The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia

I stay at this hotel multiple times a year with my children due to sporting events we have nearby. I love the beds at this hotel and the rooms are large and quiet. That’s where my compliments end… General mood of staff is unfriendly, bothered and unwelcoming. Valet experience is awful. Housekeeping is subpar. Rooms are dark, dirty and in desperate need of a refresh. Bathrooms have cracked tile and are also dirty. It’s like Ritz Carlton doesn’t care about this property, which is a shame because it’s in a cool, old bank building. This could be a gorgeous property if they redo the rooms, hire new staff and start over. Also, quit taking away the complimentary coffee at 8am. That is too early and almost all other RC’s leave it out until 10am. But again - the guests seem to inconvenience them here!!!

We enjoyed a quick weekend getaway and although the weather was not too good, The Ritz made it well worth it. Friendly staff and nice clean rooms. Walking distance to the train station for a one day trip to New York and walking distance to most anything you need especially all the great eateries near by.

This is a very busy hotel! Front desk staff and doormen are very nice, helpful. Rooms are dated but generally quiet and comfortable. On a Saturday night, however, the rooms facing City Hall had street noise until about 11:00 PM - even from the 18th floor. Beds and pillows are high end. Building is an old bank, full of marble and soaring ceilings. Go for a drink at least!

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.