Beautiful Facility, Poor Service
by A TripAdvisor Member
While a bit dated, the Westin Philadelphia is a beautiful hotel, with dark wood paneling and chandeliers throughout. However, the staff does not like their chosen line of work that much. I had to harass the concierge for a small request (to find a jazz club for that night). The room was not particularly clean either (spots on the carpet, etc.) During my next stay in Philadelphia, I think I'll try the Sofitel. My wife and I wandered in for breakfast and it looked much more promising.
You Could Do Better
by A TripAdvisor Member
Our family recently spent two nights at the Westin Philadelphia. The hotel's location is convenient to the historic area, restaurants and shopping (connecting to Liberty Place mall). Parking for AAA members is free (a $31/ day savings)!
Although the lobby is elegant and the rooms have some nice touches (crystal lamps, marble bathrooms, dual showerheads, "Heavenly Beds") our room itself felt a little beat. There was a big black stain on the carpet, the furniture was showing signs of wear and the wallpaper was patched in spots. The ugly view of the roof below (under repair with men working) didn't help either.
It would have been much easier to enjoy the "Heavenly Bathroom" if we weren't evacuated from the hotel around 9:00 AM (while showering and dressing) for what turned out to be a false alarm. A computer voice and siren sounded saying there was an emergency and to prepare to leave the building by going to the stairways- but not leave. Oddly, a staff member on our floor calmly continued cleaning. After serveral minutes, we phoned downstairs asking what to do and were told to leave the hotel immediately. People coming into the hallways (in PJs and robes due to the hour) were equally confused by the voice still saying to standby, unsure what to do. No staff members came to direct guests at all! False alarms happen in hotels (I guess) but having staff give clear directions on where to go and what to do in an emergency situation should have been a given!
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Very Nice Hotel, Will Return--Also Pet Friendly
by A TripAdvisor Member
My husband, dog, and I just returned from a 1 night stay at the Westin Philadelphia. I only have 2 minor "complaints" if you will. The first is the parking is expensive, $31 per day, but that is normal for anywhere downtown in a major city, I guess. I just always have a hard time paying for parking period, when I have paid to stay at a hotel already.
This hotel is also pet friendly, which was marvelous for us and our dog was treated very kindly by all staff and other guests alike. However, it is about 6 blocks to the nearest patch of grass (Rittenhouse Square) for your dog to relieve itself. This may be o.k. for a "city dog", but our dog, being the suburbanite she is, isn't used to having to hold it that long once she gets outside, so we basically had to RUN the 6 blocks, for fear that she would just stop and pee on someones shoes because the sidewalks were so packed with people. That was one thing that surprised me about Philadelphia is that it is SO crowded during the day in dowtown and the sidewalks aren't built to hold that many people. But, anyway, if you aren't traveling with a pet or if your pet is used to "holding it" for long periods of time once you are outside, this is not a big deal. I'm sure I'll hear lots of "Why don't you just leave your pets at home" comments, like I always do when I post about our dog. But, traveling with pets is important to a lot of folks, including us, so I always post about it--so "dog haters" please just keep your comments to yourself. ha.ha. Everyone at the Westin loves dogs, so you shouldn't stay here if you are concerned about a dog or two in your hotel. We would stay at this hotel again, in a heartbeat when we are back in Philly. If you want to bring a pet, this is a fine place to stay as far as room accomodations, except that hiking 6 blocks with a pet late at night or early in the morning just to use the bathroom got a little old, even just for 1 night.
Now, on to the great points about this hotel. First, location and dining choices. It is right in the middle of dowtown Philadelphia, convenient to all businesses in the area. The attached mall with food court is great--you don't even have to go outside to get here. There were tons of restaurant choices here, including Chick-Fil-A, a Chinese and Japanese food place, pizza choices, Subway and if you want McDonalds, there is one down near Rittenhouse Square. We also walked over to the TGIFridays. You can ask the folks at the front desk for directions. It was really nice here as the smoking and non-smoking sections are totally divided from each other. So, we got to eat a decent meal without coming out smelling like a pack of cigarettes.
