Rodeway Inn Center City

Very confused by this place. I made a reservation and was shown photos of the room to on the website. The room in the photos was lovely and had a tidy looking bathroom is n the room. Come to find out the room had NO bathroom at all and instead has a communal bathroom. Not sure what the photos I saw were about but for $ 250.00 a night I expect to at least have a toilet in my room!

Do people really read Unilocal anymore??? If we raise your rate take the hint.

DO NOT STAY HERE.
As a card-​carrying adult who works 40hrs a week to pay bills, I can’t in good conscience spend my money on poor customer service. Cannot do it. It’s like my wallet physically will not let me disrespect myself.
Anyway, my friends and I booked a room here for a popular festival weekend. When we called to confirm, Brian Krason (the rudest manager) I’ve ever dealt with, told us he was increasing the room rate ON THE SPOT because we had 3 people instead of 2. Now, as you know, that doesn’t change the number of beds or anything, for that matter. But, okay. So my friend asked him why and Brian didn’t feel the need to explain to the customer why our rate was increasing.
Instead of explaining why he was increasing the price, he cancelled the reservation. No warning. No confirmation. Just cancelled it. Then sent a snarky email about why he was cancelling the reservation which boiled down to his pride being hurt over being told that this was the worst customer service we had ever received. (Which is a fact.) We then tried to speak with someone else and Brian repeatedly sent us to voicemail.
I say all this to say, Brian Krason is unprofessional. If he won’t honor a pre-​determined room rate, what else would he slack on? Maintenance? Sanitation?
For someone working in the ‘hospitality’ industry, he was anything but hospitable. Very sad that Choice Hotels would continue to employ someone so negative to their brand.

an absolute scam. did not even manage to check into the hotel, and refuse to help me with refunding me any credit at all. bad service and totally unprofessional.
NEVER USE RODEWAY INN.

I have never ever received such horrible customer service in my life. I had to book this hotel for an exam and had to cancel 2 days ahead of time bc of a family emergency. He would not refund the or cancel the hotel which was $ 600. We tried telling him we were students and it would mean a lot to help us out in this sensitive situation. I spoke to the owner, and not only was he condescending and rude but extremely disrespectful on the phone to me and my husband. We were so shocked we complained to the company and plan to complain to consumer affairs as well. I wish there was a way to give zero stars.

I stayed here again on a business trip, as it was the only reasonably priced hotel for the weekend I needed and it was very close to my conference location. However, my experience this time was truly awful and no where near what I had experienced the first time. I thought that once they had finally finished the renovations that it would be nicer than last time, but I was sorely mistaken. I booked the same way I had before on
with the same room type. Last time I did this I remembered that it said that the bathroom was private but in a separate room outside and I had called them the first time to ask about that and they had explained the bathroom would be in the room like a normal hotel room so I assumed this would be the case this time when I booked exactly the same way and didn’t call again. When I came to the hotel, unfortunately I was given a room with the bathroom outside (it was a private bathroom with a separate entrance but down the hall from my room). I was actually ok with this, though it wasn’t ideal. I was warned on the website and should have checked again but for the price I would’ve still been ok to deal with it. But this was only the start of my problems. This room (on the top level) clearly hadn’t been renovated at all, with cracked walls and holes, and worst of all a 2 – 3 inch gap between the top of my door and the wall such that someone could peer into my room or reach their entire hand in, and of course any sound in my room could easily be heard outside and vice versa. I have a picture I’ll post later of this. The hallway was scary and things were falling apart everywhere. There was again no temperature control in the room and the room was too warm and stuffy. I had asked them to turn it down when I woke up sweating in the middle of the night, and it got better for awhile then too warm again and I had no control over it. Also the phone in my room was completely broken and couldn’t even be used to call the front desk so whenever I had to make a request like this, I had to go all the way downstairs. I once saw the maintenance guy changing the locked thermostat in the hallway after a couple requested it. Once the couple walked away I asked him what temperature he was changing it to, hoping he wasn’t making it warmer again. He smirked at me and said he wasn’t really changing it at all, he just let them think that (!!!). Also my separate bathroom had no window or vent of any kind and since it was a tiny room all by itself where I couldn’t leave the door open (since that’s the public hallway), the steam would never leave the room so when I would go to shower the next day it would still be covered in steam. Also I had no coffee maker in my room and there was no coffee available in the lobby. When I complained to the front desk of my issues, they said that those rooms are the «European Style» rooms and they usually don’t recommend them when other rooms are available. Umm I’ve stayed in hotels all over Europe and while the bathroom being separate isn’t that unusual, all of the other issues, were not typical of European hotels! I asked for a different room and they said I would have to pay 2 – 3 times the price and they couldn’t credit me for what I already paid on
(I prepaid full price for 3 nights stay) because they said they weren’t getting the full rate that I paid them, they only get a portion of it. They also refused to honor the federal GSA rate that I was eligible for, even though Rodeway Inn’s national website says they offer this rate for eligible people. He did say I could leave after the first night and not pay for the other 2 days (not sure how I would get my money back since I paid
), but since there was a marathon in town the same weekend as my conference there was no way I could get something reasonably priced near my conference location in time. I will never stay here again. The staff are extremely rude and the quality of the rooms is awful and not what you would expect from the pictures on the website at all.

