Sheraton Society Hill, Philadelphia

.../> With 365 rooms, the Sheraton Society Hill is a medium to large chain hotel at the edge of Philadelphia city centre. It’s located (unsurprisingly) on Society Hill, a fairly traditional part of Philadelphia near to the Delaware River docks. The actual street the hotel is situated on is cobbled and quite nice, plus it is a convenient location to get to the main city centre, which is about 5 blocks/20 minutes walk away. Philadelphia is pretty diverse ...
...across the road from the Sheraton so you’re guaranteed one if you need to go somewhere.

~~GENERAL DECOR~~

The Sheraton isn’t really much to write home about from the outside – it’s your basic square red brick jobby with the entrance arranged around a small cobbled courtyard area. Nothing unpleasant, but then nothing very remarkable either.

Inside, it looks a bit more plush. You enter straight into a large, ... more

Ah, Philadelphia – I don’t think that any visit to the East Coast would be complete without a trip to the vibrant “City of Brotherly Love”. On my recent trip, I spent 2 days in Philly and chose this hotel mainly because of its convenient location and Sheraton’s status as a reputable chain.

~~LOCATION AND DETAILS~~

With 365 rooms, the Sheraton Society Hill is a medium to large chain hotel at the edge of Philadelphia city centre. It’s located (unsurprisingly) on Society Hill, a fairly traditional part of Philadelphia near to the Delaware River docks. The actual street the hotel is situated on is cobbled and quite nice, plus it is a convenient location to get to the main city centre, which is about 5 blocks/20 minutes walk away. Philadelphia is pretty diverse and there are plenty of opportunities to get some food in the area – these range from small restaurants to your average chain sandwich shop, so there should be something for everyone.

What I will mention is that the neighbouring streets are not what you’d call exactly pristine – great if you’re into up-and-coming, slightly grungy streets with little restaurants and suchlike; not so great if you want to walk down spotless streets and admire immaculate architecture! I don’t know if it would bother that many people, especially as you can just pass through the grungy bit and get into the city centre quickly – just something to think about.

We arrived in Philadelphia via 30th Street Station, which is about 2 miles away, so you definitely need to take a cab! Fortunately, cabs wait just across the road from the Sheraton so you’re guaranteed one if you need to go somewhere.

~~GENERAL DECOR~~

The Sheraton isn’t really much to write home about from the outside – it’s your basic square red brick jobby with the entrance arranged around a small cobbled courtyard area. Nothing unpleasant, but then nothing very remarkable either.

Inside, it looks a bit more plush. You enter straight into a large, light atrium with many seats arranged in groups of 4, a bar at one end and the check-in and concierge at the other. A corridor at one end led to the gift shop and some restaurants, while the rooms are arranged around the sides of the atrium on balconies. I’d call the decoration scheme traditional – lots of dark wood for the various desks and the chairs, and a bit of panelling around the walls. It could feel a bit dark and oppressive, but luckily the windows in the roof provide plenty of light and there are lots of plants around, which gives it a leafy look rather than “stuffy gentleman’s study” look!

The hotel in general was well-maintained and very clean and tidy, but the carpet and wallpaper on the guestroom floors did seem a bit dated – not disgustingly so, but it certainly didn’t feel as if it had been updated recently.

~~THE ROOM & BATHROOM~~

On entering our first room, I have to say that we weren’t impressed. It stank of smoke – even though we’d specified a non-smoking room – and looked out over a delightful building site. However, we complained and were moved to another without any fuss, so it wasn’t a real problem. The second room was clean, pleasant and definitely not as scruffy as the corridors, with a much better view than the last room! Decorated mostly in shades of blue, it also had dark wood touches such as the bed frames, TV cabinet, desk and bedside tables. I’d say it was about average sized, not acres and acres of space, but certainly enough room for 4 people to exist in there without it feeling claustrophobic. We chose 2 double beds, and they were good sized and comfortable.

I was delighted to note that the television had the usual millions of channels, as well as a free film channel…after an exhausting day exploring Philadelphia, I was more than grateful to flop on the bed and watch a trashy film for an hour – so top marks for the entertainment! I don’t have a laptop, but I did notice that there’s no WiFi in the room – although you can go down to the lobby to use it there, or access the internet through the TV (a very odd concept and one that I unfortunately didn’t try, as my brother forgot to mention it until we were leaving…damn him!) There’s also the usual suspect of room service if you’re feeling naughty and really, really want a piece of pie late at night.

The bathroom, like the bedroom, had a pleasant feel. It was on the small side, so I did have a few moments scrambling around trying to get things when I got out of the shower, but it was mostly marble, beautifully clean and had good quality toiletries such as Pantene shampoos and Vaseline body lotion. There was also a decent amount of towels (always a must; an inordinate number of towels seem to get soaked and disappear when I use them!)

~~STAFF~~

Generally obliging and friendly. The check-in staff were efficient and as I’ve mentioned, we were moved from the smoky room quickly and without any fuss. I must also give a special mention to the bell boy on the door who hailed a taxi for us. When he saw that the taxis weren’t moving quickly enough, he yelled “C’MON!” in a strong Philadelphia accent and quite possibly the loudest voice I’ve ever heard – we agreed that that alone was worth his $1 tip!

~~DINING OPTIONS & BREAKFAST~~

We didn’t eat in the Sheraton at all during our stay, preferring instead to venture into the city. However, there are 3 cafés/restaurants, the Wooden Nickel sports bar, The Courtyard café (which serves breakfast) and Hadley’s Bistro.

~~OTHER FACILITIES AND SERVICES~~

The main attraction here is the indoor swimming pool and jacuzzi, complete with sun loungers on the terrace around them. I’m not really a swimmer, but it was reported to me that the pool is a good size and a nice temperature, although the jacuzzi is a bit too hot for comfort! You can use the pool for free as long as you’re staying in the hotel – you need the key card to access the pool area, so keep it handy. You’ve got the usual ice/vending machines on each floor, and on the ground floor is a small gift shop stocking a wide variety of sweets, postcards, personal items, all the Philadelphia merchandise you could possibly want, etc, etc.

~~PRICES~~

We booked through Thomas Cook, and our rate worked out as £128 for 2 nights, which is pretty reasonable. If you were to book via Sheraton’s own website, currently the rate is being advertised as $209 (£111.27) per night, which I think is a little bit steep for what you’re getting.

~~VERDICT~~

Pretty much a standard hotel – clean and efficiently run, with all the facilities you’d expect from a 4 star hotel. It was a little bland in places, but nothing dire, and certainly nothing I particularly minded, seeing as I spent most of the day out and didn’t hang around in the corridor when I got back! I was impressed with the distance into the city centre, but not so taken with the somewhat crumbling route you have to take to get there. I have a feeling that this area is the up-and-coming bit, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it all changes soon – but for now, just bear in mind that it’s a bit grubby. All that said, I enjoyed my stay at the Sheraton Society Hill and would consider staying again if I returned to Philadelphia.

~~USEFUL INFORMATION~~

Address:
1 Dock Street (2nd and Walnut Streets)
Philadelphia
Pennsylvania
USA 19106

Tel:
+1 (215) 238-6000

Fax:
+1 (215) 238-6652

Website:
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton 

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