The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia

We stayed here for a wedding and there were several things we loved. Love the location and also loved the lobby. All in all the hotel needs to be updated. Service was mostly friendly. Ask for view of the capital building f you stay as our view was awesome

For the positives- Room was very nice. The Fresh pair of slippers and shower robe was a nice touch. My room was stocked with a snacks and beverage area. Pricey but hey it was worth it. Overall nice room. The negatives- I had just one but this was a big one. I had just gotten back to the hotel after a long day at a biz conference. Proceeded to my room, took a nice relaxing shower and got dressed for dinner down stairs. The bar/dining area is on the main floor, very nice and plenty of seating. I found a nice quiet spot a few tables away from the bar area. I sat down and started to look at the menu. A waitress I will refer to as (KAREN) came to the table and said I couldn't sit at that table. I was like why? Karen said it was reserved for larger parties. Now mind you the place is huge, with a seating capacity of like 100 plus and it was maybe 20% filled. I was like are you kidding me!!!'I'm an Owner and Platinum Elite member and your going to chase me out of a table. I was like look Karen, I just want a good ribeye and a couple of drinks and I will be gone. NO that was not good enough for her. She insisted that I move to the bar area. I was like I prefer not to sit in the bar area, theirs plenty of seats out here! what's the problem KAREN??? She persisted and I relented. Big Mistake on my part. I literally sat at a table in the bar area and guess who comes strolling up to my table? That's right KAREN. I thought she was going to take my order but instead said "I couldn't sit at that table its reserved for couples!!! I was like @#$%^&^%$#@ KAREN !!!! Get me your manager KAREN NOW!!!! Long story short, the manager gave Karen a BS talking too but I was so pissed I decided to leave. I would NEVER go back to this hotel and would highly suggest you to avoid it as well.

At check-in, I asked about a paid upgrade to a room or suite with access to the club lounge. I was told it would be an extra $400 a night, except the lounge was closed for half my stay. That made no sense. Why would you sell club lounge rooms on nights with no open and operational club lounge? Also, $400 seems steep. I may have considered it if the upgrade price was $150-ish. I was upgraded to a suite on the 28th floor. There are 30 floors. The club lounge is on the 30th floor. No in-room amenity or even a thank you card. At check-in, I also didn’t get a welcome letter. The suite had a mini-bar, but it was unstocked and warm to the touch. So, the refrigeration wasn’t working. The suite was dirty with hair on the nightstand and in the nightstand drawer, hair on the toiletries in the bathroom, and extensive mold or mildew in the shower. Obviously, that’s unacceptable, not least for a suite. This should be one of their best rooms. Décor was fine. On the more classic end, which is fine. But it didn't feel like luxury. The overall room/suite was more like a pre-pandemic Sheraton, Westin or JW Marriott. More on this observation later. I was moved to a second room, a non-suite. I was told no further suites were available, except on a much lower floor. The bellmen quickly moved me to the new room. But upon entering, none of the lights worked. So, he took me down to the front desk. At this point, I asked for the duty manager. He was apologetic, but I emphasized my disappointment because these rooms should have been inspected. How does someone inspecting the rooms not notice nonfunctioning lights, let alone the cleanliness issues in the suite? I was given a third room -- a regular king room on the 24th floor with a decent view of City Hall. This room was mostly clean. I say mostly because some hair was on the floor around the toilet. I also saw hair in the bathtub. In the walk-in shower, the grouting could be updated. Turndown service consisted of a housekeeper placing two chocolates and two plastic bottles of purified water on a nightstand. The bed itself wasn’t turned down. The curtains weren’t closed. Housekeepers put a QR code in the room for tips. I know this is common at many hotels today but it comes off as tacky at a Ritz-Carlton. I asked for a newspaper at the front desk and was told one would be delivered to my room in the morning. I never received a newspaper. However, I found three newspapers at the front desk: the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and a local Philadelphia newspaper. I assume the hotel offers room service. There was a card to hang on the door for breakfast, but no menu or information on room service at other times during the day. In general, I thought the hotel was showing its age. Some of the wall coverings were scuffed and scratched. The old in-room thermostat was covered over with beige and white plastic. The last renovation was in 2016. Rooms only have 1 USB outlet. How does a hotel room in the year 2025 only have a single USB outlet? One of the lamp shades was twisted around. My third room had a stocked mini-bar, unlike the suite, but, like the suite, the mini-bar refrigeration was broken. So, everything was at room temperature. That just reinforced the lack of attention to detail. I also didn’t see any prices for any items in the mini-bar. Noise insulation was poor. While I couldn’t hear street noise, I could hear the room beside me. Every time they used their phone on speakerphone, I could hear them dial the number and even the conversation. It was like I was in their room. So, if you’re staying here, you probably don’t want to have any sensitive telephone conversations in the room. The lobby bar and restaurant is better than average. Both at night with drinks and dinner, and in the morning at breakfast. Prices were what you expect at a downtown hotel. Service was good, although the waitress in the morning at breakfast was calling male customers “hunny,” “sweetheart,” and “love.” It was well-intended, but you don’t expect that at a Ritz-Carlton. The wine list is excellent. I really liked the fact they had two Mexican wines from Monte Xanic in the Valle de Guadalupe. In the morning, there's free self-serve coffee in the lobby. It probably doesn't make sense to pay $6 for a cup of coffee in the restaurant when it's free in the lobby. Also, the lobby restaurant is strangely closed on Monday outside breakfast. So, I'm not sure what hotel guests are supposed to do for dinner if they stay on a Monday. It's unclear if the lobby bar is also closed on Monday afternoons and evenings. For $322 per night before taxes and fees, the Ritz-Carlton is about $75-$125 more per night than many of the other Marriott options. I think it’s an okay value. But, in all honesty, the hotel's overall standard is more equivalent to a 4-star Sheraton or Westin (at least pre-pandemic) than a real 5-star luxury hotel. If you're used to real 5-star luxury hotels, the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia will disappoint.

