Hampton Inn Philadelphia Center City-Convention Center

We had a great New Year's Day weekend at this Center City hotel. We were there over New Year's Day, when Philadelphia was festive for the historic Mummers Day Parade. Valet is the only parking option, so plan ahead when unloading your car, though drop-off and pickup were handled well. The rooms were comfortable and convenient, and the front desk service was friendly and accessible. We never had to wait there. Breakfast was hot and enjoyable. Since we stayed in winter, there was coffee, hot chocolate, tea, and homemade cookies, and the water station was always full. Both were especially appreciated after cold walks around the city.

The bed was comfortable and the included breakfast was good. That was about it for us. The hotel feels old and dirty, the halls smell like pot, and the service was poor. We asked the front desk for dinner recommendations and got no reply. Nobody acknowledged my Hilton rewards membership or any benefits. The suites are small compared with other Hampton Inn properties and are by the elevators, which isn't a great location. It didn't seem kid-friendly to us. We were unhappy with the area, which felt industrial and, in our view, like a bad part of the city. We booked after using ChatGPT, and that was a bad call. The view was of a neighboring building where forklifts were moving things. The hotel isn't near restaurants or public transportation. We paid for hotel parking, then had to drive to wherever we were going and pay to park there too. We were told by the Hampton Inn person during booking that parking was on site, but that's untrue. It's off site, down the block. The hotel and staff gave us no reason to return. There are better hotels elsewhere.

The hotel refunded our parking fee after we called to complain, but it still wasn't a good stay. We paid $47 a night for valet, yet brought our own bags in, and it took the valet about half an hour to help us. The area right outside felt a little sketchy to me, and I'm from NYC, so I know sketchy. Philadelphia does have a good Chinatown, though. We stayed two nights to see a show at The Met. The front desk staff seemed competent, cool, and collected, but our room was next to the A/C and incredibly noisy. We didn't ask to switch rooms since it was only two nights, and we knew why they put us there: we weren't exactly warm and fuzzy with the desk after how the trip began. The double room didn't have enough towels for two women, so I had to search around for an employee. They do offer coffee, tea, and hot chocolate throughout the day, at least. This was a bad choice, even though the property had a good rating. I don't believe those ratings are real. There are many hotels in a small area, and you can find a better one in the same price range. Book at your own risk.

I drove home without the rearview mirror inside my car, and as of today, the hotel still hasn't paid for the loss and damage or apologized. My wife and I will avoid Hampton Inn in the future. I've never had a hotel experience this horrible. This was irresponsible and disrespectful to a customer, and it damaged my view of the hotel brand as well as that location. We stayed one night on 12/29/25 for sightseeing the next day during Christmas. Parking in Philly is frustrating, so we paid for hotel parking. They quoted $47 but charged $53, and I had thought they had their own garage, but they don't. When I asked the valet for my car the next day, the driver's seat area was a mess, as shown in the photo. Seven to ten valuable items were gone, including the dash cam, charging cord, cigarette lighter, gloves, glasses, and even the kids' blanket. The rearview mirror had also been damaged. I was puzzled because the driver had brought my car over and said nothing, as if this were normal. He kept helping me load it as though nothing had happened. I went inside to ask the hotel for an explanation. The front desk employee took my name, license plate, and phone number. She said this happens and the hotel's investigation team would get video evidence, which would take a couple of days. My father-in-law said that was a lie, but I believed her and didn't call the police there. Nobody ever contacted me afterward, and the hotel manager didn't even know about it. I couldn't reach anyone by phone to ask about the incident. The valet driver also wouldn't let me park across the street when this happened.