4 Stunning, Instagram-Worthy Boutique Hotels in Philly

Big-box hotel brands might be taking over Center City, but in neighborhoods where Philadelphians actually live, it’s another story. Here, four stylish homegrown alternatives to the corporate stuff.

The Deacon

Grad Hospital

Photograph by Jillian Guyette

Bill Vessal, Everett Abitbol, and Yowie design maven Shannon Maldonado transformed a historic church into an eight-room Airbnb-style hotel last spring. Great for groups; the property can also be rented out all at once, and the vaulted common space has a wall projector for theater-style movie screenings. Thedeaconphl.com.

Lokal Hotels

Old City, Fishtown and Cape May

Photograph by Heidi’s Bridge

Rooms in Chad and Courtney Ludeman’s utterly Instagrammable “invisible service” hotels — the first of which opened in Old City in 2017 — are like studio apartments. Each has a kitchen, a sitting area, Apple TV, and an iPad for ordering takeout and groceries. Staylokal.com.

Wm. Mulherin’s Sons

Fishtown

Photograph by Matthew Williams

First, it was a whiskey bottling facility. Now, it’s a popular restaurant topped by Fishtown’s first hotel. The four rock-star-ready rooms feature vintage rugs, live-edge walnut beds, and — what else? — beans from nearby La Colombe for the coffee grinders. Wmmulherinssons.com/hotel.

The Queen

Queen Village

Photograph courtesy The Queen

Midtown Village-based Mira Properties opens this long-awaited 30-room boutique spot in the fall. The industrial vibe is grounded in materials repurposed from the original building (the courtyard sculpture was made from discarded pipes), and guests (and the public!) have access to an ipe-wood roof deck. Sonder.com.

Published as “Boutique & Beautiful ” in the October 2019 issue of Philadelphia magazine.