09/16/09

Beware: Bedbugs

by gmg55

I checked into the Latham at 11:00 pm on a Friday night and went directly to sleep. I awoke at 1:30 am to itchiness and discomfort. I turned on the light to find the bed CRAWLING WITH BEDBUGS. At least two dozen stood out on the white sheets. When I went to crush the critters, they left quite the red stain on the sheets. The desk clerk told me that I needed to complain to the manager, who would not be in until after I had checked out. I left several messages, but none were returned until 3 pm the next day. Since then, the manager offered to refund my bill. Thanks a lot!

• Pros: Good location
• Cons: Bedbugs

03/29/08

avoid this hotel

by rohr107

When I arrived the room style I had booked was unavailable as they had over booked so they down graded my room. the wireless internet worked ok but cut out about once an hour.

I called for a wake up call the first evening of my stay. I never was called the next morning and was over an hour late to a conference I was attending and there was no record of me requesting a wake up call, but evidence I had called down in the internal logging system

The manager left me a message saying there were going to discount the first night to half the price I was paying and still charge full price the second night

When my bill came during the 2nd evening of my stay the room was still charged at the higher rate for both nights. it took 10 minutes at the front desk and a disbelieving desk clerk to get it fixed

the water pressure also was lacking

this hotel has a nice location but there are much better similar hotels with similar prices right in the same 3 block area.

I would not recommend this hotel to anybody

03/18/07

The Location is GREAT, the Hotel is NOT

by dosita

On hotels dot com this hotel has 3.5 stars. NO WAY. We stayed here March 15-17. The price was OK ($139 a night) because we needed to be city center, and most places around there are about $50 more. If you can spare the $50 extra for another hotel, spend it. The cover on the bed was ripped and old. The carpeting was dirty. The place smells like an ashtray. The front desk girls were snippy and barely wanted to deal with anyone. We did, however, have a great bathroom, which made up for the so-so room. If you are a germophobe and cannot stay at a questionable establishment, do not stay at the Latham. If you just need a place to sleep for a reasonable price in the center of Philadelphia, then it's not so bad.

• Pros: Location in nice and close to everything
• Cons: Old, ripped linens, dirty carpeting, no soap in bathroom

03/02/07

This place is a dump

by cmorant

This place is a dump. I would not recommend this place to my worst enemy.

I entered my room and the lights did not work I called to the front desk and they do not have an engineer at night., so I used the bathroon light. They front desk just gives you the key and that is it, there is no instruction or liturarture about the hotel in the room so you are by yourself. I tried to use the wireless connection there are no instructions and know one to help. They also do not have room service somthing they failed to mention on there sparse website so eating that night was out of the question. The complimentary coffe try was half used.

The next morning I saw why there were no lights, the place was flithy, dustballs in the corner, dusty furniture, left over articles of the previod guest under the bed. On my way out I hung my housekeeping door tag and also spoke with the front desk about fixing the light. Nine hours later my room was not cleaned and the light still didi not work so I went to the front desk and told them that I was going for a walk and if they could please have my room cleaned. "No problem, right away ."the agent assured me. An hour later I came back from my walk and my room still was not cleaned so I went to the front desk and told them and they said "We cant not clean your room if you have stuff out." It was my makeup bag. I had to check out early.

• Pros: Location
• Cons: Everything inside the hotel is bad including the staff.

02/20/07

Don't!

by loubrenda

How this hotel was rated "best of boutique AND romantic hotel" by citysearch is SCARY. I was in Philadelphia staying at the Sofitel Hotel and needed to extend my trip for one more day! The Sofitel was booked and I looked up other hotels in the area via citysearch and decided it was easy enough to just wheel my luggage down the street. Thank god I only have to stay one more night! It smells old, it looks old and the rooms look like my mother's furniture from the 60's! Not good! The showers have a floral shower curtain that looks like it used to match my grandmother's bedspread! the minute I walked in I thought thank God I only have one more night, and I guess I'll be spending as much time out of this room as possible. for people who say, "you just need a place to sleep" this is certainly that kind of place. I only have citysearch to blame! Usually a reliable source but not this time!

• Pros: none
• Cons: old in a bad way!

A small, unique establishment that was originally a hostel at the beginning of the 20th century.

by Contributor

In Short
Bucking the more casual aspects of its historic turn-of-the-20th-century hostel beginnings, this boutique hotel greets visitors with uniformed doormen and an escort to rooms that feature elegant accoutrements such as marble-topped dressers and plush robes. The hotel is most often occupied by business travelers during the week and tourists on the weekends. Most of the hotel's 139 guest rooms are decorated in Victorian style, and all offer modern amenities.

02/18/05

Great value and location

by millercupl

We stayed over Valentine's day and our anniversary. My husband and I were extremely pleased with our room! We were upgraded for whatever reason, the location is central to everything and there was never a dull moment. The staff was respectful, friendly, and efficient. Definitely an enjoyable stay and a bargain to boot!

• Pros: Location, Atmosphere, Staff
• Cons: iffy water pressure

02/07/03

Bellman uniforms = lawn jockey

by crimekate

Friends of mine have stayed at this hotel, and say it's lovely. But really, did the person who designed those bellman uniforms really think through the question of Philadelphia's labor force? The knickers, the striped vest... every time I walk by, I want to hand the poor (more often than not African-American) man wearing it a lantern, just to give him SOME dignity.

• Pros: location, rates
• Cons: staff forced to dress, like lawn jockeys

12/12/02

Hotel Nightmare

by sugarmag41

I was there in July, and was moved three times in four nights because of hotel problems. First I was given a room that hadn't been cleaned, and the toilet had backed up onto the floor. Then a room that smelled so bad of smoke that when I called the front desk, they came to see it, and left gagging. The third time, they double booked the room and other people were already staying in it. I finally had a dresser of my own to unpack my things the night before I departed. Very dissapointing experience. Also, the valet lost my car keys and they have yet to be recovered. The restaurant inside the hotel is very overpriced, and teh food isn't that great.

• Cons: room service, valet personnel, restaurant

11/01/02

BAD SERVICE

by KSTARZ

WE ARRIVED LATE IN THE EVENING AND IT TOOK THE DESK CLERK A HALF HOUR TO WORK THE NEW COMPUTER TO FIND US A ROOM. THE MAID SERVICE CAME SO LATE IN THE DAY THAT ON THE LAST DAY THEY DIDN'T EVEN GET TO OUR ROOM AND IT WAS NOT CLEANED. HOTEL STAFF WAS NOT HELPFUL OR FRIENDLY.

• Cons: BAD SERVICE, UNFRIENDLY, INEFFICIENT