October 17, 2011
The new hotel will be located adjacent to the Pennsylvania Convention Center, at the corner of 12th and Arch Streets, with 246 eco-conscious rooms and suites. (Image courtesy Parkway Corp.)
A new hotel is joining the ranks of Philadelphia’s already growing fleet.
Mayor Nutter and the Parkway Corporation recently announced the construction of a new Hilton Home2 Suites in Center City adjacent to the Pennsylvania Convention Center at 12th and Arch Streets, set to open in Summer 2013.
The Home2 Suites will add 246 new hotel rooms.
The hotel will feature more than 2,000 square feet of meeting space and 9,750 square feet for ground floor retail and restaurants. And in keeping with Philadelphia’s top-notch green performance of late, the hotel’s energy conservation measures will include a partial green roof, high efficiency HVAC system and significant energy performance upgrades.
Home2 Suites is the newest hotel in the Hilton Worldwide portfolio of brands. It’s an all-suite, extended-stay hotel designed for the savvy and sophisticated traveler, so expect smart furnishings and free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel.
With the recent expansion of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the new hotel is coming just in time.
The new Home2 Suites Hotel is going to be a welcome addition to Center City, and we’re excited to learn more about the amenities it will include for both Philadelphia residents and visitors. Stay tuned.
Hilton Home2 Suites Hotel
12th & Arch Streets — Coming Summer 2013!
www.home2suites1.hilton.com
October 10, 2011
Hotel guests can experience the city as a local, and Philadelphians can see the city in a new way.
(Photo courtesy Hotel Palomar)
Hotel Palomar Philadelphia will kick off its first-ever “Philly Finds” scavenger hunt for locals and hotel guests this weekend, October 14-17.
Using the iPhone and Android mobile application “Scavenger Hunt with Friends,” the hotel will send all willing participants on a hunt, seeking everything from historic landmarks to famous local eats.
Think you’re up to it? To participate, download the “Scavenger Hunt with Friends” app and join the “Philly Finds” hunt to reveal the item list. The event officially begins at 8 a.m. on October 14.
To win, you must find photos of all items on the list, and upload a photo of each. Hint: the creativity of your photos is the ultimate tie-breaker so put your photog skills to use!
The hunt will officially end at noon on October 17.
The prize for the winner will be their choice of a new iPhone or iPad 2 and a weekend hotel stay at any Kimpton hotel in the country (prize worth $1,200). A special Philadelphian will be the judge and will be on-site to crown the Scavenger Hunt winner at the winner’s ceremony, at Hotel Palomar on Wednesday, October 19, 3:30 pm.
Hotel guests can experience the city as a local, and Philadelphians can see the city in a new way. It’s on!
Hotel Palomar’s “Philly Finds” Scavenger Hunt
When: October 14-17
Where: 117 S. 17th Street
Cost: Free
More info: www.hotelpalomar-philadelphia.com/
October 6, 2011
The steaks are high at this culinary showdown, and you get to taste the competition. (Photo courtesy Square 1682)
To mark its second anniversary, Square 1682 at the Hotel Palomar will host the “Cheesesteak Challenge: High Steaks” (get it?) block party on Sunday, October 16 from 3–5 p.m. benefiting Philadelphia Academies.
To pay homage to one of Philadelphia’s signature sandwiches, top local chefs will share their own renditions. The winner will receive a Cheesesteak Challenge trophy, plus bragging rights for the year.
Participating chefs include: Chef Guillermo Tellez, Square 1682; Chef Peter Woolsey, Bistro La Minette; Chef Mike Stollenwerk, Fish; Chef Daniel Stern, R2L; Chef Marcie Turney, Barbuzzo’s; Chef Townsend Wentz, McCrossen’s Tavern; Chef Konstantinos Pitsillides, Kanella; Chef Nick Farina, Verdad; David Boyle, Davio’s; Brian Turowski, Jackson 20 (Alexandria, VA) and Lynn Rinaldi, Paradiso.
