Kestrel Hotel — Hotel in Philadelphia

From booking to the stay itself, everything was a very positive experience. This is a cute, family run hotel that will elevate your stay in Philly! Note: there is not a front desk, so make sure you check your emails and text messages frequently for information.

Immediately after booking, I called to reserve parking. With it being my first time (and used to hotel chains), I assumed it would be a parking garage. Wrong! The parking is PHENOMENAL and not at all what I would have ever expected within Philadelphia. Make sure you reserve parking right away because it’s a private garage with only two spaces; the price wasn’t bad at all, it was $40, which is similar to the price if you park nearby in a public garage or lot.

I booked Kestrel Hotel because it was the closest hotel to Underground Arts; I felt incredibly safe walking to and from the venue! When you’re in the room, make sure you review the list of recommended restaurants and cafes… we went to Cafe Lift (listed as the owner’s favorite breakfast spot in the city) [the egg florentine was exceptional] and that alone was so delicious that I’m wanting to plan another trip back to try all their other recommendations!

Also worth noting, I booked the Loft District Suite, and the room itself was stocked with everything we needed. There’s an area to do laundry (dryer sheets were provided), complimentary drinks, plenty of extra towels, robes, makeup remover wipes, cookware, etc. This would be a great place to take the family…. And it’s pet friendly! (We didn’t bring our dog because we were going to a concert, but next time I’ll bring our pup along!) Additionally, the bed and pillows were SO SOFT, I had the best sleep!

I’ve noticed a few other reviews being critical of the communication, A/C, and cleaning fees. Don’t let this dissuade you. For the communication - call them! Every time I called with a question the owner picked up right away, he was very patient and helpful. After checking in, you will receive an email with instructions for adjusting the A/C (which goes back to my original comment about regularly checking your texts and emails since you’ll receive separate messages - one for a confirmation, another for a parking instructions, a third one for checking in to the hotel, a fourth for adjusting the temperature, and finally one for checking out and using the private, monitored luggage room if you want to stay longer). The temperature was never an issue for us, and we stayed during a very hot day mid-June! Finally, the cleaning fees. The Kestrel Hotel breaks down the costs of everything when you’re booking. You will know upfront what the cleaning fees are, this will not be a surprise charge. Compared to other hotels nearby, the total price is very competitive with the chain hotels. The difference is those other hotels include their cleaning fees in the cost of your overall stay, so at the end of the day you’re not paying any more - you can just see where the money is going.

If you spent the time reading this full review and still pondering whether it’s worth booking… it is. Go do yourself a favor and do it. In Philly, I promise you won’t find a more spacious, chic, and comfortable...

A one night stay that should've easily been a positive experience—except for the impolite, inept, and frustrating customer service. The room itself was nice, the location was good. However, the room's door failed to lock as we were trying to leave for an event, and it took far too long—and a lot of arguing over text with our "concierge"—to get the matter resolved. The door did not lock when we attempted to leave, and unlike any other keypad lock we've ever used, it didn't automatically lock, nor was there a button to press to lock it. When we asked our concierge (over text message) how to get the door to lock, we were told that it locks automatically on demand in a few minutes. Well, "automatically" and "on demand" are not the same thing, and I'm sorry, but I'm not comfortable leaving my belongings and room unattended based only on the assumption that the door will lock automatically. And by that point, we'd been standing in the corridor for 5 minutes and the door hadn't locked. We gently pushed back, asking for a way to manually lock the door, and we were told that we needed to wait for it to lock because "It's an automatic door. That's how they work." Meanwhile, our the Lyft we'd ordered left, we were charged as a no show, and our user rating was impacted. Eventually the concierge attempted a reset of the lock, which failed, and the matter was "resolved" by directing us to a key in a lockbox in the lobby. We were treated as a hindrance, assumed to be inept yokels never before confronted with a keypad lock, and waited long minutes without replies.

At the end of the day, things like this happen, and I frankly wouldn't be upset if we'd received courteous service. Instead, the rude and dismissive treatment colored my entire perception of the place, and I'll never return to this hotel.

Also you can pay $40 extra to park in a garage so small you can barely open the door to the lobby without smashing the bumper of...

I sometimes laugh to my friends about becoming a hotel critic. I'm that weird guy that the second I walk in I start looking for flaws, I'll check picture tops and doortops for layers of dust. I almost immediatly head to the bathroom to look for hairs on toilet or in shower. I pull out the A/C filters to make sure there clean (fyi-they usually are). I'm in no way a germafobe I just want my money's worth. While this place is not your typical hotel, its 10× better. Where else can you get a full 4 appliance kitchen with everything from a dishwasher to an over the range microwave and I'm not talking you dated long term stay hotel kitchenette, I mean nice new Stainless appriances, pull down faucet, plenty of cockwear for a large meal, and modern dishes to eat it from. Beds are extremly confortable and very sturdy if you catch my drift! There are the split type A/C units mounted on the wall and I was there in July and it did the job and I prefer freezing cold because it's all the better for cuddling. I heard minimal noise from other guests, the windows open although there is great airflow throughout already, you get a sonos speaker in your room that sounds amazing and access to laundry just steps from your door way. The owner/operators go the extra step to accommodate most every need, they are extremly responcive from the little things to the everything's. The Kestrel Hotel sets the standard amongst Boutique Hotels in my (wanna be Hotel Critic) opinion! If I had to say one critical thing it would have to be that dimmer switches would be a great addition to the hotel in creating a much better ambiance. Also I had my doughts about not haveing a TV but I must say I didnt even think about it again until I wrote this post and ive been at the hotel for just about 7 days, really you don't miss it, trust me! 6 stars if the rating went that high. I just may extend my stay another week, I truley do...