300. Fax: (215) 564 7459. E-mail: sofitelphl@aol.com Website: www.sofitel.com Price: From US$130. Luxury Four Seasons A little distance from the centre of Philadelphia, this hotel is located near the wide sweep of the avenue that leads to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Close to the city’s open spaces too, the hotel’s interior is loaded with shrubbery and floral displays, making a park of the truly vast carpeted lobbies and very handsome restaurants occupying the ground floor. (Excellent candle-lit dining in the Fountain Restaurant and Swann Lounge.) Like its sister hotels of the chain, it goes for a really sumptuous air throughout, including the bedrooms. Elegance is always combined with facilities; the rooms have voice-mail, two-line telephones and modem points. The hotel also has extensive meeting facilities – these rooms too are functional and impressive – a health club, pool and spa. 1 Logan Square Tel: (215) 963 1500. Fax: (215) 963 9506l. Website: www.fourseasons.com Price: From US$310. Radisson Plaza-Warwick Hotel Philadelphia The Warwick (to give it its short name) is a quiet understated roost of great old character in the smart southwest quarter of the city – popular with artists and actors. The neat portals presage a charming interior, inside it is a well-established stylish building with a warm welcome. Although rooms may not be as vast as newer places, they are very well maintained and have plenty of amenities. The suites, for example, all have two-line telephones, big desk and modem point. There is also a business centre, meeting room and a heliport. The clubby ground-floor restaurant, The Prime Rib, specialises in roasts and steaks (see the Restaurants section). 1701 Locust Street Tel: (215) 735 6000. Fax: (215) 789 6105. Website: www.radisson.com/philadelphiapa Price: From US$119. The Ritz-Carlton Quite simply, one of the best addresses in town. This newly opened hostelry is beside Philadelphia’s City Hall on the Avenue of the Arts, recently renamed because of its cultural events, theatres and exhibitions spaces. The Ritz-Carlton occupies a grandiose one-time bank – the old domed banking hall is now the reception, while the vault is a cigar and brandy bar (the marble steps on the way down are worn where once ladies descended to get their gems from strong boxes). The lobby has plenty of sitting space and a handsome bar, while just off it is a breakfast restaurant and the Paris Bar and Grill (see the Restaurants section). The guest rooms are huge and the bathrooms luxurious. Facilities include voice-mail, multi-line telephones, computer and fax hook-ups, modem points and Internet access. Further in-room business facilities are available in the ‘Club’ rooms on the four upper floors, which also have an opulent lounge with views, and free drinks and snacks in the evening offered by a charming concierge, Tammy. There is also a range of meeting rooms, with state-of-the-art equipment, and banqueting halls, with and a conference planning team on hand. 10 Avenue of the Arts, at Broad Street Tel: (215) 735 7700. Fax: (215) 735 7710. Website: www.ritzcarlton.com Price: From US$330. Moderate Hilton Garden Hotel Despite its lack of an impressive façade, the Hilton Garden Hotel is a really good-value hotel in the centre of town. It is modern, unassuming and absolutely ideal for the next-door Conference Center, coach and rail stations and the many shops of Market Street. The 279 guest rooms offer straightforward comfort but good business facilities, like a spacious work desk with two two-line telephones, voice-mail and modem point. The hotel has a fully stocked business centre, an indoor swimming pool and a fitness centre. Great views can be had from the airy restaurant beside an expansive bar on the top (tenth) floor. 1100 Arch Street Tel: (215) 923 0100. Website: www.hiltongardenphilly.com Price: From US$129. Holiday Inn Handy for the historic district downtown, this sprawling low-rise hotel is a popular choice for car drivers with its convenient access from highways and the river bridges to New Jersey. It has a large parking garage next door to its wide entrance on Fourth Street. The lobby has a warm atmosphere and lots of plants. The 364 guest rooms are a comfortable size, with comfortable decor, work desks, voice mail and modem points. There are a number of meeting rooms from small to medium and access is easy. Other amenities include a fitness room, a rooftop pool in summer and the folksy Benton’s Grill. Additionally, the many restaurants of the historic district are close by. 400 Arch Street Tel: (215) 923 8660. Fax: (215) 923 4633. Website: www.sixcontinentshotels.com/holiday-inn Price: From US$129. The Independence Park Inn A reasonably priced small hotel of character, this landmark 1856 building with blue-grey façade and tall windows has been restructured to make a pleasant, country-inn-style Best Western hotel. The small lobby, with a curving stairway, has big sofas ranged before a fire, while the long glass-roofed breakfast room is to one side. Guests are invited to the manager’s wine and cheese party every Wednesday at 1730. Very much a low-key home-from-home kind of hotel, for families, couples and tourists, the Inn is handy for walking to the historic district. There are only 36 traditional high-ceilinged guest rooms, but all have en-suite bathroom. Three small meeting rooms are available, with audiovisual services. 235 Chestnut Street Tel: (215) 922 4443. Fax: (215) 922 4487. Website: www.independenceparkinn.com Price: From US$120. |
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