HORRIBLE HOTEL STAY AWAY!! It smells. The ac doesn't work. There is no live person on site and your text messages will feel like you're communicating with an AI bot. It smells. The walls are paper thin. No elevator. They don't care if you're 100 or have 3 kids under 5, they'll stick you on the third floor. DO NOT STAY HERE MISERABLE read more

Weekday happy hour was great. They really need to do something about the bar stool seats. They're terrible.

I'm not a picky hotel guest. I hate spending twice or three times more than I need to for a hotel. They pretty much all offer the same things: a clean bed and a hot shower. Give me that, and some free wifi, and I'm happy. I was too late to get a reservation for a business meeting at another hotel in Philadelphia. I shopped around for something nearby and unfortunately due to my rush I didn't check yelp but trusted the ratings at the site where I made the reservation. OOPS. NEVER AGAIN. At this price point it's honestly not a surprise that this place is NO FRILLS. It's less than half the price of the other hotels nearby, and this is Old City Philadelphia. This is an old hotel. There is no lobby. You enter into a side door under a shabby awning. The office is up a narrow and steep flight of stairs. Be prepared to carry your own luggage. The office is basically a closet where one person can run your credit card while you stand or sit out in the hall. It's also not a surprise that the hotel rooms are not much bigger than the office. Mine had just enough room for a very squishy double bed, narrow nightstand, TV table. The furniture might have been charming some time ago, but with hard wear now look more like garage sale leftovers headed to the landfill. NO FRILLS also means bring your own soap and other amenities - these are not provided. Bring your ear plugs. This is a bustling city center with nightlife, sirens, construction, etc., sometimes into the wee hours. The hotel does not have soundproofing. For cheap lodging in the center of a major city, everything I've said so far is fairly typical and expected (although a bar of travel soap would have been nice). There is hot water and free wifi. There was also a refrigerator in the room, and a television (albeit with a cracked screen). The rooms have private baths. They provided two clean towels (but nowhere to hang them beyond a doorknob or the shower curtain rod). Here's the good: Location location location. This is near so many great places you want to visit in Philly. Museums, great food, history, culture, nightlife - it's all within a short walk and near public transit. Also good: I arrived an hour or two before checkin, and they asked me to wait a moment while they made up my room. I was pleased that I didn't have to lug my stuff around the city for a couple hours and return later. There would not have been a place to store my luggage there, had I wanted to do so. And the price was affordable, but no bargain for what you get. This is where it gets sketchy. My room door had a single-cylinder deadbolt lock on it and a useless slide bolt with no "keeper" into which it could slide. A similar key opened a flimsy deadbolt to the hotel door after hours. This might be ok in some settings but as my stay progressed it was clear security was not a priority. Multiple men loitered on the street outside waiting to be let in, and were let in by someone. Maybe they were guests who forgot their keys, but it did not instill confidence. There were several loud arguments in the wee hours between a male and a female, who each time took their fight into the hall and eventually stormed out of the building into the street. One of them tried the door to my room during one of these fights. I don't know why they would do this other than they seemed high out of their minds. I was relieved when the lock held, but honestly it would have been easy to kick the door in if they have wanted to do that. I wedged my suitcase between the bed and the door (yes the room was that small). I could hear the phone ring constantly in the office downstairs for an hour or more after these disturbances. It was obvious that no one was there to deal with security. Then there was the issue of my "roommate." The first night I woke up in the middle of the night to scratching noises. I moved, and the noises stopped. I fell asleep only to re-awaken to more scratching. I realized there was definitely a rodent under my bed. It wasn't in the wall, which honestly, I would understand in an old hotel, especially in the fall. It was directly under where I lay my head. I checked under the bed the next morning and found... a ziploc bag of pretzels someone left behind that the cleaning crew missed. It had been nibbled through, and pretzels strewn around under the bed. I fished it all out with a hanger. I can't say how long it might have been there. In the closet there was a hole in the back, where the wall met the floor. I stuffed a plastic bag in it. In retrospect I should have complained and I should have left that first night. I just hope I can spare you, dear reader, from a fate like mine. When I checked out, they didn't ask me how my stay was. That's probably the saddest part. They've given up. They could have a business worthy of this historic location if they would just hire a cleaner with some work ethic, and get some caulk for the rat holes. read more

See all

DO NOT STAY HERE!! it has bed bugs!! First off - there are freaking bed bugs. it's 5am as I type this because my friend was woken up by one crawling on her. The bed was suspect as to if it had been cleaned prior to us staying there, there is a literal mouse hole in the wall (like in cartoons), but worst of all I'm now going to have to spend my vacation trying to get bed bugs out of my luggage and clothes. Do not stay here, how it passes inspection and such is beyond me. read more

