Guild House Hotel

I really enjoyed my stay at the Guild House Hotel in Philadelphia. It’s a stylish place with a lot of character, and my room (Edith) was comfortable and well designed. The bed was great, and the shower was just as good—everything felt thoughtfully put together. A couple of practical things to keep in mind. You need to be comfortable with stairs, especially if you’re traveling with luggage. There is a small elevator for bags, but it doesn’t reach every floor, so you’ll still need to carry things up part of the way. I had read some concerns about noise beforehand, but that wasn’t an issue at all in my case. My room was quiet, and I slept well. The setup is a bit unusual in that you don’t really see any staff. Check-in is done with a door code, which works smoothly but gives the place a slightly different feel compared to a traditional hotel. Overall, a very pleasant stay. Stylish, comfortable, and a good option if you’re happy with a more independent, self-service experience.

My girlfriend and I were charmed by the Guild Hotel. We stayed in the Wilda Room, (aka the least expensive one), and our stay was comfortable and frankly luxurious. The room (and whole hotel!) is lovely and clean, and they’ve done a great job bringing out the historic details and the charm of the building itself. It was my first time in Philadelphia and the location is very central. The Guild is in walking distance to most of the neighborhoods and places we wanted to go (especially the Reading Terminal Market). They were also extremely accommodating of us leaving our stuff before check in and after our checkout times and the room was well stocked and very clean! The only drawback of the experience was it was a little odd to be in a hotel with no staff on site. The contract cleaners we met were really kind and helpful, as was the person we were texting about our arrival and departure. It’s worth noting that it became an issue when the automatic locks on the doors malfunction and the front door wouldn’t close and other guests were unable to get into their rooms. The hotel was very apologetic and very communicative and seemed to deal with the issue very quickly, but was definitely a time when the “invisible service” aspect seemed like a weak point. We still really enjoyed our stay and hope to stay again soon!

I had a fantastic stay at Guild House this past weekend. I was in town for the Philly marathon and the location was really convenient for me to get to and from the start/finish line. There are a ton of parking options close by and lots of food options with easy walking distance. I stayed in the Gabrielle suite. It was well appointed and everything I needed including mini fridge, sink, microwave. The shower was awesome! Great water pressure and temperature. The bed was super comfy as well. My only knock and this is not Guild House's fault is there is a lot of street noise and loud cars. If you are from an urban area this is probably normal background noise but can see how it may be a lot for others. They do provide ear plugs and a white noise machine to help though which is very thoughtful. Overall a great stay and the lack of staff didn't feel like a problem at all. The house keeping staff I did interact with were very lovely and post marathon helped me with my luggage when they saw me struggling to walk. Would stay again when in Philly.

The Guild House Hotel is a unique place to stay in Philly. If you enjoy history and comfort, this is the place for you. As a family of four, the Alice suite was perfect. So spacious and beautifully decorated with a large seating area, dining table, kitchen area (including refrigerator, microwave, coffee pot, electric kettle, dishes, silverware, cups and a large sink), 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The shower and bath facilities were wonderful. One of my kids called it a secret hotel, because it felt like you were entering a secret destination. The hotel was very quiet and seemed more like a comfortable historic home than a hotel. The location is great for getting around to many popular destinations in Philly. Special touches include on-tap sparking and still water in two different common areas as well as in-room cookies, chocolate, and upscale coffee/tea items. A couple notes- it is not the easiest to navigate for mobility impaired individuals since there are multiple steps and no elevator. And, if a traveler’s expectation is hands-on help with luggage and/or on-site dining, this hotel is not the best fit. All that said, it’s a truly unique hotel and we loved staying there.

It is a very nice place, beautifully furnished with a lot of care. It is a no service hotel, so there is no reception or staff aside from the housekeeping you run into sometimes. The information is available on the website but is not really prominently displayed on the booking page so if you are like me and don't read the entire website you may miss it. This was not a big issue except that I locked my phone in the room and couldn't remember the 6 digit code, and had to run around until I (thankfully) found housekeeping. I find it a bit sad too that they charge so much but don't provide jobs to locals. It was also a little annoying as I had to text constantly (asked each day if I want housekeeping when I said the first day I wanted it daily, needed multiple codes, etc), but not a big deal. Also, there was no breakfast/fresh coffee in the morning, no bathroom to use after checking out, no help if issue storing luggage, no elevator for luggage (there is a dumbwaiter but good luck lifting heavy suitcases in and out) and multiple flights of stairs for most rooms. I want to say the housekeeping was fantastic, but it felt like they were doing their own work + a non existent receptionists. The website mentions amenities which I may have missed but did not find. All in all it was a nice stay but kind of disappointing. Most annoying, 4pm check in and prompt checkout at 11am (they really want to economize on any staff fees). For now, it's great if you want hotel prices for an Airbnb experience.