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Phone: 215-235-6200

Street Address: 1331 West Berks Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122

* The Nicest Place To Stay In North Philly *

Location Rating: Excellent if you need to be at Temple University. It is a drastic 2 miles away from City Hall and all of the Center City action, and I use the word "drastic" because the neighborhood and economic vitality of this area is negatively different. However, the immediate location of the Conwell Inn is indeed very, very nice since it is in the Temple University campus. This campus is an attractive, and they say "safe," oasis surrounded by a mean North Philadelphia ghetto.

Lobby Appearance: Approaching the Conwell Inn is a positive experience. Attractive interesting buildings are here. From Broad Street, you walk a block down a visually appealing pedestrian street. A police station is beside the Conwell Inn. The hotel lobby is tiny and has a gas fireplace and minimal places to sit and hang-out. The lobby gives the impression that the rooms will be okay.

Room Appearance: Most people would be comfortable in these rooms. They are modern, clean and fairly spacious.

Useful Nearby Businesses: Around the corner, in the same building is a PNC Bank branch, Dunkin Donuts, Baskin Robbins, and the convenience store 7-11 which also includes a sit-down area for their customers to enjoy their food. The Liacouras Center is about a 4 or 5 minute walk. Events like concerts are held there.

Hotel Restaurants: None. But a continental breakfast is offered in the lobby which they say sometimes features delicious Belgium waffles.

Other Amenities: High speed internet access. Satellite TV.

Would I Stay Here? Yes.

Comments: This was my second attempt to visit the Conwell Inn. For my first attempt, I drove to the address listed on the city's official tourism website (www.gophila.com ). That address was 133 West Berks Street. Driving down Berks Street was a safari through an urban wasteland. I was really hoping that I wouldn't get a flat tire, or something like that. I very much did not belong there.

I made it to 133 West Berks without getting hit by any stray bullets. And by the time I arrived I had already decided the location was insane for a hotel. What kind of crazy people would want to travel to this third world neighborhood?

Well, the hotel was not there! Later I discovered the correct address, and it is 1331 West Berks Street! Thanks a lot gophila.com! Besides hoping that I didn't get a flat, I was thinking that everyone that sees me, the white guy, in this car, probably thinks I'm looking to buy drugs.

Well, my second attempt to visit the Conwell Inn was much more successful and comfortable. I parked along busy Broad Street and walked into the very impressive, very attractive Temple University campus. I had been here years ago and it has definitely changed and improved tremendously. The immediate area of the Conwell Inn is very comfortable and probably very safe, since the university has their own police force and a police station is directly beside the Conwell Inn.

The Conwell Inn has 22 rooms and opened in the year 2000. It is a little less than 2 miles north of City Hall. Within 5 minutes you can walk to the subway (metro) or catch a bus to go downtown. I like the Conwell Inn. I like the immediate area. But it is on an island in a sea consisting of one of the city's poorest, roughest, most dangerous areas. If you were to walk to City Hall, you'd be walking through poverty and risk. Other parts of the city have a lot of real estate action going on. New townhouses are being built. Old homes are being renovated. Apartment buildings are being turned into condos. Old factories and warehouses are being turned into lofts. Real estate values are going sky high. But not here in North Philly. A vast ghetto surrounds the attractive Temple University campus.

I was told that the vacancy rates of the Conwell Inn ebb and flow with the university's activity. Example: when there is a Winter break, they are slow. For parents who need to visit a son or daughter at the University, this is a good place to stay. It is also good for those who have a loved one at the nearby Temple University Hospital.

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