See all

Honestly, I tried to overlook some of the reviews I've seen before staying here. I chose this location for my first trip to Philadelphia, due to the proximity of exhibits and such. The staff can very aloof when approached for things. Upon entering the room, I noticed some lamp shades had missing bulbs, the toilet seat was not attached at all, and the shower was clogged. The room design isn't too bad; if you're into the staying at Grandma's house vibe. There is no central A/C so be prepared for a window unit. I've deducted stars for poor customer service and not attending to the stated concerns of the room. Anyone considering staying at this location needs to be aware that this establishment has a long way to go, and should consider another chain hotel for better customer service. read more

Society Hill Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

HOTEL REVIEW: I like horror movies- so I was really excited when I arrived at this hotel and felt like I was in one. It even looks haunted from the street with the shredded cloth shades in front of the windows to the interior with the dingy carpet and walls and the worn furniture. I got a room on the third floor and was next to a closet of some sort that had weird screechy noises coming from it. (I like to think it was someone sharpening an axe over and over again on a mechanical sharpening machine). I was disappointed after I passed out exhausted after a day of walking up and down South Street. I wanted to stay awake to see if something or someone would emerge out of the closet, or see if the walls would start bleeding. But instead of falling asleep peacefully, I was jarred awake repeatedly from the club across the street that sounded like there was either a gang fight or a European soccer game taking place outside. I managed to drown it out by putting on the Lifetime channel on t.v. and somehow fell asleep. The next morning I woke up to this horrible show called "Wedding Brides" (The show where they have four brides and a contest to see who has the best wedding, I thought I was having a nightmare but no, that show actually exists) and free coffee (they provide you with tiny water bottles, a coffee machine, coffee grinds, sugar and powdered cream at the hotel). I was happy that I was still alive but still upset I didn't get to see any bleeding walls or poltergeist activity. I don't know if I'd stay here again, but if I do, I'm bringing earplugs and a ouija board. Pluses: Complimentary coffee, free bars of mini soap!, good location and close to south street and historical areas, spooky ambiance. Minus: The doors seemed a bit flimsy- so we wedged a chair on the doorknob (just in case *see photo i uploaded), loud club next door, no poltergeists (maybe they were on vacation). read more

Society Hill Hotel - bring your ouija board to the hotel! - Hotels Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

I started to write on Yelp almost 10 years ago. Not many people outside of coastal cities used it. Now Yelp provides a mouthpiece for every whiny and miserable fool out there. The Society Hill Hotel was terrific. Great location, clean, free soda and Diet Dr. Pepper in the mini fridge. If you don't have something nice to say, don't say nothing at all. Don't listen to all these complainers. Unless of course you love to complain. In that case, spend a bunch of extra bread to feel better about yourself because you paid double to be unconscious and dream the night away at a dumb Hilton down the street. read more

Society Hill Hotel - High ceilings - Hotels Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Omg... Nasty and requesting money back from Travelocity. Dirty dirty dirty... Old.. Gross ... Stinks. Fire alarms disassembled, mildew on shower curtain, stains on floors. Worst hotel I've ever been in. read more

See all

This was the worst hotel stay I have ever had. For 130$ on a Wednesday night this hotel was absolutely terrible. For starters this is a walk up hotel so do not book this if you're unable to walk up several flights of stairs. The smell in the entire hotel was musty and stale, we had no hot water in our shower or sink, our toilet ran constantly and there was mold on our shower curtain. There was no way to cover the bathroom window, so taking a shower was pretty uncomfortable. The outlets were awful, but the WiFi was worse. We were given no soap for the bathroom or wash clothes, just two towels. Spend the extra money and stay at a hotel worth your time and money because this hotel doesn't deserve a dime. read more

See all

Let me preface this review by saying I am not even remotely high maintenance. I've stayed in some really crappy places all over the world and can deal with almost anything. However, I checked into this hotel yesterday with my daughter. The guy who answered the door was mildly pleasant-not very friendly but that's okay. He walked us to our room on the 4th floor, where we dropped off our stuff quickly and left for dinner. Once we returned, we actually looked around the room and OHMYGOD it's seriously the most filthy, rundown, disgusting place I have ever ever booked. Wires hanging out, missing outlet covers, partially falling out windows, filthy beds, carpet, and bathroom. Thank the gods we booked through hotels.com and they were kind and refunded our money immediately. I mean, there is NO way this place is passing inspections. If they are, they are paying someone off. Run the other direction. Quickly. But leave a little snack for the rats and roaches-they were kind enough to share their space with you. read more

