Philly half on nov 17...hotel recs?

[thebulldog]

This is my first destination race. We are driving up on friday and probably staying with friends but will want a closer hotel to start line bc of time.
I am going through list on website and curious if others are staying elsewhere.



i be typing from me phone. typos and grammer dont count.

[spedrunner]

I have not signed up for this yet, but just checked the list. I always prefer staying the closet to the start line, i hate taking bus/shuttles, etc, I like being able to walk there.....The top for (under 1 mile away) are all fabulous hotels. I am not sure of the pricing or your budget but ive worked at many and they are all great

im not sure if there are any closer to the start line that are not listed. When i did the ac marathon, i actually stayed at a hotel that was not listed for more than half the cost and it was actually closer than any others, def something to consider. I am from the area, but dont frequent the specific area enough to know locations

[Susie]

*signing in to check back later for recs*

[shorewife]

When I did the Philly marathon last year, we stayed in a Residence Inn in NJ just outside of the city. We drove in and parked near Drexel's campus. It was a bit of a walk to the start (maybe 1/2 mile?) but it worked out fine because getting in and out from the art museum area is pretty easy.

[jobell]

I'm a lurker here, but when we run the Philly Rock N Roll half we always stay at the Hampton Inn on Race St. It's around the corner from the expo and about a 15 min walk from the start line.

[gt7301b]

The tricky thing about Philly is there aren't a ton of hotels that are close (within a mile of the starting line). Most of the hotels recommended on the website are closer to the convention center and packet pickup. I assume there are shuttles or you could use public transportation to get to the start, but I didn't want to deal with that. I searched by distance from the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The hotels that I found close to the race start were:
Best western city center
Four seasons
Sheraton Philadelphia downtown
Embassy Suites Philadelphia
Windsor Suites
Sonesta Hotel Philadelphia
Sheraton Philadelphia University City
Westin Philadelphia

If you have trouble reserving a room I'd try calling and seeing if the hotel has any rooms available. I reserved our room in April and some of the hotels closer to the start were already booked solid.

[Bob Loblaw]

I stayed at the Holiday Inn, about a mile from the start. It was walking distance to the expo as well. I got a good price and the hotel put together a great breakfast buffet tailored to runners (bagels, PB, bananas, water bottles, etc).

[gummybear]

My favorite hotel downtown, far and away, is the Sofitel. It's a few blocks from the starting line but it is wonderful and the beds are so comfortable. They also have really nice bathrooms and toiletries which I know I would appreciate after the race.

My one anecdotal piece of advice is NOT to stay at Embassy on the Parkway. I have stayed there and HATED it. The elevators are seriously slower than it would take to walk up the 20 floors. But it is literally right there at the starting line.

Marriott Courtyard and Marriott Downtown are also pretty good. Omni is really nice as well but not that close to the starting line. If budget isn't a concern Four Seasons is right there as well and considered a luxury hotel.

ETA: Where is the starting line? I should know this considering I am running it, LOL. I assumed it was at the Art Museum? Why is is saying the Four Seasons is half a mile away? I guess the parkway is half a mile? Seems like less.

[al320]

Chiming in late..there doesnt seem anything that close to the start/art museum, so we just picked based on the hotel amd what else its near. Most of the race rates seemed VERY reasonable. Or at least, less than ive paid for crappier hotels with race rates.

[enfuego23]

I just booked at the Sofitel for the Philly Half - It's not too far from the start - about a mile.

[enfuego23]

Jul 2, 2013 10:56:17 GMT -5 gummybear said:

My favorite hotel downtown, far and away, is the Sofitel. It's a few blocks from the starting line but it is wonderful and the beds are so comfortable. They also have really nice bathrooms and toiletries which I know I would appreciate after the race.

My one anecdotal piece of advice is NOT to stay at Embassy on the Parkway. I have stayed there and HATED it. The elevators are seriously slower than it would take to walk up the 20 floors. But it is literally right there at the starting line.

Marriott Courtyard and Marriott Downtown are also pretty good. Omni is really nice as well but not that close to the starting line. If budget isn't a concern Four Seasons is right there as well and considered a luxury hotel.

ETA: Where is the starting line? I should know this considering I am running it, LOL. I assumed it was at the Art Museum? Why is is saying the Four Seasons is half a mile away? I guess the parkway is half a mile? Seems like less.

Yay! I just booked this hotel for the half marathon - glad to hear a good recommendation:) 

[gummybear]

Jul 2, 2013 15:29:44 GMT -5 enfuego23 said:

Jul 2, 2013 10:56:17 GMT -5 gummybear said:

My favorite hotel downtown, far and away, is the Sofitel. It's a few blocks from the starting line but it is wonderful and the beds are so comfortable. They also have really nice bathrooms and toiletries which I know I would appreciate after the race.

My one anecdotal piece of advice is NOT to stay at Embassy on the Parkway. I have stayed there and HATED it. The elevators are seriously slower than it would take to walk up the 20 floors. But it is literally right there at the starting line.

Marriott Courtyard and Marriott Downtown are also pretty good. Omni is really nice as well but not that close to the starting line. If budget isn't a concern Four Seasons is right there as well and considered a luxury hotel.

ETA: Where is the starting line? I should know this considering I am running it, LOL. I assumed it was at the Art Museum? Why is is saying the Four Seasons is half a mile away? I guess the parkway is half a mile? Seems like less.

Yay! I just booked this hotel for the half marathon - glad to hear a good recommendation:) 

I hope you like it! We live outside the city and go down to stay there sometimes just to get away. They have a little bar in the lobby that has really good cocktails too. Enjoy!!

[al320]

Jul 2, 2013 15:38:40 GMT -5 gummybear said:

Jul 2, 2013 15:29:44 GMT -5 enfuego23 said:

Yay! I just booked this hotel for the half marathon - glad to hear a good recommendation:) 

I hope you like it! We live outside the city and go down to stay there sometimes just to get away. They have a little bar in the lobby that has really good cocktails too. Enjoy!!

Ive stayed at the sofitel before in philly, its a beautiful hotel!

[2doxies]

Jul 2, 2013 15:28:23 GMT -5 enfuego23 said:

I just booked at the Sofitel for the Philly Half - It's not too far from the start - about a mile.

I stayed here on my wedding night, I love the Sofitel! Good luck, racers

[msmerymac]

The problem with the art museum area is, although it's gorgeous and safe, there aren't a ton of hotel OR public transit options in the area. You can stay anywhere as long as it's convenient to a rail line that gets you to Suburban Station and then walk about .75 miles. But it's still .75 miles or so. 

The Sofitel is right near my office and it looks nice from the outside. It's also between Chestnut and Walnut streets which are the nice, main shopping areas with a lot of stores and restaurants if you're staying an extra day or something. It's near Rittenhouse Square park, which is really nice. It's a good area of the city. There's also a Westin just about across the street from the Sofitel, and I know they have a huge parking garage (my husband parks there when he meets me in the city, since he works in the 'burbs).