Doubletree by Hilton, Philadelphia, Pa. – Hotel Review

The word “reception” designates not only the desk one goes to upon entering a hotel to check in, but also the manner in which one is received or greeted.  Sometimes the two reflect excellence in tandem, but that’s rare.  One such example, however, is the reception I received upon arriving at the Doubletree in Philadelphia.  The warmth of the greetings by the bellman and the front desk clerk immediately took away the stress of a long drive and made me feel more welcome than I had ever felt before at a hotel.

There’s something else warm at the front desk besides the reception and the people, namely the Doubletree chocolate chip cookies with walnuts.  Baked fresh several times a day, the cookies are kept in ovens that are built into each Doubletree hotel’s front desk. The recipe, incidentally, is a highly-guarded secret.

THE ROOM

My executive room on a high floor (with views of downtown Philly) had two queen-sized beds that were outfitted in the manner of the Doubletree Sweet Dreams program.  Sweet Dreams provides a pillow-top mattress, good quality linens, four down pillows per bed, and a small “Sweet Dreams” pillow. You can also pre-order other kinds of pillows and extra towels via the Web, and they will be placed in your room prior to your arrival.

Sweet Dreams worked as promised.  I slept well and without interruption, something that is rare when I am not in my own bed.

The room also came equipped with a 42” flat-screen television (which went unused during my stay) and, according to the Web site, guests can use the TV to access video games.

The bathroom’s  combined tub and shower featured a curved curtain rod.  There were no bathrobes in the room upon arrival, but they were delivered within minutes of my request.

All such requests are handled via the “Careline” button marked on the phone in the room.  The Careline was consistently answered within three rings.  Any requests I had, such as hot water, or a question about a show at a theater, were responded to quickly.  The hotel seemed to effuse this service philosophy.  When a towel bar broke in the bathroom, an engineer was there fixing it within 15 minutes.

Click here to continue to Page 2 – Road Warrior Support, Meeting Rooms, Dining, and Virtual Tours