Sandwiches will be judged by a panel of experts, including WMMR’s Matt Cord, City Hall’s Melanie Johnson, Thrillist Editor Nick Hamner, GPTMC President Meryl Levitz and cheesesteak expert Frank Oliveri Jr. (of Pat’s King of Steaks).
For an admission fee of $20, 100% of which will benefit The Philadelphia Academies (a charity dedicated to Philly public school students), 300 guests can watch the chefs compete and sample their cheesesteaks. Beer will also be on sale from Victory.
Tickets are available online. Let the chow-down begin.
Square 1682’s Cheesesteak Challenge: High Steaks
When: Sunday, October 16, 3–5 p.m. (rain or shine)
Where: Block party on Sansom Street between 16th & 17th Streets
Cost: $20 (includes samples of all cheesesteaks)
More info: www.square1682.com
October 5, 2011
Hotels in Philadelphia are showing off their Phillies spirit with giant banners, special packages and other awesome playoffs promotions. (Photo credits clockwise from top left: courtesy Courtyard by Marriott Downtown, courtesy Crowne Plaza, courtesy DoubleTree, courtesy Radisson Warwick)
For the benefit of Philadelphia hotel guests and locals alike, hotels in and around the city are amping up the Phillies pride with promotions, specials and lots and lots of red.
Look out for huge With Love, Philadelphia XOXO Phillies-themed banners hung at the DoubleTree by Hilton, Holiday Inn Historic District, The Latham and the Radisson Warwick.
With Love Cheercards
You can also pick up your own special edition With Love Phillies Cheer Card at dozens of hotels including the Sofitel, Doubletree, Sheraton University City, Hilton Inn at Pen, Hyatt at the Bellevue, Hyatt Regency Penn’s Landing and many more.
Rittenhouse Row, Sugarcube Boutique, Arden Theatre Company, Doggie Style pet shop, Bluestone Fine Art Gallery, Viv Pickle Custom Handbags and more city shops and attractions will also have the cheer cards on hand.
Check out a few more examples of Phillies fever at Philadelphia hotels:
• Hilton Inn at Penn: Take advantage of their special Phillies playoff rate, starting at $209. The package includes breakfast for two, valet parking and subway tokens to and from the stadium. Available Oct. 1-3 and 6-8, 2011.
• Courtyard by Marriott Downtown: In addition to the 25 foot Phillies banner hanging in front of the hotel (see above), associates are sporting Phillies attire on all game days.
• Philadelphia Marriott Downtown: 13 is offering great Phillies playoff specials, available on their outdoor covered patio or indoors: mozzarella sticks, potato skins, BBQ Wings or nachos for $5; cheesesteak pizza for $7; meatball parmesan for $8 and all draft beers for $3.
• Crowne Plaza Philadelphia West: Look out for food and drinks specials in the bar/restaurant Avenue Grill during Phillies playoff games. Enjoy $3 draft beer, $4 glasses of wine and $4 cocktails, plus $4 chili dogs, $5 nachos, $5 Philly Pretzel Sandwich (w/hot ham, provolone & fried egg) and $7 burger with chips.
And for even more places to watch in and around the city, check out our complete guide.
September 23, 2011
You officially have plans tonight. Oktoberfest at the With Love Beer Garden is tonight, Friday, September 23, from 5-8 p.m.
We’ve teamed up with the Four Seasons Hotel and Victory Brewing Company to bring back the With Love Beer Garden for one last hurrah.
Since it’s too wet outside, the celebration will be moved indoors to the Ballroom Foyer, which is just next door to the outdoor Courtyard. But don’t let that dampen your spirits.
Summer Love Ale will be on draft, for the final time this year, served along with Prima Pils and Victory’s Festbier.
The Four Seasons will also have some Oktoberfest-inspired treats from the kitchen. Chef Gonzalez will offer bratwurst with sauerkraut; Wiener schnitzel with braised red cabbage; German potato salad and hot soft pretzels with cheese or mustard.
