The Bellevue Hotel

From the moment we checked in, the stay felt like one issue after another. The ceiling light in the room kept flickering and took nearly twenty minutes to settle each time, which should have been caught during a basic room check. The slippers looked as if they had already been used, with marks and residue that made us question how carefully the room had been prepared. No complimentary upgrade, one of the lights above the sink was out. Breakfast was another problem. The line was so long that it took more than thirty minutes just to get in, and I honestly felt bad for the families behind us who were likely facing close to an hour of waiting. For a hotel at this level, even on a holiday weekend, this simply should not happen. On Thanksgiving night, room service did not offer any normal snacks or quick bites. Only the full Thanksgiving meal was available, and that was never mentioned during check-in. It left guests with no options when all they wanted was something small. The biggest disappointment came from the pool. Our kids had been excited to swim, only to find out that the pool was closed to children entirely. I have stayed at many hotels around the world, and I have seen properties with separate pools for adults and kids, which is completely understandable. But I have never seen a single shared pool that is open to adults and closed to kids at the same time, especially without any advance notice. It just made no sense to us. A really good hotel shows its strength when things get busy or chaotic. That is when great service stands out. Unfortunately, The Bellevue Hotel did not meet that standard. Based on this first stay, the service felt inconsistent and surprisingly careless. Even with its Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts partnership, the overall experience fell short of expectations, to the point where I think Amex should honestly reconsider the collaboration. In the end, it was a disappointing stay from a property that should be capable of much better.

Stayed here for a conference and the first night the power goes out from 9pm until about 1am. While inconvenient, it’s not the hotels fault however there was absolutely no communication by the hotel about what happened, whether they were looking into it, when we can expect the power back on. There were a few hotel workers I managed to find but they didn’t speak English and hurried off, they didn’t even attempt to find a manager or give reassurances. I couldn’t call the front desk to get any information. Finally decided to shower and there was no hot water. Lights came back on in the middle of the night and woke me up. Overall had a horrible night. While the power outage is not anything the hotel can do, there should be back up generators or a minimum have a manager give guests updates. Just not what I expect from a $400 night stay.

The hotel is beautiful and has a wonderful location. My family and I took the Amtrak to Philly from New York and it was very easy to get to the hotel using public transportation. We went for an eagles game and the subway station to get to the game is right outside the front entrance making it extremely easy to get to the stadium. The inside of the hotel is very clean and pretty.

This is a beautiful and historic hotel that exemplifies everything you want in a place to stay. Classy but not pretentious, it perfectly balances upscale amentities with a down to earth personality that is unique to Philadelphia. The exterior architecture and interior decor is stunning, the rooms are thoughtful and spotless, and the staff is friendly, helpful, and professional. From the vast public spaces throughout the hotel to the exceptional tilework in the bathrooms, there is always something to appreciate. In addition, the guest access to the Sporting Club takes this experience to a whole other level.

I went there for a family reunion and they made sure everything went smoothly for the event and our rooms were great too. The atmosphere was cool - it felt old like out of a movie but it was clearly renovated and modern. The staircases were super cool but you weren’t allowed to walk on most. I believe the lady at the desk was named Genesis (remembering that because I’m old and loved that band as a kid) whenever we asked for something she figured something out to help and there was one other who stood out because he brought my cousin tea from downstairs which he totally didn’t have to do- you could tell he really wanted to make sure we were good. He had an accent that sounded British, but could have been something else, wish I gotten his name. The food that I had there was yummy. And beautiful-1 example: they made a rose from a strawberry for our reunion buffet. The only negative thing I can think of was it took a little longer than normal for my breakfast, but it was packed and you could see all the people taking orders and bringing food to everyone so it wasn’t like they were completely short staffed and I didn’t feel ignored. I meant to write sooner, but I guess you’re more motivated when you’re mad about something so I kept putting it off. I would definitely stay there again mostly because of the people working there.