Society Hill Hotel — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Was really looking forward to our stay here but was unfortunately disappointed. I don’t usually leave reviews but this place just needs some serious improvements. I was aware that this place does not have a front desk or lobby but I did not realize that this meant that no one was available to assist you in a reasonable amount of time. There were issues with receiving an early check in time and code after paying for it. They text you a check out code but do not explain how to check out with the code. The walls in the bathroom were dirty from condensation and just needed a wiped down and a wash cloth was offered instead of hand towel. The lighting in the bathroom was harsh and bright white making every speck of dirt and grime even more visible. These were all very small things that made the most disappointing aspects of this hotel even more disappointing. We had an early flight the next day so we tried to call it an early night but the music in the stairwell was playing so loudly that we could hear and feel the base pulsing through our mattress and pillows. I tried to call and text the contact number but no one responded to me so we tossed and turned until 4 in the morning and the had to make our way to the airport with not even an hour of sleep. No one ever got back to me or offered any sort of solution for the inconvenience. The only nice touches were the free cocktails at check in, friendly restaurant staff and great location. I feel like people who own and operate these hotels do not consider how much of a splurge this is for some folks. I’ve been in the service industry for years so I understand that things happen but this place it not brand new and there was not a lot of care and attention put into our stay. I do not understand how this place functions efficiently. It feels more like a hostel than anything else which in that case they should be charging a very different rate. Our window was broken and it needs a fresh coat of paint. I could go on and on but overall this place...

A gorgeous newly renovated place in a great location but I can't recommend until they get the soundproofing between rooms fixed. I had zero issues with road/city noise (expected for location!) but for me a hotel has one job to do: to create a safe space for guests to enjoy peace and privacy and this is not achieved here. The walls are uncomfortably thin. In fact I would go so far as to say that the connecting rooms (King rooms + bunkbed rooms ) should never, ever be rented to unrelated guests, they are so intimate it feels like you are sharing.

Even in the non-adjoining rooms it's an issue. I would expect to hear loud TVs etc from neighbors, but here you can hear your neighbor making sounds as quiet as raising their blinds.😬

There's no front desk, just unlock the front and your room with a code a la Airbnb. I like that in theory but I wonder if it puts a burden on the restaurant staff. During dinner we saw the chef working really hard to help a family with their room problems. She probably should have just been cooking. Also late at night, it's hard to feel great about the fact that you are living super close to multiple strangers with no front desk or security around, and when you hear people purposely talking to you through the walls, as we did, it feels creepy to know there is no security on site to intervene. To their credit, the staff did answer our texts promptly and kindly, & moved us, although we had to downgrade to a much smaller room as apparently all the Kings are the connecting type. They did refund the difference in room size/cost & gave us dinner. And we learned the non-adjoining type of rooms are also quite poor on soundproofing. Pity because the hotel is so cute, the location is unbeatable and the restaurant food and staff were enjoyable. I hope they can fix the issues with privacy...

Overall had an excellent, cozy, charming stay! Am definitely planning on staying here again! Stayed in a Queen room for one night. Cons: Building is not ADA compliant. This is understandable due to the age of the building and IS noted on the FAQ page, but I think it would be nice to have that information in the room description on the Booking page as well (I could see it getting missed, and potentially upsetting future guests) we initially had an issue getting into the Hotel side of the building upon check in. Our code didn't let us into building (we ended up entering through the restaurant , and had to also let other guests in). The code did work on the room door, so it wasn't a huge issue 😊 there are only 4 floors, so this isn't a huge issue but the floors weren't numbered in the stairwell. (I could see future guests complaining) Pros: while the room was small, they did a GREAT job utilizing the space and the amenities in the room made it feel very polished and cozy! If you plan to stay for an extended period of time/need to work/spend time in the room I would splurge for the King room the staff we did interact with were SPLENDID, both through text and in the restaurant. Before heading in for the night we grabbed a seat at the bar. The cocktails we SO good, and we ended up ordering oysters. I didn't catch his name, but the gentleman who brought out the oysters and gave is the rundown was fantastic! If you're reading this, thanks again for recommending what order we should eat them in, you were very right! the location is amazing! You are walking distance from so many things, and the art deco inspired design fits SO well with the vibe of the building.

Cannot wait...