Convenient business hotel in the heart of Downtown Philadelphia
I stayed in a standard king room at the Marriott Philadelphia Downtown for four nights in the main building as a family of four ... two adults and two small children. We chose to stay at the Marriott simply because I had a good group rate for an event that I was attending.
The biggest benefit of this hotel is the location ... it's walkable to key tourist sights such as Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, and also has great access to the subway lines as well as tourist transportation. For example the "Phlash" tourist bus leaves from right in front of the hotel. It is also right across the street from the Reading Terminal Market, which is a large food market ... kind of like an indoor permanent farmer's market.
The lobby/common area of the Marriott is quite spacious, modern, and clean. Lots of space for the front desk, a big central rotunda with a nice looking bar, and flat screens to direct people around the hotel. Unfortunately, the spacious and modern feeling ends at the lobby. The room that I was in was quite ordinary, uninspired, and on the small side. On a positive note, the furnishings were all well maintained, and made good use of the available space. There was also an AV center that let me plug in my iPad to watch movies on the flat screen TV (assuming you brought the right cables!). On the downside, the bathroom was on the small side and unfortunately the pipes were quite noisy ... you could hear the neighboring rooms use the shower or the faucet. There's also very little closet space.
In terms of service, I was very pleased, and the Marriott exceeded my expectations. The staff from the front desk, the concierge, and the main restaurant were all super-friendly and really made an effort to connect with us.
Finally, because I travel with kids, the pool is a critical component of a hotel. The Marriott has a decent indoor pool on the seventh floor. The pool is in the shape of a "T" with a lap pool, and an attached wading / splash area. It's a good design that lets the business people get their workout, while giving other people (kids) space to play around. The only complaint I have is that the water was quite cold, and there's no jacuzzi to warm up.
So in summary, I would come back to the Marriott Philadelphia Downtown for the right price because of the location. It's a competent but ordinary hotel that probably best services its primary clientele of business and convention travelers.