Philadelphia Marriott Downtown

The location is probably the only reason I’d consider coming back. The pool is gone, though Google and the photos still show an indoor heated pool. Nobody told us. We put on our bathing suits, went to the 7th floor where it used to be, and called when we couldn’t find it. That’s when we were told it had closed in September. I even heard another group discussing the pool in the elevator and stopped them from going to look. The room was decent but nothing special. The place feels old, and carpets are coming up in several spots in the hallways. Most floors above the first need updating. At the desk, the first woman we spoke to seemed annoyed and was rude when we asked about early check-in. Later, around 1 p.m., we called to see if a room might be ready after being told to call after noon. The woman spoke rudely to my wife and sounded angry that we’d asked. The man who finally checked us in around 2 or 2:30 said our room was ready right away and was kind and professional. Unfortunately, the others weren’t.

Reading Terminal Market is right across the street, and the hotel is in a prime spot. You can also reach the convention center without going outside, and there’s a fashion mall downstairs with a Dunkin' Donuts. It’s one of the largest hotels in P.A., with over 1,400 rooms. If you have status, there’s free buffet breakfast in the first-floor restaurant and complimentary food and drinks on the 23rd floor from 5:30 to 10:30. The bar has a $6 all-you-can-drink option. There’s a huge gym, great room views, and a store by the restaurant that sells almost anything. The elevators are shady, but that’s life.

The lobby was nice, and the location beside the terminal market was good. Our room was fine too. We were told when we arrived that there was no longer a pool, and the early check-in request seemed like a huge inconvenience. Most of the staff were pretty rude, except for the man who let us check in early.

I’ve stayed here many times for the convention center and it’s usually fine. This time, the valet, bellhops, cleaning staff, and front desk people were all very nice when we arrived. We’d asked for rooms close together because I’m ill and need caretakers. They hadn’t arranged that, but after a while they kindly found rooms in the same area, in the tower nearest the convention center. One of the two elevators was out. Our room had a porthole for a window, which wasn’t great but wasn’t a big deal. The unbearable part was the smell, like dead rodents covered up with spray. I called down, and they said the hotel was full and there was nothing they could do. I wasn’t sure I’d made clear how bad it was, since I don’t usually bring things like this up, but they were shockingly rude and dismissive. I couldn’t stay in the room and they wouldn’t or couldn’t help. It was especially baffling after how kind everyone else had seemed. Update: a very kind front desk person found us another room.