My son and DIL gave us a night at this hotel as part of our Christmas present. It is certainly one of the best hotels we have stayed in. EVERY employee is remarkably pleasant and helpful. Everything is spotless. The decor is beautiful and the bed luxurious. Location is great for almost anything in downtown Philly. Could not ask for more in this city.

FS is one of the nicer hotels in the city, but Philadelphia is not really a city for hotel lovers. Room decor and lobby decor is in need of a major upgrade. Room service was very nice. Brunch at the Fountain Restaurant was excellent.

The Four Seasons is a good hotel with most amenities you would expect. I was taken aback a bit when I found out that $49 was the daily charge for my car. I was more disappointed by the service in the Fountain restaurant both at breakfast and at dinner; it took more than an hour for us to see the first piece of food when we sat down for dinner and service at breakfast was not much faster. When I sat down for breakfast and ordered my breakfast items as soon as the waitress showed up, she responded by ignoring what I said, pouring coffee (which I did not want right away) and saying that she would be back for the breakfast order; eventually, I had to ask for a new fresh cup of hot coffee as my coffee was quite cold by the time the food turned up. When I asked the dinner waiter about something on the menu, his response was: "I've already answered that question on the other side of the table earlier; perhaps I did not speak loud enough", in a very sarcastic tone. Twice I attempted to ask the concierge a question, but there was noone there. Sorry, but that is not what I expect from a five star hotel.

After a less-than-stellar stay experience at the brand new FS Toronto, I did not expect any earth-shattering experience in Philly. Boy, was I wrong.
Even though the hotel itself is older, everything is well-maintained and managed. Service is excellent. Room condition very good. Hardware all worked and in excellent condition. Restaurant superb. I cannot say enough about how good my stay experience was. It was exceptional.
We drove in and the driveway was full of cars. Still, it took only a minute for the doorman to come rescue us from the traffic jam. Very welcoming and efficient.
Checking in, I was the only one waiting, since all three front desk people were occupied with guests checking in. Within 20 seconds, a manager type asked if I was being helped, and I said I was waiting. He immediately processed my check in by asking to use a different counter. Very smooth and efficient. They had my reservation all set up, and my rooms were ready to go. No issues at all.
The rooms are not huge, but plenty big enough. Not quite as large or luxurious as Rittenhouse, but I am very happy with it. I guess it was about 400 sq. ft. Bed was very comfy. DVD player in room. Free wifi. No coffeemaker, but I had called down and one was delivered. No problem. Safe was oldfashioned key type. Haven't seen one of those in a long time. Not big enough for a laptop though. Furniture was old fashioned, but in excellent condition. Everything was excellent. Room noise minimal, and even though we were on 2nd floor, exterior noise minimal too. And we faced the fountain.
Had dinner at Fountain Restaurant. Excellent meal. Price was wonderful, Only $80 for a three course dinner. Great food. Excellent service. We had just had dinner at Jean Geroges in NYC at more than double the price. Fountain more than held its own. In fact, we all agreed that the Fountain dinner was better!
Breakfast at Fountain also wonderful.
Check out was a breeze, and once again the doormen were great. We did see a doorman helped a family and all their luggage get into a taxi. The guest didn't tip or even say thanks, but the doorman took it in stride. What a breath of fresh air.
I will definitely return!