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Hotel Palomar Philadelphia – A Kimpton Hotel

117 S. 17th St., Philadelphia, 19103, PA

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Overview

When it comes to location, you can’t get more central than Hotel Palomar Philadelphia. It’s situated smack-dab in the middle of Center City, within walking distance to City Hall, Rittenhouse Square, the Comcast Center, Franklin Institute, Mutter Museum and Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. It’s also just over a mile away from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and a short drive from the popular Please Touch Museum.

Of course, with a centrally located city hotel comes a hefty price tag, right? Sometimes that’s the case, but not always. You can find rates from $189 at the hotel in January through March, July and August and late November through December.

No matter what you pay, however, the hotel’s location and family-friendly amenities completely justify the rates. Hotel Palomar Philadelphia provides special amenities just for children, pet-friendly rooms, an onsite restaurant and room service, complimentary bicycles and a free wine hour each evening. In other words, nobody will feel left out or want for anything (okay, except a swimming pool) on your adventure to the City of Brotherly Love.

For more information, read about Kimpton Hotels.

Our Editor Loves

  • Central location in Philadelphia
  • Complimentary bikes to explore
  • Kid-specific amenities and services

Family Interests

  • Bicycling
  • Museum/Cultural

Family Amenities

  • Children Programs
  • Connecting Rooms
  • Cribs
  • Family Room 5+
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Kitchenettes
  • Onsite Dining

Room Information

Find the Best Price for Your Stay

Hotel Palomar Philadelphia has 230 rooms and 17 suites, spread across 25 floors. Rooms are simply, yet contemporarily decorated, but far less chic than the hotel lobby lets on. There are eight accommodation variations: Queen Deluxe Room, King Deluxe Room, Queen/Queen Deluxe Room, City View Queen, City View King, Spa King Room, Deluxe One Bedroom Suite and Presidential Suite.

The Queen/Queen Deluxe Room is ideal for families, with 330 square feet of space, two queen beds and a shower and tub combination in the bathroom. The Deluxe One Bedroom Suite is another good choice for families, with 430 square feet of space to spread out. It features a king bed, a separate bathroom and a sofa bed in the living area, which also touts a work area. Plus, this unit has an oversized bathroom with a Fuji soaking tub and a separate walk-in shower. Note: The Fuji tub cleans itself, so don't be alarmed if you hear it power up on its own! Additionally, the Spa King Rooms can sleep families in a king bed and a pullout sofa bed.

All rooms have one or two 37-inch, flat-screen TV's, laptop safes, fully stocked honor bars, iHome docking stations, cordless phones (with complimentary local calls), irons and ironing boards and complimentary plush bathrobes, which also come in kids' sizes. All bathrooms offer Etro amenities and lighted make-up and full-length mirrors.

Cribs, play yards and child safety gadgets, such as surge protectors, are complimentary to guests, and available upon request. Rollaway beds and connecting units are available upon request, as well.

Reviews

Kimpton @Rittenhouse

by GeoNel

All of the staff were very helpful and friendly, especially Terrance. The restaurant serves excellent food for breakfast and dinner, though the dessert menu was not as interesting as that at some other Kimpton properties.

Right in Center of Philly

by NewYorkWorldExplorer

The hotel is a few steps away from Rittenhouse Square and shopping on Chestnut and Walnut streets. A lot of eating options nearby and around the corner on Sansome Street. The rooms are small but clean and modern. You can borrow bikes for free. Don’t miss breakfast. The French toast and pancakes are delish. Friendly and helpful staff. Smooth check-in and check-out.

Family Activities

If you're staying at Hotel Palomar Philadelphia, you'll likely want to see the city's most popular attractions. And lucky for you, many of them are within walking distance from the hotel. The Comcast Center, Philadelphia's tallest building, is just two blocks away, and this is where you'll find the world's largest four-millimeter LED display inside. It's especially magical around the winter holidays, when it hosts an annual Holiday Spectacular Show, a free event for families to enjoy. Also within walking distance are Rittenhouse Square, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and Philadelphia's City Hall, the largest masonry structure in the world. You can also access these attractions via bicycles, courtesy of the hotel -- they are offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.