To start… I didn’t even make it through the front door.
So I booked my room for New Years Eve in Philly… I’m a mummer, I then realized that my original plan was a little overwhelming. So I call the hotel to ask about their cancellation and refunds, I speak with Brian who informed me that I would not be able to get a refund (fair, the reservation was within 24 hours, thats what you get for booking late) so I ask to talk to a higher up (Bobby Patel) just in case I can find a loop hole, there was none; same answer. So reluctantly I say okay well IF I CANT GET A REFUND I DONT WANT TO CANCEL because who would… the call ends with Bobby saying «we’ll have your room ready for you»…
Anyway leaving this phone call a little upset that my attempts were fruitless, I see that I have an email from Bobby Patel, the GM saying that my reservation was cancelled. WHAT?! I call back (very mad but somehow refraining from saying a single profane word) because now my reservation was cancelled and they took my money without me even cancelling, I’m given back to Bobby on the phone who says I shouldn’t have been talking to him anyway, Brian at the front desk does everything, so I get sent back to Brian on the phone and he says «I have a recording of you saying to cancel the room… we don’t want you to stay here… and your room will not be reinstated…» when I clearly said NOT TO b/​c there would be no refund. He then goes on to say «come back with your lawyer.» Really? So I will be disputing it with my credit card company…
So now I decide to call Choice Hotels headquarters customer service (even though the hotels are privately owned) and I speak with a very nice man who was helpful but also unable to receive any relief for the situation even after he called Rodeway. Note: Brian did not play the recording for me or CSR that proves this review and he also said I treated him «profanely» (I DIDNT BUT I SHOULD HAVE)
So in short, if you want your money stolen (wish I read all the reviews about this place and their shady business practices) make a reservation at Rodeway! Just kidding… don’t. Steer way clear of Rodeway Inn and any establishment that Brian at the Front Desk and Bobby Patel frequent.
UPDATE: Also… after you post a review on TripAdvisor, the manager Brian Krason will reply with lies… he said I threatened to post a review (which I never did) and told me that more honesty (when did I lie?) and less foul language (when did I curse?) would go a long way. I wouldn’t recommend that anyone stay here, but if you do, definitely post a review so you can get your snooty response from Brian online.

This is a review based on my single experience phoning this hotel this morning to confirm my reservation for New Year’s Eve. I called and spoke with Brian, who confirmed my reservation for 1 night on New Year’s Eve for 2 rooms. I had booked directly through the Choice hotels website and had a best rate guarantee claim that was approved by Choice Hotels, of which this specific hotel is a member. After pointing out to the agent that it was a complimentary night, due to the best rate guarantee, I was put on hold for a few minutes. He returned to tell me that he would be canceling the reservation and that they will not be honoring the best rate guarantee that they are bound to by Choice Hotels. I find it outrageous that they would simply cancel this reservation. I am glad that I did call as I would have been quite upset arriving in Philadelphia, only to find out that my reservation most likely would have been cancelled before I arrived. After reading other reviews online, I notice that this seems to be a pattern with this establishment. The owner, Bobby Patel, is the one that made the decision to cancel my reservation. Brian, his agent, was the unfortunate bearer of bad news. I don’t feel that a hotel has a right to cancel reservations without notifying the customer of their odd, outlandish policies. Others have had this happen where they show up for their confirmed reservation, only to find themselves without a room for the night. Rodeway Inn Center City business practices are far from the norm and I feel their customer service skills are severely lacking. I chose to let them cancel the reservation and deal with it through Choice Hotels customer service. At this point, I did not feel it would be a great experience to even stay there, even if Choice could get the hotel to honor the reservation as they should. After the CSR for Choice Hotels called the hotel and spoke with the manager, she returned to say that they did cancel both rooms and that the owner stated to her that I was banned forever from staying at that hotel. REALLY??? So now I have officially been banned from my first hotel ever. I guess there’s first for everything.
Seeing the way this hotel handled such a simple thing, and the lack of customer service, I would never stay here anyway.
Be forewarned…
UPDATE — Received a scathing response to my review on Tripadvisor from the management of this place, spreading lies about me that I tried to scam them 3 times previously and making up fake websites. It is interesting how they continue to offer bad service and almost illegal business practices and people continue to stay here. These people should not be in the hospitality business. When you sign up to be under the Choice hotel brand, you need to abide by their guarantees and policies. When I spoke to Choice, they offered (and almost insisted) to call the hotel and force them to honor the Best Rate Guarantee. I chose, myself, not to force the issue, as I wanted to be assured of a room for New Years without any problems. I did not want to end up in a broom closet on a cot. The owner and manager of this place need to straighten out their act if they plan on staying in business…

