Sonesta Hotel

I give it 3 stars because less than 4 years ago I came here and LOVED it. There
was an AWESOME pub type restaurant and it was traditional and they said they had JUST redone it then. I come back and its modern and artsy fartsy. I don’t like it personally but I Do have to say… the staff is AMAZING! So nice. So if you’re into modern then go for it.

Our stay was definitely a great one with no complaints. We booked a room with parking included so we had no qualms about the pricing and our rooms were so clean which is to be expected but most hotels have that problem.
From the moment we pulled the car in for valet we received smiles and welcomes from everyone we met. The person at the front desk let us know we were an hour early for check in but did take down our number to give us a call once our room was ready and even let us check our bags into a room so we could roam the city.
The bellman (Mervyn) was really sweet and funny. He kept us laughing every time we walked through the lobby.
All in all, the room was clean, the customer service was great and our trip was worth it.
The hotel is also located in Rittenhouse Square which is one of my favorite areas of downtown Philly. There are so many shops and cute restaurants to frequent.
We would definitely return to this hotel for our next trip back to Philly.

The hotel is located in the middle of bustling Philadelphia. My visit was for pleasure, however, I understand most people come to this hotel for business. All of the staff that I encountered were very friendly and professional. The check and in and out were expedient. This is a lovely property. The room and bathroom were beautifully appointed and as a single traveler, I felt very comfortable staying at this hotel.
This area is taxi friendly and I had no problem getting around. There are lots of restaurants around the hotel as well as one inside the hotel. All of the meals that I had in the hotel were from room service and the food was delicious. I would definitely stay here again. Just and FYI — The hotel pumps a fragrance into the rooms. This seems to be the way more and more hotels are going. However, if you have respiratory issues this may be problematic.

My hubby and I just stayed here last night and it was so nice. The parking was great, the garage is connected right to the hotel and the garage valets your car so you can walk right into the lobby. The décor inside the lobby and Art Bar area is gorgeous. The front desk staff was so friendly and accommodating. The king regular room we booked was at the end of a hall and kind of secluded, we loved the privacy While the room was small, especially for being a king bed, every bit of space was used to its fullest and very sleek and modern in the décor. To my surprise, the shower had a shampoo/​conditioner/​body wash combo dispenser attached to the shower wall under the shower head. Such a great idea! Cuts down on waste on so
many levels. The bed was super comfy and we slept so well. We rarely treat ourselves so, we ordered room service for breakfast. French toast, red bliss potato home fries, grapefruit, whole grain wheat toast, and hot tea. Everything was delicious and the 12 noon checkout was a fantastic touch. Most hotels want you out by 11 am. That extra hour DOES make a difference. Check out was a breeze and we walked outside to the parking garage, scanned our ticket and within 5 minutes, our car was ready and waiting for us. All said and done, room service included, $ 303. For a downtown stay in a modern, sleekly renovated hotel on a Friday night within walking distance to so much… that is a deal and a ½!!! I would recommend this hotel to anyone and everyone.

Well located to visit Philly, walking distance to the main attractions, shops and restaurants, I had a very nice stay and warmly recommend this hotel. It offers nice rooms with confy beds, everything was clean. It was quiet at night and the staff very nice and accomodating. We used the valet parking and paid $ 42 for the entire weekend. Also there is a very nice and affordable café at the ground floor and soon a steakhouse. I would have given 5 stars but 2 elevators were not working and we had a long wait in the morning plus our room alarm clock rang at 5am in the morning! Alarm clocks should really be checked when cleaning the room!

By far the worst hotel I’ve stayed at in the city. Unfortunately received this hotel twice on Hotwire and now I’m afraid to use Hotwire because I don’t want to get this hotel again. Both times I stayed here the rooms were right next to the maids closet so at 6am on a Saturday we were woken up by doors banging and things being thrown around. The rooms were not cozy I suppose they were going with an edgy feel I just didn’t feel comfortable at all. The service was standard no complaints but it wasn’t above and beyond. I would not classify this as a 4 star hotel I would put it in a 3 star.

