Cambria Hotel Philadelphia Downtown Center City

Rooms and decor

Step into the lobby of the Cambria Hotel Philadelphia Downtown Center City and the first thing you feel is a big-city modern mood that still reads warm and distinctive — because the hotel sits on South Broad Street, the stretch Philadelphia calls the Avenue of the Arts. The whole building pulls its cues from music and art, from wall pieces to color tones and small details that keep it from looking like every other chain. It's a 15-story boutique with 223 rooms, and the part guests single out is how much wider the rooms run than the downtown norm. They're clean and contemporary, with a work desk, mini-fridge, coffee maker and — the real catch — a microwave, which makes late dinners and long stays easy. Beds are soft and the bathrooms read modern. If you like sharp-looking style without full-on opulence, this lands, because it sells the contemporary arts-district feel over flashy grandeur.

Food and amenities

If this hotel has one beating heart, it's the rooftop bar Attico on the 16th floor, which opens onto a wide Philadelphia skyline view with an outdoor terrace to catch the air — billed as the largest rooftop on the Avenue of the Arts, pouring signature cocktails and small plates for an easy evening. Sunset up there is the moment plenty of guests call the highlight of the stay. Down on the second floor, Treble & Bass serves relaxed American plates and breakfast daily, a handy way to start the day or grab a bite before heading out. There's also free Wi-Fi throughout and a fitness room for anyone keeping a workout schedule. But the quiet edge that sets these rooms apart from rivals is space and function — the microwave and fridge become the heroes when you're back late from a game or concert and just want to reheat a cheesesteak in the room.

Location and getting there

Location is this place's strongest card, plainly. The hotel is planted in the heart of Center City right on South Broad Street, the city's main spine, ringed by the Kimmel Center, theaters, restaurants and shops you can stroll all day without a car. What makes it stand out for sports fans and concert-goers is the Broad Street Line stop at Walnut-Locust, barely a step from the door. The charm of that line is that it runs one straight shot south to NRG Station, sitting next to the city's three big stadiums clustered in South Philadelphia — Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles; Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies' ballpark; and the Wells Fargo Center, which hosts basketball, hockey and major concerts. One line, no transfers, about 15 minutes to the gates. On a big game or concert day, hopping the subway beats driving and gambling on parking by a mile. Want the old town, Rittenhouse or City Hall? Those are a short walk or ride too.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk from real reviews to help you decide. First, the hotel sits in the middle of the city on Broad Street, busy day and night, and some reviews say street-facing rooms can pick up traffic, sirens or the bustle of the district. If you're a light sleeper, ask for a high floor or a room off the main street. Second is parking: this is a downtown hotel with no lot of its own, so you use valet parking at a fair extra nightly charge by central-city standards — drivers should budget for it. The flip side: with the subway at the door taking you straight to the stadiums, plenty of guests skip bringing a car into the city at all. Last, this place leans on modern design and location more than full luxury. Anyone after a big spa, a pool or resort-grade amenities may find the on-site offering limited — but if you value roomy rooms with a microwave, a central location, a great rooftop view and a subway that reaches the stadiums in a few stops, it fits well.

Our take

After reading through a stack of real reviews, the Cambria Hotel Philadelphia Downtown Center City is a hotel that sells balance — a heart-of-Center City location on the arts strip, rooms that run wide with a full set of functions including a microwave, the Attico rooftop skyline bar, and, most of all, the Broad Street Line stop out front that runs one straight line to Lincoln Financial Field, Citizens Bank Park and the Wells Fargo Center. It fits couples, families and sports fans who want to stay in the middle of the city for the walking and still hop a train to a game or concert without the traffic-and-parking gamble. If your trip picture is strolling the Avenue of the Arts by day, sipping a cocktail on the rooftop at sunset, then walking down to the subway out front on game morning, this is about as neat a fit as it gets. But if you're expecting a full-luxury, design-maxed hotel with a spa and pool, or want somewhere quiet and away from the city's bustle, the busy downtown style here may not be your first pick. Overall we give it 8.4/10 for a central boutique whose location and stadium access are hard to beat in Center City.