Homewood Suites By Hilton University City Philadelphia

I gave this hotel 1 star not because of the service. The service was excellent the staff worked hard and were friendly. My family came to philadelphia to get surgery for our son at The Children’s Hospital and was given this hotel as a place to stay. The only problem is this hotel employs a sex offender that’s registered with megan’s law but wants to bussiness with a children’s hospital. My husband has a app on his phone that notifies him when a child molester is registered nearby and to our surprise the hotels address is the registered work place of a child molester who also happens to be the assistant general manager. Parents be careful with your kids in this place if you can’t go anywhere else.

We are staying here because of damage to our house. It is not a bad place at all (not uncomfortable or especially dirty), but the amenities here are a bit less than I am used to. I usually opt for Marriott properties, but our insurance company chose this place and it is conveniently located. The housekeeping was very late; we had started to make dinner, and did not imagine they were coming after not doing so all day. There are more little extras, like pens and dish liquid, in other chains. The dining table had only one dining chair, plus a desk chair that would have had the Dowager Countess of Grantham spinning halfway to the bedroom, when we arrived. We are a family of three. It just seems that when less can be done, it is, whereas other chains are generous with the little things. It’s no big deal if the price and location work well for you, but I am not left with much chain loyalty to Hilton. I will still look for Marriotts first, with Hampton Inns as my second choice.

I was really impressed with this hotel. We were visiting family for the weekend and also wanted to take a trip to The Please Touch Museum. After doing a ton of research on suites in the area to stay at, we chose Homewood Suites. They have a great promotion with the museum, which includes valet parking and four tickets to the museum, as well as some small coupons to use while visiting.
The hotel staff was super helpful and friendly. They even accommodated my husband in getting flowers and balloons in our room prior to our arrival which was a sweet treat. The rooms were spacious and very clean. We have a toddler so a suite is required if we want to stay up passed her bedtime. Found the news to be super comfy; I could have slept all day! The rooms have a full kitchenette with coffee makers, microwaves, silverware, plates, cups, refrigerator, etc. The décor is also quite pleasing, with modern accents. There’s a pool and hot tub, as well as small fitness area for guests. Valet parking, which was about $ 40 a night, but you could take the car in and out as much as you’d like. A free hot breakfast is also included in your stay which is a nice bonus. The area is safe and vibrant, and coffee shops and restaurants are within walking distance. The lease Touch Museum was only about 15 minutes away, which was perfect for our stay.

Downtown expensive, but this is Philly. The $ 39 dollars a day parking is outrageous though. Think twice. Rooms in good shape. Location a positive.

Ok this is not a full kitchen, I’m not sure why people kept repeating that statement. It’s two burners, large refrigerator, microwave, and a sink. An to be honest for me the best thing about the place is the location in west philly. Philly is my home town and I grew up not to far from here. So I find it funny how other quest look at me in my family almost as if we should be part of the service crew verse being guest. I just try to remind myself that most people that stay here are from out of town anyway. Honestly I’ve always thought Hiltons where overrated but this is the best hotel in the area. Breakfast during the week is ok nothing special. Indoor pool is good for the kiddos, and the gym is never crowed. Front desk people are friendly and professional. Had issues with house keeping. Hence the three stars