See all

Here is the short version: Do NOT stay here! Here is the longer version: Let me preface this review by saying that I have traveled all over the U.S. and several not-so-first-world countries and this is by far the worst hotel I have ever stayed in. The pictures online in some very reputable travel sites make it seem very cute and quaint. It was NOTHING like the pictures! When we went to check in, there was no staff at all, so we had to get the key from the bartender at the bar downstairs, who was actually a nice guy. He told us the inn was built around the time of Ben Franklin (which was probably the last time it was cleaned.) We had to go through a back door, down a very crowded hallway, and up a set of stairs to the room (which was partially blocked by a bike that someone had chained to the bannister as well as a big ladder that was left in the landing). There was no elevator but at least we were only on the 2nd floor. The upstairs hallway was filthy with dirt and old food on the floor, rat droppings, and other stains on the carpet and smelled like someone had smoked a whole pack of Marlboro Reds in there. We are both allergic to cigarette smoke and thus had been super happy this hotel was (supposedly) all non-smoking. The "breakfast buffet" was a dresser with a coffee maker and two apples. Our room was an absolute wreck. It was filthy, and the bed smelled like they hadn't cleaned the covers or sheets in weeks. There were all kinds of stains on the carpet. I went into the bathroom and was met with the biggest freakin' cockroach I have ever seen, but at least he was mostly dead. My hubby flushed him for me before I could get a pic of this dragon-esque roommate so I can't post a pic for this review. However, my pee was soon interrupted by a swarm of even more bugs, not even quite sure what those critters were. The bathroom shower was TINY as in I am 4'11' and could barely fit in there. Also, there was only 1 of 4 lightbulbs actually working in the bathroom so it was dark and not very safe. As we peered around the room in disbelief some more, we noticed a rickety array of extension cords, the window was literally up against a brick wall, and the only way out was through the blocked stairway at which point we realized we were in a fire trap and needed to get the heck out of there. As I was trying to look up other hotel options on my phone, of course the "free" wifi wasn't working. The only plus thing in the room was someone had left a rumpled Philadelphia travel magazine that had some recommended hotel listings in there and we were able to call and book a new hotel quickly. I don't think we were even in there for 15 whole minutes. They actually tried to stiff us for $350 so we are now dealing with the credit card and are half tempted to report them to the health department. At least we have a very memorable story to tell our friends. read more

I have never I'm my life left a bad review and this is my first Yelp review. DON'T BOTHER with this place it is absolutely disgusting. I'm going to let these photos speak for themselves. Between the moldy shower (that we didn't even feel comfortable using), the dust giving us allergies, and what appears to be either bird poop or some sort of HUMAN BODILY FLUID on the wall above the bed, needless to say this was NOT a romantic way to spend Valentine's weekend and definitely was NOT worth $100 for the night! Gross! read more

See all

I never leave yelp reviews, but this place. This place was a poor excuse for a "hotel". First off, upon arrival you can not go into the hotel to actually check in. You have to go to the bar and get your keys from the bartender. Who then just goes on to tell you how "haunted" the building is. Why? I have no clue. It doesn't make the place an better or worse. Secondly, the room was a glorified closet. Barely room for a suitcase. The door was hard to lock and unlock. But when you do finally unlock it, the door hits the bed. YUP it was that small. The air conditioner looked like it was from the late 80s. So obviously is barely worked. The bathroom was so gross. Obvious stains because it's never cleaned. And to top it all off, there was no fire escape! So if something happens, you're screwed. Thirdly, mice and rats. Yup, MICE AND RATS. Lastly, this is check out time. So as a normal person I like to sweep the room and make sure I'm not leaving anything behind. Look under the bed, and there it was. Condoms, condom wrappers and dirty underwear. DISGUSTING!!!! Bring to the attention of the maid, who's basically running the place/not cleaning it, she barely cares. HORRIBLE PLACE. So to finish this rant off. Don't bother with this place. Unless you really just don't care. Wishing I had seen other reviews before booking. Still trying to hear back from the owner or hotel manager or whoever actually runs this establishment. read more

