Sheraton Philadelphia University City Hotel — Hotel in Philadelphia

As a former Marriott Titanium Elite / Lifetime Platinum Elite, I made a reservation using my Marriott Bonvoy points for a four (4) night stay in mid-October 2025 at the Sheraton Philadelphia University City, which is located adjacent to the University of Pennsylvania campus, such that our youngest daughter, wife and I would be able to visit our oldest daughter, who just started her freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania a couple of months earlier, during her Fall Break.||This is our third stay at this property, with our prior two visits totaling eight (8) nights in both June 2023 and in August 2023, when our oldest daughter spent six (6) weeks at the University of Pennsylvania Pre-College Program held from late June 2023 through early August 2023. You can view both of my previous Five (5) Star Trip Advisor Reviews as well as numerous photos for both prior stays here on Trip Advisor.||Shortly after making this new reservation, I emailed Nicole A. Ramamurthy, Hotel Manager and Chris Beck, Senior Rooms Division Manager and advised them of our future stay as well as our additional special requests, including our request for the same King Club Suite on the 20th floor with a view of the University of Pennsylvania (my alma mater) that we enjoyed during our prior two stays during the summer of 2023, as well as their assistance in adding our oldest daughter's name to the reservation so she would be able to check-in before the rest of us arrived very late in the evening.||Within hours of my email, I received a thoughtful reply from Mr. Beck and he readily granted all of our special requests. The prompt response from Mr. Beck did not come as a surprise to me given how active the management of this property is in reading and promptly replying to past guests on Trip Advisor as well as the Marriott Bonvoy website, which is a clear sign of management’s commitment to exemplary customer service. ||This centrally located business hotel is conveniently located adjacent to the University of Pennsylvania campus and was quite familiar to me as I had seen it often during my undergraduate years at Penn in the late 80s / early 90s as well as our two (2) prior stays during the summer of 2023. As luck would have it, my oldest daughter was assigned my old dormitory just a mere two (2) blocks away from the hotel, so the location couldn’t have been better for us. In addition to being centrally located in University City, public transportation options abound in very close proximity to the hotel as well, including the Market-Frankford subway line, the trolley line and 30th Street (Train) Station as well as the frequent city buses on both Chestnut, Walnut and Market Streets, respectively. ||Our third visit to the Sheraton Philadelphia University City did not disappoint, notwithstanding the extensive renovations that are ongoing at the hotel at this time. The renovations have been undertaken in phases, so the upper floors, where we stayed, as well as the Club Lounge on the 20th floor, are finished and everything is sparkly and new! That said, these noises associated with these renovations are not too extreme and they only occur during regular business hours (not too early or not too late). From what I can see, the renovations are extensive but definitely moving along as scheduled.||We simply loved our fully-renovated King Club Suite on the 20th floor, which was perfect for our four (4) night stay, since it was just steps away from the Club Lounge on the same floor and the King Club Suite had two (2) separate and distinct sleeping areas, including a comfortable queen sofa bed in one room and a king bed in another room. Both rooms had a large desk, a large flat-screen TV, side chairs plus the main room also had a table with chairs, a mini-fridge, microwave and a small bar with a sink. There was a single large closet with an electronic safe plus we had two (2) robes and sets of slippers. The single marble-accented bathroom was fairly large with a nice walk-in shower. With the renovations came brand-new furnishings and our entire family was extremely impressed with the transformation of this King Club Suite since we previously stayed there eight (8) nights during the summer of 2023. Not surprisingly, both rooms in the King Club Suite had stellar views of the University of Pennsylvania! ||The housekeeping staff provided extra towels, replenished bath products as necessary and provided several bottles of water daily. Further, the cleanliness of our King Club Suite was exemplary and for this we want to recognize the entire housekeeping staff. The complimentary Wi-Fi provided to us as Marriott Bonvoy elite guests was excellent throughout the entire hotel. Finally, the fitness center has been temporarily located to one of the spacious conference rooms, so working out there was a real joy!