I booked through Hotwire which let me get the room at a very good rate however, be forewarned ,that while Hotwire states you should contact the hotel for specific requests, this is not the case. I had to places several calls to Hotwire will no definite answer.
Eventually, got the required bed configuration thanks to the lovely Westin staff..special kudos to Kareem at the front desk for smoothing out the bumps and greeting me by name.

The room was tastefully decorated, fairly large, quiet, immaculate. Modern, a bit antiseptic but classy,
and had nice amenities. I loved the fact that it is a smoke-free hotel.
The beds were wonderful and the bed linens of high quality.
The bathroom was clean and modern--not uber-luxurious but upscale.

The common rooms are spacious and numerous and the
hotel has high security features Check out was a non-event since we prepayed and did not have incidentals.

The location was great....quiet area (I do not recommend it for late night strolls, however.) Easy to get taxis and the drivers were all more friendly and helpful than NY cabbies.
We took the septa on several occasions and liked the fact that the hotel is 2 short blocks away.

I stayed at this Westin for a couple of nights while I was in Philly on business recently and was very satisfied with their product . They had renovated the rooms since last time I had stayed here, and they did a great job brining it up to date and to current Westin standards. I especially like the white marble in the bathrooms - a great touch. However, the best part of the hotel is the location; its close to everywhere. This hotel makes a great home base for any trip to Philly.

Tremendous two night stay at the Philadelphia Westin March 28-30. Arrived to Philadelphia from New York via Amtrak. Hotel was a speedy $6 cab ride from the train station.

Upon arrival I was greeted by the doorman who checked my bag due to the fact that I was unsure if I would be able to check into my room early or not. Hotels usually have a 3:00pm check in time and it was 10:00am. I took the entrance elevator up to the lobby and was greeted by friendly front desk personnel. I might add this was a pleasant surprise as I have arrived early (maybe an hour before check in at 3pm) at another Philadelphia hotel in the past and have been greeted by an almost annoyed tone of voice. This was not the case what so ever at the Westin. I was warmly greeted and given a room immediately with a king sized bed and two room keys.

From the moment I arrived at the Westin until I checked out I was never treated with any less then the utmost respect. Both consergier persons on duty over the weekend (one was a tall balding white male and the other a black female with curly hair) always greeted me and my guest with a wave and smile and were able to help with directions and a BYO tip or two.

Housekeeping kept our room spotless. I could tell they scrubbed the bathtub, toilet, and sink as well as vacuuming. You would be surprised at how lazy some housekeeping staff can be at other hotels and consider their job to only includes emptying trash, making the bed, and providing fresh towels. The coffee station was fully restocked and they ever changed the pillowcase where my mascara and eyeliner had left a mark from sleeping. Westin Philadelphia had some of the best housekeeping staff I’d encountered at a hotel in my many travels.

Room service was outstanding. Whoever took our orders both mornings was friendly and whoever delivered our foot both mornings was kind and considerate. Both mornings our breakfast was delivered hot, fresh, prepared exactly as specified, and within 30 minutes of placing our order. And here’s the best part – it was reasonably priced for room service.

The rooms were most defiantly deserved the 4-star rating they are marked with. Because this was formally a Ritz-Carlton, the bathrooms have marble countertops and showers and a large soaking tub. Westin stepped it up a notch with a terry-clothed rob, large towels, great smelling toiletries, and a double shower head. The room size was extra large. There was a walk-in closet with two luggage stands, an ironing board and iron, and plenty of coat hangers. The coffee stand had a very clean one cup coffee maker with high quality starbucks products. The TV stand housed a safe and min-fridge. The LG plasma TV had great picture quality and sound and, in my opinion, a flat screen TV is expected in a 4-star hotel in 2008. The business desk was spacious and provided extra plugs. The climate controls were modern and featured a digital screen. The windows were large with a great window screen that allowed the occupant to enjoy the skyline and sunshine without others in the surrounding buildings to peak in on you. The modern chair and footrest were comfortable and provided a good place for reading or watching the TV. Lastly, the bed was, as the name implies, heavily. I have never experienced a better night’s sleep at a hotel.

Westin’s location is convenient to mass transit, trendy shopping, delicious BYO’s, and Rittenhouse Square. If you are a guest one sunny day, walk down to Di Bruno Brothers, grab a picnic lunch, and spend the afternoon in Rittenhouse Square Park. It’s perfect!

I highly suggest The Westin Philadelphia. I will be staying at the property again. Thanks for a memorable weekend!

This was my second stay at the Westin Philadelphia. First time was nearly 5 years ago for business and this time was purely for a fun weekend visit. Got a pretty good deal via Priceline and was happy it picked Westin on my bid. Though I felt that the check-in staff wasn't as helpful - I had to proactively ask where the business ctr or the gym were.

POsitives: Room was clean, bed is nice and comfortable. Nice flatscreen tv. They give you a free bottle of water - which was nice because most hotels usually charge you ridiculous prices on little things like water. Bathroom is all marble and well maintained. They have a pretty nice gym for a hotel - most hotel gyms are tiny with 3-4 equipments crammed in. This one was a decent size - with locker rooms and sauna!
Location is great because you're right in the shopping area Chestnut/Walnut and near RIttenhouse Square. & on a nice day like when we went, it was good to walk off your meals by walking across town to Society Hill or South Street.

Negatives: I noticed that the nice white bathrobe had a makeup/foundation like stain on the shoulder - which made me wonder if it was just hanging there from the last guest and they never washed it. A bummer but realized after using it (and I don't wear foundation make up!) and we were getting ready to leave so I didn't ask for a new one. Also they were supposed to have free shoeshine and I had 2 pairs of shoes but when I saw them the next morning, was not impressed - it almost seemed they didn't even put polish on them.. again, was in a rush so didn't ask if they had indeed polished them overnight.
Parking is pricey so I parked nearby on 17th and Samson ($20). Not worth the valet ($42!) if you just want to stroll about town which is pretty easy to do on foot or even the buses.

Overall a good stay, good quality hotel, easily recommendable - and definitely shop for the hotel prices! It's worth it.