Hotel of horrors! This is the first one star review I've ever done for a hotel. I've stayed in plenty of cheap, run down hotels before without complaint. If I'm out of town, I'm usually not spending much time in the room anyway so I've never been very picky. Society Hill goes way beyond being cheap and run down, however. Without exaggeration, I can honestly say that they fail to even provide for a minimal level of comfort and safety. My room was up four extremely steep flights of stairs. Climbing up stairs isn't an issue for me but transporting luggage up those stairs is. The front desk lady helped me, thankfully, but if she hadn't, I seriously would've been at risk of falling down those stairs while trying to get my suitcase up there. As far as I could tell, this staircase was the only way in and out if the hotel which makes me wonder what to do if there's a fire (I didn't see any fire escapes either). Normally, the thought of a statistically improbable event like a hotel fire wouldn't cross my mind but because of the hotel's run down condition and all of the outlets that were overloaded, it definitely crossed my mind this time. The thought of the hotel burning to the ground crossed my mind again that night. My hotel room was freezing cold and didn't have a way to control the temperature. When I complained, I was given a run down, super sketchy looking space heater. I used it since I was freezing, but I certainly didn't feel very relaxed about it. My labmate got a room in the same hotel and although she had heat, she didn't have a functioning shower. The icing on the cake: when I asked them to give me a receipt showing a zero balance and what I paid each night, they were very difficult and rude about it. This really isn't an uncommon request since many people need this to get reimbursed for business travel! What they eventually gave me is apparently still not sufficient for my university so I called several times today to try to talk to them about it but they couldn't be bothered to answer. If I can't get this straightened out, I guess I'll be paying out of pocket for a really crappy hotel room that I wasn't expecting to pay for at all. read more

Really, it deserves no stars. I've stayed in hundreds of hotels around the world and this was the worst. Filthy dirty - the toilet seat isn't even connected to the toilet - and the walls were virtually falling down. The beds were tiny and have bugs. Mice got into my brief case and ate an energy bar then ran around on the floor while I tried to work. Work crews jack-hammered right outside my window until midnight before I had big meetings. DO NOT STAY HERE. read more

Not impressed. Possibly the worst sangria I have ever had. I am also rating the Society Hill Hotel itself. Yes, it is great they have good deals such as 90.00 a night. Though it was slightly funny my boyfriend had to drag my huuuge suitcase up a 4 floor walk up, I felt bad. Let's get into the 21st century people and make an elevator! In addition, I was afraid to touch my feet to the shower tile floor because it was so grimy (black grout between tiles), so I had to wear flip flops. The chairs had holes and rips in them. I'm not a demanding, 4 star hotel girl, but seriously, the fact that they had a crumbling crack becoming a hole in the wall was not impressive either. The kicker was that the mattress was worn out and two of us sleeping on the bed taco-ed it (aka: folded it slightly inward). And ha! Bed and breakfast? When you marked down the card, you did not get what you want since it was all out. Put down OJ? Welcome in grapefruit juice. Yuck! Put down bagel? Welcome blueberry muffins that taste like medicine! With the Omni down the street, spend some more bucks for some peace of mind! read more

Totally awful. Full disclosure: I did not actually stay at the Society Hill Hotel - the complete story is below. Bottom line is that I made a reservation, had to cancel it without a refund, but was told I could use the amount I had paid towards a future reservation. Society Hill Hotel went back on that when I called to re-book, so my stay never happened, but after reading the reviews here, I'm thinking I dodged a bullet. This place seems shady and their sense of customer service is non-existent. Originally, I had booked a reservation for the Society Hill Hotel for February 20 and 21, 2013 through Booking.com. I was supposed to be in Philly for a conference but I became seriously ill that week and was unable to travel. I called the Society Hill Hotel twice and left messages for them in regards to my reservation. They never returned my calls. I then contacted Booking.com to see if their customer service team could succeed in reaching the hotel to either cancel my reservation for a refund, or see if the money I had paid could be applied as a credit to a future stay. It took awhile for Society Hill Hotel to respond to Booking.com (big surprise), but later that week I eventually I had a conversation with a Booking.com agent who told me that the Society Hill Hotel would not give me a refund but that the amount I had paid ($200) could be credited to a future stay. I asked if I needed to confirm those dates immediately, and the agent said no. I asked also if I needed to call the hotel or if I could call Booking.com again and was told I should contact Booking.com when I was ready with the new dates and that the $200 I had paid for the February reservation could be credited to my new reservation. I called Booking.com on March 22 with the new dates, which I thought I would work out because I have a wedding to go to in Philly later this year. Basically, Society Hill Hotel said they would not honor the $200 credit and expects me to pay in full for a new reservation. In other words, I've paid them money for a service that I never recieved, and now they want me to pay them MORE money. Methinks not. Clearly, Society Hill Hotel is more interested in a making a quick buck than in running a sustainable business. I've asked Booking.com to stop listing Society Hill Hotel, as this place looks like too much of a hassle to deal with and are an all-around disappointment, even if they are relatively cheap. Other travelers need to know that they should AVOID Society Hill Hotel. Pay the extra money and stay somewhere safer and cleaner that actually gives a d*mn. read more

