My spouse and I stayed at the Hampton Inn Philadelphia Center City-Convention
Center on a Monday evening in late December 2018 (New Year’s Eve). We booked
our stay online using the Hilton HHonors website. We checked in online the day
prior to our stay and selected Room 1118, and that was the room that we
received upon arrival, along with Diamond member benefits of two bottles of
water and a packaged snack of our choice (we chose Tastykake Krimpets for the
local factor).
This Hampton Inn
is located across the street from the Pennsylvania Convention Center; however, the
hotel is located on the back side, so depending on the size of the event that
you are attending, you may still need to walk around the wide block to access
the correct entry doors. (We attended the New Year’s Day Mummers Fancy Brigades
show, and we had to enter the Convention Center around the block from the hotel.)
The hotel is within walking distance of attractions, shopping, bars,
restaurants (particularly Chinatown), and the Reading Terminal Market. Both
valet ($39) and self-parking ($30) are available; the surface parking lot is
located across the street and down the block. A food market/sundry shop is
located on the corner opposite the hotel; however, it does not sell alcoholic
beverages (which we were looking for to extend our NY’s celebration).
The Hampton Inn
offers 250 rooms and suites, most recently renovated in April 2018, and it was
evident in our guestroom’s modernity. The hotel offers an on-site
bar/restaurant/lounge (called Pub 1301) where complimentary breakfast is served
each morning. Although we didn’t try the breakfast (instead, we walked two
blocks to Chinatown for some dim sum), we did enjoy drinks there the evening
before. (Our nearby New Year’s dinner was over before midnight, but after the
normal closing hours of the Pub, so we were appreciative that it remained open
past midnight on that special night so that guests could celebrate there.)
Private event/meeting space, a fitness center, and a small pantry shop are also
available. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, and there is a complimentary
coffee station and cold water station in the lobby. The only difficulty we
encountered was trying to use the public restrooms on the lobby level; our room
keycards wouldn’t permit us entrance, nor would the first two bathroom keycards
that we were given by the front desk agents.
We booked a
1-bedroom suite that faced the rear of the convention center and allowed us a
view of the William Penn statue atop City Hall and other notable downtown
buildings. As we entered the suite, the bathroom on the immediate left was
large, with an oversized modern shower (no bathtub), toilet, and long vanity
with single sink. Plenty of storage space and toiletries (Neutrogena shampoo,
conditioner, lotion) were provided. A small hanging closet was next to the
bathroom in the short hallway that led to the living room area. The high
ceilings in our suite made the rooms feel spacious than they probably were. The
living area offered a sofa, comfortable chair, and coffee table (which had two
pull out stools stored beneath it for additional seating), as well as two
pieces of furniture (one that held the TV, and the other that held the
microwave, mini-refrigerator, and coffee maker). In the bedroom (which could be
closed off with a door) was a king-size bed abutted by two nightstands, a piece
of furniture that held the TV, and a small closet. Each room had its own
heating/air-conditioning units. Initially, it seemed strange to have to leave
the bedroom area to use the bathroom, but we quickly adjusted.
We enjoyed our stay at the Hampton Inn Philadelphia Center City-Convention Center so much that
we already re-booked the same room category for next New Year’s Eve 2019
(Philly is our tradition because NYC is too crazy).
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