The Centric's entrance faces an alley / side street. The Bellevue is right on Broad street next to the Ritz Carlton and the City Hall building. Even though they are a few blocks away, the Bellevue's location is quite a bit better.

That's interesting.. I've stayed a few times at the Centric, and haven't had a room like that. The last room had them separated, but they were essentially right across from each other by the front door of the room.

They're REALLY close to each other (3 blocks - maybe a 5 minute walk), so the location doesn't matter to me. I'm more curious about the rooms. I stayed at the Bellevue a few years ago, pre rennovation, and the rooms were quite rundown. The room honestly looked like a boarding house from the 1950s that hadn't be maintaned since then. It was badly in need to rennovations. That's why I'm curious how the rooms in the Bellevue are like now, post-rennovation.

I've had good experiences with the rooms I've had at the Centric, so if they're not much better than before, I'll probably pick the Centric over the Bellevue

Yes, and we didn't like that at all. I want the shower and the toliet in the same space when I use the bathroom. Not across the hallway from each other. To each their own is guess.

If you are comparing the appearance of the entrances, then I agree with you that the Bellevue is nicer. But I can assure you, as someone who lives a block from the Centric, that it is closer to a nicer, more vibrant area of the city. Since Covid, the Broad St area has really declined. But again, they are only 3 blocks away from it’s not that different.

BTW, I agree that I marginally like the area by the Cetnric better, but it really isn't an issue for me either way. The Centric's entrance is weird being on an alley (I've seen way worse stuff there than what I've seen on Broad St recently), but I really couldn't care less about that. I'm mostly concerned about the rooms - the last time I stayed at the Bellevue, the rooms were terriblely run down. I like the rooms at the Centric, but I'm intrigued by the fact that the Bellevue has been renovated.

The photos on the website are an accurate reflection of the renovated rooms. I had no complaints on a recent stay

How is the parking for award stays as Globalists?

It’s free, if that’s what you are asking.

Stayed here last weekend. The Sporting Club is terrific, almost overwhelming given that I didn't have much time to spare. The location is good for events on Broad Street (e.g., Academy of Music, Kimmel Center, parades). The room was nice enough, but I'd give the edge to the Centric in that regard.

My stay included one comp beverage at Pergola, which is new enough that it doesn't exist on Google Maps. (Hint: only the main bank of elevators goes there.) It seemed strange that the window shutters were drawn, but indeed there's pretty much no view from that side due to ongoing construction.

I would have "liked" your post, but as often happens, I'm unable to do so, dunno why. Sorry. :)

Can you point out where Pergola is located?

This is a floorplan from a couple of years ago, just prior to the renovations:
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e0a8463b7a.jpg
This is a floorplan from 1976, before the spaces were redesigned. Confusingly, it used to be called the 18th floor, not the 19th
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...367cbf3b2c.jpg
The Rose Garden Ballroom originally went all the way to the back of the building. The two domed halls were the South Cameo Room and the North Cameo Room. They were each connected by glass-walled skybridges to the Rose Garden Ballroom, so you could book all three as one connected event space.

After the 1988 renovations, the South Cameo Room became the Ethel Barrymore Tea Room. The hotel elevators from the small Chancellor Court entrance let you out there, and the main lobby was immediately on the right of it, where the Business Center is on the modern floorplan. The North Cameo Room was turned into a restaurant called Founders. The Rose Garden Ballroom had the rear 1/3 severed off and walls were put up, creating a hallway from the Ethel Barrymore Tea Room to Founders. The segment of the Rose Garden Ballroom that was orphaned on the west side of the hallway became the Philadelphia Library Lounge, a bar.

In 2007, the Tea Room, Founders and the Library Lounge were all renovated into one establishment, called XIX, with a cafe in the tea room, a bar where the Library Lounge was, and the restaurant where Founders was.

The 2024 renovations have turned the spaces all back into ballrooms. Founders/XIX Restaurant is now the Pearl Room, while the Ethel Barrymore Tea Room/XIX Cafe is again the Cameo Room:

https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/pe...special-events

I'm not clear what they have done with the orphaned section of the Rose Garden Ballroom at the back.

Stayed this past weekend - report with photos to come. But to answer this question - the Pergola restaurant space is surprisingly small. In your top map, it is just the hallway to the far right, on your bottom historic map its the hallway at the very bottom, parallel to Broad St between the two bathrooms.

Two photos for context, one looking north standing about where the men's room is in the map. The other standing outside the elevators where the host stand is. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5374fe4a2.jpeg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...970aa140f.jpeg

Thanks! Sorry I can't "like" your posts. The site won't let me for some reason. :(

Yep, that used to be just a bare hallway, it's under the mansard roof of the 1904 wing at the front of the building.

Burned an expiring Cat 4 at this property over the weekend. Weekend rack rates are consistently $600+ so they're definitely trying to slot in luxury wise above the Centric a few blocks over (and a good redemption value points wise) - they succeed in some ways and fall well short in others.

