My family and I recently stayed at this location. It is a great central location, close to the historic district, subway, etc. Hotel was clean and staff was very helpful. The only problem we encountered was that when we checked in (7pm) and our reservation for a non-smoking room was not available. Our daughter has alergies, so this was a problem. The staff offered to spray the room (which they did), and since the city was busy, we opted to take the smoking room for the night. They clerk told me that they would "adjust" my bill to compensate for the smoking room. (In the end they only gave me a $25 credit - not at all enough for the inconvenience). The next morning they moved us to a non-smoking room.

The food was good, great selection and replenished frequently. The pool was marginal, there were no clean towels. Parking was expensive at $21 per day. I would recommend finding less expensive parking around the hotel.

Our experience here began badly and got better. It's never a good start when you're waiting at an empty reception and eventually someone comes forward to deal with you unable to stifle a yawn. I had requested adjoining rooms to be near the two children I was with: straightaway I was told there were none. OK, how about rooms at least on the same floor? An endless search in the computer ensued and finally two rooms were found, but one hadn't been cleaned. It was already 2.15pm; I was told to come back at 3. In fact it was 4.15pm before I got access to my room. Our first afternoon in Philadelphia was pretty much a write-off. So that was the bad part: once in the room it turned out to be recently refurbished, well appointed, and with a great view: definitely above the standard you'd expect of a Holiday Inn Express. There was free wifi internet and a paper at the door in the morning. Finding that breakfast included was a bonus, and it wasn't at all bad: there were cereals, omelettes, bagels, fruit, muffins, juice, tea and coffee; and unlike many roadside inns, there were enough tables to cope at peak times. The location is unbeatable: walk two blocks and you're on Broad Street; six or seven blocks the other way and you're at Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. There are loads of restaurants and bars in the area. Parking is expensive though: they charged $21 a night, even though my confirmation said $18: the line at reception was so long when I left that I couldn't be bothered disputing it. Shame about the small annoyances, but overall the combination of location, high room standard and breakfast make this a good choice for seeing the best of Philadelphia.

The Holiday Inn Express "Midtown" has good rooms and the location is also good. The breakfast also has a lot of choices. Not being from a big city, we were at first concerned because not all of the buildings around the hotel appeared to be in the best of shape. However, after 4 days in Philly, we learned this was a good safe location to stay. It is approximately a 7 block 15 to 20 minute walk to the Indepence Hall historic area. The hotel is also very close to Broad Street where the theaters and some good restraunts are located. Only downside is the parking seemed expensive to us at $22/day.

We just returned from staying at the HI Express. The room was very nice, and the free breakfast was great since we had a family of 4. It included fresh fruit, a "local specialty" which was always cheese omelettes, several types of breads, cinnamon rolls, cereals and juices. The staff was mostly very curious, and they have a computer in the lobby where you can access the internet and print out boarding passes and tickets for free. It was an easy walk to the historic center area, and there were several good restaurants nearby.