As a prior Ritz Carlton guest, I was excited to stay at this hotel and was extremely disappointed. The building itself was pretty on the inside lobby area. Room was very blah, the noise was unbearable. Elevators very loud and the homeless people walking into the lobby from a side entrance that is not watched. When we returned back to our room at 1030pm after attending a wedding, we were woken up multiple times throughout the night by screaming guests which I believe were young adults or teens all through the hallways. Guests coming out of their room screaming to call the cops. When I say I’m in disbelief of how a ritz Carlton hotel could possibly be so terrible I’m shocked to even write this review. For a 740.00 one night stay I feel my review is worth my time to write so that other people do not stay here or except to have “ritz Carlton” experience because you will most definitely not. Please steer clear of this hotel and stay elsewhere.

i absolutely loved my long weekend here! i was a little worried about the negative reviews regarding uppity staff and worn rooms, but i had no issues at all! my time at the ritz was heavenly! the front desk was polite and helpful. i had a drink in the bar and my server was fabulous. the bar area and lobby are gorgeous! definitely hang out there! my room was on the 6th floor because i requested a bath tub. the amenities are wonderful and housekeeping was available for all of my needs. i wanted for nothing and my room was always clean and comfortable. i loved the turn down service and walking the room to the sounds of smooth jazz....a great touch! there were some reviews that complained about noise. this hotel is in the middle of the city! i'm a light sleeper and the traffic sounds outside did not disturb me. the hotel is in a perfect location, you are able to walk to many points of interest. i was here for an event and the meeting rooms were beautiful. the catering food was good and the staff was professional and polite. any staff member that i encountered in the hotel was very friendly and always said hello. my ONLY complaint is that there was no hand sanitizer to be found anywhere in the hotel. i really appreciate having it available by the elevators, and it would have been great to have in the meeting rooms as we shared some buffet meals. i don't think i will ever be able to stay in any other hotel in philly! it was a magical weekend and i know that i will be back. highly recommend!