Having stayed at several Ritz Carltons and Four Seasons in the past, Homewood Suites embarrassed them. I could not find one thing to complain about this hotel. I was sleep deprived when I checked in so here is some clarification for anyone else checking in sleep deprived. The entrance to valet parking is on Walnut St. The entrance blends in with the sidewalk (At least at night time). After finding the entrance I couldn’t find the Valet. I found a spot along the side of the valet driveway to park and went to the lobby (Located on the third floor). I spoke to the front desk receptionist who was very friendly and helpful. When I explained where my truck was parked the receptionist told me to leave the key with him and that he would call up the Valet. I offered to take me key down, which I did. I spoke with the Valet and asked a couple of questions. He was very friendly, knowledgeable. and helpful as well.
I was on the eleventh floor. When I entered the room I was beyond impressed. It was quite large. There was an eating room with a TV and a kitchenette. A small hallway then led to a very cozy bedroom with a large screen TV and a very clean, nicely sized bathroom. I also had a beautiful view of Center City from my bedroom.
I was very impressed with the amenities too. There were dishes/​utensils in the kitchen, free snacks, a coffee maker with coffee and tea, paper towels, a dishwasher with dishwasher soap, a large refrigerator and freezer, an iron/​iron board, a bathroom with bathroom amenity kits, and free «quality» wifi (There is the option to pay for faster internet too).
I stayed here only for a night, so unfortunately I was not able to check out the Gym and Pool. With the quality of the hotel that I did observe, I can only imagine that the pool and Gym are also very impressive
I was staying at the hotel for a special event. The event was pushed back two hours from the original time that it was suppose to start. On short notice, the hotel had no problem with me checking out an hour later then the original check out time.
Check out was quick and easy. The Valet during the day was awesome. Very, very friendly/​talkative and even complimented my truck (A+ in my book lol).
This Homewood Suites was quite impressive.

I stayed at Homewood Suites during yet another weekend in Philly. The location is perfect as it as located blocks away from SEPTA rails, grocery stores and restaurants. If you go half a mile north, the area might get a little rough, but if you stay near Chestnut, Walnut and Market, it’s pretty safe and very urban.
I really enjoyed my stay at Homewood Suites. Every night when I came home, I truly felt like I was home. My suite felt like a very large apartment inside University City. I even felt comfortable enough to invite people over. After all, it was a 3 room suite.
The only reason why I wouldn’t give this place a above 5 star rating is because of the silver ware and the valet parking. The plates, spoons and forks were advertise as clean, but were absolutely disgusting. Valet parking here was also $ 39 a day. That is borderline ridiculous. I can’t ever imagine tipping after spending $ 40 on parking. After that, it was pulling teeth to get the front desk to redeem my $ 5 off Unilocal voucher. For what you pay to stay here, I expect cheaper parking and a no question ask redemption of the Unilocal voucher. This is not a cheap hotel. Don’t make me wait overnight to hear if you will redeem a coupon.

Homewood Suites was better than most 4 – 5 star hotels I have stayed in. The entire staff was professional from the service desk down to the parking attendances. The rooms are spacious, clean, and comfortable. Breakfast and dinner was included. The food was delious, and they provided a menu in the room. I enjoyed it very much.

Basic amenities. Pleasant stay. Full kitchen and big TV for a spacious one-​bedroom.

A nice looking new hotel with quite a few issues.
Probably one of the longest and stressful check in processes I have ever experienced. I get there at 2:15PM as a gold member and I have to wait in the lobby for 45 minutes because the rooms are not available until 3. I tried to use my Unilocal check in coupon for $ 5 off parking and they refused to honor it. On top of that I get to my room and it reeks of smoke (it’s a non-​smoking hotel). The entire check in process took over an hour and a half.
The rooms were very nice. However, they do not contain a separate living room like a lot of homewoods do. They simply have a pull out couch next to the bed. The bed was comfortable as expected with any Hilton. Also I appreciated the courtesy shuttle that was provided to the train station.
Check out was also a complete mess. No receipts automatically provided in the morning like every other hotel I’ve ever stayed at. I asked the front desk about it and it’s because they don’t have a slot under the door. Perhaps they should leave it outside of the door or have a small area to hang the receipt. This should be business as usual type of stuff. Parking was charged to both of my rooms when I only have one car. I wouldn’t have known that unless I went to the receipt and painstakingly waited for the receptionist to be available and the receipt to be printed.
Overall the front desk is just a mess. This place needs some management help.

I can’t say enough good things about this place. Free dinner and breakfast buffets, what?! Nice travel fitness center as well
I was blown away by the size and quality of the rooms. Elevators were fast as well. Bellhop and front desk were both very accommodating.
Excellent location just blocks from tons of restaurants and bars. Would most assuredly come back!

