Best Last-Minute Hotel Deals in Philadelphia: Value and Location

Booking Philadelphia late is usually doable: Center City has a lot of hotels, and outside big game days and convention weeks you can often still find a good room a day or two out. These five 4-star hotels, in Old City, Rittenhouse Square, Center City and Fishtown, all score 9.0 or better with guests. Three of them, the two Kimptons and the Canopy, are also LEED-certified.

Last-minute hotel deals in Philadelphia: what to expect by hotel type

Philadelphia hotels fall into three rough price bands, and each behaves a little differently when you book late.

Budget and mid-range hotels near Center City are the most likely to drop prices close to arrival, especially on weeknights. Weekends fill up when there's a big event at Lincoln Financial Field, Citizens Bank Park or the Pennsylvania Convention Center at 1101 Arch Street.

Upscale boutiques on and around Rittenhouse Square hold their rates more firmly, though quieter winter weeks can still bring prices down.

Hotels near PHL are often cheaper than downtown, but you add travel time. The SEPTA Airport Line runs every 30 minutes on weekdays and costs $8.75 between the airport and Center City, or $11.00 if you buy on board.

How these five hotels compare on key last-minute booking factors

Neighborhoods where last-minute value appears most often

Center City and Rittenhouse Square have the most hotel rooms, which means more rooms left at the last minute and more competition keeping prices in check. From the Chestnut Street and South 17th Street hotels you can walk to Reading Terminal Market at 1136 Arch Street (open daily 8 am to 6 pm) and the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Fishtown, northeast of Center City, feels very different. Lokal Hotel Fishtown on N Front Street is in a neighborhood with its own restaurant and bar scene and lower everyday rates than Rittenhouse, and it's a few stops from Center City on the L (Market-Frankford Line).

If your plans center on the University of Pennsylvania or Penn Medicine, our University City hotels page covers that area in detail.

The hotels

Kimpton Hotel Monaco Philadelphia by IHG 433 Chestnut St. 9.21,287 reviews 2 min walk to 5th St/Independence Hall (L, Market-Frankford Line)LEED Gold with a 9.2 guest score, on Chestnut Street two minutes from 5th St/Independence Hall on the L. View hotel → Kimpton Hotel Palomar Philadelphia by IHG 117 S 17th St 9.0950 reviews 5 min walk to 15th St/City Hall (L, B and T lines)LEED Gold and a 9.0 guest score, near Rittenhouse Square and five minutes from 15th St/City Hall. View hotel → Canopy By Hilton Philadelphia Center City 1180 Ludlow Street 9.0848 reviews 3 min walk to 13th St (L and T lines)LEED Certified Hilton on Ludlow Street, three minutes from 13th St on the L and T. View hotel → Lokal Hotel Fishtown 1421 N Front St 9.6125 reviews 6 min walk to Front-Girard (L, Market-Frankford Line)Guest score 9.6 at a 4-star Fishtown hotel, usually cheaper than a comparable Center City room. View hotel → The Franklin on Rittenhouse, A Boutique Hotel 1715 Rittenhouse Square Street 9.6408 reviews 8 min walk to Walnut-Locust (B, Broad Street Line)A 9.6-rated boutique hotel on Rittenhouse Square Street, usually priced below the neighborhood's 5-star hotels. View hotel →