Market East / Convention Center

Philadelphia Marriott Downtown

★★★★★

The Philadelphia Marriott Downtown is a small city of a hotel, and for many travelers that is exactly the point. Spread across a full block at 1201 Market Street, it is the largest hotel in Philadelphia, connected by skywalk to the Pennsylvania Convention Center and sitting directly across from Reading Terminal Market, so breakfast at the city's greatest food hall is a matter of crossing the street. Rooms and meeting spaces have been newly renovated, and the hotel has around 75 suites for families and longer stays. What surprises leisure guests is the fun: Liberty Lanes, a speakeasy-style pub with a bowling alley and an arcade and game room, makes the hotel an unexpectedly good pick for families with kids and for groups, and it is open to the public. Dining is in-house and varied, with THIRTEEN Restaurant for American dishes, Circ Bar in the lobby, Center City Pantry for coffee, snacks and sandwiches and the Liberty Lanes Pub for cocktails, while the hotel's art gallery and a concierge lounge for elite members add polish. A complimentary 24-hour fitness center with Peloton bikes covers workouts; the hotel's current official page does not list a pool, so do not count on one. Parking is off site in a nearby garage and expensive, which matters less because the location is the city's transit core: Jefferson Station, the Market-Frankford Line and City Hall's subway and trolley hub are all within a block or two, and the airport train stops underneath the neighborhood.

Why stay here: centrality and convenience. Reading Terminal Market across the street, Chinatown a block north, City Hall two blocks west and Independence Mall fifteen minutes east on foot make it one of the most walkable bases in the city. For families, the bowling and arcade provide a rainy-evening plan that no boutique hotel can match, and the sheer size means availability when smaller hotels are full. For food lovers, there may be no better hotel address in Philadelphia; you can work through Reading Terminal's counters over several days of breakfasts and lunches.

Stay craft: check the Convention Center calendar before booking, because big conventions fill the hotel and push rates up, while weekends and holiday periods outside major events often bring good prices. Ask for a renovated room on a higher floor in the main tower, away from the street. Skip the car if possible, since the off-site garage is costly and the train from the airport arrives practically at the door. Families should reserve a suite or two connecting rooms early.

Who it suits: convention-goers, families who want space, food and built-in entertainment, groups, foodies and first-time visitors who want to be in the middle of everything. Travelers looking for intimacy and character should look at the Notary or the Hotel Monaco; those who need a pool should consider the Sonesta in summer or AKA University City. For a big, reliable, fun and central hotel, the Marriott Downtown is hard to beat.