Hotel The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia (Philadelphia, USA)

Staying here is a special event and highlighted by the offer of champagne as you check in. This theme is followed through to the treatment you receive from all staff who couldn't be more approachable and helpful. They even refer to you by name at all times + that's not an easy task.

They really are impressive with everything that's needed for the comfort of guests. The only way to top one of these rooms is to dig deeper into the finances and upgrade to a club room.

Views from the upper floors are breath taking and to round the day off, the atmospheres in the bar and restaurant areas are really buzzing.

On arrival, everything looks great-but don't get too excited! It's fair to say that the room views 'out' to City Hall and the skyline are superior to the views 'in', where things are pretty average. Rooms are dated and need urgent attention. So, after entering the enormously impressive lobby, everything goes downhill from that point.

The restaurant is OK but priced for the business expense account. Fortunately the hotel is in a fabulous downtown location, so they aren't short of competition. Try the Rittenhouse Square restaurants .. and savor the price difference.

Obviously dictated by the history of the building; rooms are 'very' small with a temperamental air con set up. Bathrooms, too, are tiny in the extreme. All in all, the tiny aspects of many of the rooms facilities are not matched by the tariff!