Clean, new, and very functional. Pleasant staff. Good location to access University of Pennsylvania. Dinner and breakfast served on certain days. Not great food but adequate.

This hotel is great! The staff is fantastic. The room was wonderful, quiet, and the bed comfy. I only gave it 4 stars because where the price was fair my husband and I felt they should offer free self parking or valet for less. We opted out of valet parking and like others, (it was summer time, school’s out) we had no problem finding safe, FREE parking.
I know housekeeping gets looked at with a close eye and not many thanks but I do feel there were some easy fixes that would have big impact. Like wiping down the inside of the shower curtain (long brown hair left) and inside door (looked like a bottle of shampoo spilled on it). Over all the room was clean.

The staff here is FANTASTIC! Gigi is a wonderful woman that we met from the start and seemed to run into everywhere we went. She really made is feel welcome and made sure we were taken care of. In valet, Nate was super friendly. The room was very clean, very comfortable, and very quiet. If I need to return to Philadelphia, this is where we will be staying.

THIN WALLS. Nice on the surface, but not quite up to par. I checked in at 10p and am Gold with Hilton, so I had pre-​checked and should go right to my room that I selected online. Got in the room…79 degrees (it’s fall time) and no way to open the window. Called down and the reception asked if that was too hot… really? New key to another room… 407… went to open the door and heard someone inside. Wait. What’s the deal here. New key for room 1010. Key doesn’t work for another 3 minutes. Folks, I want to get to sleep tonight.
Seems to be a good location, but not well-​built and not well run. Disappointed.

This hotel is pretty awesome. The room is huge with a full kitchen. They have free breakfast and dinner (mon-​thurs for dinner), a nice pool and hot tub, and an exercise area.
The only problem is housekeeping. They didn’t give us fresh towels just picked the dirty ones off of the floor and threw them up on the shelf. Seriously? Not only that but they didn’t clean well and left trash in the room. They also would start the dishwasher with 1 dish in it. The dishwasher takes forever to cycle through too! So unhappy with housekeeping

I’ve always believed that a vacation is less about where you go than where your head is at the time (which is a philosophical way to state my relative poverty). Thus, where others would venture off to exotic locales or sunny islands for a weekend away, I often just go somewhere else in the city and pretend to have traveled. So far, I taken two domestic vacations to the Homewood Suites in University City with my lady and have been more than pleased both times. The hotel is also quite nice.
The Homewood Suites is a brand new building in the part of West Philly branded University City. The building is as shiny and modern as one would expect a building built after 2010 to be, and features a pool and workout center.
The rooms feature a full-​size fridge, a huge and comfortable bed as well as a nice little sitting area to enjoy the company of guests or just to catch crumbs that would have fallen into the bed had I been sitting on it eating Doritos at 3 into the morning. One feature I was particularly impressed with was the bedside device that replaced the alarm clock, an iPad-​type thingamajawn with the ability to stream music, order grocery service and control the power in the room. It was exceedingly fun to play with, and I hope to have something similar in my own home one day.
The hotel provides a complimentary breakfast that typically consists of a meat, eggs, waffles, cereal and other all-​American breakfast classics. They also provide packets of hot sauce, which sounds like a minor detail until you factor in how rare the practice is and the fact that I enjoyed a few Bloody Marys with breakfast each day, each of which required the condiment.
As for the staff, we didn’t interact much during our stays beyond checkin and checkout, but they appeared not to be total pricks, which can be interpreted as high praise for Philadelphia-​based customer service. Something I can say is that I made a reservation the same day and asked for a room facing the city like a child demanding the window seat, and my frivolous request was happily honored. The panoramic view of the skyline is enjoyable from practically any position in the room, but you didn’t come to read about that.
Anyway, the hotel is located on or near the campuses of several colleges, and predictably there is a selection of bars, restaurants and other entertainment venues within walking distance of the hotel. You can pretty much choose a random direction and find something to do, which is great for the illusion of being lost in a city you inhabit.
Overall, the Homewood Suites is clean, well-​appointed and a great deal for what you get ($ 140/​night, give or take… anything less for a room and it’s probably next door to a meth addict’s home and a prostitute den). So, for my final rating of Homewood Suites University City, it is a place less than 20 blocks from my home that I am perfectly willing to spend hundreds of dollars to be in for no real reason. Thanks for the great getaways, Homewood Suites.