||Our oldest daughter had no issues checking-in alone prior to our late arrival and upon entering the fully-renovated King Club Suite a few minutes after check-in, she discovered that Mr. Beck and his team were kind enough to provide us with a nice assortment of fresh fruit (including bananas, apples, pineapple, honeydew and cantaloupe), fresh vegetables (including carrots, zucchini and red peppers), tasty humus, mixed nuts, chocolate covered pretzels, two (2) bars of extremely dark chocolate (our favorite), an elegant box of artisan chocolate truffles by Torn Ranch as well as six bottles of sparking and still Perrier water. These incredible complimentary welcome amenities were greatly appreciated, especially given our extremely late arrival at the hotel. Thank you all for your extraordinary hospitality!||As my Marriott Bonvoy elite amenity, our family enjoyed the daily breakfast buffet at the Club Lounge throughout the duration of our stay. Although the Club Lounge is fairly small, it has a wide variety of seating options, most of which take advantage of the same stellar view of the University of Pennsylvania that we had in our King Club Suite, just a few doors away.||The Club Lounge is staffed by Margaret and Teresa, who remembered us very well from our prior two stays during the summer of 2023. Margaret and Teresa are delightful, so whenever you enter the Club Lounge, be prepared to be greeted by a chorus of “Good Mornings” by this wonderful tag-team, both of whom work incredibly hard to make sure that the breakfast buffet is regularly restocked and all of the tables are bussed and cleaned. The Club Lounge truly felt like a home away from home due to this dynamic duo, who along with Chef Rodney and his excellent cuisine, just elevated each morning beyond words! I want to publicly thank Margaret, Teresa and Chef Rodney for their commitment to exemplary customer service and for showing such a sincere interest in all of the guests of the Club Lounge.||Now, onto a description of the food and drink offered during the breakfast buffet, which we attended all four mornings during our stay. The highlights of the breakfast buffet include the specialty coffee drinks, such as lattes and cappuccinos, Starbucks coffee, hot chocolate and hot tea (excellent variety of Tazo and Bigelow teas), delicious orange or apple juice, various milks and nut milks plus a fully-stocked refrigerated case with bottled still water, sparkling water and assorted Pepsi-brand sodas. There was a nice variety of hot items each morning thanks to Chef Rodney, such as waffles, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, breakfast potatoes (choices varied daily) as well as an oatmeal bar, bagels, bread, muffins, cereals, granola, assorted Chobani yogurts and fresh fruit (pineapple / honeydew / cantaloupe / apples). Further, the Club Lounge was open through 10:00 pm every day and it was always well stocked with apples, oranges, granola bars and the fully-stocked refrigerated case with bottled still water, sparkling water and assorted Pepsi-brand sodas. ||The generosity and hospitality shown by Ms. Beck and his team throughout our stay was extraordinary. Every team member with whom we came in contact during our stay, including the Club Lounge staff, the helpful staff members at the reception desk and the other food & beverage staff as well as the house-keeping staff really went out of their way to make us feel welcomed. Not surprisingly, the notable customer service that we received before and during our stay as well as the incredible accommodations in our King Club Suite, made this hotel a twelve out of ten in our book! ||Congratulations to Ms. Ramamurthy and Mr. Beck at the Sheraton Philadelphia University City for assembling such a great team and leading them with an overriding goal of excellent customer service and stellar accommodations. You will be well served by selecting this centrally located hotel for your base of operations in and around the University City area, especially if you are a Marriott Platinum elite or higher for the full access to the Club Lounge. Rest assured, you will not be...

