Fairmount House at The Mann

The rooms are up two short flights of stairs, so keep that in mind for accessibility. They’re simply furnished, with modest amenities, comfortable beds, and clean linens. There are no TVs, but the Wi-Fi is free. There’s free parking on a quiet street, and it’s a short drive to Manayunk and Center City. It’s handy for concerts at the Mann, and a much better value than the chain hotels nearby that charge more and add fees.

I wouldn’t recommend booking here. After I booked, I got a generic message asking for my ETA, followed by notice of an extra $30 cleaning fee. That wasn’t disclosed before booking. I saw the message about an hour later and tried to cancel because of the principle of it. Since it was only an hour in, I don’t understand why they wouldn’t cancel, but they relied on the cancellation policy and refused a full refund. Then I was told there would be two cats at the property, another thing that hadn’t been disclosed before booking. I have animal hair allergies, so that’s serious for me. The owner said it was a busy time and they’d lose money if the booking went unsold. But if it was such a popular time, why would it go unsold? And I’d already tried to cancel after an hour, so why wait a few days to say they might not rebook it and would take a loss? The whole thing felt wrong, like I was being pressured into staying. That’s what I went through. If you still book, at least know about my experience.

I needed a safe, quiet place for a night near Philly while I was there for work and wanted to see the city. Finding somewhere with same-day notice was almost impossible, especially on a tight budget with events going on. My mom looked into options while I was out and found a cancellation at Yin's place. The street was peaceful and felt much safer than some areas I’d driven through. There are cats too, which was a bonus. Yin met me around 10pm, showed me around, and helped carry my heavy suitcase up to the second floor. My room was a little small, but just right for one person. It had a shared bathroom, bottled water, and a few snacks. I really appreciated having somewhere safe and quiet to stay, and Yin was amazing and sweet. Skittles and Yang wander around the shared parts of the house, though not the rooms. They’re great. Thank you, Yin!

We had booked a king room with a private bathroom, but it wasn't available, so Yin put us in a queen room and gave us a substantial refund for the smaller bed and shared bathroom. Sharing the restroom with other guests really wasn't a problem for us. The house was clean, and sound machines helped cut down noise from other guests. I don't think more than three other rooms were rented, but we didn't see anyone else. Yin was kind and communicated well. We got a Lyft from The Mann after our concert, about $10 for a five-minute ride, and downtown is close too. For the price and location, we'd definitely stay again.