Kasa the Niche University City Philadelphia — Hotel in Philadelphia

Misery from start to finish. Bar downstairs blasts music non-stop - Niche pretends to care but does nothing that makes a difference. YOU CANNOT "SLEEP" HERE - which is all we wanted the place for...||||We reserved at the last minute as we were visiting colleges and driving from one to another. This was close to U Penn and seemed great for that reason. Unfortunately after we reserved thru hotels.com (and pre-paid for both nights), we were sent emails that we did not see while driving for 5 hours. ||||We arrived expecting to have information about how to enter the property, instead we had an email demanding that we immediately send a deposit worth more than the hotel rooms - and which was NEVER mentioned on hotels.com. (Bad on them as well). Niche also wanted photos of my ID & credit card - even though I had already paid for the room and was not about to send that info over the internet. It took 45 minutes of phone calls to deal with their requirements while we were out in the hot sun and exhausted from a 5 hour drive - if we weren't meeting someone right nearby I would have cut my losses, cancelled and changed hotels. Finally got in ....||||Room is ok, basic, one cup in the entire room. Cheap amenities...handsoap is softsoap, which has an unpleasant scent. ||||We were immediately wondering where the insanely loud music was coming from at 5:30 pm... We sent a note about it to Niche but were heading out so didn't give it too much thought ... until we came back to go to bed - still loud and throbbing at 10pm, 11pm, finally off around midnight. That sucked and kept us up way later than we wanted to be with a busy schedule.||||Took a shower the next morning - lukewarm. Never got hot even though I had it on full hot ... that was not enjoyable. ||||Went out in the morning & came back at 3:30 to rest before going out again. Insanely loud throbbing music AGAIN... sent a note to the property management AGAIN ... the bar downstairs seems to be connected to this property but Niche claimed that it was only a restaurant ... that was odd. I had to go down myself to ask that they turn the music down - the manager made a big stink how it would inconvenience his customers - what? there were 5 ppl there who couldn't hear one another - I asked if he could just turn it down a bit - our room was shaking from the music... he finally had a tantrum, turned the entire outside system off and then told all of the customers that I was to blame - he was threatening toward me as well - really not at all what you sign up for when you just want a place to sleep while visiting colleges with your child.||||The music was back on when we came back from dinner and louder than ever. I wrote to Niche multiple times asking that they work it out with the bar/ restaurant. We had a very early morning on Sunday so went to bed at 10 - music not off until 11:30.||||I don't know if establishments are allowed to blast music outside all night, but I do know that you cannot offer a place for people to sleep in a city knowing that there is music blasting until late and not have adequate windows to keep out the sound. ||||Niche needs better windows or to ensure that the bar won't blast music all the time so people can't think or sleep.||||Check-out instructions require that we load the dishwasher ... there isn't one for the one cup in here ... just dying to know what they are going to try to pull to try to keep the security deposit ... I'll update. Sadly for us, this place has not delivered on the most fundamental role of a place to stay: creating conditions for sleep.||||Oh, and ... We were awoken at 7am this morning, (1/2 hour before we wanted to get up after being kept up last night) by a loud group on a deck 2 buildings down. This is not a place to stay if you plan to sleep. Niche needs to get serious and put in better...

Absolutely Unacceptable — Avoid at All Costs

I’ve never experienced such poor professionalism and disregard for basic hospitality. I booked my stay with Kasa well in advance, only to receive an email while I was on the plane — mere hours before check-in — informing me that they had canceled my reservation due to a “maintenance issue” they “just” discovered. Not only did they offer zero alternative accommodations, but they also placed the burden entirely on me to cancel through the booking platform.

When I finally reached someone by phone, hoping for at least minimal support or help rebooking elsewhere, I was met with indifference. The representative was dismissive, unapologetic, and completely unhelpful — as if leaving a guest stranded upon arrival in a new city is a normal part of doing business.

Travelers beware: if you value reliability, communication, and basic human decency, look elsewhere. Kasa clearly does not respect their guests’ time, safety,...

Niche advertises itself as a tastefully converted 19th century home in Philadelphia. There are 12 rooms. It is quiet. I stayed in one of their standard "studio" rooms with bed and bath. There was no closet in the bedroom. There was no heat in the toilet and shower area, up some painted stairs from the bed area. Clothing storage is a laminate drawer under the platform bed. There was no wastebasket or rubbish bin, apart from a mandatory receptacle for feminine hygiene materials tucked in next to the toilet. The room was clean. The wifi was great. There are several outlets in the bed area, and the sink is also in the bed area. Heat and cooling is from a wall-mounted unit with a thermostat control. Architecturally, it would take a minor miracle for the air from this unit to reach the toilet and shower loft. I needed a place to sleep near the university. It gave me a place to sleep, up a steep and narrow...