The renovation was definitely needed and felt about 75% of the way there during our stay (perhaps they're not done as scaffolding is still up). Things are much brighter/well lit, its more inviting, fixture are modernized, FoH service levels are good but there appear to be a handful of incomplete tasks, overlooked items and some corners being cut in the renovation.

I'm honestly not sure what "style" they're aiming for. Lots of "modern" greys in the room/hallway, the public spaces (lobby & ballrooms) are still guilded age metal, wood and beige tile, the restaurant is green/nature/light themed. The in room decor leaned into art & books, while the public spaces had framed nature paintings and classic automobile posters.

Early check-in was honored, and Globalist upgraded to junior suite. Was proactively welcomed back having stayed pre-renovation, but talking to staff most FoH are new to the property (but a lot of BoH are apparently returning). There are two check-in desks, the main desk is in the primary lobby off of Broad St. They kept the old lobby off of Chancellor, the side street used to access the Sporting Club and parking garage and it seemed fully staffed as well. No mention of a destination fee ($32) or the welcome cocktail that's supposed to be included in that fee. (then again the fee wasn't expected on a free night)

The elevators are still small (and had expired inspections certificates), so you may want to take advantage of bell services for larger bags. The hallway floors have new carpeting and a coat of paint (the coat of paint seems to have literally been thrown over everything as there are remnants like the room number plaques just covered in grey so they blend in)

In the junior suite it appears they built some walls to create a "separate" seating area/nook with a couch. There are bookshelves with a bunch of random books choosen I suspect for their aesthetic more than their content. Two lamps fill out the area. Its a cozy spot, but not well thought out as it is dark and the lamps shaded to throw light down so not conducive to reading while sitting. Plus with where the TV is positioned you can't really watch it from this seating area.

In addition to the seating area/nook the new walls create a mini foyer by the entrance with the walk-in closet. There were two robes but no slippers in the closet. The laundry bag is a cheap disposable plastic type but was custom printed with a design replicating the wall decoration from the Pergola restaurant. There was another mini foyer over by the connecting door. Combined these new walls and areas does make the room a bit narrower than pre-renovation but the room is still plenty big.

The main bedroom area unfortunately adopted the current hotel trend of hard flooring rather than carpet. There is however carpet around the poster bed, so a few steps of warm reprieve before the shock of a cold floor when getting up in the morning. A nice touch is they boxed in the area under the poster bed so nothing can slide/get lost under it. Next to the bed are heavy tables with built in USB A& C and 120v outlets. On one side there was a Marshall branded bluetooth speaker which took up one of the USB outlets. Beyond the bedside table was a standing lamp. Of note, this layout makes it impossible to turn off the standing lamp while in bed - there are no additional bedside reading lights. Nor are there any bedside room light controls so if you forget a light its a walk (on the cold hard floor) to the entrance switches. Interestingly there's no clock (I get it most folks just use their phone) and the landline phone is also not bedside but instead on the opposite side of the room under the TV - so those with a wake-up call will definitely have to get out of bed. Bed was normal Hyatt, with two feather and two foam pillows. In the middle of the room was a heavy table with two seats. The table looks like it was designed to have recessed power outlets as there was a hole cut in it. But without a cover/outlet it was just an annoying hole that things would sometimes fall through. The table is big enough to have two people with laptops working from it but there's no power in the middle of the room. Opposite the bed is the wall mounted TV and a marble topped dresser. One side of the dresser holds the cold box (not a proper fridge, no freezer) - it appears these are recycled from pre-renovation. Inside there were two large bottles of Path branded water - I assume comp for elite (but no note of any charges for non-elites). A few art books were on top the dresser alongside the phone and remote. The TV supports the now brand-standard Chromecast. Off to the side was another smaller table with a Nespresso machine, ice bucket, wine glasses, regular glasses and another lamp. This table does have plugs on it, but unfortunately isnt' big enough to work from with a laptop. Also although there was sugar and cream, there were no Nespreso capsules available. There are nice manual blackout drapes that do help with some of the exterior noise but interior hallway noise can be a problem still. Parts of the room still showed their age even post-renovation, the windows are still drafty and dirty, some of the crown molding is chipped, anything carried over from like the door hardware/windows seemed to not have been cleaned/touched up. As @bpc3qh mentions the HVAC controls seem to be locked to not go below 68 (its a telkonet system so it might actually be centrally controlled). There was no trash can in the room, the only trash can was a cheap flip-top can in the bathroom

The bathroom layout has changed, gone are the tubs. The narrow shower stall is where the sink was, and the sink now takes up the width of where the tub used to be. There is plenty of lightning, but the bathroom also has some quirks. The toilet paper is mounted "opposite" from the toilet, so unless you're really tall you can't reach it from the toilet. The tissue box cover is also quartz/marble and surprisingly heavy. Bath products are Beekman branded (website says they're supposed to be from Who Is Elijah) but was happy to see they were still individual bottles and not wall mounted. I seemed to have a different experience than @soy above as water pressure was an issue the entire stay (including a toilet that clogged twice).