We can’t wait. See you there.
Oktoberfest at the With Love Beer Garden
When: Friday, September 23, 5-8 p.m.
Where: Ballroom Foyer at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, 1 Logan Square
Cost: Pay as you go
More info: www.visitphilly.com
September 22, 2011
Chef Caspi cut his culinary teeth at New York establishments like Per Se. (Photo courtesy M Restaurant)
In honor of this fall’s Center City District Restaurant Week, which kicked off September 12 and lasts through this Friday, September 23, we’ve been running a short series of Q&As with some top Center City chefs whose restaurants are participating in the biannual promotion.
The final featured chef is Michael Caspi of M Restaurant at the Morris House Hotel. The restaurant recently won the coveted title of Best Outdoor Dining in Philadelphia Magazine’s 2011 Best of Philly issue.
Chef Caspi began his career in Israel, following in his father’s footsteps, before moving to New York in 2005. He spent several years there at extremely high-end restaurants such as Daniel, Adour Alain Ducasse and Per Se. In 2010, he came to Philadelphia and, following a short stint at Parc, landed his current position at M.
We got a chance to chat with the chef about using local and organic ingredients, his favorite restaurants to eat at when he’s off the clock and more. Check it out:
Uwishunu: An exciting new aspect of this fall’s Restaurant Week, in partnership with Philly Homegrown, is the inclusion of a fresh, local dish on each participating restaurant’s menu. What’s your favorite local ingredient to use or local dish to make?
Chef Caspi: The amazing fresh peaches. We use them in our house salad and I also make a vinaigrette with them.
Uwishunu: Delicious. Philly’s restaurant scene is thriving more than ever before. What do you think makes it great?
Chef Caspi: The fact that people are catching on to the importance of using local organic ingredients. We have done this from day one at M, and always support local farmers and what they have to offer, which is always better than frozen food or produce with pesticides.
Uwishunu: We totally agree. When you’re off the clock during Restaurant Week or otherwise, what is one of your favorite places to go for a bite?
Chef Caspi: Zavino Wine Bar.
Uwishunu: And what Philly spots do you take out-of-towners to, food-related or otherwise?
Chef Caspi: The Farm and Fisherman on Pine Street.
Check out M Restaurant’s Restaurant Week menu here.
Center City District Restaurant Week
When: September 12-16 and September 18-23
Where: Center City District
Cost: $35 for dinner, $20 for lunch
More info: www.centercityphila.org/restaurantweek
September 14, 2011
The Hotel Monaco Philadelphia, third building on the right, is slated to open next summer; it will neighbor the Bourse (center) and the National Museum of American Jewish History (left, alit) to the north and Independence Mall to the east. (Photo by G. Widman for GPTMC)
Big news on the hotel front. Tomorrow, Kimpton Hotel Group will hold an official groundbreaking ceremony on their latest Philadelphia development, the Hotel Monaco Philadelphia, a new hotel property to be built at the corner of 5th and Chestnut Streets in the heart of Historic Philadelphia.
The project, which we first told you about last October, is an adaptive reuse development of Philadelphia’s historic Lafayette Building. The conversion will dramatically transform the 11-story office building located across from the Liberty Bell into a 268-room, four-star Hotel Monaco.
Some details on the forthcoming hotel property: in addition to the 268 guest rooms, the hotel will feature 12,000 square feet of meeting space, a 3,200 square foot ballroom overlooking Independence Mall, a 130-seat chef-driven restaurant, and — wait for it — a spacious rooftop bar and lounge overlooking Independence Mall.
That’s right: a Philadelphia hotel is going to have an awesome rooftop bar and lounge. And this one is going to be 11 stories up and overlook Independence Mall, affording guests some pretty amazing city and skyline views. We. Cannot. Wait.
Key features of the new Hotel Monaco Philadelphia include:
• 268 guest rooms which will include 17 suites and 25 King Spa rooms.
