The Notary Hotel, one of the many fantastic Philadelphia hotels to visit right now. Photo by Rebecca McAlpin

Why should tourists have all the fun? Here are 19 ways you, as a local, can take advantage of Philly’s booming hotel scene.

1. Have a truly productive coffee get-together

Do you remember the days when you fought for a seat in La Colombe before a networking sesh? Avoid the hassle by going to the quiet lobby lounges in the Hyatt Centric or Renaissancewhere there are usually a lot of tables. (And at Centric, they still brew with La Colombe beans.)

2. Swim a few laps

Most Philly hotels limit their pools to overnight guests, but there are some workarounds. In the Loews, the Rittenhouse and the LoganAnyone who books a spa treatment also has access to the lap pools. (The Logan hopes to bring back ResortPass Access to his fitness center – it doesn’t require a spa appointment – in 2022). When it launches this spring, the W rooftop heated pool will have a wet deck, bar, and cabanas year-round – and the party will open to locals on a select basis.

The pool library in the Logan. Photo courtesy of The Logan Hotel

3. Play games

The giant Marriott at the Convention Center Completely closed during the pandemic, then the time was used for renovation. Part of the refreshment: a new pub with a four-lane bowling alley and playroom slated to debut this summer. In the LoganUse of the pool table in the James Logan Library is subject to availability. Locals are welcome.

4. Dinner in a suite

Sometimes – but especially in COVID times – you just want to sit back and relax with a good meal that you don’t have to cook and watch TV that isn’t in your living room. Hotel Monaco, StayAKA University City and the Logan offer pandemic-inspired specials that let you use their rooms to do just that – and without booking an overnight stay.

5. Get an overnight massage

The newest Four Seasons Spa Package isn’t cheap, but neither is it an evening you’ll soon forget. For USD 1,500 and up, the hotel offers exclusive after-hours access to the infinity pool on the 57th floor. You fill the room with flowers, candles and champagne and set up two tables for a romantic couple massage. The entire area is yours from 10:30 pm to 1:00 am

Philadelphia hotels

Night swim at the Four Seasons. Photo courtesy Four Seasons Philadelphia

6. Plan a trip with your pod

Prepandemic, the deacon ran a wonderfully varied list of group classes (challah-making with James Beard semifinalist Tova du Plessis from the Essen bakery;; Tie-Dye, taught by street artist Amberella). This year they are focusing on chef-hosted events that support COVID-closed restaurants and wellness programs for anyone (aka anyone) still processing the trauma of 2020.

7. See some art

Little known fact: Three original Mary Cassatt sketches adorn the walls of the Rittenhouse lobby. Less known fact: the co-working space in the Fitler Club doubles as an art gallery with amazing works by 21 Philly artists. And there are free public tours every first Thursday of the month. (They also don’t take sales commission.)

8. Take in the prospect

Every Philadelphian should see the city from the Four Seasons Lobby Bar at least once. (From 60 floors up, the beauty in your chest will catch your breath.) Try the solarium-style restaurant on the 16th floor for a high-grade slope with fresh air Attico in Cambria or the Taqueria El Techo on the 11th floor (complete with retractable roof!) Pod Philly.

9. Play

Slots, poker, craps, sports betting … after all this time it’s finally here (and open 24/7) in the Live Casino & Hotel in South Philly. Whichever game you choose, you can celebrate your winnings or wash off a loss in one of the 200 rooms upstairs. (And yes, they can book you at night.)

10. Hanging out in a Turkish bath

In early 2020, unveiled the new 15,000 square meters Joseph Anthony Retreat Salon and Spa In Loews, you barely had time to pamper the citizens of that town before the lockdown began. If you want to be pampered again, you can look forward to the Aqua Experience: a 60-minute round of scrubs, massages and Vichy showers performed on a heating tile hammam table.

11. Eat your weight in raw fish

On the ground floor of Four Seasons, Vernick fish is not your typical raw food bar with oysters and cocktail sauce. It’s more like some kind of halibut-ceviche-with-Thai-coconut-broth kind of cane bar. A kind of raw bar with roasted hamachi crudo with blood orange and jalapeño. A $ 120 osetra caviar supplement type of cane bar. You have the idea.

12. Take off a donut croquembouche

In the Unpredictable – the American restaurant in the new one Hilton canopy – Your dinner could and should only end in one way: with a donut croquembouche. The tall pyramid of mini federal donuts filled with cream is doused with salted caramel, which is poured at the table – for you and your Instagram account.

13. Imagine you’re on Bridgerton

Afternoon tea in the Rittenhouse is a beloved Philly tradition – and one that newly-minted Regency lovers should understand, stat. During the three-hour service, a tea sommelier guides you through a global selection of blends as you fill your plate with dainty finger sandwiches and pastries. Similar offers – albeit with less pomp – were available on the internet before the pandemic Sonesta and the Bellevue.

14. Listen to live music

In renewed hope River house at Odette There is a dedicated piano lounge where you can sit on a leather couch with a whiskey cocktail on the weekend and listen to the resident player tickle the keys. In the city, Up hopes to have lobby bar appearances again by summer (from singer / songwriters to spoken word). And when you have the money to spend and a quarantine capsule ready, the extreme WOW Suites in the W. will have built-in DJ booths.

15. Do some work

When a deadline looms – or when you just can’t take another minute of your spouse’s Zoom calls – Dayuse.com With this option you can book hotel rooms at reduced prices for working hours only. The offer is available in properties across the region, including the Westin, Hyatt Centric, the Inn at Penn, the Bellevue and Windsor suites. Senior Marriott Bonvoy members can also post in the M Club Marriott Old Town, a hybrid co-working / lounge area with free snacks and strong WiFi.

Philadelphia hotels

Merguez Kebab and Berbere Chips from Spice Finch. Photo by Breanne Furlong

16. Make dinner for a special occasion

The takeaway tasting at Spiced finch (Reopening this spring) is a smorgasbord made from Middle Eastern and Mediterranean treats: charred carrot hummus, served with crudités and berbere chips, a smoky baba ganoush, and a bowl of broccoli tabbouleh and a grilled kebab. Yes, you could take it home with you, but “I” wouldn’t be that much better up in one Warwick Hotel Room with a hot bath and a fluffy bathrobe?

17. Buy champagne from a vending machine

There’s really only one reason to buy champagne from a vending machine: because you can. So find something – anything – to celebrate Visit the Ritz-Carlton Lobbywhere splits from (chilled!) Moët & Chandon come with a plastic topper so you don’t have to drink it straight from the bottle.

18. Do puppy yoga

During the warmer months, the Logan hosts all kinds of publicly available (and often free!) Exercise events in his courtyard – and he shouldn’t shock anyone who does yoga with the adorable, adoptable pups of Morris Animal Refuge is one of the most popular. See I G and Facebook for appointment announcements in spring and summer.

19. Enjoy two more Nick Elmi restaurants

He opened it laurel welcomed seven years ago. Then he opened it ITV, the wine and cocktail bar next door. Then came Royal butcher, a cozy American-style French brasserie that he opened in the old town. And now, after a terrible year, he’s on the rise with two new restaurants (in collaboration with restaurateur Fia Berisha) at the event that has just opened Marriott Residence Inn at Bala Cynwyd: an all-day riverside café called Landing Kitchen and a pseudo-Mediterranean Mid-Atlantic restaurant full of pure Elven elegance.

Published as “No Reservations” in the April 2021 issue of Philadelphia Magazine.