I haven’t even been in the hotel for three hours and I have been traveling since 6 o’clock this morning from the West Coast. I am starving! I tried to call the in room dining services and was met with a voicemail from the concierge desk. I then proceeded to call guest services and they told me that the person who takes care of ordering must be up in a room. I patiently waited 15 minutes for somebody to call me as the front desk person told me they would. nobody ever called. I got on the elevator, went to the front desk and then they told me they just tried to call you a few times, so I went back to my room and nobody has called yet. I literally have not eaten since 6 o’clock this morning, have a headache and I’m not feeling very well. I have to be honest I’m highly disappointed so far! As soon as I finished writing this they called and I have already ordered from a restaurant locally for delivery.
Now I can’t access the Internet and … maybe IT can reboot my system??? Let’s see if they go above and beyond and just get a new code for me… doubt it.

We found this place on the cheap through Expedia. My expectations were not high, but once we go to our room I was pleasantly surprised! Our king room was very spacious for two, with a very large bathroom. Our room looked over Center City, and it was easy walking distance to restaurants, bars, and museums the we were visiting that weekend. The lobby bar was o.k. nothing to stick around all night for ($ 70 plus tip for 4 drinks). I would stay here again, plus i hear they have a pool on the 8^th floor!

From start to finish, this was one of the most stressful hotel stays I have ever experienced.
First, my husband reserved a king size deluxe room. I got there a day before him so, when I checked in and was given a small queen room, I thought perhaps he had ended up choosing a different room. He arrived after me and was pissed about it, so the next time I was walking by the front desk I stopped to ask the guy about it.
He looked on the computer, said we had only paid for a small queen room. He also insisted that there were no king size deluxe rooms available. I told him we would check the reservation and get back to him. I went upstairs to and we checked and we were pretty annoyed after double checking his reservation email and confirming that he did pay for a king deluxe. So, husband went downstairs to sort it out.
At first the guy at the front desk starting giving my husband the same bullshit and trying to tell him he didn’t have a king deluxe available. But somehow my husband sorted it out and we got moved to the king deluxe. I can’t help but wonder if perhaps the front desk guy felt that he could intimidate me because I’m a small woman. Hmmm strange how the problem got fixed after my husband did the talking.
Because of all the drama that had already happened, I didn’t feel comfortable to also tell the staff that BOTH room bathrooms that we encountered were dirty. Specifically, curly hairs in the bath tub. We just rinsed it out and dealt with it until they came the next day to clean (they did a good job at this time). And, the little coffee maker in both rooms was for some reason missing the brew basket — but we only made tea so it was still usable. Also the walls are thin, you WILL hear people moaning, groaning, laughing, coughing, being drunk. Not much they can do about that, though.
As far as the staff, there are only two kinds of people who work here: people who are extremely nice and provide excellent, attentive service, and the people who it seemed were just messing with us for no reason (such as front desk guy and one person from housekeeping).
On the last day there, the entire hotel was woken at 6am by a piercing fire alarm. It was so extremely stressful I became super nauseous. The alarm went off for a solid 20 minutes, but it said «do not evacuate, wait for confirmation of emergency» or something like that so we didn’t leave. I called the front desk and they said there was no emergency but they couldn’t shut it off until the fire department came. I saw this mentioned in other reviews so I think this is a common occurrence? I mean holy hell I would have gladly paid double at a different hotel to not have to go through all that.
Even that could be like oh, accidents happen, but the next morning we had a late checkout because we actually wanted to get some sleep after being totally riled up by 20 minutes of unsilenceable shrieking alarms in our ears. And the housekeeper kept banging on the door! Even though we had it locked and clearly needed more time. I went to go ask her to stop and she said «Well I have to clean this room RIGHT NOW.» That was a very sour end to our stay, my husband had to call the front desk to get them to ask her to back off us. I mean, maybe she didn’t know that we had all been screeched at early in the AM, but it was still just too much to deal with after all the other stuff.
The location is good (right by City Hall) and the price is right (IF you can get them to give you what you paid for). But I probably won’t stay here again.

