TL;DR
- Heritage: Occupies a National Historic Landmark townhouse from 1855.
- Design: Dark wood, sleek modern touches, and homage to suffragette history.
- Partnerships: Supports local, minority-owned businesses for amenities.
- Check prices here
Boutique hotels and picturesque townhouses have a long a storied history, one enacted to perfection in Center City, Philly’s heritage-rich Washington Square.
The Guild House Hotel occupies a National Historic Landmark building, dating from 1855, now meticulously renovated.
The building is a red brick townhouse a breath away from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, a dream location for any history buffs visiting the Birthplace of America.
It retains the dark, sleek wooden touches you’d expect, with some inviting modern touches thrown in.
The hotel honors suffragette history in a building that was once headquarters to The New Century Working Women’s Guild, a women’s organization active at the turn of the 20th century.
Today, the hotel partners with local, minority-owned business to supply their luxury amenities.
What are the rooms like?
- Number of rooms: 12, each named after a former Guild member.
- Comfort: Rooms range 300–1000+ sq. ft., with seating areas and luxurious design.
- Special touches: Suites include multiple floors, botanical wallpaper, houseplants, libraries, and kitchenettes.
- Bathrooms: Black-and-white tiles, marble sinks, plush towels, and pampering bath products.
- See each room in detail here
Each of the 12 rooms are named for a former member of the guild. In the decor, the addition, and even the booking process, you get to know a woman whose name might otherwise have faded into history.
It’s a subtle tribute that adds sweetness to the stay.
Rooms vary from 300 to 1000+ square feet, but all are luxuriously comfortable. Rooms include small seating areas, while suites run up to two bed and baths with multiple floors.
Decor varies depending on the choice of room, like the Eliza (or Founder’s) Suite, which honors the Guild founder’s love of nature with botanical patterned wallpaper, living houseplants, a small but charming library and botanical drawings on the walls.
No matter the style, the decor is well-curated and the design immaculate. The kitchenette in the Edith room, which pays tribute to guild members’ yellow-and-white armbands, is one you’ll want to take home with you.
Bathrooms are lovely black-and-white tile, with unassuming patterning and makes them feel homey, not stark, and marble sinks.
Soft, plush towels and gorgeous watermelon-seed bath products make you feel just a little bit pampered.
Take a 3D look at the Eliza Suite here:
What are prices like?
And what’s the food like? Any facilities we should know about?
- Service: “Invisible service” philosophy; help available on request.
- Facilities: Suites may include kitchenettes; airport pickup and customized itineraries offered.
- Engagement: Historical talks and events for guests.
It’s a small hotel with an “invisible service” philosophy, which means you won’t have management checking on you daily.
Rather, you share the house with other guests and help is just a quick call away.
There is no onsite restaurant, so those who like to eat in should book a suite with a kitchenette. There is a veritable roster of special services to take advantage of, like airport pick-up, customized itineraries and recommendations for any and all activities.
Finally, there’s an interest in actively engaging with history; the hotel organizes speakers and other events for guests to engage with the city, its past, and its future.
How is the neighborhood? Anything interesting nearby?
- Location: Center City, ideal for history and culture enthusiasts.
- Culture: Easy walk to museums, Delaware shore, theaters, and performing arts venues.
- Transport: Metro across the street, easy access to Logan Square and the Art Museum.
- Food & Drink: Reading Terminal Market and Broad Street nearby.
As mentioned before, the Center City location is perfect for the historically and culturally-inclined. It’s a nice walk or a super-quick drive to most of Philly’s most prominent museums and the Delaware shore.
Washington Square is also home to a good number of the city’s best theaters and performing arts venues. You’ll find classical offerings at the Kimmel Center or the Academy of Music and contemporary work at the Suzanne Robert’s Theatre.
There’s a metro station across the street for those who want to check out the other cultural offerings up by Logan Square and the Art Museum.
Hip food and drink can be found nearby at the Reading Terminal Market, or head to Broad Street for easy transport to other hotspots.
And what about the reviews? What did other guests think?
Some things guests liked:
”A wonderful elegant experience! Absolutely gorgeous! This has been designed with so much care and thought for everything that you will need. The decor is absolutely stunning….”
”The hotel has a rich history, which they poured into the decor and amenities. It’s centrally located in a wonderful neighborhood with many great restaurants nearby. We could walk to most of the places we wanted to visit. The staff, especially the manager, were wonderful and very accommodating. It was very convenient not to have to check in at a front desk, and just be able to go straight to our room. We had no issues with using the codes….”
Some things guests didn’t like:
”This hotel is in a very lively area which is the main reason we chose it. They provide ear plugs as there is a lot of activity in the evenings. The Cauldron next door gets hopping pretty early on Sundays so use those ear plugs….”
”Water pressure in the shower is hilariously awful (but the bathroom is so gorgeous that I barely cared) — that’s the only reason it’s a 9/10. Our flight out was in the evening, so we ended up hanging out in the lobby parlor for an hour or so — it would be great if there were a powder room available…..”
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