Armoires and built-ins the size of bison, mullioned glass, breathtaking woodwork—it was all there, under cobwebs in the Italianate townhouse of the New Century Guild, an organization for the freethinking women of suffrage-era Philadelphia. Absorbed by this history, real-estate developer and first-time hotelier Brennan Tomasetti restored and reopened the property in September as the Guild House Hotel, where the former members and housekeeper lend their names to 12 rooms. The Eliza (Turner, the founder) unfurls throughout the former library. Her king bed tucks into an alcove wrapped by designer Kate Rohrer in sylvan wallpaper; it’s like falling asleep in a soothingly gloomy forest. Spread across the second-floor auditorium, the Alice (Norton, dentist and theatrical director) features two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and her original piano. The service is invisible; don’t expect a valet, a front desk, or restaurants. Do expect savvy details (French press–equipped mini-bars, sparkling water stations), sound infrastructure (feisty water pressure, ADA compliance)—which you can’t take for granted in a National Historic Landmark—and the overall feeling of staying in a Gilded Age manse. That series takes place in New York, but once Philadelphia was the nexus of America. At this hotel, it still feels that way. guildhousehotel.com; doubles from $219. —Adam Erace
