hotelfanatic

I think this must be the reason. I will probably stay at the 4 points where rates are reasonable. Can anyone offer set codes that might offer better rates

HOTguy

four points location very solid, right next to the convention center and reading terminal market. HOT was going to do a new build W right there as well, but the deal died.

honr

hi!
I am planning an one night stay at this City Center property this coming Sunday , just to tour the city historical sites and museums. Got a good deal for $89 + tax so did not go for the points which was 7K ,excessive I think .

I was told that the overnight parking is around $35. Can anyone suggest any nearby private parking who are open on Sundays.


Thanks and Regards
honr

sfozrhfco

1540 Spring Street 1 1/2 blocks from the Sheraton is $5 flat rate on weekends and is open 24 hours.

NBSPGMEMBER

There's a PPA parkade across the Sheraton for 5$ after 5pm leaving before 9am weekdays and 5$ all day and all night on weekends. Great deal!

Boooma

The hotel room was not clean. Very dirty! I changed the Room and the second Room--- dirty!!!

choptliva

Some people really like this property. I'm not a fan. I find the service personnel to be surly, and the rooms to be rather run-down. And I don't really care for the location either. I think at present, with prices quite depressed, the Westin may not be much more expensive, and it's MUCH nicer.

KENNECTED

I've been to the property but have never stayed, the reviews for this property run hot and cold.

The sheraton is four (4.5 at most) blocks from the Westin. I'm interested in why You don't like the location, when to me, they are practically in the same location.

choptliva

Yeah, I realize how silly this sounds, the two being so close by. But I somehow always have this very creepy feeling when I walk from the S to where Market, Walnut etc are. Can't explain it. I know, doesn't make much sense, but that's just my feeling.

honr

Thanks, Worked out great.. cant beat $5 parking, Just had to make sure I checkout on time.

Quick Update:
Found the lobby to nice and spacious. Pleasant reception, gave a gift bag (only for spg members) which was nice. Had a waterbottle, food bar, and coupon for bonus 250 spg points for using any services/food in hotel. Liked that as we got 2 coupons for me and my wife as well.

Stayed on 21st floor, lobby there was a little dirty..
Good = nice, clean, great view of the museum, fountain, and city lights , it was gorgeous.
Bad = small room, no fridge, AC made a lot of noise.


Later, i see 2 postinigs in my acct 1000 points each. says "SVC promise pts". Dont know what it means.. I must have signed up some promotion somewhere.

Had a good time in Philly . Will go back again..

DCAview

Choptliva is right -- the hotels are geographically close, but feel quite far apart.

The area immediately around the Sheraton can be desolate on weekend thanks to the fact that the property is bound by the Vine Street Expressway to the north, parking lots to the east and west, and a school to the south. There's just not a lot of foot traffic around the Sheraton. Hopefully that will change as the northern part of Center City continues to fill in; perhaps the (ill-conceived but underway) Pennsylvania Convention Center expansion will help move that process along.

By comparison, the Westin is smack in the middle of Center City in Liberty Place and surrounded by shops and apartments. There's much more activity in the immediate area both during the week and weekends.

As for the Sheraton itself, I've stayed there a number of times before moving to Philadelphia (both when it was a Wyndham and a Sheraton) and put relatives coming to visit there. It's a perfectly adequate hotel. It's by no means my first choice of city hotels (Starwood or otherwise), but when the rate is low, it's perfectly acceptable. The views can be terrific, the rooms are generally spacious with some clunkers out there. I find the staff typically Philadelphian (yeah, that's probably not a complement). My worst experience there has been with the elevators -- when there's a large group coming and going at the same time, such as for events in the ballroom, they can be painfully slow and packed.

HLS2002

I stayed at this hotel one night on a $56 Priceline bid. At that price -- and after perusing the on-line reviews -- I didn't expect much, but I just needed a cheap place to sleep. It turned out to be adequate, even if the physical plant is solidly on the dumpy end of the spectrum.

I presented my SPG Gold card at check-in, and to my surprise, I received an executive floor upgrade and a white paper gift bag with a NutriGrain bar and a 500 ml water bottle. I received coupons for evening appetizers and morning breakfast, presumably because the club lounge was closed on the weekend. Access to the top floors isn't restricted and I'm not sure where the lounge is. I wish I got SPG recognition like this on real paid stays at nice hotels where it counts! I didn't use any of the coupons, pretty confident that I could find better food outside the Sheraton.

