Hilton Philadelphia at Penn's Landing

The central location and the view at the Hilton at Penn's Landing make it a worthwhile option for a Philly stay. I recommend paying for the city view, which makes it hard to leave the room. The view and peaceful atmosphere alone nearly earned six stars. The staff were friendly. There was ice water in the lobby to refill our bottles, a mini fridge in the room, and microwaves available on request. The rooms were very spacious. The room we got was older, though, with a crooked toilet seat, an old-style tub shower and faucet, and torn wallpaper. There's no room service, which can be a hassle when you need something simple like salt and have to walk down to the restaurant.

We stayed two nights and had a great experience, with great views. We had dinner at the hotel, and the New York steak was really good. Christina at the restaurant was super friendly and gave excellent service. I'd definitely recommend the hotel, and if you get the chance, have a good dinner there with friends.

We booked the hotel mainly for the pool, but were told after arriving that although it was open, we couldn't use it because they'd drained, cleaned, and refilled it the day before. We checked back every day, but it never got warm enough to use during our four-night stay. The restaurant wouldn't open without enough patrons. At the coffee shop, the staff member was so inattentive it was laughable. She propped her phone on the register and ignored us while we waited to pay. Once, we had to tap the register to get her to look up and start serving us. Housekeeping and the rooms were the biggest letdown. I found hair in the tub, “hair” on the toilet seat, and miscellaneous garbage under the sink and by the entrance. Even after the first day's service, the trash wasn't completely emptied. There was trash outside our room when we arrived, and we waited to see how long it'd stay there. It was never cleaned up during our four nights. One room booked with our party had a fridge that didn't work and clearly hadn't been serviced. The rooms need updating: rust in the shower, cracked tiles, a toilet that wouldn't flush, and connected vents between rooms that made things loud. Our group checked in quickly, but the staff we dealt with seemed annoyed we were there. They didn't ask my name, mention amenities, or thank me. My family with the wedding block rooms had a 45-minute check-in ordeal because the desk employee couldn't confirm daily prices and wasn't helpful. My family, who booked separately in the wedding block, also had its own negative experience. Overall, the hotel lacks hospitality and falls well short on housekeeping. This is not a four-star hotel. At $180-$210 a night, I expected the bare minimum. I usually don't review hotel stays, but this was a generally negative experience.

The view was great and the location was nice, with in-and-out privileges too. The gym was pretty good for a hotel, despite a missing weight selection pin and a missing adjustment knob on the Peloton seat. The heated pool wasn't heated, and I heard it was leaking into rooms below. Still, I'd rather choose a clean two-star hotel than this supposedly four-star place. There was no air circulation in my room: the windows didn't open, and the only ventilation was an opening in the bathroom. With two people in a two-queen room overnight, my Aranet regularly read 1400+ CO2. The toilet seat was only half attached and shifted around. The room was dusty, there was hair on the faucet, and the fan had a huge amount of dust in it. Don't look behind there; it probably hasn't been cleaned in years. The showerhead badly needed cleaning or replacing, and the slow drain left me standing in a puddle. Towels were scratchy, the TV was old and slow, and the room was moderately small. It seems like the place may have been up to date and nice ten years ago, but it needs a full overhaul.