Residence Inn Philadelphia Valley Forge

As a road warrior, I know what to expect at a Residence Inn … but this property is just plain terrible by any standard. Furniture looks like the dog ate it (truly), filthy couch, dirty bathroom floor, sagging bed … and the list goes on. Breakfast was OK and the only thing about this property that was marginally acceptable. Plus the price is no bargain at all.
The front desk staff (Manager?) said a renovation is scheduled … no time frame given. So strongly suggest staying somewhere else until a major re-​do is completed.

This hotel serves a very curious purpose. To start with the rooms, they are very dated. The furniture is worn and tired and the mattress is lumpy foam. The pillows are very flat and even stacking two pillows isn’t comfortable. The windows are dirty and the bathrooms don’t have room to turn around in. If you are on a bottom floor like we were (#1112), expect to hear a TON of noise from your upstairs neighbors. Pray yours go to bed early, ours didn’t and the thumping and pounding from the ceiling went clear past mid-​night and started at 6am again every morning. The manager did respond to our 3^rd complaint and spoke with the guests directly.
Breakfast: a usual perk of staying at a Marriott was one of the worst I have seen. Every day there is little to nothing remaining when we arrived They don’t seem to restock when things run out (eggs, english muffins, yogurt etc) and the bananas put out were literally brown for 3 days before anyone thought to throw them out. On the weekends, the breakfast area is so small it was a mad house and there was no where to sit.
For 48+ hours as well, there was no internet. They apparently did some kind of upgrade, but it resulted in no service what-​so-​ever in the property for over 2 days and on a third day, the service was down completely for another reason. Between the horrible breakfast and the lack of wifi — there’s no reason they should charge over $ 100 a night. Like another review mentioned, the hotel is right off a main road and there is very little option to secure any of your valuables. Housekeeping didn’t come for 2 days to our room and we had to call the front desk to get service. After bringing up some of these issues to Management, they did their best to correct them, but substandard service deserves substandard prices. They must be catering to a certain traveler but I am not sure who.
Pets: We travel with our dog frequently. The $ 100 pet charge seems standard at Residence Inn properties (when not waived as a courtesy) but this property also taxes their own pet charge, so expect to pay $ 108. The service charge doesn’t imply additional pet services however, since dog waste was littered throughout the property and was never removed by any of the grounds crew during our 10 day stay and there were no bags in the dog waste area to promote responsible dog clean up.
If I needed to stay in the area again, I would not stay at this property. There are far too many options to be corralled into this Residence Inn. I do feel like Management is responsive when they can be, but this property had a lot to be desired.

Before I begin, just let me say that the management here is friendly, responsive, and professional. The staff however leave much to be desired.
First, every hard surface in our room was covered in a very sticky residue as were all the dishes in our cupboards. The stained carpet looked to be more than fifteen years old which is disconcerting considering how poorly maintained the whole room was.
As far as the amenities, the rooms have fireplaces but you’re required to buy composite logs in order to use it. Again, questionable maintenance standards create doubt in my mind to the safety of using a fireplace in a place with dozens of them which would require regular cleaning. Our mattress was lumpy and sagging, the last thing you want after driving more than 100 miles.
Insofar as security and privacy are concerned, this hotel ranks among the worst. The only way to secure your valuables is by using a safety deposit box at the front desk so if you want privacy in regards to your valuables, bring a firebox. Additionally, there are no Ethernet ports with which to use an encrypted connection so if you’re here for any sort of sensitive government or commercial reason you should look for another hotel.
Frankly, I feel bad for the superb management here because it seems they’ve been saddled with a subpar building complex that needs major renovation.
As I write this in the lobby of the hotel, I’m watching a staff member perform the most half-​assed vacuuming job I’ve ever seen in a hotel. It seems to me that the maintenance staff is a very serious detriment to the quality of what would otherwise be a fantastic place for a family on an extended stay.

Rooms are small.
Workout room is terrible. The worst I have ever seen.
Was in workout room with another hotel guest, very uncomfortable, felt like we were on top of each other.
No weight bench. No water cooler.
Would not stay here, except every other hotel filled.

The BEST fireworks for 4^th of July were seen here tonight! I can’t believe how close they were to us! Got our attention right away and we walked out of our hotel room to see a gorgeous display right over our heads. What a treat! Gracious staff for this stay so far. Very accommodating to any of our requests.

I stayed here for two nights… and it was a HUGE disappointment. The units haven’t been remolded in years. My room wasn’t very clean… and the staff weren’t very friendly! I think they need to step it up to Marriott standards! Too many other great Marriott properties in King of Prussia/​Valley Forge!

The best thing about this place is the Staff: Frank and Tia at the front desk were cheerful and competent. The couple who supervises the kitchen were always eager to please. Unfortunately, the rooms are another thing. I stayed in a studio which was huge. However, although the kitceh was new looking and spotless, the furniture was… yucky. Thankfully the carpet was dark blue and did not show the dirt that I feared lurked within. The gym was a disgrace. It only had one bike and two treadmills, one of which was broken. The pool was outdoors and looked okay. The whirlpool did not look clean to me. Some positive are free breakfast, free parking and wi-​fi. For the price range, this place was acceptable, but not up to the standards of other Residence Inns I have stayed in.

Rooms are freaking excellent. Big, spacious, newly remodeled. More like an apartment than a hotel. There’s no room service or anything but it’s a nicer one than many in this chain I have been to.
The service ranges from very good to kind of ignorant (just in one case). That won’t stop me from recommending it.
Downside: it’s not very close to anything else, meaning any eating and/​or drinking is a drive away. I guess what do you expect for a way-​out suburb.

If you like privacy in your extended stays, this is the place to go.
What separates this Residence Inn from the nearby Homewood Suites down the road or the newly built Courtyward Marriott, is that it is apartment-​style. Instead of a huge hotel building full of rooms, the hotel is instead a group of 15 little 2-​story complexes with 8 rooms each. Regular rooms on the bottom and loft rooms on top.
I stayed here for about 5 months a while back for business.
: Rooms :
The rooms are *VERY* spacious. The regular room I stayed in had a kitchen with appliances, a sitting area with a couch that could be pulled out into a bed, and a huge King sized bed. There was also a desk in the corner and another table separating the kitchen and the sitting area. The bathroom is large with a shower-​tub combo and a closet. They had put me in the handicap room so everything was lowered (tables, appliances, toilet, etc) and there was a hand rail in the shower-​tub for assistance.
The loft rooms are very nice too. They are considered the 2 bedroom room. The expansive «ground» level has a kitchen, a bathroom, a sitting/​living area with pull out couch and a murphy bed in the wall. The «upper» level up the steps has another bedroom and bathroom. It was very spacious.
: Noise :
It is pretty quiet. You may hear your neighbors going up/​down the stairs
: Food :
In the mornings, they serve breakfast buffet style on the 2^nd floor. Items include coffee, tea, juice, water, cereal, toast, muffins, yogurt, fruit, hot oatmeal, eggs, bacon, sausage, and the like. In the evening, they’ll serve different dishes everyday during their «social hour.» You’ll have to ask someone to server you alcohol (beer/​wine) as its not quite in the public eye.
: Laundry :
They have a laundry room on site. Coin operated.
: Gym :
They do have a mini gym in the hotel. Never used it
: Parking :
Free parking! Yay. Parking is all outdoor, unassigned, and free to choose.
: Pool :
There is a pool and jacuzzi that is outdoors that isn’t open year-​long.
It isn’t the prettiest nor the glitziest in the ‘burbs, but the price is comparable and offers the most privacy.