I had mice or rats eat the chocolate out of my backpack while I was sleeping. The next day reception was closed so I couldn't report the incident. Just that there was mice or rats in the building is disgusting! Especially because I was on the 4th floor! This ruined my trip to Philadelphia because all my clothes were ruined by the rats! Will never visit again. I couldn't hear the rats gnawing my chocolate and clothes because there was really loud construction across the street. I was terrified a rat would crawl on me while I slept. read more

Society Hill Hotel - I had mice or rats eat the chocolate out of my backpack while I was sleeping. - Hotels Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I can't rate this as a hotel. I would never in a million years consider this any place for overnight accommodations. If you know what I mean. But as a bar/slightly divey restaurant, I love it. Beautiful open sunlit space during the day, dimly lit and cozy space at night. Have a whiskey at the bar after work, or grab some fries and a beer for lunch. Food is passable - a little pricey for what it is, but I still find myself drawn to this place. It's always chill -- no BS or attitude. This is an oasis of real in the sea of fake that is old city. read more

Euw. My door looked like it had been kicked in. Clean sheets etc, but not very safe. The owner is sitting pretty on a nice location in the Old City and doing NOTHING with it. I honestly couldn't take people's money for this sort of service. When I asked to be moved up to a room that was near my friend because I didn't feel safe and wanted his company, I was told no because it was a more expensive room. Even though I felt uncomfortable in the room, she made no accommodation to make me feel better or safer. DON'T DO IT!!! FOR THE SAKE OF THE CHILDREN!!!! read more

If I could give this place zero stars I would. We checked in early and got to skip the part with the bartender but unfortunately that didn't do us much good. Upon entering the room it was clearly sparse (to be expected at a value rate) but when we opened the curtains to see the view there were beer bottles behind the curtains on the window sill on the INSIDE of the room. In addition to that there was no hot water, only one of the outlets worked, only one lamp worked, and the TV didn't work. Before going out for the afternoon we let the woman we checked in with know and she told us that it would be taken care of while we were out. A few hours later we came back and nothing was fixed. Went back down to get an update on the beer bottles and hot water (everything else can be dealt with) and instead of offering to fix anything they just offered us a refund and we could leave. I would never recommend that anyone stay here but I do want to note that the staff was very polite. read more

BAR REVIEW: Yesterday I was super early for an event just down the block. Sat down at the bar, then moved a couple of seats because the draft beer area smelled like it hadn't been cleaned in two months - if you've ever worked in the industry, you know that smell. First drink was wrong, and before I sent it back I noticed that the glassware was filthy. Then there was several small bugs on the bar. Then, as I was 1/4 of the way through my drink I noticed there were several fruit flies in it. I stood up and left. This place is gross. read more

All the other 1-star reviews are completely true. I just came here to say that you can walk out of the hotel when you see how disgusting it is and get your bank to refund you when the hotel manager treats you like crap and won't do it herself. The advertised room is SIGNIFICANTLY larger, cleaner and nicer than what they give you. Call out a few of the disgusting traits that you'll quickly observe and note the size of the room compared to what their listings say and your bank will refund you. Do not stay here. Hope this helps someone else. I should have checked Yelp before booking! read more

Great stay, didn't see any issues from previous negative reviews... and i was looking too. Friendly staff, great view and great location. Hotel is 260 years old so don't expect the typical first world amenities. Great on a budget. Corner suite stay was very comfortable. View of American history museum from my bedroom. Would come back again. read more

The hotel was clean, comfy, and def budget friendly. Decor was also nice. Check-in was as simple as showing my email from Booking and the card. I booked a suite for me and bae (301) last night which came to about $91 after taxes. After some drinks in the downstairs venue (see my review for Monkey Bar), we headed up for some R&R (or maybe hot sex...I'll keep you guessing ;) ). There was 2 bedrooms with a full-size and twin bed separated by a bathroom with a simple shower stall, sink, toilet set-up. Both had their own entrance which is ideal if you're splitting it with somebody and are on different schedules. Plenty of windows to open if you don't wanna run the air conditioning. The TV, a mid-size LCD, was in the room with the smaller bed but the extension cords and wires were long enough enough to make it work. There is also a mini-fridge and some cool Philly tourist books that are neat even if you aren't an out-of-towner. Check-out is noon. On our way out there was a small breakfast set-up which included coffee (ready by 8:30 daily), pastries/cookies, and fresh fruit. I wasn't in the mood, but, my fiancé said the coffee tasted really high-end. He would know since he's def a java addict. They also had some books above the food to borrow, one of which was the actual 'Book of Mormon'. That was a little amusing. The only thing I could complain about is in the main bedroom where we entered had no lights. The ceiling fixture didn't turn on and then the lamp had no bulb. Otherwise, would return. read more

