"Kimpton Hotels’ first foray into Philadelphia breathed fresh life into a 1929 tower that once housed the American Institute of Architects. The art deco building was transformed into the hip, LEED Gold-certified Hotel Palomar in 2009, setting the standard for Center City eco-style. The slender, 25-story tower’s long art deco lines set it apart, and its restored three-story, gold-and-black granite facade makes for a glamorous arrival. Inside, the building was stripped to the steel frame and infused with flair and modern function. The dramatic stepped ceiling in the lobby leads to a mod living room complete with roaring hearth and Day-Glo portraits and busts of the nation’s Founding Fathers against stark white walls with recycled glass overlay. Preserved art deco elements wink at the Palomar’s origins, including crown molding in the penthouse ballroom, the gloriously restored 25th-floor AIA library, etched elevator doors, and the lobby’s dark tile mosaic walls. Guest rooms and suites—all pet friendly—start at a generous 260 square feet and add a subtle art deco vibe with chrome, geometric prints, cubist coffee tables, and velvet couches. Light purple hues dominate bathrooms softened by white granite vanities and recycled-glass tile."

"The bustling corner of Walnut and 17 th streets is anchored by the Latham, a stone-and-brick tower built in 1907 as luxury apartments for moneyed Philadelphians. While other Center City historic structures met their demise in the late 1960s, a group of investors doubled down on the stately building, transforming it into Philadelphia ’s premier business hotel in 1970. The prestigious address completed a top-to-bottom renovation in 2011, bringing the Latham firmly into the 21st century while preserving period artifacts and style. True to its apartment roots, arriving at the hotel is more like entering a tony doorman building, and the Latham’s residential roots bestow spacious guestrooms with tall ceilings, bay windows, and big bathrooms. Gold and gray hues are complemented by pops of blue, while big bathrooms keep it simple with a tub/shower combination."

"The historic square from which this luxe city escape takes its name is a masterpiece of urban planning by Beaux Arts architect Paul Cret. When completed, Cret’s French-flavored park was a hub of city living lined by Georgian mansions and stone steeples. Rittenhouse Square remains Philadelphia ’s prime address, with mansions of yore giving way to modern towers, including the glass-and-concrete Rittenhouse Hotel. Behind the dark, angular facade, the Rittenhouse Hotel is a grand dame radiating classic luxury, clad head to toe in marble and dripping with crystal chandeliers and original art, including paintings by Mary Cassatt. Starting at 450 square feet, each of the 118 guestrooms is a suite by Philadelphia standards. The suites are refined and uncluttered, with an elegant sitting and dining room and kitchen. All guestrooms have spacious marble bathrooms with separate walk-in showers and tubs."

"Set within a century-old, Pantheon-inspired former bank building, the Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia raises Center City living to classical heights. When the building opened in 1904, the Girard Trust marble dome was the largest in the country, and its columns and styling matched its inspiration down to its oculus 142 feet from the floor, the exact height as the Roman original. Today, every stay starts in this grandiose rotunda, where staff man the immaculately preserved bank-teller booths. Guest rooms and suites are in the attached 30-story office tower, gutted and transformed into a hotel by Ritz-Carlton. All 299 rooms and suites bring classic Ritz-Carlton elegance, with wood furnishings matching gold, sage, and pumpkin hues. High ceilings and picture windows with stunning city views enhance the vibe, while spa-style marble bathrooms have rain showers."

"Morris House Hotel The Morris family’s roots are among the deepest in colonial Pennsylvania. Anthony Morris settled here in 1685 and would become one of the city’s first mayors. A century later, his grandson Samuel served as a captain of the Continental Army’s Philadelphia City Calvary. Though the Morris family’s red-brick mansion on 8 th street was built in 1787, it upholds a pre-Revolutionary colonial style epitomized in the stately Independence Hall, and members of the family would live in this large corner property for the next 120 years. A painstaking restoration in the mid-1960s earned it a spot as a National Historic Landmark, and the current owners renovated the property in 2000, transforming the distinguished address into a 17-room boutique hotel without compromising original architectural details. With a leafy courtyard garden, gourmet farm-to-table restaurant, and a focus on personalized service, the latest incarnation of this home lives up to its storied past. Each room is tastefully decorated in Colonial-era decor and reproductions. Despite the history and limitations inherent in any historic structure, guestrooms are large and uncluttered with all the modern conveniences, splashes of natural light, and sparkling bathrooms, some with Jacuzzi tubs. Adding to the allure are a complimentary continental breakfast and a cocktail, beer, or glass of wine on the house."

"Among the original guests to pop in at Dr. Thomas Bond’s 1769 Georgian home on South Second Street was none other than Benjamin Franklin. Together the duo chartered Pennsylvania Hospital, the first public hospital in America, and Bond was an influential figure in Philadelphia throughout the Revolutionary War into the first turbulent decades following the founding of the country. Today, the four-story red-brick home within Independence National Historical Park has been meticulously restored, offering history buffs a taste of Philadelphia at the dawn of America. Original architectural details restored to their full 18th-century splendor include the modillion cornice at the roofline, the parlor’s Rumford fireplace, and the grand staircase connecting the third and fourth floors that was subsequently copied in other prominent buildings around town, including the still-standing City Tavern. Each guestroom has been furnished with Federalist-style reproductions, with a few antiques sprinkled around. Ten rooms offer queen beds, with the two original bedrooms nearest the first floor adding small sitting areas with working fireplaces."

