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Phone: 215-893-1234

Street Address: Broad and Walnut Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19102

* Pleasant, unique atmosphere on 19th floor. One of the city's most interesting and fascinating hotels. An ideal Center City location. Highly recommended. And the fitness center is fantastic. I could not believe the size of it until I saw it with my own eyes. *

Location Rating: Excellent. Heart of the city. The epicenter of Philadelphia's theater district. Many restaurants of all kinds within a 3 to 5 minute walk. City Hall is very close. Entrance to the subway and underground walkways is right there.

Lobby Appearance: There is a little shopping mall on the lower floors with a food court. To enter the hotel, you find the elevator and go to the 19th floor. When the elevator doors open up, you will be intrigued and surprised with what you see. This is the Barrymore Room, named after a famous theatrical family, and it is extremely impressive and elegant. My, what an impression it makes!

Room Appearance: The hotel has spent $30,000 per room as a result of recent renovations. I saw room 1533. It was certainly a very comfortable room. I found the corner views from high up to be interesting.

In the large closet is a large safe. The room had a telephone next to the toilet. (Rooms have 3 telephones altogether.) The television was a 27 incher.

Useful Nearby Businesses: Nova Savings Bank. They are located downstairs in the food court. And they have 5 computer stations. You can surf the web for free there! (But their hours are just 9am till 3pm Monday through Friday.) Many businesses and places to eat are either in the building or close by.

Hotel Restaurants: Founders Restaurant on the 19th floor. I think this is one of the most interesting places you can eat with a high-up view of the city. The ambiance is very upscale and elegant. And I would also call it "unique." For a special occasion, this is a special restaurant to be in. Ballroom dancing takes place there on weekend nights.

The hotel also has the "Library Lounge" where you can enjoy "light fare" and puff away on cigars. It is architecturally a very interesting room with dark woods and a fireplace. Comfortable, ritzy and unusual.

On the ground floor is "The Palm Restaurant" and Starbucks. Across the street is The Capital Grille, the Marathon Grill, Olive Garden and Morton's and the Ruth's Chris Steakhouse are also near.

Other Amenities: A 93,000 square foot fitness center. Yes, I also found that hard to believe. So I checked it out. Wow... it's big. This is a private facility, but hotel guests can use it for free. No other hotel here has anything like it. They have plenty of workout machines of all different types including free weights. They have so much equipment, there probably won't be any lines. The fitness center has an indoor, spongy running track which is situated above the main gym. The facility has a full-sized basketball court, racquetball courts, even squash courts. There is a pilates studio, yoga studio, aerobics rooms with a view, they even have a regulation boxing trainer and a fairly large pool.

In their parking garage is "Park & Polish." They will detail your car for you right there (for extra $). The hotel also has a "phenomenal full service spa and salon."

I found it a fascinating discovery to see the 7 story atrium which begins on the 12th floor. It's design reminded me a little of Paris. This is mainly for small banquets. Some rooms have a view of this attractive area.

Would I Stay Here? Yes. It's a special hotel in a great location with a superb fitness center and all kinds of good places to eat.

Comments: The governor of Pennsylvania and his security team were here during my visit (he has an office in the building). This is one of Philadelphia's most interesting landmark buildings and it was designed in an elaborate French Renaissance style of architecture. Originally named the Bellevue Stratford Hotel, it was built and completed in September 1904 to rival the opulence of New York City's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel at a then unprecedented cost of $8 million. This building was known as "The Grand Dame Of Broad Street." It was a hotel for the elite, with special features such as wider than usual corridors to allow enough room for women with large diameter dresses, ornate rococo architectural features, and an impressive two tiered grand ballroom with lighting designed by Thomas Edison. In its early years, it even had its own power generator and an ice skating rink on the roof.

Many famous people stayed there and numerous political conventions were also held at the Bellevue-Stratford. Through time, the glamour of the building disappeared. Modernization efforts made decades ago took away its unique charm. And the hotel opened and closed several times over the years.

In the late 1980's, the building was saved and an extensive $100 million restoration was completed in 1989. During the restoration, hidden treasure was uncovered. Original stained glass windows had been boarded up and forgotten about and re-discovered as light demolition began. Many antique indoor architectural details were exposed in the renovation and restored.

Originally, the Bellevue-Stratford hotel had 1000 rooms on its 19 floors. Then it had 529 rooms. Now it is the Park Hyatt and there are 172 rooms on the top 7 floors of the building. In 2003 the rooms were updated at a very high cost.

This hotel is a great place to stay. A top recommendation.

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