Property Peek: Four Seasons Philadelphia
Sky lobby - Photo courtesy of Four Seasons Philadelphia
Earlier this fall, I was able to spend an afternoon touring the Four Seasons Philadelphia. The hotel sits at the top of the Comcast Technology Center, occupying floors 48-60 of the high rise office building. It is centrally located but set back a bit from the busier streets. Guests staying here will have a short walk to the shopping area of Rittenhouse Square, City Hall, and the museums along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, yet still experience a quiet neighborhood at night.
Upon arrival at the building, I was greeted at the ground floor lobby desk and shown to a bank of high speed elevators which took me up to the main lobby on the 60th floor. The high speed elevators have a glass wall that faces the outside, so you get to enjoy the phenomenal view while rising 60 stories in the air in a matter of seconds. The building itself is shaped as a rectangle, with its long sides facing north and south. The north side faces the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, with views from Logan Circle up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and then further out to the Fairmount neighborhood. Rooms facing this direction are noted as “landmark” rooms. The south side faces most of Center City, and then all the way out to South Philadelphia, the Delaware River, and the stadium complex. Rooms facing south are noted as “cityscape” rooms. The building’s outer walls are all made of glass, and as you will see with the pictures I’ve included, virtually every room in the hotel has a spectacular view.
The reception area in the sky lobby is bright, clean, and modern. A mirrored ceiling above the desk reflects the view of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway outside. It’s also filled with flowers, thanks to Jeff Leatham, celebrity florist and artistic director for the Four Seasons properties in Philadelphia, Beverly Hills, and the George V Paris. The flowers are truly stunning throughout the hotel, but the lobby in particular has an amazing floral pop that greets you right as you exit the elevators.
Flowers near the reception desk
In addition to the reception area, the 60th floor also contains two Jean-Georges Vongerichten eateries, the JG SkyHigh lounge and Jean-Georges Philadelphia. The two are right next to each other, both situated under the enormous ceiling atrium. JG SkyHigh offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as a lounge and bar, with views from every angle. Just down the steps from the lounge is Jean-Georges Philadelphia, which in a typical year would operate as a fine dining restaurant. At the time of my visit in the fall of 2021, however, only JG SkyHigh was open in the midst of COVID.
JG SkyHigh. Photo courtesy of Four Seasons Philadelphia
The Four Seasons does manage another full-service restaurant, Vernick Fish, located on the ground floor of the Comcast Technology Center. Vernick Fish is a seafood-centric restaurant and oyster bar run in partnership with Greg Vernick. Vernick is a local chef and protégé of Jean-Georges Vongerichten. He earned the 2017 James Beard Award for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic and also owns Vernick Food & Drink (my personal favorite restaurant at the moment, if you’re looking for a recommendation). Because Vernick Fish is located on the ground floor, it feels completely separate from the hotel, but hotel guests can still expect the same impeccable service that the Four Seasons is known for. I was lucky to be able to dine at Vernick Fish while it was in previews and had a wonderful dining experience. It is currently open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday.
Room service is also available 24 hours a day.
The lower 11 floors, 48-59, make up the remainder of the hotel with guest rooms and spa facilities. Both the hotel and the spa have earned Forbes 5-star ratings, currently the only ones in the entire city. The spa occupies the 57th floor in the building and is open to the public. It has 7 treatment rooms with a focus on crystal healing, as well as individual steam and sauna rooms. In fact, when the spa was built, 700 pounds of crystals were built directly into the walls of the spa! A crystal healer even comes to the spa once a month to ensure the crystals within the walls are balanced. While waiting for treatments, you are taken to a peaceful relaxation room that looks out over downtown. As with most views from the hotel, this one is phenomenal.
In addition to the spa, there is also a fitness center and a heated infinity edge pool. Unlike the spa, the fitness center and pool are not open to the public, they are for hotel guests only. This is meant to ensure they are never too crowded, which I certainly appreciate.
The guest rooms are sleek and minimalist in style, with curved walls and lots of wood accents to give a very warm and inviting feeling. But just because the design is minimalist does not mean these are simple rooms. All rooms come with a tablet loaded with a Four Seasons App (that can also be downloaded to your phone) to give guests access to any services or amenities they many need with the touch of a finger. Button controls near the bed control various room functions. And since the hotel occupies space in the Comcast Technology Center, all rooms are equipped with the Comcast X1 platform, allowing guests to access any Comcast On Demand content on their guest room televisions. Bathrooms are spacious, many of which include large soaking tubs. And of course, all rooms have amazing views, with a handful of corner suites taking advantage of larger panoramic vistas.
As a Philadelphian, I sometimes have to remind myself that one need not look very far for a luxurious vacation (or staycation) experience. Indeed, the Four Seasons Philadelphia is exactly what one has come to expect from the Four Seasons brand, and we are lucky to have it here.
The Four Seasons Philadelphia is a beautiful property and well worth it for anyone that is looking for impeccable service, top of the line amenities, an award-winning spa, and a great location slightly removed from the crowds. For larger families or groups, the hotel does have connecting rooms available if that is desired.
Pricing will vary by season, with some rooms booking out a year in advance, particularly around local college graduations in May.