I was here on business (meaning I didn’t pay). So I REALLY loved it here. Centrally located, with in walking distance to the 30^th Street Train station, so I didn’t drive/​park. Comfortable bed, great TV and friendly staff and guests. p. s. Starbucks right across the street!

Had a great stay at the Sonesta Philadelphia. What a wonderful hotel! Thanks for the wonderful hospitality and incredible room service.
Fantastic service from very attentive staff. Great location, perfectly located to 30^th street station and all area attractions. Great place to stay and take the subway to all the arenas. Took in a 76ers game and was at the Wells Fargo center in less than a ½ hour by taking the subway after leaving the hotel.

Much like some others have said, I too was a bit concerned about staying at the Sonesta but I can honestly say that I was worried for nothing!
We were in town to celebrate a birthday but didn’t arrive until the day of the outing. We booked the hotel through hotels tonight (a first for me) and didn’t arrive until about 11:15pm. We were checked in by Janelle who was wonderful. There was some confusion about the reservation because of the manner in which we booked but, because she was so knowledgeable about the process we used, Janelle identified the problem and got us on our way in no time!
It turns out that the hotel bar had just closed and room service ended at 11 so we were at a loss until Janelle stepped in suggesting places we could go that were within walking distance of the hotel. The closed bar area and lack of room service after 11 are the only negatives I have from the stay.
The room was decorated nicely, with a modern yet comfortable feel and the great view was an added bonus. The bathroom was a good size and very clean (there are few things worse than a dirty hotel room and bathroom). I have to admit that I can be a tiny bit neurotic about hotel rooms and I can honestly say that I was beyond comfortable in this room!
Bottom line: Janelle and the rest of the staff we encountered were fantastic and the room was great so I would definitely return to the Sonesta on future trips to Philadelphia. If the bar and room service were available later I would give five stars but given the current schedule I’m giving four.

Let me first off by saying the people who park your car for you are rude and beyond lazy even when you are very nice to them. They charged me and friends for a 3rs car when we only had two and we had a special package that only came out to $ 500 but they charged us $ 700 which is unacceptable. They had us under the wrong package and couldnt even explain where they extra charges came from. You have to request a microwave for the room which i think is ridiculous because even a one star MOTEL offers a microwave. The only nice thing i can say is that the room was nice and everyone else besides the vallet people were nice. I wouldnt even go to another location and this was my first experience with them.

I got a deal on this hotel from Priceline so I was very excited to come and stay for a surprise engagement party. When we got there, the staff was friendly and check in was easy. We booked a delux king suite which was actually to our delight 2 rooms (one for the bed and one for the couch, extra tv, and sitting area). We even had 2 FULL bathrooms! We had a couple of drinks at the bar and thought grabbing a bite to eat there was a good idea, but the food turned out to be microwaved finger foods. We went to our event and hadn’t eaten. To our dismay, room service ended at 11pm and it was now 12 (womp womp) so we went to bed hungry and thirsty, since there was no mini bar or bottled water in room!!! I woke up at 7am FAMISHED so I called room service and was directed to the customer service rep who informed me that she would have room service call me. Wtf??? They called me back 10 minutes later and I ordered my breakfast and water. The rep informed me that it would be 30 minutes, but an hour later no food had arrived. Since no one ever called to inform us of any delays, I called the customer service number 3 times to check on the food. Natalie informed me that the kitchen was backed up and our food would arrive shortly. I finally canceled my order after the 3^rd time I called… and I was STILL starving. 10 minutes later the room service guy came with the food and an $ 80 bill!!! Again, wtf? The whole room service experience left a REALLY bad taste in my mouth. I doubt that I would stay there again since there were bigger name hotels in the same price range of $ 180 (taxes included) per night. I really feel like I was robbed today.

