Hotel Room Blocks in Center City

onelastpost

Hi! I am calling around to different hotels and would like people's opinions on Center City hotels.  We have stayed at and LOVED the Hotel Palomar, so we were thinking of choosing there for our room block, but we don't know anything about their parking, rates, service, etc. We have stayed at the Loews, Sheraton Society Hill, and the Hyatt at Penns Landing, but of those, we would probably say the Sheraton is the one we're most leaning towards actually using.  Again, don't know much about the process of booking a room block there or what to expect really.  I have seen a few horror stories about some hotels on here (I think someone had an issue w/ the Omni giving away rooms from the block), so please share your experiences!  TIA!

saturninus

So far I have been very happy with my experience with the Sofitel and was not happy with my walkthrough with the Radisson Warwick.

onelastpost

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_pennsylvania-philadelphia_hotel-room-blocks-in-center-city?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:105Discussion:3c429692-d945-455b-9a35-7bfcca876986Post:78cf28c2-a658-4bc6-869b-5a931882e189">Re: Hotel Room Blocks in Center City</a>:
[QUOTE]So far I have been very happy with my experience with the Sofitel and was not happy with my walkthrough with the Radisson Warwick.
Posted by saturninus[/QUOTE]

Can you tell me about your experience w/ the Sofitel? What was the room block pricing they gave you? What about parking? Do they offer a shuttle?

jelybeancg

I used the Omni and all of my guests loved it there. They were very nice to work with and let people still book rooms at the rate weeks after the block expired. When we checked in they had switched our room with one of SILs 2 adjoining rooms but that happened because she checked in at 4 am after some travel  snaffus. It was fixed within minutes and we were sent a bottle of champagne. Was it annoying, yes. Could it have been worse, absolutely.

They even helped my aunt out when she realized her new dress still had the dye pack that the store forgot to take off. They had a seamstress around for some reason who was able to successfully remove it.

They also let you have in and out privileges with the valet parking.

There was also some small issues with the front desk not giving everyone the OOT bags I made and therefore they didn't know about brunch. But again, something that could happen anywhere. Also, they waived the charge because of it.

lczabator

Good post! Can I also ask: how far in advance should I reserve the hotel block? My wedding is June 2013...will hotels reserve this early? Or do I need to wait until it gets closer? What have been your experiences? And saturninus: is it typical to do walk-throughs? I would love that, but I didn't realize it was an option. Thanks!

onelastpost

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_pennsylvania-philadelphia_hotel-room-blocks-in-center-city?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:105Discussion:3c429692-d945-455b-9a35-7bfcca876986Post:b35be601-68af-4dc1-8d62-355ebfb1ba5d">Re: Hotel Room Blocks in Center City</a>:
[QUOTE]Good post! Can I also ask: how far in advance should I reserve the hotel block? My wedding is June 2013...will hotels reserve this early? Or do I need to wait until it gets closer? What have been your experiences? And saturninus: is it typical to do walk-throughs? I would love that, but I didn't realize it was an option. Thanks!
Posted by lczabator[/QUOTE]

Depends on the hotel.  From what my friends have shared, they will let you block the rooms, but your guests can't reserve a room within the block until 12 months from the wedding date. That was the case w/ the Loews, anyway, and it may be similar elsewhere.

Edited to add: I plan to book ASAP since I'm getting married 4th of July weekend next summer. I know some hotels are affiliated w/ the Welcome America celebration, so I have to navigate around that.

jelybeancg

I blocked at 13 months. They did not tell me guests could not book until 12 months.