I received excellent customer service (i wanna say the guys name was brian?) very helpful and professional. Location is good and within walking distance of pretty much anything. Room was one of the smaller rooms I’ve ever been in but served its purpose. thing that threw me off was there were no windows (in my room) this bothered me to be honest. Only other negative was how is there no computer in the lobby for guests to use? Either way, the hotel served its purpose for me. if you are in town for 1 – 2 days, this is worth it.

I wish I read the reviews before staying here but I unfortunately did not. Moral of the story is to research before you travel. We got to the inn, and checked in. The front staff agent named Courtney was very rude, and told us our reservation was cancelled because the inn has this thing where they apparently call you 48 hours before check in to confirm our room. Because of this we were denied a room, which I found weird because out of all the times I’ve book a hotel room, never have I got a call to confirm anything. On top of that the entire week before that, we never got a phone call at all. Ever. We booked through Expedia and we received a confirmation for the room, we also showed her the email of the confirmation and she still told us no. At that point we were lucky enough to have family that lived in the Philadelphia area. So after going back and fourth with her, we eventually decided to end it there and wait for an über to take us to our family. To add insult to injury, Courtney came back up to us again and tried to kick us out. Never coming back again. The level of service is unprofessional, and seems to be unorganized. Save yourself the risk of having your room rebooked, and go somewhere else.

I booked the room for $ 200 per night because it was the last available room in the city. When I went to check in the girl told me that the owner had cancelled my reservation because he couldn’t process my card (which is a corporate AMEX, so I don’t believe that). They never notified me that they couldn’t process my card, nor did they notify me that they cancelled my reservation. She then told me that they had a room available for $ 400 per night. As I started to get upset (because there were no other rooms available in the city, and wasn’t sure where I could go) she told me that she felt intimidated, and threatened to call the cops on me. I asked to speak to the manager, and was told that there was no way to reach him until the morning. I felt like they were trying to scam me for the higher rate. Avoid this place if at all possible.

Our room was was clean enough and staff were pleasant enough. I’ve stayed in better and worse places. 3 stars all the way.
The room was tiny and we were told the bed was a queen but it was definitely a full. There was just enough room for us to get changed and move around a bit. The size was far from comfortable. The «in room coffee» is a Keurig machine. Don’t bother with it and walk to a good coffee shop. If you must, there is a Starbucks directly across the street.
The major down side of this place is that the walls are thin. We were next to the room with the unattached bathroom situation– so every time someone in their room went to use the can, we knew. They also managed to slam both damn doors EVERY frigging time. This is to say, this isn’t the quietest location ever. I don’t sleep well in hotels anyway, but my wife, who can sleep through explosions (no, really, true story) didn’t get a lot of sleep either.
The room had no AC and got to be sauna hot around 1am. I would not want to stay here in July or August. The elevator was dinky, barely enough room for us and our luggage. However, it got us to our floor without issue. The halls are narrow and carpeted in a weird squishy carpet. The same in the room. It is however clean.
The saving grace of this place– it’s location. Smack in the middle of Philly and walking distance to everything and anything you might want to see. I mean let’s face it, you don’t get a room in the center of the city because you plan on spending a ton of time in it. If like us you check in, shower, change, and get out, come back, sleep, and repeat.
As for the parking validation– they take $ 12 off your bill for each DAY you pay. So if you park on day one and go past midnight, you get charged for a second day.
Anyway. A mediocre room in a spectacular location.

I wish I saw the reviews before staying here. Summary: The front desk staff were awkward. The elevators are so small they can barely fit five people. The hotel is carpeted with old, filthy rugs (the rooms too). When we got in the room I was not impressed at all, especially for the price per night. There was a hole in the wall that was covered by a crooked picture. Although we were just laying in bed, someone knocked on the door then opened it on their own (I had the padlock over the door thank god) I went over to look out and it was the owner, he said they were doing room checks and that no one checked the paper off that we were checked in… but he had checked us in 10 minutes beforehand… We could have been naked? This place is the sort of place you would be concerned about bed bugs or roaches. So pretty much I got zero sleep. Not because of the nightmares of roaches cuddling with me, but because I can hear the water dripping from the person upstairs taking a shower and the constant banging of doors. Do not come here. This place needs serious improvement. If you’re looking for a cheaper price, you’ll be much more comfortable at the holiday inn one block over.
There are many hotels in the city you could pay this price for that are much, much better.

