As a Kimpton In Touch member, I never miss an opportunity to stay in one of their unique boutique hotels, whether I’m on business or leisure travel. I’ve stayed in Kimptons in San Francisco, San Diego, Portland, Seattle, Chicago and Alexandria, Virginia, and enjoyed them all.
So when Kimpton emailed me a $129 special offer for the Hotel Palomar in Philly, I jumped at the chance to try it out. My wife and I were traveling back from our family Thanksgiving celebration in New Jersey to our home in Virginia, so a one-night stopover in Philly was a no-brainer. It would give us a chance to do a little Black Friday window-shopping, have dinner at The Oyster House and spend a few hours in the Reading Terminal Market (a foodie’s delight), before braving the rolling parking lot known as I-95.
With the help of our trusty Garmin GPS, we located the hotel and pulled up at the front entrance, knowing that we’d have to move quickly, as traffic was building on Sansome Street. There was no bellman available, so we schlepped our luggage into the lobby, where we secured an empty cart to hold the luggage while I checked in.
Unfortunately, the somewhat harried valet parking attendant failed to give us a numbered ticket stub, which resulted in about a 25-minute delay in retrieving our car the next day. (No need to use it, as everything is within easy walking distance). No one offered an apology for the delay, so although I’m usually a generous tipper, I kept my hand in my pocket this time.
Let me start off by saying that the rooms are small by American standards. It was more like staying in a London hotel room than one in a major American city. The room was much smaller than our master bedroom at home, but that wasn’t a problem, as we found it to be quite cozy and comfortable.
Kimpton’s decorating scheme and furniture choices are always distinctive and top-notch and it’s always fun to see what their designers and decorators come up with, We were not disappointed with our room’s whimsical modern décor.
The queen bed’s mattress was very comfortable (we both prefer a firm mattress) and the linens were excellent quality.
The bathroom had a sliding pocket door, a great space saving idea in a tight space.
It featured a marble floor and sink counter, which was a bit small for two people. (It would have been ideal, however, for a single traveler). The shower was tiled in white vertical subway tiles with a green glass tile inset – very cool. Water pressure was adequate and about what you’d expect in an urban hotel. The towels were a bit thin by luxury standards, however. A wall-mounted lighted mirror made shaving and applying makeup easy.
The terrycloth animal print robes (a Kimpton standard amenity) were very luxurious and a welcome treat after spending a couple of hours on the crowded NJ Turnpike.
The closet space was somewhat limited and a tall five-drawer cabinet in the closet provided the only storage space (the room was too small for a dresser or armoire). Not a problem for a quick overnighter, but it could be if you were staying for several days,
A small work desk, ergonomic chair and desk lamp provided outlets for recharging our cell phones and powering my laptop computer. The free wireless Internet access worked great. I can’t understand why every hotel doesn’t provide this amenity.
The wall mounted LCD flat panel TV was positioned for comfortable viewing from the bed.
The only downside was that even on a high floor, we could hear noise from Sansome Street below us. Again, that’s not unusual for a hotel in a “concrete canyon.”
The evening wine reception was quite nice and hot toddies were offered, in addition to a choice of red or white California wines (nothing special, but hey, it’s free).
My biggest disappointment was with the staff. I already mentioned the valet parker. The front desk check in process was friendly, quick and efficient, but we waited for a bellman in the lobby for nearly ten minutes before we finally gave up and took the cart into the elevator ourselves.
As the elevator doors opened, an employee appeared and offered to handle the luggage and show us to our room. He asked if we wanted ice and quickly made a trip to the ice machine. After tipping him, I requested a couple of additional towels and he assured me that housekeeping would send them right up. They never arrived, even after a call to the front desk.
Upon checking out, we were handed a $37 bill for the valet parking service. After protesting what I thought was an excessive fee (especially for a Friday night), the front desk person told me that there was “nothing she could do about it.” I told her that had I known it was going to cost so much to garage my vehicle overnight, I would have parked it myself. There’s a public garage on the next block on the right hand side of the street.
I also assured her that I’d mention it in my review, though that didn’t seem to phase her.
We’d like very much to return to The Palomar, as Philly is a great city with many wonderful restaurants and cultural amenities. But until they work out their personnel issues and reconsider their expensive (in my opinion) valet parking charges, we might opt to stay elsewhere.
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