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Phone: 215-922-7600

Street Address: Front And Market Streets, Philadelphia, PA

* Wine Lovers Paradise - excellent "old city" location *

It was an adventure to wander around the 51 room Penn's View Inn. The hotel is located in the "Old City" section of central Philadelphia at the corner of Front & Market Streets. Numerous trendy new cafes and bars are right down the block. And the Penn's Landing area of the Delaware River waterfront is just a short stroll over a bridge.

Front desk manager Antonio greeted me. He was working alone. I waited as he efficiently checked out guests and summoned taxis with impressive speed. And I noticed that it appeared he had formed relationships with most of the guests. Antonio later told me that they really emphasize personal service.

The lobby area is quite small. The quiet, trickling sounds of water from a type of fountain fills the air. An Italian-themed restaurant is on the ground floor, plus a separate dining room, and a wine bar called "il bar." The bar has 120 different wines (!) with an unusual wine dispensing system. They consider themselves to be wine authorities (experts). In the wine cellar the hotel owner's private wine collection can be seen behind a glass wall. The wine cellar can be rented for private parties and 15 people can comfortably dine in this room.

The hotel was opened in 1989. The building was formerly a very old warehouse. Each room at the Penn's View Inn is different. All the rooms are of good quality. Some rooms I saw were so-so in attractiveness to me. Other rooms I liked a lot, like room 206 with its fireplace and interesting alley-view balcony. Room 204 was comfortable. I liked that room a lot. And some of the rooms I saw had a wall exposing the original brick. I liked that idea. It looked good.

The rooms are individually climate controlled and have 19 inch type televisions, which I consider small.

Rooms which face the Delaware River also face interstate highway 95 (I-95, a major highway). The hotel has double windows (which can open) to reduce the noise.

Breakfast is included in the room rate. They have smoking rooms, and 3 conference rooms. I saw a 10 person conference room - really comfortable.

Antonio made me feel really comfortable during my visit, and I think this is a good neighborhood to stay in. Just outside the door are interesting "Old City" sights. Independence Hall is about a 10 minute walk. You can easily catch a ferry (summertime) to go to the Camden Aquarium and see the Battleship New Jersey.

The hotel has an elevator. I didn't see the fourth floor fitness room (probably very small). The Penn's View Inn is a good place to stay.