A Kimpton property, Hotel Palomar Philadelphia offers the chain's unique amenities for kids, too, which include equipment rentals (strollers, bouncy seats, scooters and the like) and hula-hoops to use in the fitness center. It also provides goldfish to "rent" -- just ask for one at the front desk, and it will be brought to your room. Plus, the staff will feed the fish for you!

Family Dining

Square 1682, located next to the lobby, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Brunch is also served on Saturdays and Sundays. Though the restaurant appears slightly upscale, it's quite family-friendly, with kid's menus, high chairs and booster seats available.

The kid's menu offers peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cheeseburgers, quesadillas, pasta and grilled cheese sandwiches, along with "Chef's Wellness Options," which include grilled chicken Caesar salad and sesame shrimp. There's a special breakfast option for kids, too, appropriately named Ben Franklin. It includes one egg; a piece of applewood smoked bacon, sausage or ham; toast and potatoes. The children's meals range from $8 to $11 in price.

For parents, there are also plenty of options. Breakfast includes omelets, benedicts, parfaits and pancakes, and lunch and dinner offer salads, sandwiches, pasta, chicken, steak and fish. Meal prices range from $10 to $25 or so.

Room service (with food from Square 1682) is available 24 hours a day, and includes a $3.50 delivery fee. Additionally, complimentary coffee and tea are available in the lobby.

Planning & Tips

All About the Extras
If you need a babysitter, Hotel Palomar Philadelphia will refer you to some local, accredited services. And if you forget a toothbrush, razor or other necessity during your visit, Hotel Palomar Philadelphia will provide you with one at no additional cost.

Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel. If you need to use a computer or print out attraction tickets, you can use the hotel's business center, located on the second floor.

Hotel Palomar Philadelphia offers a complimentary wine hour each evening, one of Kimpton's best-loved perks. It also provides a yoga mat in each room, and a 24-hour fitness center.

Same-day laundry and dry cleaning services are available, as long as you drop your items off by 8 a.m. A complimentary overnight shoe-shining service is also offered.

Hotel Palomar Philadelphia is pet-friendly, too. It's so friendly, in fact, that it offers pet beds, food and water bowls, and disposable pick-up bags. Grooming, walking and pet-sitting services can also be arranged through the hotel's concierge. The hotel has a canine Director of Pet Relations, too -- his name is Dexter!

The Art of Smart Timing
Philadelphia is a year-round destination, but it's busiest during the fall and spring months, when festivals and pleasant weather abound. Winter is another exciting (though cold) time to visit, as the city hosts a German Christmas Market and tree lighting at Love Park, and the streets glow with twinkling white lights and other holiday garb.

Because spring and fall are so popular, you'll pay the highest rates at Hotel Palomar Philadelphia during this time; they start at $289 April through June and September through mid-November. Rates start at $189 January through March, July through August and late November through the month of December.

Getting There
Hotel Palomar Philadelphia is about 15 minutes from Philadelphia International Airport. From there, a taxi is the easiest and quickest mode of transportation to the hotel. You can also take a train from Terminal A to Suburban Station, which is about a 5-minute walk from the hotel.

If you're driving to the city, valet parking is available at the hotel for $42 per day. You won't likely find cheaper parking nearby, unfortunately.

Getting Around
Philadelphia has SEPTA, an extensive transportation system of buses, subways and trains. Many of the buses stop along Market Street, which intersects with S. 17th St., where the hotel is located. The nearest subway and train stop, at City Hall, is just a short walk away.

Public transportation is generally safe and easy to maneuver, but we encourage you to be aware of your surroundings at all times (as you should in any city or destination).

For Mom and Dad
Hire a babysitter and take advantage of the hotel's in-room massage services. Next (or instead), head down to the lobby for a cocktail at Square 1682, voted the No. 1 Hotel Bar in America by USA Today readers. Afterward, enjoy dinner at one of several top-rated restaurants nearby, including Steven Starr's Butcher and Singer and Alma de Cuba.