9 Philly Hotels With Over-the-Top Amenities
From the spots with the best entertainment for the kids to the overnight stays that’ll totally spoil your dog.
Aqua Vida leads SUP yoga classes in the pool at StayAKA University City, home to some of the best hotel amenities in the city. Photograph by Susan Nam.
While there are plenty of ways to enjoy Philly’s booming hotel scene without ever booking a room, if you are staying overnight — or have out-of-towners coming in — here’s who has the best amenities.
What You Want: Built-in entertainment for the kiddos
Where to Get it: The Bristol Family Suite at the Logan comes pre-equipped with bunk beds, beanbags, a chalkboard wall, and a healthy assortment of books, toys and games. (Which means, praise be, that you won’t have to bring your own.) The “Schoolcation” program at the Palomar includes complimentary snacks, school supplies and — because you know you’ll need ’em — printing and IT services.
A guest at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco. Photograph courtesy Kimpton Hotels.
What You Want: To bring along your spoiled-rotten pooch
Where to Get it: More places than you’d think! Pretty much all the major big-box brands in the city allow pets, but a few have special perks: The Rittenhouse and Loews have doggie room-service menus, while Hotel Monaco and the Palomar (both Kimpton brands) provide dog beds and treats as well as grooming, walking and sitting services through the concierge.
What You Want: To never have to skip leg day
Where to Get it: Field House at the Fitler Club is a gymhead’s dream come true: 25,000 square feet of workout space complete with a lap pool, Pelotons, a Pilates studio, on-site childcare, and even a climbing wall. Celebs such as Tessa Thompson and Nicole Kidman prefer AKA University City — it’s smaller and quieter, and there are paddle-board yoga classes in the 28th-floor pool.
What You Want: To spread out away from Center City
Where to Get it: Homegrown hospitality brand Lokal offers minimalist-chic apartment-style suites in Old City and in Fishtown, where the four rooms above Wm. Mulherin’s Sons are another utterly Instagrammable option. Tucked away on a tree-lined street in West Philly, each of the spacious suites at B&B Akwaaba is inspired by a different famous Black Philly musician.
Published as “Guest Services” in the hotels guide in the April 2021 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
