Miriam W.
Yelp
Since the city was playing host to the Cable-Tec Expo, finding a room in Philadelphia was near impossible for Tuesday night. My go-to for bargain basement deals on hotels, Priceline, had nothing for me. Same with the recommendations given me by yelpers in the know; every hotel was booked. Alas, I took a risk and booked two rooms, for myself and a colleague, at Rittenhouse 1715.
On the morning of my one night stay, past the cancellation period, my colleague fell ill and could not make it to Philly. I rang up Rittenhouse 1715 and explained the situation to Audrey, who took my number and promised to call back once she spoke with the General Manager. When she did she let me know they'd been able to rent the room and I'd only be responsible for payment on the room I was staying in. Though they were well within their rights to charge me for it, they didn't. This endeared me to Rittenhouse 1715 right away and this was before I ever arrived.
When I did make it to this 23 room boutique hotel, I was delighted. And not just because I saw a cake stand filled with appetizing looking sweet treats like mini brownies waiting for me in the lobby! The staff members welcomed me as though they were expressly waiting for me to arrive. They thought nothing of it when my credit card asked for a call in authorization and simply asked, "Have you been in many states, recently?" In fact, I had. Virginia, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania. . .
I was given a tour of the grounds and my luggage was carried to my room where a full explanation of the climate management system and the operation of the television and cable was given - talk about attention to detail!
I had a Yelp Elite event to attend so I missed the evening wine reception that took place at 5:30 but if it was anything like the continental breakfast this morning, I am sure it was well-appointed.
The location couldn't be better; the hotel is right on Rittenhouse Square, but lies on a small, quaint side street. On the night I was there the hotel was fully booked and yet, I never heard a peep out of any of the other guests. I was grateful for this, and the quiet helped me bang out a few hours of work that needed doing.
My room was spacious, with enough room to move around and a writing desk to work from. When I arrived back from the event, I noticed that my room had been turned down: chocolate on the pillow, a small bottle of water next to the bed, and the coverlet removed but all of my things placed back on the bed in exactly the way I'd left them. Case in point, the magazine I left open was still on the same page! Impressive!
I have a suggestion for improvement: hotter water. The temperature in my shower was more than warm, but not hot. And this morning was one where I needed a little more steam. To that end, the shower also didn't drain as quickly as one might expect. My guess is this is easily remedied.
The dedication to detail shown by the staff, combined with the sumptuous surroundings made my stay at Rittenhouse 1715 a truly five star experience. Highly recommended.