I stayed at the Travelodge over Labor Day weekend. Yes the hotel is on a side street and it's possible you can get a room without a window. But the hotel is located in a good area. Both Reading Market and Chinatown is a block away. You're also not too far away from Phlash Shuttle.

However do be careful at night as there are homeless people waiting for a free bed at the shelter 2 doors down.

A small, basic hotel with a very unassuming entrance on a side street very close to the convention centre. Pulling heavy cases up the entrance steps was not ideal. The small reception corridor was adequate, but basic, and the girl at the reception desk (the only staff we saw in the place) was friendly and helped us find nearby parking ($10/night).
The location was excellent for our brief stay in Philadelphia (we only spent an evening there). We were able to walk via Chinatown to Penn's Landing, through parts of the Old City where we had dinner, then back via the Liberty Bell, the Washington Square District, and through the civic buildings surrounding City Hall.
Guest rooms are small & basic,but clean. There was drawer storage available. The room had windows facing into the corridor where natural light came in through the skylight windows (we were on the top floor), but for privacy everybody kept their curtains closed - not ideal. Air-conditioning was efficient, but a bit noisy. The bed was described as a queen, but compared to other hotel queens, I would have said it was a small double (4ft6ins). The bathroom was small, but OK, with the sink in the room itself. The bath was surrounded by storage shelves - brilliant!, and the shower pressure consistant and easily adjustable. A TV, coffee maker, clock-radio and a safe was available.
Breakfast was included. It consisted of juice, tea, coffee, fruit, bread, cereals, muffins and danish pastries - laid out on a table with plastic plates and cutlery.
There was an icemaker & drinks machine in the basement breakfast area breakfast area.
We had a small problem when we paid our bill in the morning - the cost of the safe is added to your bill, but deducted if you don't use it. Although I had said that we didn't use the safe the receptionist had already put our bill through without the adjustment, so she had to delete it and put it through with the adjustment, it seemed to take forever. Unless you look properly at your bill before you pay you won't even realise the safe payment has been added - a bit crafty!!
Overall a clean, but basic no frills hotel. We paid $85.00/night which we though was reasonable value.

I booked a room for 3 nights at this hotel because of its location in downtown Philadelphia. I checked out after one night because my room had no window and it felt like I was living in a closet! The lack of any natural light was completely depressing, and because the hotel was booked up for a convention, I couldn't switch rooms to one with a window.
Otherwise, the room was clean, but small and cramped. The breakfast buffet consisted of a sad array of cold cereals and mini-bagels. The room was definitely not worth the $140/night.
From the layout of the hotel, it appears that most room are windowless (a few with windows look out over Race street or the back alley). If you intend to stay here, make sure to ask for a room with a window, unless you are using the hotel solely as a convention-center crash pad--or unless you are a vampire!

Just got back from a 4 night stay at the Travelodge in Philadelphia. Great value hotel based on the price. Nice room. Clean and new with a nice working shower. Perfect for 2 people. Asked for extra pillows on our second night and they were there for the rest of our stay. Front desk was friendly and helpful. We were even able to check in 3 hours early on our arrival day - a big plus! Breakfast was just enough to get you off and started on your day (milk, juice, coffee, bagels, danish, fruit, and some days cereal).

The Travelodge was in walking distance to the historic area and near public transportation (main reason we picked this hotel). Serveral days, we'd go out and then stop back for a break before heading out again. There was also a restaurant Penn View Inn right on the corner serving good and inexpensive dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

We enjoyed our stay and if returning to Philly would pick the Travelodge again.