The Rittenhouse Hotel

We stayed at The Rittenhouse for two nights and three days to celebrate our engagement, and the experience was exceptional from start to finish. From the moment we arrived at the parking square, we were greeted with warm, attentive service from the valet team, which immediately set the tone for our stay. When the hotel learned we were celebrating our engagement, we were surprised with a room upgrade along with strawberries and champagne waiting for us. It was such a thoughtful touch and made the weekend feel even more special. The room itself was beautiful and comfortable, and the details really stood out. The Rittenhouse uses Le Labo toiletries, which was a lovely surprise and added to the luxury feel. We also enjoyed daily room service, which was consistently excellent. Dining at the in-house restaurant, Lacroix, was a highlight. The food was delicious, and having it available via room service made it even better. We also highly recommend booking a spa treatment during your stay. It was absolutely worth it and one of the most relaxing parts of our weekend. The location is ideal, right in the heart of the city, with convenient overnight parking and electric vehicle charging stations available. By the end of our stay, we truly didn’t want to leave. The Rittenhouse made our engagement weekend unforgettable, and we wouldn’t hesitate to return for another special occasion.

I really want to give this 5 stars because this hotel has such a great reputation in Philly. But I just can't honestly give it 5. Maybe we expected too much, but this was not a 5-star experience. Just weird little problems that popped up. -No bedding in the room for the pull-out couch. We had to call down to order it. It's nice they came up to make the bed. But what it if had been 11 p.m. and no bedding to be found? -We asked at the front desk for an extra robe to be sent up to the room. We waited 20 minutes, but no robe. We called again. They apologized and delivered the robe within 5 minutes. -We sat in the lobby near the bar for a drink. I went into the bar to order. A server was standing there doing nothing. They said they would be right out to take my order. I went back to the lobby to have a seat. Waited nearly 10 minutes for the server to come out. Why not just follow me to my seat? -We ordered room service. We asked the server for the hotel checkout time. He thought 11 a.m. but wasn't sure. He said he would have the front desk call our room to confirm. No call ever came. -The room came equipped with a bluetooth speaker. The battery was dead, and there was no charger. We saw a staff member in the hallway and asked them to send one to our room. It never came. We had to go down and ask at the front desk. The charger was delivered. -Men's locker room: I tried a couple of lockers to store my belongings. Three of the locker doors came off in my hand. One hinge broken on each door. -The HVAC return air register vent was incredibly dirty and dusty. I guess no one has taken the cover off to clean it in years.

We have stayed in this hotel for many years. The long serving staff has always been so kind, and felt like family when we returned. The rooms always impeccable, service the same. Sadly, this is no longer the case. And this hotel is not anywhere close to 5 Stars. The rooms are not cleaned well. Upon checkin we noticed 2 boogers on dressers, a dirty bathroom sink, and towels that smelled ripe. We also noticed no vacuuming occurred after seeing some crumbs left under a table and bedside remain there for days. Drains in sinks and shower don’t drain properly meaning a reduction in preventative maintenance. There is no standard turn down service which is just unbelievable for a so-called 5-Star property. They do not tell you this on check in and you are welcome to discover that you must request this “extra”. After requesting this you will quickly discern that no staff is appropriately trained at exactly sure what to do with this item. We routinely came home after dinner to find the room either not turned down or in various stages of an apparent attempted turn down. For example, bed barely unmade, no slippers, no chocolates, no waters, no curtains drawn. Or slippers left in a wad beside the bed without the small floor cover even spread evenly beneath them, no waters, no drawn curtains, nothing else. Or we come back to the couch re-arranged to a sofa bed, unmade with other furniture moved around for no reason at all. After complaining staff admitted the hotel has “just changed” and “sorry and sad to say this is the new Rittenhouse, we also wish it wasn’t this way”. Staff actually shared that several long term employees were considering leaving or retiring early given that the property is now clearly in a state of decline. It’s a sad situation. Having the room cleaned is just as challenging, as they simply won’t clean the room or if they do they just throw the bed together, which by the way I might add no longer has decorative pillows. Replacement bathroom towels are only upon request, and the same goes for soap, gel, or anything. Other items: Nobody routinely checks on the mini fridge for replacement items so you have to request it and even then it doesn’t happen. Also in conjunction with turn down service you would previously and routinely find an ice bucket filled. Nobody does this any longer. Go get your own ice. The hotel used to leave a welcome letter handwritten from management welcoming you back. The it went to a printed card. Now it’s nothing. No welcome home or welcome back. Zilch. Zero. Nada. The rooms used to decorated with flowers or plants and magazines or books. No longer the case. Just a room. Within a day or two of checkin the hotel would previously deliver a fresh “Philly Pretzel” to the room. Naturally, they have also eliminated this. A very disappointing stay after years or staying here. We will explore alternatives and reluctantly bid Rittenhouse adieu. I could never recommend this property to anyone after this stay. This hotel has literally gone down the drain with budget cuts, staff reductions, and a management team that seems to genuinely not care or can’t care given a corporate structure that seems to demand that the property function as a 3 Star or lower…

The Rittenhouse is an amazing hotel with truly friendly, warm staff who made us feel welcome from the moment we arrived. The room was lovely! The location is absolutely perfect for exploring Philadelphia. Our family loved our stay and we can’t wait to come back.

Spacious elegant comfortable rooms . Luxurious gym with state of the art equipment . Gracious staff. Holiday decor , hot cocoa station, and nightly jazz trio put you in a festive spirit .