When I was planning my trip to Philadelphia, I was looking for a hotel that was central, walkable, close to some of my favorite spots. And The Sonesta checked all those boxes, plus some.
The Location.
To me, one of the most important things about a hotel is its location. And that’s what originally drew me to The Sonesta. When I visit big cities, I love staying in the bustle of it all—IN the skyline.
The Sonesta is located in the heart of Philadelphia, Center City. Everywhere that was on our itinerary was located within a mile or so — very walkable for those who don’t mind a little walking.
Here are just a few of the stops we walked to…
• Rittenhouse Square
• Reading Terminal Market
• City Hall
• One Liberty Observation Deck
• Love Park
The Local Influences.
As soon as you walk into the lobby, it’s clear the focus is artwork. The hotel is curated by Philadelphia’s Center for Emerging Visual Artists, with a rotating collection of pieces from some of the city’s most talented artists. Local touches are some of my favorite things about a hotel, and The Sonesta was dripping with those touches.
The Room.
Our room was sleek and stylish. Modern neutral colors and frosted metallics with pops of red throughout, and the Philadelphia skyline displayed prominently above the headboard. While our room didn’t have the full skyline view, we could still see a twinkle of city lights, which was enough for me.
Our room was two actually two spaces, separated by a door. A bedroom one one side, a living space on the other, and double of everything else. Two bathrooms, two fridges, two safes, two TVs.
The Ameneties.
While location and local touches are great, I know people want to hear about what they can expect. The amenities include pretty much everything you expect, such as:
• Complimentary wireless high-speed internet access – I will say, it was some of the speedier Hotel WiFi I’ve ever used.
• Cable/Satellite television – Tons of channels. We ended uip watching Tim Allen’s Santa Clause Saturday night.
• Desk and chair – Catering to workaholics like myself.
• Keurig coffee maker – With actual decent coffee!
• Refrigerators – We actually had two, and they were QUITE big for hotel fridges.
• Bag-Check – We checked out Sunday morning, but our flight wasn’t until later that night, and they were more than happy to hold onto our luggage for us while we explored the city a little more!
One amenity I WISH we could have checked out is the rooftop pool. That’s the downside of traveling in November I guess. It sure does make me want to come back in the summer though.
Final Thoughts.
I would suggest The Sonesta to anyone traveling to Philadelphia. You couldn’t ask for a more accessible location, and the rooms were clean and contemporary. I can definitively say, our trip to Philadelphia was made better by our stay at The Sonesta.
Wow! Sounds like an amazing place to stay! Such a shame you could not check out the rooftop pool but good to know they have excellent WIFI and good coffee! I have never made it to Philadelphia, but will be checking this place out when I do visit!
Definitely worth it! And I for sure plan on coming back to check out the rooftop pool lol!
We are in the early stages of planning at trip to Philly so this recommendation is great – thanks!
I cannot recommend it enough!
I completely agree. Location is important to me especially when travelling in a large city. The last thing you want is to have to fight traffic the whole time. The sonesta looks perfect. I’d want to use the pool as well.
Most definitely! And we were never stuck in traffic because there was only ONE thing on our list we needed to drive to. With everything else, we walked. Amazing!
This looks like a fabulous hotel stay. That pool looks incredible and I always love having a Keurig in my room 🙂
If you’ve found a hotel room with actual decent coffee you’ve found the holy grail! I love being within walking distance to all the attractions too, and anywhere with local influences always feels way more exciting than a bog standard chain. Looks like you had a good time!
The whole hotel was really the holy grail! lol
I also like to stay in the thick of things when I travel, especially to larger cities. There is nothing worse than spending your time fighting traffic. The idea that the Sonesta displays the work of local artists is awesome. We have to support our own talent!
I love Philadelphia and truly appreciate all the details in this recommended hotel. I will most definitely check it out the next time I’m in Philly! Thanks for all the hard work and research that went into this post.
Thank you! I honestly cannot think of a better place to stay in Philly.
I really like the modern and sleek look of the room. And most of the basic facilities that you require for a comfortable stay are there. Plus, high speed internet seems to be a plus for people who are at work while they stay here. A good find!
Absolutely! Definitely was not a copy and paste hotel like so many others!
Amazing! I know nothing about traveling all over the country, what a wonderful looking place to explore.
One of my favorites!