Guys, Thank you all for bringing back so good memories. I attended for the first time in 1995 and since that several other Finns have joined, too. Kulpsville was a bit "inthemiddleofnowhere" but it was a great place with Scandinavian meeting rooms and the village of Finland nearby! The suites in Plymouth Meeting were great for a larger group booking 1-2 rooms. Good breakfast, earlier they even had an omelette bar. Last year we took a look at Fort Washington. Venue ok. The hybrid model makes the live attendance smaller, but it must be accepted when thinking how old we all are now (not to mention how old we will be in the future...). As "tourists" we Finns liked the train connection to downtown Philly. And the change from winter to spring.
Long live the Fest! 73 Risto V Finland ________________________________ Lähettäjä: Swlfest <[email protected]> käyttäjän Richard Cuff <[email protected]> puolesta Lähetetty: perjantai 20. helmikuuta 2026 0.09 Vastaanottaja: Discussion list for the Winter SWL Fest <[email protected]> Aihe: Re: [Swlfest] Former DoubleTree Suites in Plymouth Meeting to be converted into 213 apartments The Doubletree started life as an Embassy Suites. Embassy Suites has long pioneered the indoor-facing corridors and the atria that were as tall as the building. The current owners had purchased the building as a hotel in 2022, probably acquiring it at a discount after the loss of traffic from the CoVID-19 pandemic, and closed it in November, 2025. I believe at the time of closing it was still a Doubletree. As for the Inn At Towamencin, certainly the change in ownership resulted in a much more formal set of management policies. Originally Kris Field and I were able to set up the booking arrangements each year largely on a handshake basis with the sales manager, Terri Ciotti. That policy went out the window with the ownership change. When you're from "away", as many Festers are, you don't see the evolutionary changes in a region as they occur; these changes happen as the clientele, and their expectations, change. So when you happen across a place you visited years back, and you see it's quite a bit different, there's a sense of loss. But...it works both ways. Back 30 years ago, the only reason I visited Kulpsville was to help mis-manage the Fest. Now I pass by Kulpsville regularly to visit my daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. So I see the area through a different lens nowadays than during the era of chicken croquettes and the smiling face on the barn... RC On Thu, Feb 19, 2026 at 4:57 PM Maryanne Kehoe <[email protected]> wrote: > > I vaguely remember the DoubleTree was another hotel brand before, but I can't > remember what it was. Did the hotel close before the conversion proposal > happened? (i.e. did they lose their branding?) I really do miss our former > location-lots of good times there but it changed radically when it was sold > to the people from India. I was there the day in Jully when our former > banquet bartender was fired and escorted out several hours before I checked > in. I was in the area to see my good friend (RIP now) Dave Cousins and his > show at the Sellersville Theater. It just wasn't with the same vibe w/the new > owners. > > On Thu, Feb 19, 2026 at 4:28 PM Maryanne Kehoe <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> I've never been too keen on DoubleTree. Stayed in several and the room was >> either dirty/carpet or bathroom dirty. We hold our Mrs. Georgia pageant at a >> local DT here and the Front Desk is very rude and will not transfer calls >> unless you know the room number. >> >> On Thu, Feb 19, 2026 at 1:46 PM Dennis Dura <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> A couple links on the Hotel and Mall: >>> >>> https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2026/02/18/doubletree-plymouth-meeting-apartment-conversion.html >>> >>> https://montco.today/2026/01/plymouth-meeting-mall-redevelopment/ >>> >>> >>> >>> On Thu, Feb 19, 2026, 11:37 Richard Cuff <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>> Yes indeed Mike - hope you are well! Will have details out 1-2 days >>>> for the 2026 Fest. It will be both in-person and hybrid. Similar to >>>> last year. >>>> >>>> RC >>>> >>>> On Thu, Feb 19, 2026 at 11:27 AM Mike <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> > >>>> > Those were good times.....if one were to know such things. >>>> > >>>> > Mike >>>> > >>>> > On Thu, Feb 19, 2026, 7:46 AM Richard Cuff <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >> >>>> >> I had not seen that, Ed - thanks for sending! >>>> >> >>>> >> We had an overall good run there. There is also talk that the >>>> >> Plymouth Meeting Mall itself has been sold to a developer who plans to >>>> >> raze it, but I don't have a primary source to confirm that. >>>> >> >>>> >> Folks who haven't been to Kulpsville itself (where the Inn At >>>> >> Towamencin was) would see some vestiges of its old self there >>>> >> (specifically