Stayed her a little over a year ago before moving to the city. Room was nice but check-​in process was a disaster and so was trying to get the room service off my bill left from the previous guest. Staff was rude and did nothing to apologize for their mistakes.

We were very happy with our Saturday night stay on ¹²⁄₂₆. Our first room had an issue with the heat and the front desk upgraded us to a larger room with working heat. The next morning we discovered that we left out toothbrush in our original room and upon checkout the front desk was kind enough to find it for us. The only complaint was the high price of parking for hotel guests. The peppermint drink at the bar was great. Thanks for making us feel welcomed.

Came here recently for a business trip. Here are some of my overall pros and cons.
Pros
— Location is good. It’s right smack in the downtown area, making it convenient for folks who need to be close to business meetings and offices in the area.
— It’s also not far from 30^th street station and the SEPTA station.
— It’s relatively close to some decent restaurants, drugstores etc.
— The rooms are fairly clean.
Cons
— Like many other hotels in the area, the rooms are renovated but still retain the small «feel» and the thin walls that can’t be altered unless you literally rebuild each floor
— The air conditioning unit was meh and it was hard to find a good balance in terms of room temperature. In my room it was either stuffy or freezing cold.
— Housekeeping seemed to take a long time each day to reach my room. Luckily I didn’t need to be back in the room mid-​day for a nap or extended amount of time, but it’s still annoying.
My stay here was definitely better than my previous biz trip to Philly when I had to deal with staying at the lousy Club Quarters a couple of blocks away, but next time I’ll probably choose another location with somewhat more comfortable rooms.

Based on the reviews, I was a bit afraid of this place. However, my actual experience was quite nice. Stefan assisted in me booking a taxi to pick me up at the airport prior to my stay.
During my stay, every in my room was nice and clean. Bedding was good. Small fridge was clean. The size of the room was quite spacious. No complaints here and I would recommend it to others for sure.

My friends and I stayed here for Made in America. Great stay! The hotel was safe and only a 15 min walk to Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Food, bars & tons of chill spots were close by. It definitely felt like nyc for a moment there.
The room was clean, the staff was very attentive & they knew to mind their beeswax. Plus the staff was incredibly knowledgable. By the way, next door — maybe 2 doors down is a parking lot for 30 bucks a night as opposed to the 40 Sonesta charges. We found local parking too. If you’re up to it, just search for street parking like we did. It was so much fun exploring Philly! Would definitely stay here again!

Growing up in Nevada, I’ve seen my share of… interesting establishments where one can lay their head. There’s the high end, there’s the low end, and then there’s the middle ground. This hotel was the middle ground.
While there is certainly an effort to redesign the lobby and restaurant, it still hasn’t found its footing. Is it retro? Is it classy? Is it «high» end? I’m going to go with all and none of the above.
While there were no problems with the cleanliness of the room, it was TINY. TINY TINY TINY. The closet could have only held about two pieces of clothing, and I could barely navigate around my bed. It was roughly the size of a below deck room on the Titanic (RIP).
I would not recommend staying here, or if you do, make sure your room is big enough for an adult. Definitely not good for a multiple night stay where you have a lot of change of clothes.

We were here for a meeting. Fire alarms during the night. Power outages and emergency power and very few bathrooms in the meeting area.

Pros: location, strong AC
Cons: the staff is pretty unhelpful and unaccommodating. We upgraded our room for use of the executive lounge, only to discover that it’s only open M-​F (and we were here for the weekend only). I thought that they should have adjusted our rate in this case, but they said ‘no’. Any other place I’ve stayed, I’ve always been able to use the accommodations, after checkout time, until my flight, etc., but here they won’t allow it.
Bottom line is that this is a «budget» hotel that doesn’t care about customer service. Everything is less nice than how it’s presented online, but it is very conveniently located.