The room decor was great, but I don't think it is for everyone. If you like the minimalist, trendy, new look you are out of luck here. The rooms were decorated like you had stepped back in time or were visiting an antique store. That being said, the Westin Heavenly Bed was still present and very, very, nice. The bathroom was the most luxurious I have ever seen. It was all marble, with dual shower heads and the Heavenly Bath tolietries were great.
The lobbies were also fantastically decorated, with lots of old paintings and ornate wood carvings on everything. Check out the ceilings of the elevators. They are even carved wood. Very cool.
I find the comments about the poor service to be very untrue. The bell staff and everyone else we encountered was amazing. The man who loaded our car for us when we left even asked if we had any trash in our car that he could throw away for us. Very nice. I would recommend this hotel to anyone wanting a luxury experience in downtown Philadelphia.
Why not Weston
by TripAdvisor Member Kiljoy
You hear a lot of bad things on this site, but I will tell you that I had an exceptionally good experience at the Weston in Philly. The hotel itself was lovely, located in a great part of town, near excellent restaurants, and had a great staff, especially an exceptionally helpful doorman. I would highly recommend this hotel, especially considering the price!
Due keep in mind I was there early Fall/Late Summer.
Bad service for exceptionally high price
by A TripAdvisor Member
I've stayed at a lot of hotels in my day. But this one just took the cake. First off, I stayed in this hotel on two separate occasions. The first time was "ok" but only because I was on an "upper floor" (hence my rating of 2 instead of 1 for being absolutely appallingly bad). The second time was on a "lower floor" (floor 6) -- BIG PROBLEMS. The housekeeping didn't bother to enter the room and make the bed/replace the sheets on two separate occasions. I was then accused by the front desk staff as "using the privacy button" on my door, which was TOTALLY ABSURD because I was gone from the room ALL DAY, BOTH DAYS. The phone didn't work, which took several calls to get someone to come out and fix it. Then, to top it all off, I made SEVERAL phone calls regarding my Starwood Preferred Guest points which the hotel never bothered to credit to my account, however each time they simply took down my information and nothing was EVER done. For the amount of money that this hotel charges, the service is a disgrace. You're better off staying in a hotel that costs half the price, because at least then you'll be getting your money's worth.
Great Stay
by A TripAdvisor Member
I saw very little in the way of wear and tear on this property. The bed and bath were first class. Service was prompt and courteous and the breakfast from The Grill was wonderful. No complaints.
What else would you expect
by TripAdvisor Member alaznj
We were a group of 6 women staying in 2 standard rooms for one night. We had a roll away bed brought up into each King room. From the moment we dropped our car with the valet service and rode the elevator up one floor to the front desk, we knew this was a nice place to stay. After informing the desk clerk we had more in our party to come, he made sure we all found each other upon arrival. There was a great security feature in the elevators. Elevators were not activated until you scanned your key card. It made us all feel safer. The rooms were well decorated and VERY comfortable Westin Beds. The bathrooms were large and could accomodate 2 women in the mirror. Although there was no dressing area, their was a second mirror in the room over the table with the coffee maker. We enjoyed the bar for munchies and drinks before our evening plans. The enchiladas were great. Since we were meeting for a reunion, the bartender was happy to take six sets of photos for our group. The morning's room service was quick and delicious. The pancakes were perfect. Enjoy all this hotel has to offer.
Wonderful Westin!
by TripAdvisor Member calico696
What a wonderful hotel, in the middle of a wonderful City! My husband and I were treated like royalty at the Westin in Philadelphia. This hotel is magnificently decorated from the minute you step into the lobby. The rooms are clean and spacious and the lobby lounge spectacular. Staff at the front desk and in the lobby bar were wonderful. Would stay here again anytime.
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