• A 130-seat chef-driven restaurant on the ground floor, that will offer a chef’s table, mezzanine seating, and outdoor seating on 5th Street adjacent to Independence Mall.
• The hotel’s rooftop will feature a spacious lounge and full service bar with ample seating for special events and receptions.
• 12,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 3,200 square foot ballroom overlooking Independence Mall.
Overall, it sounds awesome. We love Philadelphia hotels and it’s always nice to welcome a new one to the fold.
Bonus: the project is actually ahead of schedule; Kimpton is now targeting a Summer 2012 opening date.
This will be the second new Kimpton hotel property in Philadelphia, joining the very popular Hotel Palomar Philadelphia in Rittenhouse Square.
Stay tuned for more info about this very exciting project as it progresses.
Hotel Monaco Philadelphia — Opening Summer 2012!
433 Chestnut Street
www.kimptonhotels.com
September 9, 2011
Awesome news: we're bringing back the ever-popular With Love Beer Garden at the Four Seasons Hotel for one final end-of-summer blowout — fittingly, it will be an outdoor Oktoberfest celebration in the hotel's beautiful courtyard with Victory Brewing Company supplying the brews. (Top left photo by M. Edlow for GPTMC; top right photo by M. McClellan for GPTMC)
Great news, everyone. It’s back.
We’ve teamed up with the Four Seasons Hotel and Victory Brewing Company to bring back the With Love Beer Garden for one last hurrah before the seasonal weather disappears.
So get ready, Oktoberfest at the With Love Beer Garden is right around the corner. It’s coming Friday, September 23 from 5-8 p.m.
The Beer
The Oktoberfest at the With Love Beer Garden will feature two awesome seasonal beers from Victory Brewing Company. 1) Summer Love Ale: this will be one of your last opportunities to enjoy the award-winning Summer Love Ale. And 2) Victory’s Oktoberfest-style Festbier, perfect for an Oktoberfest celebration.
The Food
The beers will be complemented with tasty Oktoberfest-inspired treats from the Four Season’s Executive Chef Rafael Gonzalez. Dishes will include bratwurst with sauerkraut; Wiener schnitzel with braised red cabbage; German potato salad and hot soft pretzels with cheese or mustard. (Note: the menu is subject to change.)
The Beer Garden
The With Love Beer Garden, which debuted during Philly Beer Week this past June (1,600 people enjoyed the experience during its five-day run), and then made a triumphant return on Thursdays in August (before rain interfered with the last two), is located in the gorgeous outdoor courtyard of the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia.
We can’t wait. See you out there.
Oktoberfest at the With Love Beer Garden
When: Friday, September 23, 5-8 p.m.
Where: The Courtyard at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, 1 Logan Square
Note: You can enter straight from the corner of 18th and Cherry Streets; you don’t need to go through the hotel. In the event of inclement weather, Oktoberfest at the With Love Beer Garden will be moved indoors to the Ballroom Foyer.
Cost: Pay as you go
More info: www.visitphilly.com
August 18, 2011
If you've never been to The Fountain, this fall is a great opportunity to sample its delectable cuisine. (Photo courtesy Four Seasons)
Relatively speaking — meaning in comparison to the swankiest restaurants in Philly — the Fountain Restaurant of Four Seasons Philadelphia’s upcoming Monday Night Chef Series Dinners are inspiringly inexpensive.
The three-course dinners, kicking off September 12 with a steak dinner from Fountain’s sous chef Joe Liberatore, will feature different staff chefs’ wildest, most delicious creations for only $60. Guests will arrive for one seating at 7 p.m., so reservations are a MUST. Call (215) 963-1500.
Other upcoming planned dinners:
• September 26: Cheese, Wine and Port (kitchen tasting, not a sit-down dinner) featuring Chef Joe Liberatore
• October 10: Spanish Celebration featuring Chef Rafael Gonzalez
• October 24: Pork Dinner featuring Chef Joe Drago
• November 14: Braised, Bordeaux and Beer featuring Chef Peter Rosenblatt
This will be a an excellent opportunity to introduce your palate to new and carefully-crafted flavors, all the while enjoying the chance to taste what the Four Seasons’ rooftop garden yields.