This was the most awful hotel I ever stayed in. The carpet is old, ugly and dirty, there are missing tiles in the bathroom, the toilet had to be fixed twice, there were stains on the widow sill, thin cheap sheets. The mattress was awful, felt like sponge . I was afraid to walk bare feet. My room was never made even though I asked. And was assured it would. I do have to say the people were nice and it is in a great location- such a shame it hasn't been renovated or even maintained. read more

It isn't a bed and breakfast. It isn't a hotel. It's a worthless place to stay. Couldn't get the television to work though it was hooked up to cable. No one around to ask. There is a dead bolt on the door which is the only way to close the door. The only reason I stayed here was someone paid for it. read more

An absolute dump. The furniture and bed are old and decrepit, the window AC in my room was ancient, loud, and sounded in need of an exorcism. No elevator, no coffee, not even a trash can in the "Junior Suite" that consisted of two very small rooms and a tiny bathroom with very little in the way of water pressure. No soap was provided, just a dozen tiny shampoo containers. No one was there to greet me when I arrived, I had to call a number scrawled on a piece of paper on the office door that put me in touch with the bartender downstairs. The person in charge was not in their office when I went to cancel my stay the next morning and was very rude to me on the phone and hung up on me when I tried to get my money refunded for the two days left on my reservation. I had to call Booking. Com to get my reservation canceled and my money returned. There are plenty of alternatives to choose from in the neighborhood. read more

The owner was very friendly. The location was perfect. The old style of the hotel was very charming. It was nicely decorated. There are aspects that need updating, but the owner said the hotel was getting renovated soon. Looking forward to seeing the improvements. It was very nice that the owner had coffee and cake snacks on New Year's Day for the hotel guests. The bar downstairs has a great vibe and a comfortable atmosphere but the bartenders need to make better cocktails. No one should serve a Manhattan on the rocks shaken over shaved ice. Bad technique. Outside of that they were friendly and fairly attentive. read more

What a mistake it was booking this place! Small, dirty, mildew-smelling rooms with bizarre layouts and poor AC. Definitely not worth the price. We were itchy just sitting in the rooms. We were able to leave and get our money back, no way we would have been able to spend a night, at least comfortably, in this hotel. read more

See all

BAR REVIEW: If you find yourself in Olde city on a weekend night and are desperately wanting to escape the creatures that drove in from jersey, this is your temporary bunker. Kind of divey, a quaint selection of draught beers, and some very friendly service; this can be your hideout till the crowds begin to disperse after 2am. This place is so close to the Olde city club/lounge block (2nd & chestnut), but so far away in terms of it's atmosphere. read more

Nice quaint hotel. Small, but comfortable. Must have been upgraded somewhat since the previous rooms. It's an old building and it may not be the Ritz, but it has it's charm and is adequate. Friendly staff, clean close to everything. Situated above a popular downtown bar. Only one small bug in the shower. Bed was nice, A/C very nice. read more

