Places to Stay in Philadelphia

I am scrambling to find a hotel room to stay in while in Philadelphia from about the 16th to the 20th of August for the latest ACS conference. (Why they put it in a city with so few apparent hotels is beyond me and I could get a pretty good Pit rant out of it.) Anyway, most everything is either A. booked up, B. too expensive, or C. too far away to be practical. I’m looking for a place either near the convention center (and hopefully under $100 a night) or within a few minutes walk of a SEPTA rail line. I’m amazed that a city like Philadelphia also has so few hostels. Those are generally my fallback plan but the ones in Philly are either already booked or too far away to be practical. A straight shot from Jersey would be okay as well. Where are the parts of Philly I should just stay away from no matter what? And does anyone have any ideas of a fairly cheap place within a reasonable distance?

After typing a lengthy answer, I was told I was not logged in. :mad:

A brief recap:

There is a Days Inn (if memory serves me) in the Penn’s Landing area of Philly (Center City East). There is also a Holiday Inn in South Philly that is contiguous to the Broad St. subway. It’s known to be the hotel of choice for local strippers, you may or may not appreciate it. It’s not the greatest hotel, but if you’re used to hostels, it might seem like the Four Seasons in comparison.

Suggestions further out: The Plymouth Meeting area may have something to offer; it’s not directly on the rail line, but a quick bus ride to Chestnut Hill where there are two rail stations. Chestnut Hill may also have B&Bs, but I have no idea as to cost.

Jersey: Cherry Hill has hotels but is not contiguous to the PATCO high speed line, only Amtrak ($$). Collingswood or Haddonfield may have options (hotels or B&Bs and are on the high speed line). Avoid Camden entirely.

Philly neighborhoods to avoid: West Philly (U of Penn/Drexel areas) can be dicey, tho the Hilton on the U of P campus is fine and within walking distance of the subway. Just be careful after dark. South Philly west of Broad St. is a no-no, as is most of North Philadelphia (unless you have a local guide–the “golden blocks” of N. 5th St. have some wonderful latino restaurants but don’t venture there w/o someone to get you in and out).

Hope that was helpful. Have a great time, it’s a wonderful city for visitors overall. I lived there for close to 20 years and I miss it terribly.

There are numerous hotels in Center City however, like any major city, downtown hotels are generally high-end. If you are able, I would highly suggest letting loose and booking a room at the Omni, Independence Park, or the Sheraton in Society Hill. A wonderful area that would give you a nice walk through Independence Park on your way to the Convention Center.

There is also a hotel in Chinatown (right behind the convention center) that is now a Hampton Inn. When I tried to find the name for you, I became aware that the Days Inn at Penn’s Landing is now a Comfort Inn.

it seems you are correct and the hotels are sold out. or at least the 2 i checked are.

you want to target rooms in the 19107,19106, 19103 zip codes. those are the ones in walking distance of the convention center (which is in the 19107 zip). i believe there are a few b&b’s in the 19106 zip.

good luck!!

Well, I’m about out of ideas and ready to bail on the whole thing. There is nowhere to sleep that, at this rate, won’t run me close to $1000 or a very long commute every day. I suppose going from the airport to the convention center every day wouldn’t be awful, and I can live with $85 a night. There are no stops between the airport and 30th St Station, correct?

going between an airport hotel (or the airport proper) and the convention center is very easy. the r1 line (septa.org) runs every half hour, and the market east station is 2 blocks away from the convention center. you don’t even have to go outside to go from the station to the convention center. just up 2 escalators.

There are two intermediate stops, Eastwick and University City, but it’s still an efficient trip. And, as someone else said, if you go on to Market East you’ll be right in the convention center.