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: Life, liberty, and the pursuit of a bubble bath with a view of Independence Hall. It’s all possible at this luxe hotel, a 2013 addition to the Old City scene. Hotel Monaco is set in the historic 1907 Lafayette building directly across from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Kimpton enlisted historic hotel designer extraordinaire Todd Avery Lenahan to transform the stately 11-story Greek Revival building, and his vision takes guest on a stylish ride through Colonial and Federal styles while preserving the dignity of the edifice. Lenahan infused historic whimsy into every nook and cranny, mixing period wainscoting and original coffered ceilings with Federal-nouveau furnishings and bold hues, from a front desk backed in hot pink to the fireplace living room lobby in yellow. Completing the scene are the Red Owl Tavern, a gourmet gastropub glamorizing a bygone agrarian era, and rooftop Stratus lounge with a 30-foot fireplace wall and city views. Lenahan’s Colonial-chic concept extends to 268 guestrooms and suites where no wall is left uncovered with print or color. You’ll find a menagerie of exaggerated damask, floral, and paisley in each room. Furnishings range from glossy red armoires to black lacquered bookshelves to mirrored end tables, to bonded leather headboards; picture windows are draped with bold blue and gold drapery. Massive granite bathrooms have soaking tubs, glass-encased showers, and a nod to Philly’s most famous resident: Every bathrobe is hung with Rocky-style robes."

"Philly’s French predilections are long-standing, dating back to Ben Franklin’s sojourn in Paris during the Revolutionary War. At the turn of the 20th century, French-born architect Paul Cret redesigned Rittenhouse Square with Paris in mind, and today it hosts a thriving café culture. Philly’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway connects Center City to a corridor of museums including the Rodin Museum, the largest collection of the French sculptor’s work outside of Paris. Le Meridien Philadelphia fits the city to a T. Set across from JFK Plaza, this stylish stay puts guests steps from Philly’s acclaimed art museums and lauded bistros. The hotel is housed in a 10-story Georgian-revival building that started life in 1912 as a YMCA by famed architect Horace Trumbauer. Collegiate details include a gorgeous wood-paneled library, soaring ceilings, and stone fireplace living rooms. After a four-year, multimillion-dollar renovation, the building was reborn as Le Meridien Philadelphia in 2010, incorporating Trumbauer’s original details with a rotating roster of modern art and urban musts such as a hip lobby bar that’s the first thing guests see when entering (hang a left into the parlor for personalized check-in). Each of the 202 guestrooms and suites is unique in layout, and all accommodations are set around a 75-foot atrium at the center of the building. As such, some rooms have internal atrium views while others peer out over the bustling city below."

"Set across from the University of Pennsylvania, the Inn at Penn holds its own against the new Center City crop and is one of the most technologically advanced hotels in Hilton’s portfolio. Built in 1999,the hotel was renovated top-to-bottom in 2011, solidifying a stuffy-enough Ivy League air. Above anefficient wood-paneled check-in, adouble-fireplace library lined with classic tomes creates a sophisticated lobby-cum-cocktail lounge. A Frank Lloyd Wright–inspired aesthetic is pervasive with geometric lamps, wood-paneled walls, Craftsman wood furnishings, and the hotel’s riff on the architect’s iconic font on all signage. The Inn is teched out with free, fast Wi-Fi; TeleAdapt MediaHubs connecting phones, tablets, or computers directly to high-def TVs; and iPads accessing hotel services and information in multiple languages. The Inn’s environmental stance is also impressive: fabrics, wall coverings, and bathroom tile are made from recycled materials; energy-efficient lighting, heating, and cooling is state-of-the-art, and WaterSense showerheads ensure no water is wasted. The 245 guestrooms and suites are classy, efficient, and relatively spacious, though it’s worth upgrading to a suite for a separate sitting area. Gold, leather, and wood hues are complimented by pops of red and orange with large work desks. Thanks to the 2001 renovation, the bathrooms arebig, have glass-encased showers, and are stocked with Crabtree & Evelyn amenities."

"When the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia moved out to the Comcast tower, the hotel was transformed into The Logan, a contemporary and city-centric hotel. Guestrooms decorated with unique local artwork have marble bathrooms, Bluetooth connections, and large windows that look out onto Swann Fountain and Logan Square. A variety of suites can suit travelers of various needs, with bunkbed rooms for families, and flexible layouts with Murphy beds for entertainers. The Philadelphia-inspired decor is echoed throughout the hotel, from the lobby chandelier with images of 300 notable residents like Joe Frazier, to the abstract portraits of Grace Kelly outside the elevators. Wrought-iron sculptures lead the way into Urban Farmer steakhouse restaurant, which melds modern industrial and rustic farmhouse design. The Commons lounge serves classic cocktails dating from 1830 to present day, with seating spilling out onto the terrace of the hotel courtyard, as well as inside by the double-sided fireplace for cooler months. In summer, the Assembly Rooftop lounge is the place to enjoy views of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway with a Pennsylvania-brewed beer or house-created shot. The spa has a heated saline pool, a couples’ suite, and a dedicated manicure-and-pedicure area."