The Notary Hotel, Philadelphia, Autograph Collection

Rooms and decor

Picture a stately pale-stone building that has stood beside City Hall in the middle of Philadelphia for nearly a century, weathering countless eras while keeping its dignity fully intact — that is the first thing that draws you to The Notary Hotel, Philadelphia, Autograph Collection. It was built as the City Hall Annex, a municipal office in the elegant Beaux-Arts style back in 1926, and only became a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel after a meticulous restoration. Step into the lobby and you slip back into a golden age: soaring ceilings with moulded plasterwork, classical stone columns, and craftsmanship that tells the story of its heyday, blended so well with modern furniture and lighting that it reads as both period and contemporary at once. The thing guests mention with one voice is the spacious, high-ceilinged rooms that come with an old government building, a sense of openness that is rare downtown. Rooms run warm with wood and soft fabrics, comfortable beds, and more floor space than average, so you can set down your bags and move around easily. Some higher floors open their windows onto full City Hall and skyline views — imagine waking up to the clock tower and the city stirring below from a room with history all around it. Anyone who loves an old building with a story over a glassy new tower will likely be sold from the first step.

Food and amenities

The pleasure of staying here is the feel of an old building that is still very much alive. The grand high-ceilinged lobby is more than a passageway — it is a spot to sip a coffee, read, or meet a friend mid-day. Inside the building there is a restaurant and bar for an easy meal or an evening drink without heading far, which is perfect on a day when you have walked the city and just want to settle in. For workouts there is a 24-hour fitness center open whenever you need it, handy for early-rising business travelers and for anyone wanting to loosen up after a day exploring. The common areas feel upscale without being stiff, and several staff members earn praise for being friendly and good at pointing you to restaurants and sights nearby. Best of all, the location means food is never a problem: a few minutes out the door puts you among the restaurants of Center City and at Reading Terminal Market, the famous indoor market that gathers the city's best stalls under one roof.

Location and getting there

The location is genuinely the strongest card here. The hotel sits right next to City Hall, the heart and pivot of Philadelphia — open the door and there is City Hall itself, the grand stone building with its clock tower and the statue of William Penn on top, plus Dilworth Park, the leafy public plaza, about a 1-2 minute walk away. Getting around is just as easy because the city's two main subway lines sit right by the hotel: City Hall station on the Broad Street Line, which runs north-south down to the stadium district in the south, and 15th Street station on the Market-Frankford Line, which cuts east-west across the city. Step out and you can ride the metro a few stops anywhere without a taxi. From here it is also an 8-10 minute walk to Reading Terminal Market and the Pennsylvania Convention Center, while the Center City shops and Rittenhouse Square, full of well-known restaurants, are an easy stroll. Drivers reach the main routes easily too. If you want a base where landmarks, the subway, and restaurants are all within walking distance, this spot beside City Hall delivers in full.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. The point reviews raise most often comes from this being a nearly century-old historic building — the charm of an old building is the draw, but the trade-off is that some rooms or common areas, bathrooms especially, can look dated and due for a refresh against the price. Sizes and layouts are uneven, the way old buildings are: some rooms are impressively wide and airy, others smaller than expected, so check the room type carefully when you book. Second is pricing and extra charges worth a close look, particularly the valet parking, which runs fairly high by downtown standards, and some service fees that may be added to the room rate — drivers should budget for this. Last is noise and bustle: it sits in the middle of the city next to a busy street and subway stations with constant foot traffic, so street-facing rooms can pick up the sounds of the city at times, and some reviews feel a few service points, like check-in speed or how quickly requests are handled, can be inconsistent on busy days. Light sleepers should ask for a higher floor or a quieter interior-facing room. On the whole these are small, manageable details that do not undo a good stay in a great location.

Our take

After reading through many real reviews, The Notary Hotel, Philadelphia, Autograph Collection sells "the charm of a historic building beside City Hall, plus wide high-ceilinged rooms, plus a central location you can walk almost anywhere from" in a way that is genuinely hard to match in this city. If the trip in your head is sleeping in a classic Beaux-Arts building with a grand high-ceilinged lobby, waking up to walk a few steps to City Hall and Dilworth Park, hopping the subway outside the door to other neighborhoods, then strolling over to Reading Terminal Market for a meal — this is about as well-suited a choice as you will find, especially for couples, business travelers in town for the Convention Center, and anyone who loves a hotel with a story. But if you expect spotless brand-new rooms in every square inch, total quiet, and flawless service at every turn, the old-building character and the buzz of a downtown location may leave some corners feeling short of perfect. Overall we give it 8.5/10 — best for travelers who value a superb location, the charm of a historic building, and spacious rooms over new-build polish and quiet.