Monday Night Chef Series Dinners at the Fountain
When: Mondays, bi-weekly, 7 p.m.
Where: 1 Logan Square
Cost: $60
More info: www.fourseasons.com
August 4, 2011
Rest easy at one of the many environmentally friendly hotels in and around Philadelphia. (Photo credits clockwise from top: courtesy Hotel Palomar, courtesy Courtyard Marriott, courtesy Sofitel)
Green is a huge Philadelphia theme, no less evident than at hotels in and around the city.
Both the coziest bed and breakfasts and the most heavyweight corporate chains work hard to provide amenities and programs that seriously reduce their environmental footprint on the planet.
From low-flow shower heads to energy-efficient lighting; from non-toxic cleaning supplies to the donation of fryer oil to farmers to use as bio-diesel fuel, here’s a look at some of the hotels going the extra mile to show the environment some of that quintessential Brotherly Love:
Center City Philadelphia
• Hotel Palomar Philadelphia: As the only LEED Gold-certified hotel in the city, this Kimpton property adheres to the strictest of requirements in the areas of energy saving, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, indoor environmental quality and stewardship of resources. Three of the quirkiest eco characteristics are the recycled wall coverings, the blankets made of 100% recycled content and the parking discounts for hybrid cars. Additionally, the restaurant Square 1682 is among the city’s only LEED-registered dining establishments. Read more about that here.
• Courtyard Philadelphia Downtown: With the help of a consultant hired to instruct the hotel on how to best go green, they’ve made vast improvements to their utilities. An energy management system controls HVAC operations; steam service has replaced emission-releasing boilers; steam condensate is captured and used to preheat guest-room hot water; and bathroom exhaust air is vented and routed through coils to pre-heat and pre-cool the hallways. Plus, all hotel paper and pen products are manufactured from recyclable materials, and certain meeting rooms designated for “Green Meetings” use no linen and are outfitted with tables and chairs made from recyclable materials.
• Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia: Since 2005, when it founded a task force to implement eco-friendly changes, the luxe Ben Franklin Parkway hotel has reduced its energy consumption by one-third! In 2006, the Four Seasons began salinating their indoor pool and hot tub with minerals instead of chlorine and have since installed a liquid cover over the pool to reduce heat loss and evaporation. In 2007, the hotel launched a program that made them the largest composter in the whole city. Some of that composted waste is sent to the roof to fertilize the garden that grows herbs and vegetables for their restaurants. Finally, the hotel generates much of its own electricity, heat and hot water with the first corporate Microturbines to be installed in Philadelphia.
• Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing: Not only does staff save energy by using discount passes to take public transportation to work, they conserve electricity by working in service areas that are equipped with light sensors and timers that automatically shut lights off when they’re not in use. Even more impressive, lights in the back of the house turn off every night at midnight, and escalators don’t run when there’s no event happening on the second floor.
• The Independent Hotel Philadelphia: A program called “Earth View,” currently in Phase One, governs eco-initiatives at this Midtown Village hotel. Guests no longer receive phone books in their rooms, nor Styrofoam cups, plates or bowls; and they use key cards, toilet and facial tissue and paper towels made from recycled content. Meanwhile, the hotel’s energy consumption is being tracked on two different websites.
• Sofitel Philadelphia: This haute Rittenhouse Square property has been awarded the highest recognition in theSofitel chain’s Green Key Eco-Rating Program. Green practices include the use of local and organic foods and the incorporation of the Natura Water filtration system, which eliminates the need for bottled water. Employees are given work time to volunteer for community environmental events and are rewarded for proposing innovative solutions to environmental problems.
Below, we’ve got information on eco-chic hotels in West Philadelphia and the region.