I don’t think I could add anything that hasn’t been said… lovely huge rooms, delicious breakfast that you can eat outside on the balcony, bargain rates, and it’s a HILTON (gotta love my Hilton Honors Points). I agree with another Unilocaler about the parking… don’t pay to park. You can park your car (safely) for free one block over. There are University of Pennsylvania cops all over the place so you really don’t need to worry. This hotel is accessible to Baltimore Avenue, which is experiencing a renaissance of sorts… good restaurant choices. Also nearby Clark Park which is a nice park to hang in if you’re so inclined.

I stayed here for about a week and except for the occasionally annoying cleaning staff’s attitude I had a great time. This hotel is cheap compared to most of the others in the area and also way cheaper than staying in Center City Philly. You also get a room that’s twice the size, has a full kitchen + living room area and a few other great amenities on site, eg gym and a ben and jerry’s freezer that’s fully stocked at all times.
Since this is an extended stay hotel, they also offer grocery shopping and laundry services pretty cheap and make it really easy to use either one. They also serve a complimentary dinner a few times a week and a couple of other meals too. Unlike some of the pricier hotels in the area, internet was included in the price of the room.
The location is right next to a movie theater and the rest of University City which is a cool place to be and it’s walking distance to Center City too (if you’re in shape I guess). There are so many shops and restaurants nearby that the whole kitchen/​grocery shopping idea may be somewhat useless.
Overall, it’s a great deal and the rooms are very well kept and look/​feel extremely new.
I’d definitely go back.

The Preview: Now this Homewood is off the beaten tourist path over on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. To some that’s terrifying because they feel the need to be in the center of everything, aka in Center City or old Old City, but to me sometimes it’s good being a bit removed from things.
We opted not to pay the $ 39 per night valet park fee, no self parking is available through the hotel, and instead parked about a block away since this is summer and PENN is not fully in session free on street parking was fairly abundant.
You enter on the ground floor and then take an elevator up to the 3^rd floor where the front desk, lobby, pool, exercise area, and breakfast area are.
Check In: Check in was quick and efficient. The person at the desk explained all of the hotel’s amenities thoroughly with the most important being that you have to sort of wand your room key over a sensor in the elevator to get it to go up past the 3^rd floor, down from your floor back to the 3^rd floor, or to open your room door.
(If you are on the ground floor going up to the front desk on the 3^rd floor this does not apply.)
At check in you are given a small eco-​propoganda speech about how the hotel is green and that when you get into your room you need to put one of your room keys in this docking device which turns on the rooms power and utilities.
The Room: The room itself is your typical Homewood studio, this location has no two bedrooms just studios and one bedrooms, with the only difference being that the rooms are slightly narrower and longer than at most Homewoods.
The other difference between this Homewood to others in the room is that room, in particular the living room and bathroom area, were dark. As in there were barely any lights in that part of the room and the lights that were there were fairly dim.
As for that docking area and the power being off, well apparently housekeeping cheated and they left a key in the docking area so when we got into the room all, and I mean all, of the lights were on and the A/​C was at a lovely 67 degrees.
So much for being «Green».
Even though there were people all around us we never heard any noise so A+ there for wall thickness.
The pool: The pool is the size of a thimble but the water was decent at 75 degrees.
Breakfast: The first thing worth mentioning is that the breakfast area also has outdoor seating so if you want you can sit inside and mindlessly drone on watching The Today Show or you can engage in some Grade A people watching outside from the 3^rd floor.
Their offerings are the same as any other Homewood with nothing being bad and nothing being noteworthy.
(Dinner is offered Mo-​Th but we showed up too late to partake.)
Overall this Homewood is great if you’re visiting PENN’s campus or just to see Philly from a different part of town and I’m sure that we’ll be back.