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    AKA University City

    3.8 (38 reviews)
    Open Open 24 hours

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    Chre G.

    A group of us stayed here for the Philadelphia Marathon weekend, I highly recommend staying here. The comfort, quality and amenities are outstanding. It's short walking distance to everything, food, shopping and so much more. The room was immaculate and the service was outstanding. I'd like to give a special shoutout to Martin, who was so kind and so accommodating to all our needs. If you're looking for a great spot in Philly to stay, this is the place to stay.

    Dirty shower curtain.
    Teisha W.

    We have stayed at the AKA numerous times and have watched the quality decline. The showers were dirty with hair (not mines) in them. The pillows were dirty. We watched housekeeping clean and not once did we see them use cleaning products. The dishwasher was broke and dishes were dirty. had to go out and purchase cleaning supplies to clean the 2 bedroom apartment and wash their linen. We paid over $5000 for our stay and I would have expected better service. Giving them 2 stars for the front desk staff who were extremely friendly.

    Melissa H.

    BEWARE OF POOR MANAGEMENT BEFORE SIGNING A LEASE AT THIS AKA LOCATION!! My current experience at AKA is by far the worst leasing experience I have ever had! We have spent over $150k in the last three years as a resident and this year is just awful. While the property presents an attractive value proposition given the amenities, modern finish and price/location, the managing director Evan is notably unprofessional and highly unscrupulous. WARNING!! AKA seems like a dream but it can be a nightmare! Terrible experience with Evan the manager who will go to great lengths to get an unprofessional lawyer involved to talk to you & police officers to escort you out of your own home for a single late fee charge of $200! We are so disappointed on how this was handled. He is extremely rude and unprofessional. Feels like a vindictive move to deny access to 28th floor. Extremely difficult to have a peace of mind and enjoy life in your own "luxury" apartment when you are constantly being harassed and attacked verbally by the manager. We no longer feel comfortable here and our quality of life has dropped significantly since dealing with this person. Management here MUST change!

    Go for a treadmill walk with a 28th floor view of Center City.
    Ed R.

    Wow! The amenity floor, which is on the 28th floor, is dynamite! It's such a comfortable place. And there are multiple different environments on this floor. One room is a golf course simulator. There's like 30 different courses you can take a whack at. Another room is the movie room. It's comfortable. Another area is a let's-do-business sort of place with conference rooms and a library-like setting. They've got a 70 foot long pool with a view of the city up there. There's a gym with terrific Center City views. They've got a lounge/bar area. And the outdoor terrace on the 28th floor is a unique aerial marvel. Access to the amenity floor is for hotel guests, gym members, and residents of the building. But it is possible to see it. Just ask the doorman. If he's not too busy, you've got a good shot at getting a tour. (It would be cool of you to tip the fellow at the conclusion of the tour.) It's an interesting and worthwhile excursion if you are interested in seeing views from way up while in a luxury environment. And you can park in the garage right next door. Just 4 bucks for the first 30 minutes. (For Philly, that's a bargain!) And while you're there, if the weather is good, check out the park in the sky known as "Cira Green." It's on the top floor of that parking garage. Guaranteed to be interesting on any nice day.

    The AKA allowed us to rent out their AMAZING rooftop lounge for our rehearsal which ended up being a beautiful cocktail party.
    Kat S.

    To say that the AKA went above and beyond for us on our wedding weekend would be a complete understatement. Let me tell you -- this hotel was a dream! Where to start. First - this place is stunning! The pictures don't do it justice. Located in the heart of University City, Philadelphia - the hotel is clean, modern, and chic. Added bonus for us? It is super close to the Penn Museum, our wedding venue. The rooms, apartments really, have sweeping views of the city and are full with light and character which includes wide-plank Italian white oak flooring, huge spaces for dining and entertaining, and custom furniture. And by the way, all the rooms are all above the 20th floor so the eye candy you get looking at the stunning scenery of Philly's skyline does not disappoint. Pro-tip, we ordered groceries via delivery service and stocked our fridges with fruits and veggies and snacks for when folks popped by or for general hanging out. The enormous and beautiful accommodations made for an excellent hangout spot for our bridal parties and families. The bedrooms have huge, snug, clean beds with blackout shades and all the plugs for all the cords you need. Did I mention the bathrooms? Welcome to the lap of luxury. The showers and amenities literally make it feel like you're enjoying a day at the spa. The AKA EVEN set us up with a private space in their "Boardroom" on Level 28 with sweeping views for the bridal parties to get hair and makeup ready. The lounge where we held our rehearsal cocktail party (instead of a stuffy traditional dinner) was incredible - gorgeous floor to ceiling windows, a chic bar, and a lovely outdoor space. Did I mention the pool and cinema? Yeah ... they've truly got it all. Important to also note that the AKA has some serious next level customer service. Wow. Every member of the AKA Team was helpful, courteous, and kind. Whenever we needed anything they were there to assist and/or help us to problem solve. Example - our ride to the venue ran into a huge snag and we were running late SO THEY DROVE US THERE IN THEIR TESLA at a moment's notice. I mean that was pretty cool, one to have my panic attack prevented but two brides popping out of a Tesla on our wedding day was legit rad! They handed out our gift bags at the front desk, got our guests settled with ease, set us up with an open sky level meeting room for us for our hair and makeup, and allowed us to rent out their AMAZING rooftop lounge for our rehearsal gathering which ended up being a beautiful cocktail party. We also used it for brunch the morning after the wedding. Omg. The weather was stunning and I got to bid farewell to my west coast family with the beautiful breeze, the sun shining perfectly, and a beautiful city as the backdrop to conversations that reminisced about the evening before with bloody Marys and mimosas. Did I mention they even sent us flowers on our wedding day? The people who work there were so cool and so nice it almost felt like they were our own friends and family. Like, they cared that much about making sure our wedding weekend was a success. A few folks who I wanna mention by name that went ABOVE and BEYOND. Carla oversaw our room block and was courteous, flexible when she could be, provided frequent updates, and responded promptly. Jacklyn oversaw our events. Was fabulous. Helped us set-up playlists, coordinated with our event vendors, made sure the rooms were set-up well, even had the bar create dueling cocktails during the rehearsal dinner. She was a great leader, very responsive, and made sure things were set-up early enough that we could take a look and make any changes if needed (they didn't need to change a thing). Evan made sure that we had access to the spaces and that we had an adequate room block. Really knowledgeable. Even upgraded the bridal suite. Five stars. A+. If you are considering this and another place, your search is over. The AKA Hotel wins everything. My wife and I plan to stay here on our year anniversary though ... so don't book then okay? Thanks!