This place tries hard to be «upscale» boutique type but appears to be nothing more than a glorified red lion or best western. Lobby is sparse– not in sxandinavian way but low budget way. keurig in both room and «lounge» was not working. Breakfast choices extremely linited in the lounge– you get more at holiday inn express. to top it off– power failure right now as im typing. Update. its 3AM AND A FREAKIN FALSE FIRE ALARM HAS BEEN BLARING FOR OVER ONE HOUR NOW. EVERYONE ON THE FLOOR AWAKE NOW. HAD GONE FIRE ESCAPE 10 floors DOWN ONLY TO BE TOLD ITS FALSE ALARM. IN THE ROOM NOW BUT STILL GETTING MY EARDRUMS SHATTERED BY THIS «FALSE ALARM»

We were in Philadelphia for a girls’ weekend, and booked one room with double beds for three of us to share. My first impression entering the hotel was that it was clean and shiny, with modern, vibrant décor and very friendly staff. We got there early in the day, and left our bags there since our room was not ready yet. The staff at the front desk were pleasant, helpful and very welcoming. The location is fantastic, in the business district, but close to shopping, restaurants and sights. We walked to the Liberty Bell, Rodin museum and Museum of Art. The room we were in was large enough that it did not feel too cramped even with the three of us. The seating is a bit limited, so we had to be ok with lounging on the beds between our trips out. There was a Starbucks across the street, if you are picky about your morning coffee. Very reasonably priced overall.

Proactive, friendly staff. Great location.
Very comfortable, quiet room. Recent upgrades in furnishings and tech-​friendly utility (USB outlets on the desk & nightstand) are really nice.
I’ll stay again!

I’ve stayed at Sonesta probably about 3 – 4 times in the past two years. Once before they renovated and the rest were after the renovation. The lobby and the whole first floor had a huge update with a more modern look. The front-​desk staff are very friendly and the check-​in/​check-​out process is quick and smooth. The rooms are spacious, clean and they all include a mini-​fridge, which is always a plus.
We like staying here because of the value and location. We’ve actually used groupon deals on two of our stays here and the other times, they have fairly reasonable deals on their website (some of which include a parking deal, which is usually a must for us especially when city parking can be $ 40+ per day). The hotel is centrally located and is just a few blocks and minutes walk away from restaurants and bars.
All my stays have only been overnight so I have not taken advantage of their gym and pool, but those amenities are available. There is also an adjacent parking deck to the hotel so you don’t need to worry about where they’re bringing your car (we’ve stayed at Palomar in Philly and I have no idea where their parking deck/​garage/​lot is). We’ve only had a problem once with the parking garage when it took a really long time for cars to come down (but I think there was only one person working there at the time) perhaps since it was on a Monday at noon.
I definitely recommend this hotel and will come stay here again.

My husband found a great rate at Sonesta for our spring trip to Philly and I think it was an excellent choice.
For starters the location is central — only a few blocks from city hall and multiple transit choices, easy to walk, bus or train to Old City and other choice attractions. Market St is kind of businessy, but a few blocks north or south and you’ll find plenty of restaurants, bars and shops.
The Sonesta has clearly undergone a recent renovation and our room looked pretty new. We had a king bed and a comfy couch. Flat panel TV, nice bathroom, and tons of outlets, which is key. Even USB ports on the clock. There was also a mini fridge and small coffeemaker.
The bed was firm but not crazy hard and I dig the pillows. I’m picky about pillows.
The hotel staff was all very friendly and the lobby bar/​restaurant is decently priced. We had drinks one night and breakfast one morning — it’s not cheap, per se, but I feel like it’s comparable to most of the other quick serve places nearby. The WiFi was pretty good too. You can get upgraded for free if you join their rewards program.
One minor quibble, we were on the 11^th floor and the ice machine was on the 10^th or 12^th. If this is important to you, you might want to ask to be put on a floor with one.
I’d definitely stay here again, and I’d definitely give another Sonesta in a different city a try.

