PA Philadelphia Sheraton Society Hill

[zbenye]

Appropriately rated as a 3* hotel.

I requested and got a room with two beds. We arrived well before check-in time, so agreed to take a smoking room rather than wait in the lobby. The room did not smell bad at all. It was of good size, well appointed and well kept. The large bathroom had the supplies expected at this level, but lacked a hair dryer (maybe I didn't look hard enough for it). I'm sure I could get one for the asking.

The room did not have minibar, fridge or safe, but did have a coffee maker. There was a small sitting area, and a small work area. Two phones with two lines. Iron and board.

Parking: valet, not excessively expensive if you can avoid feeling compelled to tip every time you go in and out. Free 2-hour street parking, scarce. No time restrictions on Sunday.

Both local and 800 phone calls are charged over $1 and are limited in time. Excessive charges for overtime. Not recommended for Internet access.

Front desk: not terribly friendly.

The location did not work well for us, since we were going to places in the city center and had no interest in the waterfront area where this hotel was. We had to drive everywhere.

[mikkirm]

Appropriately rated as a 3* hotel.

This hotel worked very well for me. It was about four blocks from Independence Hall and the other historical attractions. It was also on a quiet side street, so there was not much noise or traffic.

I had requested a king non-smoking, but because I checked in so late (10pm), they only had double non-smoking rooms available. This was fine; there was still plenty of "floor space" in the room, as it was a very good size. There were the two double beds, a bedside table between them. There was also a desk with chair, an upholstered side chair with a small side table, and a very large armoir at the foot of the beds, which housed the TV (25", I believe), and the coffee maker. No safe or frig/mini-bar. The armoir had three very deep drawers, and a door that opened to reveal two shelves. Plenty of room for putting clothes away.

There was also a large closet, with mirrored doors. The closet also held the iron and ironing board. The bathroom was good size, with a nice compliment of toiletries. A blow dryer was in the bathroom when I arrived; however, it wasn't the kind that is attached to the wall, so if you don't have one when you check in, call down and request one, as they obviously do have them available.

The room and the bathroom were very clean and well kept. The room was conveniently located just off the elevator lobby (no noise from the elevator, fortunately).

A version of WebTV was available for $9.95 plus tax a day. There was also a Nintendo option if you wanted to play videogames. I was given a free USA Today on the weekday mornings.

The food costs (particularly breakfast) here are horrendous; I foolishly paid $13 plus tax my first morning for what was a basic (and not that great) bacon and eggs breakfast (price did include coffee and OJ, but still...). The second morning, I decided to see what was available in the neighborhood, which worked out well. I found a small diner just two blocks away on Chestnut Street called Eva's (between 2nd & 3rd). Very small, but clean, with good non-greasy food for a good price. There are other restaurants on Chestnut Street as well, plus if you go the opposite direction, there are lots of options on South Street, just four blocks away. I can also recommend Philadelphia Fish & Co. for a very good upscale lunch or dinner (corner of 2nd and Chestnut).

All in all, I was very pleased with this hotel. The bellman and the front desk person were polite; no "Priceline" attitude at all. The location was fantastic for me, as I was primarily there to sight-see. If you need to catch the subway, their is a stop about three blocks away at 2nd and Market. The "trolley tour" company also has a stop at this hotel, if you decide to spring for that expense (worth it for me, but your mileage may vary). The only drawback for me was the lack of a safe; it would have been nice not to carry my Ipod with me at all times. Also, as I mentioned, food is expensive here, and mediocre.

I'd be happy to answer any questions anyone may have regarding this hotel.

Michelle

[kstrom]

We stayed at the Philadelphia Sheraton Society Hill on a Sunday night in July. We checked in a couple of hours early, and got the room type we requested (double, nonsmoking) with no mention of priceline (just a 'prepaid' comment). The room was good sized and clean, allthough the furniture was a bit battered. The bed and pillows were comfortable. The room was quiet (no street sounds or sounds from other rooms) except that the air conditioner made an ominous dripping sound like it was leaking. (Our floor stayed dry, but the next morning we heard banging upstairs suggesting someone was trying to fix the air conditioner.) The bathroom was clean, although there was a bit of mold around the edge of the tub and toothpaste stains on the walls. Not a big deal to us, but I can imagine others finding it disconcerting. The shower had good water pressure. The pool area was nicely set up, on the top (4th floor) of the hotel in a green house glassed in area. There was a large pool (3-4 feet deep) with a tiled hot tub and very shallow kiddy pool adjoining. The pool was never crowded, and there were plenty of clean towels.

We enjoyed our stay very much. For a family with kids, this is a great hotel. It isn't so fancy that one feels kids are out of place, and the hot tub-pool combo can't be beat!

[njg]

We stayed here for 2 nights in July 2006. We had two rooms, both of which were very nice. We got the beds (1 king & 2 doubles) and smoking (non) preferences we requested. The previous reviews cover the basic descriptions pretty well. In our case, however, the location was wonderful! We had never been to Philadelphia before and we enjoyed being so close to the historical area. The Society Hill area was also very nice...we enjoyed walking around & looking at the townhouses one night. The subway was close enough to make a trip to the baseball game easy & convenient. We found this to be a very nice hotel, even though we often win a 4-star choice. The staff here were very nice & accomodating.

The previous reviewer who mentioned the area restaurants was correct. There are many nearby, as well as some nice markets with pre-made sandwiches & fruit, salad & food buffets.

All-in-all this was a great stay!