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Phone: 215-448-2000

Street Address: 17th & Race Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19103

The Wyndham is the tall building to the left. The Swann Fountain is in front. Philadelphia City Hall is in the background.

Location Rating: Very good proximity to City Hall area and Suburban Station. Philadelphia Museum Of Art is a 20 minute walk. Convention Center is about a 15 or 20 minute walk.

Lobby Appearance: A very large atrium. A 26 foot tall "tower clock" made in 1869 is near the reception desk. It looks like a giant grandfather clock. There is a bar/lounge area and a restaurant in the atrium. Upstairs is 55,000 square feet of meeting space.

Room Appearance: They are undergoing a $9.3 million renovation. Guest floors 1, 2 and 3 are in process. New rooms are quite nice. The standout feature in the new rooms is the very classy black-ish granite counter in the bathrooms. Their new bathrooms look quite nice. Among the nicest in a Philadelphia hotel.

Useful Nearby Businesses: "Subway" and T.G.I. Fridays is near.

Hotel Restaurants: "Shula's - America's Steak House;" the "Terrace Restaurant" in the atrium where you can sit and watch all the people in the lobby. And there is a lobby bar with a lounge area. At Shula's, a porterhouse steak will set you back $85. Most entrées are $25 to $40. "Proper attire is required," and if you share a plate with somebody, that will cost you an extra $10! Nasty! This restaurant is accessible in the lobby, but is apart from all of the activity there.

View from a guest room at the Wyndham in January 2005. The Four Seasons Hotel is the 8 story building to the left.

Other Amenities: They have a large fitness center. They say they will be renovating this area soon. They have a lot of equipment, plus free weights. The gym looks dated right now. The fitness center has two racquetball courts. They have an indoor pool that has a maximum depth of 4 and a half feet. Rooms feature $500 Herman Miller ergonomic desk chairs, alarm clock/CD/radio, Sony Playstation, cable/in-room movies, coffee maker, iron, ironing board, hair dryer, pillow top mattresses and custom bedding, weekday newspaper, cordless 2 line phone with data port. Rooms also have wireless high speed internet access, and great new carpeting with a comfortable feel. They also have a parking garage.

Comments: The hotel has 758 rooms and 26 floors. They do have a few suites, but they are reserved for their convention guests. Many rooms have an interesting view of Swann Fountain and the Franklin Institute Museum. If you want to have a really fancy dinner, the Four Seasons is within easy walking distance.

I think the improvements they are making here in room quality is substantial. They have nice new rooms now.