Great location, nice Exterior & public spaces - room a little small
Stayed here for one night on August 17, 2012. My husband is a platinum Marriott member so we just payed the parking fee. The exterior of the building is richly detailed and the lobby, meeting rooms, library, gym are very large. It's great that Marriott kept the original trim and other detail when creating the hotel, and most public spaces we encountered seemed clean and well taken care of, but our room was not as clean or spacious as the public spaces. The room size was small for the two queen beds, which surprised me since most reviews on TripAdvisor indicated the rooms were generously sized. Our room, #814 I believe, also had a tub drain that didn't perform at all. It would have been obvious to house keeping personnel when cleaning out the tub, which makes me wonder if the bathtub was properly cleaned before we checked in. The room was also very dusty. There was dust on almost every fixture, from lighting to the television. And not the kind that you normally see during the course of the day, it was almost as if they wiped the hard surfaces with a paper towel that began to come apart. Also, we were grateful to have a refrigerator, but ours was really noisy.
My family loved the gym and we all worked out together in their very large facility the morning we left. They have cardio equipment with flat screens mounted onto the unit, which was nice. A nice assortment of weight machines and free weights and an aerobic step, floor mat, kettle bell weights and refrigerated hand towels for cooling/wiping off. If the staff were to check the large stability ball near the window, they would see that it needs air, and shocker...a good dusting-I went to pick it up and began to sneeze due to the heavy accumulation of dust.
The three brightest spots inside the property...and the main reason for the very good rating...the gym, the location and personnel. Just about everyone we came into contact with were friendly and you can tell that great customer service is a priority from management. There were two people that we met as we arrived that made the most positive impact. Corey at the front desk and Mark (I believe that's right, but it could be Matthew) with valet parking were super cordial and helpful as we were trying to get out for our walking tour just after check-in. I never saw Mark (Matthew again) after he brought our bags up to our room, but his directions and interest in our family helped make what could have been a stressful situation, no worries at all.
I don't have a complaint about the cost to park because I can see that this building is in a difficult spot to drive in, parking is at a premium downtown, and the parking staff is working hard to move vehicles efficiently.
There is a large screen TV in what we thought was a lounge for guests as it is right along a main hallway surrounded by a large couch, chairs and a coffee table. There was a family sitting in the space, reading and eating snacks before us. After they left, we sat down to eat sandwiches from a local cheesesteak place and a restaurant employee told my husband that the space was for the restaurant. I'm not sure I would have done that to hotel guests, especially considering that it was Friday night at 7:30 and the place (the obvious restaurant space further away with restaurant tables/chairs) was EMPTY, but I understand his motivation to protect the space. Maybe better signs from management for the area would avoid this in the future.
Outside the back entrance was easy access to Reading Terminal, Chilis, Hard Rock and I was thankful that we didn't have to walk all the way around to the front. When my 11 year old and I walked to the Hard Rock Friday evening, I was glad to see that we needed our key to enter then hotel. 
This is a city hotel, and I felt completely safe. In fact, I chose it because it was in the city and we could walk to shops, restaurants and the tour we took from the visitor's center in the historic district. You have to be smart in Philadelphia just as you would in any other city. We kept our belongings close by when eating downstairs and were sure to take well lit paths when dark.
Lastly, my family appreciated a property that gave a nod to history instead of another cookie cutter building. This location is great for families, especially with Reading available to suit every meal/taste, restaurants and shopping within close proximity and history right out the front door.