The Study at University City

The Study at University City opened in January 2017 as a ground-up, 212-room independent hotel at the meeting point of Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania. Developed by Study Hotels, it was West Philadelphia's first genuinely boutique lifestyle property, aimed at the academic and biotech crowd the neighborhood's growth has drawn.

The place

At 33rd and Chestnut Streets in University City, the hotel sits between the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University and a short walk from 30th Street Station and the Schuylkill riverfront — a market defined by academic conferences, visiting faculty and biotech firms rather than Center City's tourist and convention traffic.

The concept

A ten-story, 145,000-square-foot ground-up building developed by New York-based Study Hotels, the property was designed with details referencing Philadelphia's architecture and local craftspeople. Its positioning is straightforwardly academic-adjacent: an independent lifestyle hotel filling a gap in a neighborhood that, until 2017, had little beyond limited-service options serving Penn and Drexel visitors.

Dining & wellness

Co-Op, the ground-floor restaurant and lounge, focuses on seasonal, locally sourced dishes under Philadelphia-based chef Craig Russell, serving as the hotel's main all-day dining room.