I spent a weekend here for my birthday after Thanksgiving. When I arrived late morning, my room was ready for me to check in. I was assigned a room on the Concierge Level, a corner king with a nice view. The room was nicely furnished with a large screen TV, a Keurig coffee maker, a fridge and the requested extra towels.
I was pleasantly surprised when the Front Desk agent informed me that the breakfast buffet would be free due to the lounge being closed. It was a surprise because I was there on a weekend (even though it was a holiday) and Marriott full service hotels no longer provide their elite members with this on weekends. So, I was happy that they are still doing nice things for frequent guests. Incidentally, the hotel also had coffee and donuts out in the lobby in the morning, and soft pretzels, lemonade and water or cider in the afternoons. This was available to all guests.
The hotel is pretty easy to get to off of I76. The room was very clean and quiet. Right within walking distance is a Wawa and McDonalds. I wound up going to Wawa for milk for the coffee, and extra snacks.
I just wanted to rest and relax over my birthday weekend and I was able to do so. In the past when I stayed here, the restaurant food and service were poor. Alas, nothing has changed. After having nonexistent service at breakfast, and informing the manager of my constant poor experiences dining in Shula's, he offered to buy my dinner so that I would "give them a chance to show that they are really good." (Incidentally, I've been in Shula's in four cities and 3 different states..without fail, I have lousy food and service in every one. I am convinced it is because I am a single female traveler and I get ignored.)
Well, after ordering a glass of wine and taking a sip, the bottle was "corked" and since my server (there were 3 occupied tables, no excuse for bad service) was no where to be found so I took the wine up to the bartender myself. He said it was a new bottle. I told him to smell and taste it. Of course he agreed with me and gave me another glass.
I'd ordered the filet, medium. It came out medium rare, and this was AFTER explaining to the manager how I wanted it cooked. Then it cam out overdone, so I had to get another one.
The second steak was properly cooked, but the service remained sub-par. However, I noticed my server fawning over the "regulars" who were seated next to me. Alas, I will never eat in another Shula's. I also find it troubling that when you contact their corporate offices, they never bother to get in touch with you to discuss your complaint.
Back to the hotel. The hotel itself is very nice, and the staff was pleasant. I drove into Center City Philadelphia in about 15 minutes-luckily traffic was very light. My room was kept clean and the only issue I had was that the first coffee maker would not work. Housekeeping replaced it and I was very happy.
Internet is free for Elite Marriott Rewards members (gold and above) and it worked well. (Wifi). The hotel offers easy access to Philadelphia, King of Prussia (about 15 minutes away) and various other attractions in the area. If you need to be in a suburb of Phila, or you just don't want to pay the high center city prices, the Phila Marriott West can be a good choice.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC