The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia

My husband and I stayed in a club room for three nights. The hotel is convenient for walking to many of the popular tourist locations and there were many restaurant options nearby. The hotel itself is beautiful and while our room was clean, it is time for a refresh. The bed was soft and comfortable and the food and staff in the lounge were great with excellent city views. The cons: the front desk staff weren’t very helpful when there was an error on our bill at check out but the manager who we had to insist on speaking with eventually fixed the issue….taking 45 minutes from start to finish. The valet is also very slow.

Starting with the positives. You can’t beat the location. Walking distance to most everything you’d want to see in Philadelphia. Bartenders, front desk staff, room service servers, parking valets and bell staff were uniformly professional and personable. The lobby bar is great. They also honored the Gold Marriott upgrade option without being asked. That’s where my compliments end. The housekeeping staff was sloppy. They took our tip, but failed to leave extra towels as requested. Trash wasn’t removed, hand soap and toiletries were not refreshed, used glasses from our room service were left on the dresser, and the bathroom didn’t look like it had been wiped down. The hallway smelled like a Waffle House. The plumbing was terrible. We could not moderate the temperature in the bathroom sink, so we were faced with either boiling water or ice water when we used the bathroom sink. The gym has good equipment, but no sanitizing wipes or anything like that to wipe down the fitness equipment. The gym, indeed much of the property other than the lobby bar, was dingy and in need of maintenance if not a total refresh. All in all, definitely not what I’d expect from this brand and this price point. Next time I’ll try the W.

I think everyone was extremely focused on making sure you were being taken care of. The club level room was definitely the “ritz view of luxury” a few years back but feels quite okay for Philadelphia but the service in the club was outstanding even sending the chef up to make me an omelet for breakfast. I would stay here again anytime

I stayed with my daughter during her college tour given the location and good prior experience with the Ritz hotels. But not this one, it’s not really at the Ritz level. Dated overall; including the lobby, the elevators and rooms. Pretty much at the same level with the JW in NYC. It has a nice bar area with a good vibe and service; was entertaining with many dodgers fans around. Check in was rough; they insisted on 4 pm check in, which is OK, but I didn’t understand why the reception person thought it was fine to tell me the room was not ready at 4:30! That’s unacceptable and unnecessary. Funny that he apologized and offered the keys once I raised my tone. I didn’t give the rating because of the poor check in experience; but that’s really what this hotel is.

I was excited to go on this trip and stay here. What a disappointment. What is the big deal? I am constantly on the road just about every week. I stayed at many hotels throughout the country. If it wasn't for the bed, I would give this place a 2 start. First off, parking is $70 (7.26). Only because this covered in and out did i not park myself. I called to get my car and got no answer. I had to go downstairs and go to valet. I waited 20 mins. Check in was OK. They were efficient and to the point. I requested a high room and got it. Nice. Thanks. Another star. The room was very plain. Not a single fancy thing. As I said, the bed was good. Old furnishings. No fridge. I had to request one. The bathroom floor was sticky. What? Shower was OK. No hand soap around the sink. The curtains were ripped. Again, WHAT?. Everyone was nice. Especially housekeeping. Tatiana? Very helpful. I heard that they were going to do some upgrades. Hopefully i will see that on another trip.