Mid-Atlantic - Arriving @ PHL - Marriott - Hertz

Hi all,

I'm in the process of planning a trip for Mrs Kered & I to PHL for later this year & I have a couple of questions, that I hope you can help with.

While we've flown into PHL on a couple of occasions before, we've always been met by Mrs Kered's sister, who lived in the city. This time however, we will be picking up a rental car & driving out to Lancaster PA, where she is now living.

So what I'm thinking of doing is as follows.....

Arrive into PHL on the later BA flight from London, getting in around 20:00. After clearing immigration & customs, head over to the PHL Marriott, catch up on our sleep & pick up a rental car the next morning from Hertz & head off on our drive to Lancaster. This saves us fussing with rental car pick up that night after our arrival, as well as saving a little on rental costs, just to leave the car sit at night in the parking garage.

So, questions.........

How easy / difficult is it to walk from the International arrivals hall to the Marriott ?

Can this be done internally, via walkways between terminals or do we need to exit the building & get to the Marriott by way of the sidewalks, or what's the deal ?

Then the next morning, how best can we get to Hertz to collect our car ?

I see on Google Maps, that the Hertz lot is pretty much right across the road from the Mariott, but I'm guessing there's probably not a pedestrian route to the lot. So I guess the best plan would be to just pop over to the nearest arrivals concourse to the Marriott & hop on a shuttle to the Hertz lot, right ?

Does the above sound like a workable plan, or are there any potential hiccups that I haven't thought of ?

Or do you think, I should get the car rental saga over with the night of arrival, park in the garage & have the car waiting for us the next morning ?

Any & all suggestions are most welcome.

Thanks ^

Get the car in the morning, parking at the Marriott is expensive...if I recall correctly everything can be accesses via internal corridors.

Ah yes, parking charges at the Marriott, another saving, by not getting the car until the following morning.

Thanks for the response Cargojon ^

I don't believe it :eek:

My plan has fallen apart at the very first hurdle, there are two nights & two nights only, in October that the Marriott is not available for check-in, the 17th & the 18th.

The 17th being the night we're planning to arrive :(

Just when I thought I had the plan nailed :rolleyes:

The PHL Hilton has shuttle Service. 5 minutes from the airport

I'm looking at the Hilton now as an alternative ^

From the website, I'm picking up that they have free parking, which I find "strange" for an airport hotel. But if that is the case, well then we may well just collect our car the night we arrive & that way won't have to go back to the airport the next morning & can instead just hit the road :cool:

On Google maps, I see a couple other hotels near the Hilton, so I must check them out for comparison.

Many of the hotels near the airport have free parking and free airport shuttles. Even though we live 45 minutes from PHL, we sometimes take advantage of this when we have an early flight. We stay the night before the flight, check out, take the shuttle to the airport, and leave our car at the hotel until we return . A night in the hotel is usually cheaper than 4+ days of parking, plus we don't have to get up early to get to the airport. The Renaissance is another option about 5 minutes from the airport (this is where we stay).

There are a Four Points and an Aloft also at PHL that you could use. I have no idea if they offer free parking, but they're very close and will have shuttle service.

Thanks for the suggestions guys ^ :cool:


Edit to add.....

Never heard of the "Aloft Hotels" before, but the web site paints a pretty good picture. But then, web sites always do, don't they ;)

They're part of Starwood, right ?

Anyone any experience of staying at one ?

I'm looking at the Hilton now as an alternative ^

From the website, I'm picking up that they have free parking, which I find "strange" for an airport hotel. But if that is the case, well then we may well just collect our car the night we arrive & that way won't have to go back to the airport the next morning & can instead just hit the road :cool:

On Google maps, I see a couple other hotels near the Hilton, so I must check them out for comparison.

The last time I went to MYR on a golf trip, had a dark-thirty departure out of PHL, they had a park and fly package at the Hilton. Left the car for 5 days on a one night stay.

They aren't physically on the airport property, and do market the park and fly deal because their lot is more than ample for the Hotel.

Check out tripadvisor - my last stay was a few years ago, and some rooms at the time had leaky windows - which caused some musty odors in some rooms - But I would expect they have addressed the issue by now.

Never heard of the "Aloft Hotels" before, but the web site paints a pretty good picture. But then, web sites always do, don't they ;)

They're part of Starwood, right ?

Anyone any experience of staying at one ?


Think of a W on a budget. Yes, its part of starwood and will be decorated "trendy" with new / cheapish furniture, like you might see at Ikea. Definitely a fine place to crash for the night but don't expect anything fancy. I personally enjoy them for quick airport related stays.

Okay cool, thanks. The Aloft is worth a look ^

Trip Advisor, doesn't do the Hilton any favours really. Even if only reading between the lines, as you generally have to do on TA.

Much to think about & research.

Thanks Guys :cool:

I have been at the PHL Aloft recently - but just in the lobby area for a meeting. It is pretty nice with a hip cool vibe and cool furniture. It looks pretty nice and the service I received from the front desk was really great.