This hotel has been recently refurbished and is well worth staying at. We only had 1 night in Philadelphia so our choice of hotel was important. The Sonesta is centrally located, only a 10 minute walk from 30^th St station, a few blocks from the Rittenhouse Square restaurants and City Hall. We easily walked to the main attractions, Independence Hall etc.
We had a large Queen room on the 18^th floor and were very happy. The bed is full size and was extremely comfortable with luxurious bedding and the best sleep we have had while away.
The bathroom had a great shower (over the bath) and gorgeous Italian toiletries.
It was way too cold to go out for dinner so we decided to stay in the hotel that night. We didn’t want to eat in our room, although there is a full room service menu so we went down to the bar. We had a few drinks and snacks which were great, but there is no restaurant at the hotel, which is why I have rated it 4 instead of 5 stars. There are many restaurants nearby, which we tried out for lunches, but it would be good to have a restaurant on site.
The hotel staff are all very polite and helpful and I recommend this hotel.

At the last moment, I was summoned to Philly for a birthday bash. I searched the internet for options and decided on Sonesta because of the reasonable price and location. Upon my arrival, I was greeted by such a wonderful receptionist and my check-​in lasted no more then 5 min. I then quickly took the trip up to my room and was pleased by the cleanliness of my room and the space for me to just lay out! Unfortunately, I was only staying one night so I wouldn’t be able dine at the hotel. However, I could see their many options and friendly staff.
I will certainly return to this paradise in the middle of the city.

I stayed at the Sonesta for three nights over this past weekend. I was able to get a great deal on a King room for about $ 125/​night. This was one of the best deals in Center City. The only two hotels on the west side of Broad Street with cheaper rates were the Sheraton and Club Quarters. Based on my experience with the Sheraton’s catering services (see my review) I could not bring myself to stay there even for a great price, and I was told that Club Quarters had small rooms. It was initially a process of elimination but I am very glad that I chose the Sonesta.
The lobby staff and house cleaning staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Our room was small, but it had all of the amenities necessary (bed, nightstand, desk, fridge, coffee maker, and ample soap, shampoo and conditioner in the shower. The rooms were clean and the bed had super comfy down-​feathered pillows and comforter. I am typically skeeved out my hotel comforters but this was did not have a spot on it. The gym on the 8^th floor was not huge but serves its purpose with several treadmills, bikes and a weight machine. I did not dine or drink at the Arts Bar but we did browse the room service menu and the prices seemed reasonable.
I would definitely recommend staying at the Sonesta, but if you need space, make sure that the room that you request is larger than their smallest King bed option. It worked for us but could have been an issue under other circumstances.

We came to Philly for the Cowboys/​Eagles game and I really wanted to stay close to City Hall, etc so we could go sight-​see. Sonesta is in the best location to not have to worry about a taxi or bus. The train station is down the street along with pretty much everything else, absolutely loved the location.
The staff were excellent — from the agents at the front to the bartender and the bellhop. Everyone was very nice and attentive — I have no complaints about our stay at all. The hotel looks like it was recently updated/​upgraded, which is also a plus. Everything was nice and shiny.
Our room was perfect — although it said we’d have a suite with a city view, our only view was the top of the ugly building next to us — *shrugs* not that big of a deal, we were only in Philly for a day and didn’t have time to gaze out the window.
Great location — great staff — perfectly plush rooms, I’d definitely stay here again!

Overall I had a nice stay at the Sonesta. It is conveniently located, within walking distance of many businesses, restaurants and historical locations.
The entire staff I encountered was very pleasant and professional. The front desk was top notch, and Yolanda from housekeeping was very polite and professional.
My only complaint was the business center. It was filthy. They keyboards made me want to douse myself with Purell. Also, color printers would be nice.
You have a nice hotel, but clean up that business center. Stock it with a stapler, pens, etc.