Hotel Palomar - Philadelpha
Hotel Palomar (Philadelphia, PA - USA)
What is your Priority Club status? Spire Elite IC
Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay? Generally, yes. This stay was atypical, I hope.
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? Deluxe King - Upgraded to Spa King
How are the rooms? Room was fine. Housekeeping wasn't the best I've seen, especially in the bath. The "spa room" layout here is the extremely deep soaking tub that is somewhat oddly located adjacent to the shower. The space is awkward and, I assume, difficult to clean. Most linens were in need of replacement. I was only there for one night, but had my stay been longer I would have requested housekeeping spend some time in the room to give it a deep clean.
How was your complimentary welcome amenity? My list is fairly generic and they provided ALL of my requests. (Bottle of their restaurant private label red, bottle of San Pellegrino, cheese and crackers, bar of dark chocolate) Nothing was exceptional, but they checked all of the boxes. However, everything had been delivered much earlier in the day. The cheese plate wasn't covered, and by the time I checked in it was hard as a rock and inedible.
Did you raid the minibar? If so, what did you take? Two small FRED waters
Were you offered a Chef's Taste at Dinner, If so, what did you receive? NA for this stay. - When I stay at HP, I do usually eat at Square 1682. I have never been offered a Chef's Taste.
Did you use the free spa credit / did the hotel participate? If so, was it a good value? NA
What was good and what was bad? When I am in Philly and need to stay in Center City, I prefer the Palomar. I'm going to chalk this one up to the weather fatigue that has got to be wearing everyone down. All of the staff were trying, but not at their best. Wanted to dine at 1682, but it was late and the hostess was tied up with something and after waiting some time it was just easier to grab a lobster roll across the street. Valet required 25 - 30 minutes both times I needed the car. The negative lasting impression was the check-in staff laying on a pretty thick display of noting my status and striving to search for an "exceptional" upgrade, and then providing keys to the room with a welcome amenity that had certainly been there for hours.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return? Paid stay, using the formerly known as Kimpton Global Business Program rate. Based on previous stays, I'll return to Palomar in the future. If this is the new normal, I'll shift to elsewhere in Center City.