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Phone: 215-922-4443

Street Address: 235 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

Rates: $124 to $299.

Location Rating: Excellent. Close to Independence Hall. The street outside has much less hustle and bustle than other locations.

Lobby Appearance: Recently updated. Tall ceiling. Big fireplace. There is a little bit of space to hang-out. Elevator is fairly nice. A breakfast room can be seen on a lower level.

Room Appearance: There are 36 rooms. All of them are different, since the building is so old. The most attractive feature of the rooms are the bathrooms. Bathrooms have good lighting and nice granite counters. Some guest rooms have 17 foot high ceilings. This makes the rooms appear larger. They say every year they are updating rooms. The rooms look fine. Security is very good. Nobody should be able to get on to a guest floor unless they belong there.

Useful Nearby Businesses: Check out Italian restaurant/bar "Dolce" just steps away. They have got quite a nifty lighting system. One moment the floor and everything is pink. The next time you walk by everything is green, then blue, then yellow! Next door is the related "Paradigm" restaurant serving continental cuisine. I love the euro disco beat. Reminds me of being in Moscow.  I rarely use the word "cool," but this place is it.

The restaurant at the Society Hill Hotel might be worth a try. New owners of the restaurant just re-opened in early January. They say they've got some great chefs. Down the block a little further is "Cosi" a nice little cafe for snacks and things. Then there is "The Bourse" around the corner. They have a food court with a number of touristy shops.

Hotel Restaurants: No restaurant, but they have a breakfast area. They consider it a European style breakfast. You can make your own Belgium waffles. It's a comfortable place to sit and eat. (Breakfast is included in the room rate.)

On Wednesdays they have a wine and cheese reception from 5:30pm to 6:30pm.

During the late afternoon complimentary tea and cookies await guests in the lobby. The tea is their own brand. The cookies are Otis Spunkmeyer cookies. Oh man, I had a chocolate chip cookie and it was fantastic. Being a long-time cookie monster, I can tell you their chocolate chip cookies are top-notch gourmet items. Mmm.... delicious.

Other Amenities: Luggage room. This is good if you arrive early and need to leave your luggage somewhere. Rooms have 27 inch televisions. They have free dial-up internet access, free hard-wire high speed internet access and free wireless.

Comments: The building dates back to 1856 and is a registered historic landmark. The hotel has a total of 36 rooms on 5 floors. Previously a doll manufacturer occupied this building. The building is rumored to be haunted, but there have been no "sightings."

Lots of security cameras are here. After 10pm you will need your card key to enter the lobby.

Among the rooms, four are "double doubles."

They mostly have business guests Monday through Thursday. They attract a fair number of international travellers. And they say the hotel is popular with the different weekend packages they offer.

From this location, it is easy to walk to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. You can also enjoy a stroll through interesting old residential streets in the surrounding neighborhoods. The National Park Service has a police presence in this area, in addition to the city's police. Other nearby hotels are the Omni Hotel and the Society Hill Hotel. Appel's Society Hill Bed & Breakfast is also nearby.

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