The Rittenhouse Hotel

1. The Rittenhouse Hotel Rooms and Suites

The Rittenhouse Hotel boasts the largest guest rooms in the city, with even the standard rooms clocking in at between 450 and 600 square feet. Suites extend up to a possible 2,000 square feet, while Park Suites and the palatial Presidential Suite expand to even larger sizes. Rooms are airy, bright and modern, utilizing cool colors and interesting combinations to create sleek looks.

There are 116 rooms spread over five floors, focused on delivering the latest contemporary chic to visitors from around the world. All guest bedrooms come with large beds topped with pillow-top mattresses, fluffy comforters and goose down pillows, with foam pillows available upon request.

Rooms also include flat-screen televisions with entertainment on demand for guests’ pleasure, along with complimentary high-speed wired and wireless Internet and an iPod docking station. There is a small in-room safe for important possessions and a minibar stocked with drinks and supplies.

The bathrooms at The Rittenhouse are also splendid, with marble tiling, premium Acqua Di Parma bath products, a separate vanity and a specially lit make-up mirror. Guests have their choice of soaking in an oversized bathtub or showering under an invigorating massage showerhead.

The Ritterhouse Hotel’s specialty suites are even larger, ranging between 650 to 2,000 square feet of living space, so be sure to check prices to see how large a room you will get. The suites vary by size and while all include a separate seating area with queen-sized sofa bed, some may also include a second bedroom or a kitchen.

Park Suites on Rittenhouse Square are the next step up, offering total luxury for weary travelers. The rooms were named one of the Top 101 Suites of the World, according to Elite Traveler, and offer fantastic views of the city.

Park Suites come with plush four-poster beds in the bedrooms and a living space that includes a separate living area and powder room. There’s both a kitchen (equipped with fridge, microwave and wet bar) and a dining room table, so you can enjoy restaurant-quality room service meals in style without having to take off your bathrobe. There’s also a coffee machine and a range of products, to help provide that caffeine boost in the morning.

Finally, the Presidential Suite dwarfs all other rooms at the Rittenhouse. It is named as such because it is the accommodation of choice for all VIPs visiting Philadelphia. The living area it offers is huge, including a separate foyer and a guest powder room. The sitting room boasts a Baby Grand Piano among its sumptuous furniture and the dining room table seats ten guests for entertaining visiting dignitaries.

There’s a well-equipped study with a library and executive desk, a gourmet kitchen, a bathroom tiled with jade marble and just about everything else the head of government could desire. Decorated with gold-tinged walls, warm drapes and only the most expensive soft furnishings, it’s the sort of room that even 5-star hotel guests can only dream of.

2. Dining at The Rittenhouse

The Rittenhouse offers a fabulous range of dining options for its guests: The elegant Lacroix restaurant, the cultured Mary Cassatt Tearoom and 24-hour in-room dining available via room service. Lacroix at The Rittenhouse is an acclaimed culinary high point on Rittenhouse Square, offering specially tailored menus throughout the day that include everything from a light Sunday brunch to extravagant nine-course dinner menus. Flavors are clean, clear and refined, using fresh local ingredients and high-quality foreign delicacies.

Lacroix is open from 7am to 10pm and serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts and tea. The gourmet cuisine aims to be innovative and invigorating, making every meal a treat. Try the Chef’s Tasting Menu if you want to splash out, as it allows you to try Chef Jon Cichon’s most daring, delectable fare.

For a less hearty affair, the Mary Cassatt Tea Room is Philadelphia’s premier spot for high afternoon tea. Taking its cues from the long British tradition of tea and cakes, the Tea Room offers its fare between 2pm and 5pm daily. Signature tea blends include Duchess’ First Love, a mix of creamy Earl Grey and delicate rooibos, as well as Marry Me Again, a Ceylon tea flavored with fragrant violets, lavender and corn flowers.

The Mary Cassatt Tea Room offers both an a la carte menu and a set afternoon tea, which delivers a selection of savory canapes and sandwiches, scones with preserves and clotted cream as well as a variety of sweet desserts and miniature confections.

24-hour room service is also available to all hotel guests. The on-site kitchen serves up food and beverages all night, to be enjoyed from the comfort of your own bed.

The bars at The Rittenhouse Hotel are no less elegant than the eating establishments. Inside Lacroix restaurant is Bar 210, which serves light bites alongside handcrafted cocktails, earthy beers and a vast selection of award-winning wines. Open daily from 11am until the restaurant closes, Bar 210 offers an upmarket and refined experience.

In contrast, the Library Bar provides a quiet, intimate atmosphere which is open from 4pm to midnight. The expert mixologists create unique cocktails using popular and hard to find spirits and offer top-notch bar food to entertain your palate.

3. The Spa

The Rittenhouse Hotel has its own Spa and Club which offers a vast menu of treatments. Standard services include facials and skincare packages, massages, body treatments such as wraps and scrubs, and an airbrush tanning salon. Treatments are designed to soothe, rejuvenate and refresh.

Special packages on offer include a relaxing 60 minute massage and a reconnection package offering the same treatment for two people to experience together in order to enhance their intimacy.

4. Family Travel

The Ritterhouse Hotel offers special services and deals for families traveling with children. Kids under ten receive a gift of choice from the Rittenhouse Chest and kids under nine get a copy of Goodnight Philadelphia for educational bedtime stories. Baby amenities are available upon request from the concierge, and the hotel can also provide discount codes for top family friendly attractions in the city. Speak to staff to pick up discounts on tickets to the Philadelphia Zoo, Adventure Aquarium and the Please Touch Museum.

There are accommodations in place to look after any animals you might bring with you. So long as guests pay the $150 per night pet fee, dogs receive a complimentary bowl of food upon arrival and cats are also allowed to stay. Sitters and walkers are available (for a fee) if the animal can’t be taken out, as they must never be left in the room by themselves. One pet per person allowed.

5. Weddings & Conferences

The Rittenhouse Hotel is a premium space that can be hired out by private groups to host weddings, corporate meetings and private business events. The hotel caters to any size of gathering, as the capacity of private hire spaces ranges from exclusive 12-person conferences in the Marie Fedock Boardroom through 500-person receptions in the Grand Ballroom.

Function rooms for hire, in descending order of size, are: The Grand Ballroom (North and South), the Grand Salon, the Parkview Suite, Boardroom I, Boardroom II, the Marie Fedock Boardroom, the Boathouse and the Mary Cassatt Tea Room and Cassatt Garden. Corporate rates are also available for renting many guests rooms.

The hotel also has a long history in catering for weddings, meaning that any of the rooms can be hired out for big days that are intimate or expansive. The Grand Ballroom can cater for a wedding banquet of up to 400 people and the skilled caterers have produced extensive menus to help couples plan their meals.

Philadelphia is a bustling, cosmopolitan city that’s never short on things to do and see. Around Rittenhouse Square, there’s a variety of sights within walking distance, such as the nearby Dilworth Plaza and verdant Love Park. The Rosenbach Museum is only three blocks away and getting around is easy and convenient.

Visit the iconic Liberty Bell and the historic Independence Hall. There’s a huge variety of art, science and culture museums to take in, but equally important is taking the time out to stroll along the bank of the Delaware River.

210 W Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Phone: 215-546-9000