I hate to be negative about this place because it would be a bit unfair. It is what it is and doesn't try to be something that its not....Except for the name of the place. Calling this place a "hotel" is wrong. It's more a Bed and Breakfast....Minus the Breakfast. I'll sum it up right here for what you should consider: This is the kind of place that a 20-something should come to if they just need a place to stay and don't want to spend a lot of money on a real hotel. It really is "Just a place to stay". I wanted to write this review so others would know and not get their hopes up. I thought the woman who worked there was nice. She let me check in early, and they really do mean well. But to be fair to everyone...this place isn't for everyone. We'll start with the fact that it's old and looked like a house that was converted into a "Hotel". With two large doors to enter, a delayed doorbell just to enter and four floors to walk without an elevator, be prepared and don't pack heavy stuff. My room was really two separate rooms from some time ago that shared a small bathroom. The rooms were small with noticeable wear, mainly no switch plates on an electrical outlet, window-mounted AC units and a sink that was pulled forward from the wall. The furniture was in good shape for it's age and a curious small corner closet would not open because the knob was missing (go figure). The room did have a flat-screen TV but it has the most basic cable ever. When I did locate the second remote, I could watch a little TV. I had a traditional key that opened my door as well as the front door, which is locked after 8 PM. OK.....Downstairs is The Monkey Bar, A nice enough corner bar with character. Seems like a nice place....for a 20-something to hang out in. Again I hate to bash this place because I do think they mean well, but "It's Not a Hotel....It's really a Bed and Breakfast....Minus the Breakfast". I was told there was no breakfast, but that there would be coffee with some pastries. I'm sure they were there because the day's table setting had them. There's free WiFi which was cool. The small shower was big enough with good water pressure. I had a small, dorm room-type refrigerator which I kept my free water and Dr. Pepper sodas. Even had a leftover of each from the previous person. The bed was comfortable enough and there was an iron and ironing board. I had towels which were fresh and shampoo and conditioner but no soap. Overall the place served its purpose for me, but it's not really for me. Costs a bit too much and is what it is and doesn't apologize for that. Again, don't mean to be negative, just need to people to be aware when considering this spot. It's just not gonna be for everyone. read more

See all

It's not possible to give zero stars here on yelp, but this place truly deserves zero. I recently stayed at this hotel just for one night as a visitor to Philly. Not only was it the smallest hotel room I've ever seen, but it was the dirtiest. Condoms and dirty underwear from previous guests were found throughout the room, proving that it isn't cleaned properly (or at all) between visits. Mice and rats were seen scampering the hallways and stairwells. Additionally, my microscopic bedroom had no access to a fire escape or any sort of alternate exit in event of an emergency. It is impossible to reach a manager to report any issues, so it is very obvious nothing will be done to remedy the situation, so I am strongly urging you to never stay here, don't even consider it. read more

Its a small room with a bathroom. The TV didnt work and The internet didnt work. But it was clean. All this place is is a place to keep your stuff and sleep. The location is the best aspect. You are in the middle of old town with bars and historical sites all around you. The subway is right up the block. Why would you want to spend time in a hotel when you are in the middle of an awesome city? I would give it more stars but the parking sucks, really sucks. Pricey for what you get, but it's less expensive then the other stuff around. Also on the second time we came here the internet didn't work again, but the one guy helped us out to fix it. It only worked a little but i give it up to that one dude for going out of his way to help us. Philly is the best city. read more

Stayed at 16 Latetia ... their apartment property. It is large ... 1400 sq ft.. And it is in a decent location .. But that's the only thing going for it. We found multiple half empty beer cans and soda bottles littered through out the rooms. All the cabinets are broken. The microwave was dirty, the bathrooms were dirty, there was paper towels plugging up holes in the walls and air vents. No towels when we checked in... They brought some over. Two minutes later my son tells me the handle on the toilet broke. They send someone over - while he's here he walks across the huge bubble that has warped the middle of the basement floor and says " that's not right" . I show him the wall where it is so soft you can push it in. He says " that's not right either". The carpet on the stairs is stained and dirty. The apartment just feels neglected and icky. Spend your money elsewhere. read more

See all

Got into our room to find this (yes that is a dead and rotting mouse). Still have not heard from the owner about a refund. I'm generally not one to demand it but I feel as though a rotting mouse in your room calls for giving my money back. read more

NEVER STAY HERE After reserving a room, we told them we would be there by 11am as our bus got in at that time. They said it wouldn't be a problem because there office is open from 11 until 8. We arrived at 11 to a locked door, we rang them and left several messages while also ringing their doorbell which said they would be down as soon as we rang it. After waiting in the cold for 30 minutes a guest came down and let us in, we went to reception to find it was locked and no one was there. So we waited another hour infront of the office, until 12:30 for no one to arrive. We left to get lunch, and see some sights. We came back at 3, and reception was finally open. We told them our story and they didn't care one bit, they said in a bitter tone "whatever, just right an email about it". So I am. After arguing with what seemed like a manager, she said "fine, I'll upgrade your room". Our "upgrade" had a broken window with exposed sharp glass, held together by sticky tape, letting in the sub zero winds. No smoke alarm, with exposed wires. Dirty bedsheets, filthy bathroom, blinds that didn't block out any light, broken chest of drawers, and no ceiling lights. The shower with no water pressure, and absolute no control over the waters temperature. The rooms door also didn't close from the hallway unless you locked it with a key, this also includes the bathroom door not being able to close. Making it pretty awkward at times. Going out into the hallway we found that there was no security cameras, no working fire exit signs, and holes in the roof exposing the electricity wires. Then next to the stairwell is the electricity main that is exposed and open to all guests, if you had children that could be very dangerous. After a freezing nights sleep with the lack of blankets and pillows provided, we left, booking another room somewhere else. NEVER STAY HERE! read more

