Residence Inn Philadelphia Center City

“We always go back”

We have stayed at Residence Inn several times. The room/suite layouts vary so some better than others but always a super comfortable bed. The location is ideal, situated a short distance from the Reading Market and a walk to the Phila Art Museum is lined good restaurants. The courteous and helpful … more

We have stayed at Residence Inn several times. The room/suite layouts vary so some better than others but always a super comfortable bed. The location is ideal, situated a short distance from the Reading Market and a walk to the Phila Art Museum is lined good restaurants. The courteous and helpful staff assure that needs are met. We are grateful to Catherine, Chief of Housekeeping, who exceeded expectations and accommodated us in an unusual situation.

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“Not up to Residence Inn Standards”

This Residence Inn is located across the street from the City Hall Square and close to a subway station. Location wise, it was great for my trip with easy access to many sights via the subway or by walking. No complaints about the location. I also do not have complaints about the people operatin… more

This Residence Inn is located across the street from the City Hall Square and close to a subway station. Location wise, it was great for my trip with easy access to many sights via the subway or by walking. No complaints about the location. I also do not have complaints about the people operating the hotel and valet parking. Like many hotels that are put into old city center buildings, the room itself was not that great. There was a separate bedroom a sitting area and a small kitchen area. However, it was sparsely furnished with lower quality furnishings. The sitting area actually looked pretty sparse as it had only a small sofa and a very small table that was supposed to be a desk. The bathroom had one of those dreaded doors that opens to the inside and virtually hits the toilet and covers the vanity area. As I said, it was sparsely furnished and just old looking. Can you stay here? Yes and I did spend 2 nights. Might there be better places nearby? Yes. I just did not feel this location felt like a Residence Inn or met the standards of that brand.

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“Be careful if you have non-standard arrival”

The hotel was very well located with large , clean rooms and mostly pleasant staff. For me the check in process was a real negative. We booked a suite nearly one year in advance for a special event in Philadelphia, for check in May 15 and out May 19. As the event neared we found we would arrive in… more

The hotel was very well located with large , clean rooms and mostly pleasant staff. For me the check in process was a real negative. We booked a suite nearly one year in advance for a special event in Philadelphia, for check in May 15 and out May 19. As the event neared we found we would arrive in Philadelphia early on May 16 morning rather the 15th night. I phoned the hotel to let them know we would check in on May 16 but would keep the existing reservation starting May 15 night, to ensure we could have access to the room on the 16th morning. The front desk assured me this was fine and would add a note to my file to confirm the May 16 morning check in. On May 15, I checked in using the Bonvoy app. It asked for an estimated arrival time with a drop down menu whose latest time was 4am. So I chose 4am then put a note in the ‘comments’ section that we would actually arrive around 10am on the 16th, having paid for the previous night. On May 16 at around 7:30am, enroute to Philadelphia, I was horrified to receive from the Residence Inn an email invoice for my ‘1 night’ stay the night of the 15th. I immediately phoned the hotel and spoke with a front desk employee whose name begins with a Z, and was told I was a no-show and had lost my reservation. I explained about my phone call 2 weeks earlier and my check in note the previous day . She did not apologise, and said the system had automatically cancelled my reservation and I’d lost the room. I had to explain for the third time that I was indeed arriving the 16th morning. She again said I was a 'no-show' that was automatically cancelled, sounding disapproving, but eventually she managed to rebook me for my original dates. When I arrived at the hotel, Z was at the front desk and checked me in again. She again said I was a 'no-show', seemed to be blaming me for the error, and said I should have made a 'courtesy call' to the hotel to confirm my reservation, which seemed very strange given that the reservation was confirmed and I'd checked in through the app and notified them of the arrival time. By this time, the Bonvoy app was showing an additional 2-night stay from May 15-17, which I had not booked. I asked Z about this and she told me not to worry, that it was 'an app thing'. Again, this seemed odd to be told to ignore the app, which the hotel encourages guests to use. I questioned this, and Z said 'I got your reservation back, what else do you want me to do?' The rest of the stay went smoothly, but I am struggling to see how I was at fault in this situation. I understand it is not always easy to deal with the public, and that anyone can have a bad day. But I do not understand why Z felt it was appropriate to handle this error with zero empathy, goodwill, or even acknowledgment of my status with Bonvoy. Z was quite right to point out that she got my reservation back after the hotel error, and for this I am grateful. But the reservation should not have been cancelled in the first place, and the error could have been handled far better. If other travellers have any non-standard check-in requirements, or wish to avoid time and money spent sorting out problems, or even value courtesy and consistency, they may wish to question whether this hotel is right for them.

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