Hotel Review: Hilton Garden Inn Philadelphia Center City

Philadelphia?!!? Are you really going to vacation in Philadelphia? Probably not. Although Philly does have a lot of things going for it, it’s not anyone’s big summer vacation and in the winter, the weather makes it a dicey proposition. Believe me, I’d like to constantly post reviews from gorgeous tropical locales every week, but I don’t travel to beaches every week. Sometimes in life you just have to go to Philadelphia. I was there recently for work and had a nice trip.

I chose the Hilton Garden Inn Philadelphia Center City for three reasons: 1) It was in the center of the city, close to a handful of places I needed to go to. 2) It was during the NBA playoffs and the Philadephia 76’ers were doing well and I hoped to sit at the hotel bar with a bunch of crazy Philly fans and watch that night’s game. 3) I’m a long time Hilton Honors member and I love to add to my Hilton points totals!

Unfortunately for me, the hotel bar/restaurant was closed for renovations, so I had to walk down the street to a Chinese sports bar. The Hilton Garden Inn Philadelphia Center City is in the center of the city and also in the center of Philadelphia’s Chinatown district, so yes Virginia there is a Chinese sports bar and I’ve written a review of it HERE.

The location of the hotel is convenient as it is connected to the Philadelphia Convention Center by a parking garage. The bad news is that the parking garage is kind of iffy. It’s very downtown city garagey. It didn’t look or smell great and the elevator to the hotel was out of service when I was there.

The hotel, however, I can’t complain about. The staff were friendly and helpful. Everything in the hotel was clean, neat, and up to date. The room you see above was a Hilton Honors Diamond member free upgrade from the standard Queen bed room I had booked. It was impeccably clean and very spacious. Also, as you can see from the picture below, they are not stingy with the pillows!

When I wanted some effing pillows they hooked me up!

I give the Hilton Garden Inn Philadelphia Center City 3.5 Philly’s out of 5. The hotel itself was fantastic and if you’re going to the convention center it’s perfectly located. The drawbacks are that the parking garage and area of the city are a little too rough if you’re staying there with your family. I was there alone for business, so I rather like the vibe of being in Chinatown, and I absolutely loved the Chinese sports bar, so don’t forget to read about it HERE, as well as my story about An Amish Buggy in Chinatown over at The Phil Factor.

Have a great week, and safe travels! ~Phil