Sofitel Philadelphia

We read the Sofitel is one of the top 100 hotels in the world. We were coming to Philly for a play, so we booked a suite to experience such a highly rated hotel. We were greeted by friendly valet's as we parked. I had indicated we were arriving early; our room was ready at 11:30. The folks at the front desk were extremely friendly and efficient. Our suite was very nice, a separate bedroom and a large bath with lots of marble and granite-just like an upscale hotel in France. The location is perfect-a 13 minute walk to the Forrest Theater and 2 minutes to The Love Restaurant-one of Steven Starr's latest. Breakfast was outstanding and the service very fast. The almond croissants were not to be missed. All in all we had a great stay, the hotel was beautifully decorated for Christmas and the service superb. And the price was very reasonable. We will definitely return.

The hotel is in a perfect location, and beautifully decorated for the holidays. A lovely breakfast included in my stay. Room service was great, but dining room staff was spotty, the server acting as if they couldn't be bothered.

Check in was great, the room was nice, valet parking for 1 night was $70. Room- bathroom counter was dirty, as were the two glasses. We received conflicting responses from the front desk about room service at 9:25pm, the first person was helpful and took our order, the second about a minute later (wanted to add an item) was snarky and said the kitchen was closed. (Note: this was at 9:30, the menu stated they serve until 9:45) We told the front desk clerk that we just placed an order a minute or so ago and just wanted to add an item. His snarky attitude continued with an "I'll see if I can have it added" in a tone that said I'm not doing anything and I'm annoyed I had to answer the phone, he was the opposite of the first person we spoke with. The kitchen called to tell us one of the desserts were off the menu, and the added item was not added... the friendly kitchen staff gladly added it. Food arrived promptly and was delicious. The bedding was odd, no top sheet but the comforter was in a giant pillowcase thing, which did not work for me as I usually just use a sheet. Breakfast- the coffee was fantastic, we ordered the buffet, many options, Croissants were amazing, but the eggs were cold since the warmer was broken. The yogurt was 10 days out of date. The staff was great, the server I informed about the yogurt immediately stopped what she was doing and removed all of the yogurt, and minutes later came to our table with a fresh one. Our server had made sure my wife's meal was complementary, which we did not ask for, just good customer service. The fresh fruit was not ripe/sweet, but it is December in Pennsylvania so I am understanding about that issue. The rest of my complaints however, I would expect from a budget hotel, not what I expected from the Sofitel based on previous experiences in other cities.

The property is very nice looking and the room and bed were very comfortable. However, overall the hotel is not worth the expensive price. The hotel is located in a central area of Philadelphia, but the streets are narrow in this area and it’s difficult to get cars in and out. The valet service was poor. You were given a ticket and told to text the number on the ticket to the Parking service 20 minutes before you need the car. I texted them 30 minutes ahead of time and when I went to pick up the car, the valet had not even started to get my car. They were dismissive of my concerns that I needed to get to a wedding and could provide no estimate of time when the car would be available. They were also rude. The front desk was poorly run. When we checked in at 5 PM there were multiple guests waiting and just two front desk, staff. When it became a parent, that guest were not pleased with the 30 minute wait other front desk staff came out and looked angry that they had to be helping guests, The rooms were not well cleaned. My 90-year-old mother’s room had energy drinks and vape supplies left over from the last guest. My son‘s room had what appeared to be blood on the pillow and other items left over from a previous guest. The breakfast buffet in the restaurant was fair. The scrambled eggs were dried out, bacon was oily, and the bread felt like it was old and stale. The manager was pleasant and tried to be helpful when these issues were pointed out, but whoever is running this property needs to do a better job.

The location is great - very close to shopping, restaurants, and Rittenhouse Square. Our room was clean and the bed was very comfortable. The breakfast buffet was fine - nothing fabulous, but a good variety.