We have stayed here a few times in the past and it's always been fine. But it's never really been more than fine. Nothing to really complain about, but nothing that makes me want to come back especially with all of the other hotels that are in the immediate area. Our room on the 15th floor (which happened to be a Starwood Preferred Guest Floor) was on the small side, especially the bathroom. Also the shower area was a little rusty and tired looking, plus some stains on the chair in the room.

Housekeeping was certainly pleasant, but dirty glasses that were in our room on Friday were placed on the floor outside of our room Saturday by housekeeping I guess when they cleaned the room, then were still there (half full of wine) Sunday late morning when we left. I think that is a little weird. Same kind of thing by the elevator... someone had left an old coffee cup on a table by the elevator on our floor on Saturday early morning and it was still sitting there when we left Sunday.

I know this has been mentioned before but I think the whole 2 elevator thing is a little annoying. And I also think that because you need to take an elevator to the lobby, the lobby ends up kind of "dead." It's just kind of dark and not an inviting place to hang out, and no one wanders in off the street to grab a drink or anything. I'm sure most people don't mind that, but sometimes if I am away for a weekend I like an atmosphere that seems a little more lively.

I do want to say that all of the staff we encountered were very nice so I definitely don't have any complaints at all there. But next time I am in Philly I am going to try something different.

The Philly Westin is in a great location within easy walking distance of Rittenhouse Square and the Reading Terminal Market. It's a lovely old building that has been beautifully remodeled to accommodate the modern world..

Its standout point is the wonderful staff. The doorman remembered our names, relayed messages from our parents who were also staying there ("your Mom said not to wait up") and fished forgotten items our of our vehicle that had been valet parked. All this during a busy Thanksigiving weekend with lots of chaos going on in the background.

It has a couple quirks. The bathroom has a double shower head that's intended to hit both upper and lower back at the same time. It feels great, but is hung so low that anyone shorter than 5'9" has to stoop to wash their hair. And the desk is entirely too large for the space, guaranteeing that someone will stub their toe in the middle of the night.

For a number of years in a row now, my better half and I have travelled to Philadelphia for Thanksgiving and have stayed in Center City on Wednesday and Thursday. This year's "Priceline Winner" was the Westin (originally a Ritz-Carlton and then a St. Regis). Throughout the public areas you felt like you were still in the Ritz (which was built in the '80's when they had a template of sorts), with the clubby dark wood and pretty but formal furnishings throughout (rather un-Westin-like). The rooms themselves were more like the sleeker, modern-er stylings of a Westin property.

The hotel is in a great location only two turns off the 676 expressway (in Philly that's a bonus). Philly is an eminently walkable city, but if you don't want to do that (distance, unfamiliarity), cabs are plentiful. Rittenhouse Square is nearby, and with that so are some of the higher-end restaurants. I highly recommend Steven Starr's Parc from another recent trip.

The king room was pretty large (we were on the Starwood Preferred Member floor, but I don't know if that was why). The accents and the amenities were to be expected in a Westin---plush bathrobe, extensive toiletries and minibar selections, gorgeous TV, safe, etc. But oddly, they offered only one complimentary regular coffee for two people (you could buy the second one if you wanted), and there were no coffee stirrrers the first morning. Also, no morning newspaper greeted us either day.

We did have breakfast in the Winthrop & Valentine Restaurant (even that sounds stuffy, but it's a fabulous take on the names of the two lead characters in a popular Philadelphia-based movie...Google it!). The selections were fine---eggy things, pancakes, oatmeal, etc.), but my hash browns literally tasted like nothing. Not one potato molecule was evident. I was dumbfounded as to how this was possible. My egg/turkey/chpiotle salsa wrap was otherwise good. Two breakfasts with tax & tip were over $50. Yeah. Had drinks in the same restaurant bar Thursday night. Pretty busy with a lively crowd (escaped from family!). Our bartender lady was very friendly and chatted with everyone. And the Manhattans were well made.

The staff that we did encounter was pleasant and helpful, as needed. Cheery, as opposed to prim and proper. I like cheery.

I am a Starwood member and love Westin hotels (Heavenly Beds!). This one was very nice (as they all should be), but as I mentioned, there were a few really basic things that were off. But for our purposes---a crashpad, for the most part---it got our long weekend off to a great start.

We had a speedy check-in, and got some apple cider near the reception desk, which was nice! We both like the heavenly bed, and the room was nice and clean. They only had enough coffee for 1 person though, but oh well. We were having a pretty good stay at the hotel, and I was bored one morning and asked guest services to send workout clothes and shoes (part of their "westin workout" problem) so I could use their fitness center. The fitness center is small but clean and adequate, and the locker room was gorgeous! The floors were all marble or carpet, with wooden lockers, clean towels, and a small, clean sauna. The shoes and clothes they sent were new New Balance and really comfy. I'm thinking of buying a pair of those shoes now.

We unfortunately ended up with a plumbing issue in our bathroom on our last night around midnight. We called service express and they sent up an engineer right away. The engineer took care of the problem and then had hotel reception switch us to a new room down the hall. The engineer also brought us new room keys, so we didn't have to go down to the reception desk. The staff was really professional and quick and efficient at the sign of any problem, so in less than 10 minutes, we were in a new room watching tv in bed like nothing had happened. Upon checking out, I found out they didn't charge me for the workout gear as a courtesy.

Overall, the Westin was a really comfortable, friendly, professional hotel in a great location. The staff was extremely attentive and the room was lovely. The staff bent over backwards to make your stay stress free -- we'll definitely be returning in the future.