I liked Society Hill Hotel. Bed was clean, crisp sheets, rooms was clean and bathroom spotless! Some people complain about the elevator. When I asked why no elevator, they said it's 180 years old building and the space won't permit adding an elevator. Oh well. The staff was nice and helped us with a shuttle pick-up, they made phone calls for us and printed us some maps, they did everything we asked for. This place is not made for people that want to come to Philly and spend time in their rooms. Restaurant downstairs is open and remodeled as the hotel will be, so they told me. Overall we like it and we were treated very nice. Thank you Society Hill Hotel! read more

Hotel Review: another listing on Yelp says that the hotel is CLOSED. Well, not unless it happened last week! Coming from LA for a conference at which my husband spoke, I scheduled the travel on Travelocity (which gave the hotel 3 stars, and travelers there rated it 3.5. I suspect ownership fabricated its own reviews). This hotel sounded quaint: "Ben Franklin room, fresh flowers, breakfast, private bath in historic downtown" ...ok. At $120 a night plus tax, I was expecting a small clean room with no frills. If the room had been $35 and had only 2 stars on Travelocity, I would have KNOWN what I was getting into. A NIGHTMARE!!!! We cab it to the front door with a grimy note saying "Check into Hotel at the Bar". Ok, a red flag # 1. The bartender looks at a piece of paper and hands us a key on a cheap keychain (from which the key fell). He opened a back door behind the bar and told us to climb to the 3rd floor. OK... RED FLAG # 2. Up we climbed some unkempt stairs and hallways that became more dilapidated with each floor. I started to feel a little sick but remained optimistic. Once we reached our floor we noticed a missing ceiling panel with electrical wires hanging down. GULP! The front door was some cheap hollow patched door I could have put my fist through. The rickety lock made my husband curse. Once inside I knew immediately we would not stay. Forget red flags, this is a total bait & switch. The walls were cracked and disgusting. The furniture had scratches and looked like someone's leftovers from a street corner. I looked everywhere for some redeeming quality. Outside the window was an awning torn into a million pieces... dirty and unrecognizable as an awning at all - I wondered why no one had removed it since the wire frame it once hung on screamed RUN!!!! I saw dirt on the floor and windowsills. The bathroom was scary. I can't imagine it had been cleaned in a long time since there was black mold everywhere. A hairdryer was stuck to the wall with a piece of plywood. Upon entering the bedroom it was noticely visible that the mattress was bumpy and uneven. Like a dark and dreary dungeon, the "Ben Franklin Room" at The Society Hill Hotel has an incredible view of a 3 foot space between buildings that was the dirtiest location in Philadelphia. On the dirty window stuck a grimy file folder label which read in pen "Do Not Open Window!". We opened the closet and on the floor we found a disgusting window air conditioner. We didn't bother turning it on. After my husband found a sign which read "Not responsible for Theft" he made a comment about being shanked in our sleep by a crack head. He was furious, and I felt responsible. Why Travelocity? WHY?!!! Back down to the bar to return our keys and refuse to stay. The bartender explains that the restaurant is separate from the hotel, and that we would have to come back tomorrow as no one from the hotel was there. Then why did the bar hand us our keys and then accept them back when we left? And why is it that for two days Travelocity tried repeatedly to contact the hotel with no answer? And why is it that our credit card was charged for the entire 3 days for which we had booked? We could not cancel. We could not reach anyone. We had to find another hotel to stay in at the last minute. Everywhere nearby was booked. We took a $60 cab ride to Laurel, New Jersey and stayed in a Beautiful HYATT 2 bedroom suite with a full kitchen. We were quoted $149 a night, and they reduced it to $99 to make up for the cab ride. The Society Hill Hotel is a scam that will be reported to the BBB of Philadelphia. Our credit card will eventually refund us the money, but it will take a few months. PLEASE! Do yourself a favor and do not stay at THE SOCIETY HILL HOTEL. I cannot speak for the food, drink or anything else at the "Bar - Restaurant", but I have some advice for them: Do not take keys, give out keys, share the same name or serve breakfast for the hotel if you are not affiliated. Personally, I do not believe the claim that they are not the same since every aspect was linked to them. I believe it is just how they avoid unhappy customers and rip them off. I feel so bad for the people who show up and do not have the money to go somewhere else. Always check YELP first. read more