    Our amazingly large studio!
    Borneo G.

    I booked a reservation here through priceline and my boyfriend and I were overwhelmingly impressed! We booked three nights in a studio and my god, it was so clean and beautiful. There was a full kitchen with amenities (dishwasher, oven, stove, AND microwave) and dishes, bathroom, king sized bed, plus a washer and dryer. Just fabulous. We did use the oven once to make dinner and the washer/dryer before our trip home. The hotel amenities are just as nice. On the 28th floor there is a swimming pool, small theater (where they show movies on the weekend), meeting rooms, and a nice patio set up. Plus at 7am they serve continental breakfast, so that's always a plus. We couldn't believe the going rate for this place as it was much cheaper than our Boston hotel. Highly recommended! Next time I am in Philly, I hope I can book another stay here!!!

    Jermaine B.

    I just finished a nine night stay at this location, it was amazing! When I first opened the door to my one bedroom suite, I could not believe what I was seeing, It was even better than the pictures on the website.I can't wait to stay again, and I'll definitely recommend this "Hotel" ( more like a home away from home) to any and everyone I know!

    The pool and the view!!
    Tiffany B.

    As an avid traveler I am extremely particular about accommodations. I have to say AKA University City did not disappoint. In true AKA fashion it is an ultra luxury hotel. We stayed in the deluxe 2 br penthouse which was ample space for my family for the weekend. The master bedroom with an insuite bathroom was perfect to seperate the adults from the children. The bed was extremely confortable. I was able to prepare a fabulous lunch our first day there in the fully appointed kitchen. The soundbar in the living area was easy to access and play the soundtrack for our family weekend. The amenities on level 28 were outstanding, from the elegant pool area, sleek gym and cozy movie theatre; we were able to take advantage of all the offerings during our stay. The Walnut St Grill downstairs was a great place to have brunch Sunday morning and my teenangers loved the french toast. Overall we enjoyed our visit immensely. The only negative was a mishap at check in at which time we did not recieve the floor requested over another guest who was not present but expressed as a high profile client by the front desk staff. I would say that while this left a really bad taste in my mouth, I charged that indiscretion to the particular guest services professional and not the establishment. I hope that in the future the client that is present would be treated as just as valuable as any other client. That is the sole reason I did not give them a 5 Star rating. But I will be returning to give them a chance to rectify the previous encounter with better customer service.

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    8 years ago

    This place is hands down the best hotel I've ever stayed in. So luxurious and clean! Definitely worth the $$$ if you are willing to splurge.

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    9 years ago

    I can't say enough about this hotel. Simply the best. Simply amazing. Heaven. I am spoiled, and can never use a normal hotel again!

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    7 years ago

    This is the most poorly managed rental I have ever experienced. Almost nothing is done right. Stay away if possible.

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    Ask the Community - AKA University City

    Review Highlights - AKA University City

    On the 28th floor there is a swimming pool, small theater (where they show movies on the weekend), meeting rooms, and a nice patio set up.

    Mentioned in 5 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Loved everything about the place. Was gonna go for it til the places my american bulldog on The…read morerestricted lis American Pit bulls Rottweilers Akitas Cane Corsos Presa Canarios Bull Mastiffs Staffordshire Terriers Dobermans German Shepherds Boxers Malamutes Huskies Dalmatians Chow Chows Fila Brasileiros Wolf hybrids This list most banned dogs, where does my beloved 12 year old rank not there and this is piece info you should know that I'm really tired of explaining this so: No, the American Bulldog is not a Pit Bull. They may seem like the same, but they're actually quite different. While both breeds descend from the Old English Bulldog, the American Pit Bull Terrier is a cross of the Bulldog with the Terrier. They crossed these two breeds to create a more muscular and agile dog that could perform better in bull-bating and ratting. The Pit Bull is recognized as part of the Terrier family while the American Bulldog is part of the Molosser dog family. The temperament of the American Bulldog resembles that of an English bulldog. They are a gentle and affectionate dog that gets along well with children and can be regarded as a large lapdog. They can prove to be friendly dogs and very family-oriented, especially if they are trained at a young age. As I said he's 12, with arthritis and starting to lose his hearing and vision. He limps around, at this point the beloved Lab would maul him to death. He's too old and arthritic to hurt a bird at this stage of his life. Great stereotyping going on. Money wasn't an issue nor my credit, I'm a physician assistant and make quite a nice livelihood but I'd rather live in a hole in the wall than automatically rejects me on a dog they never met. Yeah it definitely won't be by any properties owned by you.

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    AKA University City - apartments - Updated August 2026

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