Mrjoepoe
Family · October 202510/10
As a former Marriott Titanium Elite / Lifetime Platinum Elite, I made a reservation using my Marriott Bonvoy points for a four (4) night stay in mid-October 2025 at the Sheraton Philadelphia Universit...As a former Marriott Titanium Elite / Lifetime Platinum Elite, I made a reservation using my Marriott Bonvoy points for a four (4) night stay in mid-October 2025 at the Sheraton Philadelphia University City, which is located adjacent to the University of Pennsylvania campus, such that our youngest daughter, wife and I would be able to visit our oldest daughter, who just started her freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania a couple of months earlier, during her Fall Break.
This is our third stay at this property, with our prior two visits totaling eight (8) nights in both June 2023 and in August 2023, when our oldest daughter spent six (6) weeks at the University of Pennsylvania Pre-College Program held from late June 2023 through early August 2023. You can view both of my previous Five (5) Star Trip Advisor Reviews as well as numerous photos for both prior stays here on Trip Advisor.
Shortly after making this new reservation, I emailed Nicole A. Ramamurthy, Hotel Manager and Chris Beck, Senior Rooms Division Manager and advised them of our future stay as well as our additional special requests, including our request for the same King Club Suite on the 20th floor with a view of the University of Pennsylvania (my alma mater) that we enjoyed during our prior two stays during the summer of 2023, as well as their assistance in adding our oldest daughter's name to the reservation so she would be able to check-in before the rest of us arrived very late in the evening.
Within hours of my email, I received a thoughtful reply from Mr. Beck and he readily granted all of our special requests. The prompt response from Mr. Beck did not come as a surprise to me given how active the management of this property is in reading and promptly replying to past guests on Trip Advisor as well as the Marriott Bonvoy website, which is a clear sign of management’s commitment to exemplary customer service.
This centrally located business hotel is conveniently located adjacent to the University of Pennsylvania campus and was quite familiar to me as I had seen it often during my undergraduate years at Penn in the late 80s / early 90s as well as our two (2) prior stays during the summer of 2023. As luck would have it, my oldest daughter was assigned my old dormitory just a mere two (2) blocks away from the hotel, so the location couldn’t have been better for us. In addition to being centrally located in University City, public transportation options abound in very close proximity to the hotel as well, including the Market-Frankford subway line, the trolley line and 30th Street (Train) Station as well as the frequent city buses on both Chestnut, Walnut and Market Streets, respectively.
Our third visit to the Sheraton Philadelphia University City did not disappoint, notwithstanding the extensive renovations that are ongoing at the hotel at this time. The renovations have been undertaken in phases, so the upper floors, where we stayed, as well as the Club Lounge on the 20th floor, are finished and everything is sparkly and new! That said, these noises associated with these renovations are not too extreme and they only occur during regular business hours (not too early or not too late). From what I can see, the renovations are extensive but definitely moving along as scheduled.
We simply loved our fully-renovated King Club Suite on the 20th floor, which was perfect for our four (4) night stay, since it was just steps away from the Club Lounge on the same floor and the King Club Suite had two (2) separate and distinct sleeping areas, including a comfortable queen sofa bed in one room and a king bed in another room. Both rooms had a large desk, a large flat-screen TV, side chairs plus the main room also had a table with chairs, a mini-fridge, microwave and a small bar with a sink. There was a single large closet with an electronic safe plus we had two (2) robes and sets of slippers. The single marble-accented bathroom was fairly large with a nice walk-in shower. With the renovations came brand-new furnishings and our entire family was extremely impressed with the transformation of this King Club Suite since we previously stayed there eight (8) nights during the summer of 2023. Not surprisingly, both rooms in the King Club Suite had stellar views of the University of Pennsylvania!
The housekeeping staff provided extra towels, replenished bath products as necessary and provided several bottles of water daily. Further, the cleanliness of our King Club Suite was exemplary and for this we want to recognize the entire housekeeping staff. The complimentary Wi-Fi provided to us as Marriott Bonvoy elite guests was excellent throughout the entire hotel. Finally, the fitness center has been temporarily located to one of the spacious conference rooms, so working out there was a real joy!
Our oldest daughter had no issues checking-in alone prior to our late arrival and upon entering the fully-renovated King Club Suite a few minutes after check-in, she discovered that Mr. Beck and his team were kind enough to provide us with a nice assortment of fresh fruit (including bananas, apples, pineapple, honeydew and cantaloupe), fresh vegetables (including carrots, zucchini and red peppers), tasty humus, mixed nuts, chocolate covered pretzels, two (2) bars of extremely dark chocolate (our favorite), an elegant box of artisan chocolate truffles by Torn Ranch as well as six bottles of sparking and still Perrier water. These incredible complimentary welcome amenities were greatly appreciated, especially given our extremely late arrival at the hotel. Thank you all for your extraordinary hospitality!
As my Marriott Bonvoy elite amenity, our family enjoyed the daily breakfast buffet at the Club Lounge throughout the duration of our stay. Although the Club Lounge is fairly small, it has a wide variety of seating options, most of which take advantage of the same stellar view of the University of Pennsylvania that we had in our King Club Suite, just a few doors away.
The Club Lounge is staffed by Margaret and Teresa, who remembered us very well from our prior two stays during the summer of 2023. Margaret and Teresa are delightful, so whenever you enter the Club Lounge, be prepared to be greeted by a chorus of “Good Mornings” by this wonderful tag-team, both of whom work incredibly hard to make sure that the breakfast buffet is regularly restocked and all of the tables are bussed and cleaned. The Club Lounge truly felt like a home away from home due to this dynamic duo, who along with Chef Rodney and his excellent cuisine, just elevated each morning beyond words! I want to publicly thank Margaret, Teresa and Chef Rodney for their commitment to exemplary customer service and for showing such a sincere interest in all of the guests of the Club Lounge.
Now, onto a description of the food and drink offered during the breakfast buffet, which we attended all four mornings during our stay. The highlights of the breakfast buffet include the specialty coffee drinks, such as lattes and cappuccinos, Starbucks coffee, hot chocolate and hot tea (excellent variety of Tazo and Bigelow teas), delicious orange or apple juice, various milks and nut milks plus a fully-stocked refrigerated case with bottled still water, sparkling water and assorted Pepsi-brand sodas. There was a nice variety of hot items each morning thanks to Chef Rodney, such as waffles, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, breakfast potatoes (choices varied daily) as well as an oatmeal bar, bagels, bread, muffins, cereals, granola, assorted Chobani yogurts and fresh fruit (pineapple / honeydew / cantaloupe / apples). Further, the Club Lounge was open through 10:00 pm every day and it was always well stocked with apples, oranges, granola bars and the fully-stocked refrigerated case with bottled still water, sparkling water and assorted Pepsi-brand sodas.
The generosity and hospitality shown by Ms. Beck and his team throughout our stay was extraordinary. Every team member with whom we came in contact during our stay, including the Club Lounge staff, the helpful staff members at the reception desk and the other food & beverage staff as well as the house-keeping staff really went out of their way to make us feel welcomed. Not surprisingly, the notable customer service that we received before and during our stay as well as the incredible accommodations in our King Club Suite, made this hotel a twelve out of ten in our book!
Congratulations to Ms. Ramamurthy and Mr. Beck at the Sheraton Philadelphia University City for assembling such a great team and leading them with an overriding goal of excellent customer service and stellar accommodations. You will be well served by selecting this centrally located hotel for your base of operations in and around the University City area, especially if you are a Marriott Platinum elite or higher for the full access to the Club Lounge. Rest assured, you will not be disappointed!Show More