Globalist breakfast was offered in Pergola on the 19th floor - as commented before its rather light for something that retails for $42. The restaurant space is really small, and the tables are all placed very close together. I counted about 4 two-tops, 6 four-tops, and an 8 seater - so if there's really ~50 seats I can see it getting backed up. To @soy's comment above it does look like they added self-service condiments and a few more pastries (crossants). There were lots of unusual quirky things - with only one cereal (granola) offering you had to ask for milk from the server. The presentation of the bagel had them speared on a dowel - but that meant some of the bagels now had two holes in them. There were two large cream cheese containers but it wasn't clear if they were communal like the butter bowl or without a serving utensil if they were supposed to be taken back to the table. Menu lists the juice as fresh squeezed but its definitely from a carton. There is 24 hour in-room dining, and breakfast there adds salmon and oatmeal but is not available to Globalists https://www.thebellevuehotel.com/dine/in-room-dining/). Overall this is a downgrade from the previous breakfast.

Just as before the renovation - access to The Sporting Club is one of the best benefits of staying at the property. The bridge between the building remains closed so access requires exiting the building out the side entrance (Chancellor St) into the parking garage, and up the elevator. Two notes 1) children are only allowed in The Sporting Club 12pm-5pm on Sat/Sun as well as 2pm-5pm on Tue/Thur 2) The Sporting Club serves as the business center for the Bellevue there are private club rooms that can be reserved.

Some random thoughts:

• There were 2 weddings this past weekend and I suspect special events is going to be target audience here - especially with that $600+ rack rate. The majority of folks we ran into in the hallway seemed to be associated with the wedding parties. But overall the hotel seemed very empty.
• Valet is $72, drop-off/pickup is on Broad St, its no longer in the driveway off Chancellor St. Self-parking can not be charged to the room, but can be paid at the parking garage next door directly
• Returning from dinner, there was a hand-written note, a bowl of fruit and two bottles of Saratoga water. Just thought it was interesting as 1) the waters were "cheaper" than those in the fridge, 2) wasn't sure if it was a Globalist amenity, a returning guest amenity (it wasn't a service recovery as other than check-in haven't spoken to anyone else at the property) 3) they left wine glasses, plates and silverware even though it was all hand fruit (banana, orange, grapes, and an apple)
• There is still a smattering of old branding (including XIX) still scattered throughout the property signage.
• They do have a "cute" do not disturb item - they're curtain tassels that look like they'd fit from when the hotel was originally built. Its a theme they reuse behind the check-in desk.
• There were two Bellevue branded bicycles parked in the side lobby. Staff was unsure if they were available to be borrowed or were just for show/decoration.
• The property has their own website that has more information and photos than Hyatt.com. Weirdly they haven't SEO'd the dedicated property site as Google/Duck Duck Go/Bing seem to favor Hyatt.com and other sites. Of note Hyatt.com doesn't mention the destination fee ($32) and its only buried in the FAQs of the dedicated site. Similarly there are no menus linked on Hyatt.com only on thebellevuehotel.com
• I know its only been 2 weeks since official re-opening, so its possible I was the first one in our room, there was lots of protective plastic and brand stickers still on a lot of items. Guests shouldn't have to "unpack/set-up" the sink, trash can, TV, furniture etc to use them.
• Couldn't do online check-in or check-out, and the mobile key never registered in my app. I suspect there's still some IT gremlins being worked out.

TLDR - property feels like its still in a soft open state. It misses the mark as a true luxury property, both in the hard product and in amenities but its a lot closer now to proper luxury than pre-renovation and certainly higher tier than the Centric. Its not worth the current cash rates, but its a better redemption than the Centric especially if you're Globalist. The size of the room and Sporting Club access would make me choose The Bellevue for a leisure stay. However if staying for business, the Centric would be my choice as the in-room workspace is better and a smidge quieter.




https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6f7589e347.jpg
Hallway "artwork"
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f1bc24f50.jpeg
Common area hallway
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a865fbf4c.jpeg
Junior Suite, note seating area, and table with hole in it
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...717c7c709.jpeg
Reverse view of Junior Suite
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...518f553a67.jpg
TV and dresser across the room from bed.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...39063c7c3b.jpg
Coffee machine missing Nespresso capsules
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...278f818ec.jpeg
Toilet & Sink, note toilet paper palcement and "worn" toilet seat.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...65bdf1e38.jpeg
Wasted space "foyer" to connecting room
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...76344c509.jpeg
Bathroom, note chipped paint and cheap trash can with stickers still on it.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...88e118a30.jpeg
Shower
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1f7261811a.jpg
Painting over the old room numbers
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...34f3f0198.jpeg
Expired elevator inspection certificate
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bd5862a550.jpg
Pergola entrance on 19th floor.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...cb5f76209c.jpg
Pergola seating
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a24e03dc6.jpeg
Hot food buffet
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0357e582e5.jpg
Breads buffet
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e0beade8b.jpeg
Continental breakfast buffet

That toilet seat is just hideous, and I find it hilarious that they managed to stick all of the hot food options in one chafing dish - wouldn’t want to get out another! Think of the money they are saving!