Loew's Philadelphia Hotel, Midtown Village - 1200 Market Street Across From the Convention Center

[monavano]

Location and Rates for Tonight - Website

On 4/7/2007 at 10:02 PM, baczkowski said:

Well, this thread helped more than pay for the subscription fee to this site b/c we batted 1.000 for our meals in Philly.
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Maybe I was just a pushover this trip, but we made food the heart of our whim vacation and we left without a single disappointment.
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Travel tip: Sorry to extend this post further, but thought folks might appreciate this insight. We got our hotel on Priceline.com the night before. I put in four stars, center-city Philly, two nights, and $100 and it was immediately accepted by Loews at 1200 Market Street, a block from City Hall. What a steal. This place was stylish (Art Deco restored), clean, friendly, and unpretentious. It's even pet friendly. When we got home this evening, I turned on MTV and saw the exact hotel on "Bam's Unholy Union"!!! He got married in the hotel and his wedding party stayed in the hotel. Most people probably wouldn't take the reference of one of the founders of Jackass, but if you see the episode you'll see this is actually a really nice place. The rooms for my wedding's hotels in Rockville were over $100 but not as nice as this place. Plus, you could walk 10 blocks in either direction to cover pretty much all the great food, history, and shopping that Philly offers. My advice is to start off with a price lower than my $100 though

Absolutely great report. Thank you!

btw...getting that hotel for 100 bucks is a steal I have not been able to snag on priceline in 4 years. You paid at least half, if not a third. It's a rare deal. Best I've done is the Hyatt Penn's Landing for 70 bucks....out of season. Good for you!

[reedm]

My first stay at a Loews; hotel took place about a year ago in Chicago. The hotel was brand new, so it was working out some kinks, but I was impressed with by the level of hospitality evident throughout. It was enjoyable enough for me to consider Loews for a one-night stay in Philadelphia, and the relatively reasonable rate made it an easy decision. The hotel is centrally located, and a very short walk to Reading Terminal Market, and about 10 minutes from Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, etc. 

I selected an offer included valet parking and two cocktails. It wasn't a huge savings, but the allure of two free cocktails was too much to refuse. (Just slightly kidding)

Once again, the level of hospitality was noticeable from arrival to departure. Everyone I encountered was pleasant and helpful--much better than average compared to the other higher-end chain hotels. Parking and check-in was easy.

Our room was extremely clean and comfortable. It was a bit worn around the edges, but the bed was comfortable, the TV was large, and the water pressure and temperature were great in the bathroom. The room was not extremely noisy, but the doors would benefit from some sound-proofing. Some fellow guests in the hallway inadvertently let me know there had been a Justin Bieber concert earlier that evening. 

Back to the cocktails. We arrived fairly late, so we didn't try the restaurant or room service, but I did wander down to retrieve cocktails from Bank and Bourbon, the hotel's bar/restaurant. The cocktail list was above average, and as the name indicates, they offer a broad and deep selection of bourbon, whiskey, and scotch. Of note, they barrel age a number of spirits, and offer cocktails featuring the aged spirits. I sampled a barrel aged Hudson clear whiskey, and it was quite nice. I typically avoid hotel bars if possible, but I enjoyed Bank and Bourbon, and would return. 

We chose to eat at Reading Terminal Market for breakfast, but I did take advantage of the complimentary coffee in the lobby. My wife wanted tea, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that was complimentary as well.

If I get back to Philadelphia, it would certainly be on my short list of places to stay.