After getting carsick and whiplash from the extremes of recent reviews, I decided to call and see what the conditions really were. |I spoke with Ty at the Front Desk, who assured me that the upper floor guest rooms were completed and everything was new. ||So I canceled my Hilton reservation for the week and here I am on the 18th floor. |Enjoying the colorful lights from Penn Med along with the new carpet, wall coverings, furniture, bathroom, lighting, electronics and on and on and on. It's as good as it gets. |There are electrical outlets and USB ports everywhere you'll need them unless you enjoy tempting Fate by using your computer while in the bath. |(Give me a call first so I can take out an insurance policy on you. Thanks!)||There's a nice-sized glass fronted better-than-mini-fridge in the closet and the temperature is miraculously in the Goldilocks zone. That doesn't happen often in a hotel.|I will grudgingly admit that space is a bit tight but it's clear this was a very well-thought-out remodel. Just don't try to get a wheelchair in a standard room. |It's a City hotel, not the Tokyo Conrad. |Besides, for whatever you're doing in the hotel, you've got plenty of room. |Oh, yes, you do. Don't argue until you've been there and done that. |Well, maybe not that.||The blackout curtains do what they’re supposed to and the a/c can handle my metabolism which is really saying something.|The lighting is good and some are motion-activated but they're easily deactivated using the toggle directly under the hall light.||My only complaint is that it's not set up for desk work or Zoom meetings/calls: I started on the section of the cushioned bench by the window and ended up lugging the 500-pound iron t.v. tray table to the corner swivel chair. The table still isn't an ergonomically friendly height for any of the seating but I guess we're all supposed to pretend we're in college and using our laptops while seated in bed.|We can pretend but that doesn't make it any more comfortable.||And finally, I have to mention the stellar staff. |You've already heard about Ty, my new Best Friend in the Hospitality Business but you haven't yet met Chris at check-in. |A fountain of information, all of it good even when he's being diplomatic about a local pizza place that makes Domino's look good. |(If you want a decent New York crispy slice, take the Uber. Do not look for a place that delivers. Really.) ||Other shout-outs for making ugly days worth surviving go to Anthony (‘Ant’ to his friends, which is very cool since that’s also the nickname of my favorite sci-fi hero in The Myrmecoleon series.) and the lovely and talented Miss Romy. |Talented because she can simultaneously deal with fractious guests, seventeen phone lines all ringing at one time AND arrange for an iron and ironing board to be delivered to the cranky, rumpled guest in Room 1810.|And do not forget the Gentleman Doorman whose name I was too flight-raddled to remember whose manners, demeanor and poise would shame royalty. He tackled my luggage without hesitation and without an outstretched palm. |He deserves a winter vacation on the Caribbean island of his choice.||I'm a Hilton Diamond member (those last two words are very scary in tandem) but I'm very glad to have chosen this Sheraton. |I suspect...

Sheratons are usually my favorite hotels-- often higher on my list than Westins. However, this location kind of ruined that norm for me. My bathroom seemed a bit outdated-- the toilet acted funny whenever it was flushed and the bathtub was visibly aged or needed a deep cleaning of some sort. The alarm clock was falling apart. The room service dining options were very limited. It was either Asian or greasy diner food as an option. I would have liked to have a steak option. I used the pre-order breakfast option where you hang the card out on the door-- which is an option I LOVE at other Starwood locations because it makes it so easy to sleep in a little longer in the morning. I usually wake up 10 minutes before breakfast should arrive, eat breakfast then shower and get ready for my meetings. This time, however, breakfast was delivered about 25 minutes late. It was cold and part of my order was missing. I am happy that they remade my order and it was delivered hot, but it delayed my entire schedule. Because of this, I had to take part of my meeting by phone and check out late. I told housekeeping to come back much later and they came back a couple times. I finally called the front desk and asked them to tell housekeeping I am on a call and need them to come back after I check out. Housekeeping came back another couple times after that. It might have been a total of five times that they tried to come in. To be fair, it did sound like two different voices in the various visits. When I arrived, there was no one outside to help with my bags-- which I don't ever use but I recently had surgery and the help would have been nice. I was also disappointed in the assistance getting a taxi. I called the front desk from my room and asked them to book me a cab. I was told to come on down and that there are always cabs waiting in front and if there aren't there would be someone outside who could help me get a cab. I peaked outside and there were no cabs and no one out there to help. So the front desk associate called someone and the associate who came did not seem very engaged. He never said hello to me and barely made any eye contact. It was raining, so I appreciate him going out on the street to get me a cab, but I feel like he could have been warmer. When I asked about getting a cab the next day when checking out, I was told the same thing-- that there are cabs out front and someone out there who could help me. There was no one there. With my surgery, it hurts to walk, so I did not go back inside. I just got a cab on my own. What did I like about this Sheraton? The desk had plenty of counter space. Those who delivered the room service meals were polite. I was allowed to check-out late (though I wouldn't had needed to if breakfast had been delivered on time). It was quiet. The hotel almost seemed deserted it was so quiet. Luckily I stayed at the Westin in Philly the next night and learned that's where I should just stay every time I come to Philadelphia. Ironically, they had a quality assurance associate at the Westin when I was checking out and she asked how my stay there was-- which was perfect. I hope Starwood sends QA to all...