I don't know that the rooms are any different on the higher floors than those on the non-executive/SPG floors. I had a great view of the Franklin Institute, 30th Street Station, the art museum, etc. The TV was not flat and there was no mini-bar. There was the standard Sheraton proprietary bed. The "Shine by Bliss" bath products were an upgrade from the generic Sheraton products I saw on my last Sheraton stay. It was also nice that they used the bowed shower curtain rod. The carpet had lots of stains, but I still found the room to be reasonably clean.

As others have reported, the elevators are harrowing and the worst thing about the hotel. The doors would spring back oddly and the ride was kind of shaky. During my stay, the hotel seemed fairly empty and there was, at least, no wait issue.

I went for a run in the gym. I was alone there: there were neither other guests nor any hotel staff attendants present. The machines seemed fine to me, and at least there was a water cooler. The overall condition and ambiance of the fitness facilities were on par with a public pool or an old YMCA.

As for location, this hotel is practically next door to the Four Seasons and the Embassy Suites. Walking around late at night might not be a great idea if you're not packing, but such is Philadelphia.

For a short stay that doesn't require any luxury accoutrements, I would be happy to brave the elevators and return for $56. By comparison, I had been looking at the Doubletree and Hilton Garden Inn at $118 (AAA rate), and nice hotels like the Park Hyatt were more like $200.

hotelfanatic

Was there last night on the $99 Wkend rate and got a room on the club floor where the lounge was. The room smelled like it had been smoked in last week and a slight smoke odor was still in the room. Did not like the A/C unit in the room as it blows right onto the bed (and a bit nosiy). I had to turn it off. It is similar to the ones you find at Hyatt place. I did not care too much for this hotel now that I had a chance to stay in it. I would like to try the 4 points when/if they come up with a $99 rate.

One good thing was the breakfast - it was adaqute and had hot oatmeal ^
The patries were also very good.

wjudge

I stayed at this hotel recently. I arrived late, and it took a while to get an agent to recognize that I was standing there to check in. No upgrade given, but wasn't expecting one. I was offered informed about the lounge, but I knew I wouldn't use it. I was then given a white paper gift bag with a NutriGrain bar and a bottled water, and coupon for bonus 250 SPG points for dining at the hotel.

I was given a double/double room on the 10th floor(there are 26). The first thing I noticed was that the carpet was disgusting, and there was an old grape next to the closet. The bathroom door looked like someone had spilled a soft drink on it, and it hadn't been wiped down. One thing that did surprise me was the lack of the standard binder with hotel information. Nothing, nada. Good thing I didn't want room service I guess. I normally like to flip through these to see if there is anything interesting, but I couldn't find it for the life of me. So, I got into my PJ's and crawled in bed due to the late hour. The AC unit made lots of noise and was more effective in cooling the curtains than the room. I lodged the Philadelphia tourist book into a seam in the unit to hold the curtain in place so that the room would cool down.

The next morning, I stripped down to my birthday suit and was getting ready to take a shower. At that point, I noticed that I had only been given 3 towels. No hand towels, no washcloths, the towel bar that should have held those was empty. I called down to request a washcloth and handtowel. After 15 minutes, nothing had arrived, and I needed to get going, so I used the 3rd towel as my washcloth. This is a huge oversight by housekeeping in my opinion.

Self parking was $38 for 24 hours with in/out privileges.

thepointsguy

Had a good Saturday night stay here recently. The rate was $89, which was significantly cheaper than all of the other SPG hotels in Philly, so I decided to try it out.

Arrived at 2:30pm and was immediately recognized as a Platinum and was told I had been upgraded to a Club Floor King. Realizing the the lounge was closed on the weekend, I asked about a suite upgrade. She looked in the computer and told me if I waited a bit, there would be one available. No problem since I had to sneak in a quick visit to Pat's to get a cheesesteak

Came back and was helped by a different agent who once again recognized the Plat status immediately and told me I had a corner suite. As other posters mentioned, I got 2 bags with bottled water, Nutrigrain bar and free appetizers/ free breakfast coupons and 250 starpoint vouchers.

The suite was on the 24th floor and was facing center city, so the views were pretty fantastic.
Living room with queen pullout leather sofa




Bedroom was typical Sheraton


Pretty spacious room- the only gripe would be the TVs- they were chunky and old and the connection was terrible (kept going out during a rainstorm). The room also had some temperature issues where there wasn't air in the living room, but it wasn't that big of a deal.

Didn't get a chance to use the free appetizer coupons, but did use the breakfast coupons in the lobby. They are for the full breakfast buffet (with omelet station), juice and coffee- which is $15 a person. I would take this over a club lounge any day.

Overall, its in a convenient location in Philly- right near Suburban Station and cheap enough cab to get anywhere in Center City.