Worst hotel I’ve ever stayed at. Do not, under any circumstances, stay at this place. No AC in the rooms, dirty and dingy as hell, rude staff who won’t do anything to help you (and won’t treat you well). All in all this place is absolutely horrible.

Very handy location. Clean nice. The staff is very friendly, cheerful, and ready to help. Will stay next trip back. Very close to Independence Hall. Parking tight, but close to SEPTA, or a $ 6 cab from 30^th St Station.

Surprised to read other reviews, I had a good experience staying here for a weekend.
Positives:
1. Location: biggest plus point. Walking distance from a lot of great restaurants, reading market, tourist spots like Liberty bell and city hall.
2. Price: not cheap but less expensive compared to other hotels in the same location
3. Room: came with free wifi, flat screen TV. Bed was reasonable. Bathroom was great. The hotel appears old from the exterior but most likely has been renovated recently as the toilet fittings and walls of the room appear clean and new.
4. Staff: front desk staff and housekeeping services were excellent.
Negatives:
1. Cleanliness: carpet in the room appeared dirty with a few stains and spots
2. Hallways and elevator are narrow and tiny
3. Agree with other reviews that the walls are thin
All things considered I will choose them again.

Three stars for the great location and friendly staff and clean room. But the worst part of my trip is there was no heat in the room. This was in the middle of winter when it was below zero. My first night I was freezing. Called and asked twice to have the heat turned up. They have a little vent in the ceiling for heat. They said of course we will turn the heat up. They do it from outside my room. Lies I continued to freeze. It is an old building that does not have good installation or vents. I had to turn on the shower and steam the room to remain warm. Next time if I stay there it will be in the spring only. And I’m sure the summers are a sweat box.

For its location (right in the middle of Center City), it’s pretty cost-​effective. But, you also get what you pay for.
Again, location is great; Reading Terminal is just a few blocks away, and it was nice to go to restaurants that were all walkable. The lobby is clean and comfortable, but the elevator is tiny.
Once you get upstairs, the hallways are thin, and the walls even more so — we were there during a Pride festival, and it was super loud. But even at night, you can hear people in the next rooms.
My floor was slanted (coming out of the bathroom), and the carpet was thin and pretty dirty (lots of spots on the floor). Bed was ok. TV had about 5 channels. Bathroom was ok, though towels felt kinda grimy.
For the location, and just for a place to sleep, it’s fine. If you want anything more than that, go somewhere else.

This hotel not only «accidentally» threw away my belongings, the front desk manager tried to shame and blame me for it. She even kicked me out of the hotel when I had paid for the room. They admitted fault, but denied any responsibility until they came to their legal senses and demanded proof of purchase of my belongings. Sorry, but I don’t have the receipt for my heirloom wedding ring. Or my work laptop. Or my iPod that was a gift. So here I am… my only solace is to warn people not to stay at this atrocity of a hotel. I have a police report, photos and various documentation. What I didn’t have (until now) is the strength, time and legal freedom to make this public via a review.

I spent 2 nights here at the Rodeway Inn in downtown Philadelphia on 10÷10−11÷2013. I thought I had booked a room here with 2 beds, but as it turned out, I was given a room with a King bed. The property is pretty cool, a bit dated, and i think it is the 1^st Rodeway Inn brand I have stayed at ever. The room I was assigned to was on the 3^rd floor. #305. I asked if there was any available room for 2 beds or if they had any roll away beds, but the lady at the desk said no. Guess they were pretty booked or just trying to ignore me. It was alright though, as my group and I made due.
This Rodeway Inn property is located centrally in downtown Philadelphia on Walnut Street. Centrally located to most major attractions in the historic district and easy access to Chinatown and the immediate vicinity. The lobby to the Rodeway was kind of bare, but it is what it is. Very white and clean though. The check in process was nice as well as the check out process as well. The room itself was small and intimate. The bed was amazingly soft and comfortable. I really need to get a bed like that when I get home. Nightly room rates were valued at $ 159/​night, but I got a deal on
for $ 109/​night. Talk about crazy deal making! Without a doubt, this place is good for your money. Everything else that was here was good and worked property.
The room itself was very clean and immaculate upon entering the room. The television was mounted on the wall, so that made watching tv much more cool. There was also a mini fridge and a microwave in the cabinets. The shower was working properly and the room was clean and very hospitable to sleep in and quite nice to enjoy. The elevator that came up and down to all five levels to the property. It kind of squeaked as it carried us, but it was adequate. The stay was adequate for my needs and was great for the price I paid
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