The Ritz Carlton Philadelphia

Pros: Wonderful location, in the center of all the places to visit. Prestige lobby and beautifully maintained historical building. Front desk staff were very friendly and attentive. The complimentary 1pm checkout was great for not having to rush in the morning, so it was a nice way to end the vacation, feeling relaxed until the end of the stay. Cons: Room conditions were okay, not the best at its price range, and not as clean as their other locations. There were some areas that needed more attention. Safety seal stickers on amenity bottles were all broken, I'm not sure if it was supposed to be like that or if it's supposed to be re-sealed after the refill. There are traffic sounds that get loud at night time, but curtains help with blocking some sound.

We've stayed here on several occasions, usually during the Thanksgiving holiday when we're visiting family. Brutal cold weather I'm telling ya. ATMOSPHERE: The lobby is very grand and elegant. I believe this is the portion of the hotel was a former bank. It's pretty evident with its super high ceilings, marble everywhere and thick columns reminiscent of old-America. There's a large lobby bar decorated in beautiful, bold colors that go well with the monotonous marble color. CHECK IN: There wasn't a line during the times we've checked in. Service was professional and quick. ROOM: Very spacious. Nice views of the city. The uncomfortable and very springy mattress definitely needed to be changed, as I could feel the worn areas when laying down. Pillows were typical and too soft for me. The bathroom while spacious, has only one basin. Huge shower but water pressure was very low. I had to wait about 10 minutes for the hot water to come through on our last day there. Not sure if that's normal or because it was freezing outside. DINING: We don't normally eat in the hotel as we love to venture into the city. CLUB LOUNGE: Located on the top floor of the hotel, it offers great views of the city. The food and drink selections change daily. We had excellent service from a female concierge, who booked recommended and booked us into two very good restaurants nearby, Raw (Japanese) and El Vez (Mexican.) SERVICE: Excellent, from the valet all the way up to the club concierge. TIPS: Very central to shopping, sites & the Reading Terminal Market. We found more affordable parking in a garage about a block away at the Midtown Parking Garage.

It's all about location here. The Ritz is first class but expensive. Room cleaning was amazing and they had nightly turn down service. All the staff was over the top friendly. One major drawback, there was literally no place to sit in the lobby. With such a beautiful atrium it would be nice to sit there for a while. But all the tables and sitting areas were reserved so you couldn't sit in the lobby without being sat by a hostess. Huh? That is just weird. When we are there for a week sometimes we just wanted to stop and check a map or gather our shopping before heading to the room or going out into the city. It was just weird. They need to make some areas of the lobby just sitting areas without all the logistics.