the hotel, the sandwich shop, and the beer distributor) >>>> >> but much of the surrounding 1/2 mile radius is quite a bit different. >>>> >> Offices, hotel, a couple restaurants. Gone are the Kulpsville Kitchen >>>> >> and the barn with the smiley face. Also the small, >>>> >> convenience-store-only Wawa. >>>> >> >>>> >> RC >>>> >> >>>> >> On Thu, Feb 19, 2026 at 10:18 AM david goren <[email protected]> >>>> >> wrote: >>>> >> > >>>> >> > >>>> >> > >>>> >> > >>>> >> > --But who will get the Listening Lounge & Hospitality Suite with >>>> >> > balcony and roof access for DXing? >>>> >> > >>>> >> > >>>> >> > >>>> >> > ‘Word has it Charlie Loudenboomer put in a bid. >>>> >> > >>>> >> > Hope they’ll fix the elevators. >>>> >> > >>>> >> > That said…I always felt the Doubletree was a real upgrade from the >>>> >> > Inn at Towamencin…more places to socialize, suites, easy access to >>>> >> > food and supplies at the mall for those of us without vehicles…at >>>> >> > least at first until it started to fall apart, elevators as >>>> >> > mentioned, late night ‘security’ dude who wouldn’t let us sit in >>>> >> > certain spots in the lobby, the faulty ventilation system, and the >>>> >> > attendant Fest Flu which I got in the later years more often than not. >>>> >> > >>>> >> > _______________________________________________ >>>> >> > Swlfest mailing list >>>> >> > [email protected] >>>> >> > http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/swlfest >>>> >> > >>>> >> > To unsubscribe: Send an E-mail to >>>> >> > [email protected]?subject=unsubscribe, or visit the >>>> >> > URL shown above. >>>> >> > >>>> >> > For more information on the Fest, visit: >>>> >> > >>>> >> > http://www.swlfest.com >>>> >> > http://swlfest.blogspot.com >>>> >> > >>>> >> > >>>> >> > _______________________________________________ >>>> >> > Swlfest mailing list >>>> >> > [email protected] >>>> >> > http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/swlfest >>>> >> > >>>> >> > To unsubscribe: Send an E-mail to >>>> >> > [email protected]?subject=unsubscribe, or visit the >>>> >> > URL shown above. >>>> >> > >>>> >> > For more information on the Fest, visit: >>>> >> > >>>> >> > http://www.swlfest.com >>>> >> > http://swlfest.blogspot.com >>>> >> _______________________________________________ >>>> >> Swlfest mailing list >>>> >> [email protected] >>>> >> http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/swlfest >>>> >> >>>> >> To unsubscribe: Send an E-mail to >>>> >> [email protected]?subject=unsubscribe, or visit the URL >>>> >> shown above. >>>> >> >>>> >> For more information on the Fest, visit: >>>> >> >>>> >> http://www.swlfest.com >>>> >> http://swlfest.blogspot.com >>>> > >>>> > _______________________________________________ >>>> > Swlfest mailing list >>>> > [email protected] >>>> > http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/swlfest >>>> > >>>> > To unsubscribe: Send an E-mail to >>>> > [email protected]?subject=unsubscribe, or visit the URL >>>> > shown above. >>>> > >>>> > For more information on the Fest, visit: >>>> > >>>> > http://www.swlfest.com >>>> > http://swlfest.blogspot.com >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Swlfest mailing list >>>> [email protected] >>>> http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/swlfest >>>> >>>> To unsubscribe: Send an E-mail to >>>> [email protected]?subject=unsubscribe, or visit the URL >>>> shown above. >>>> >>>> For more information on the Fest, visit: >>>> >>>> http://www.swlfest.com >>>> http://swlfest.blogspot.com >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Swlfest mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/swlfest >>> >>> To unsubscribe: Send an E-mail to >>> [email protected]?subject=unsubscribe, or visit the URL >>> shown above. >>> >>> For more information on the Fest, visit: >>> >>> http://www.swlfest.com >>> http://swlfest.blogspot.com > > _______________________________________________ > Swlfest mailing list > [email protected] > http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/swlfest > > To unsubscribe: Send an E-mail to > [email protected]?subject=unsubscribe, or visit the URL shown > above. > > For more information on the Fest, visit: > > http://www.swlfest.com > http://swlfest.blogspot.com _______________________________________________ Swlfest mailing list [email protected] http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/swlfest To unsubscribe: Send an E-mail to [email protected]?subject=unsubscribe, or visit the URL shown above. For more information on the Fest, visit: http://www.swlfest.com http://swlfest.blogspot.com
_______________________________________________ Swlfest mailing list [email protected] http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/swlfest To unsubscribe: Send an E-mail to [email protected]?subject=unsubscribe, or visit the URL shown above. For more information on the Fest, visit: http://www.swlfest.com http://swlfest.blogspot.com
