Reviewing the Comfort Suites – Carlisle, PA

Comfort Suites – Carlisle, Pennsylvania

10 S Hanover St, Carlisle, PA 17013

GRADING
Overall Score: B
Staff: C
Room: B
Amenities: B
Recommended?: Yes

Nestled in the small, historic town of Carlisle, Pennsylvania is the Comfort Suites Hotel. This cozy, historic town prides itself on its importance in American history. After all, notable residents include Molly Pitcher (Battle of Monmouth/Revolutionary War heroine), James Wilson (one of America’s founding fathers and signer of the Declaration of Independence), and Frederick Watts (“Father” of Penn State University), in addition to being the home of the US Army’s War College. Surrounded by historic architecture, the downtown area around the Comfort Suites Carlisle has shopping, dining, services, and is pedestrian friendly.

When you arrive at the Comfort Suites, take the small driveway to the right of the hotel to access the parking garage. The parking garage is behind the hotel; another way to reach it is from Pomfret Street. Once inside, there is a small seating area, elevators, and the registration desk.  The lobby neighbors a small sundries “shop” where you can purchase any forgotten essentials. There is also a large staircase that takes you to the lower level where workout facilities and conference rooms are located.

There are two elevators in the building, both of which were prompt (always a good thing!).  The hallways were clean and the building is also smoke-free.

Our room smelled vaguely of new construction; perhaps there were updates done to the room recently. As all the rooms are “suites,” there is a separate seating area that features a sofa bed/couch and a small partition that separates the sleeping area from the sitting area. The level of comfort in our room was good, and we were pleased with the quality of the mattress. Our furnace was a bit old and dated and did not appear to have room controls on a wall. Controls were on the unit.

Amenities found within the room:

• high-definition tv
• refrigerator
• microwave
• coffee maker
• iron and ironing board
• hair dryer
• desk
• free wifi

Our bathroom was a bit on the smaller side. Immediately behind the door was the tub/shower.  When taking a shower and standing in the tub, there was an unsettling feeling below my feet and a creaking noise in the floor. It felt as if the plastic tub was not properly anchored into the subfloor. Perhaps it was a quick overlay on top of the old tub during a renovation, leaving a space in between the two bathtubs, thus creating the noise and floating feeling. Water pressure was good, as was the overall cleanliness of the bathroom.

The wifi at the Comfort Suites Carlisle was just fair. Below are the results of my speed test that I performed while in our hotel room.

The restaurant within the Comfort Suites Carlisle, The Whiskey Rebellion, surprisingly ranks at #2 on TripAdvisor for best restaurants in the area. We did not dine at the restaurant, but we did stop in the bar. (We did not eat at The Whiskey Rebellion because salads were the only option for me as a vegetarian.)  The Whiskey Rebellion has a small, cozy bar with a pleasant atmosphere, dim lighting, and a few tv’s. It was surprisingly busy when we were there on a weeknight, but our service was great, despite the small crowd. We ordered the “Molly’s Twist” pretzel braid that comes with a beer cheese dip, which was very good! It was served hot, with beautiful presentation, and with high quality ingredients.

The restaurant had a couple of rooms within the hotel for seating. These two rooms also double as the dining area for the hotel’s continental breakfast. There is also a patio for outdoor seating (open seasonally).

Breakfast at the Comfort Suites Carlisle features waffles, eggs, cereals, pastries, fruit, snack bars, yogurt, and more. Service was very friendly in the breakfast room, as well. I was pleased at the quality and variety of food items provided.

There is a $4/day fee to park in the parking garage behind the hotel. After checking in, you receive a placard to put in your car to let the parking attendants know that you’re paying the parking fees on your hotel bill.

I didn’t use either the lower level conference room facilities or the exercise room during my stay, but I made sure to snap a few photos before checking out. The exercise room had towels, water, a tv, free weights, a few cardio machines, a bench, and a knee raise/dip/pull-up station. There is no pool or spa within the Comfort Suites Carlisle.

Because I stayed here the week of Thanksgiving, guests were notified that there would be minimal staff on site for the holiday. This included housekeeping. We were told that the front desk would have extra towels or other housekeeping items if they were needed. However, it would have been nice if the hotel had provided laundry bins in the halls for dirty towels. I had a bunch of dirty towels that were piled up in our small bathroom that I had to keep pushing around. Perhaps next to these dirty towel bins, they could have had a rack of clean towels as well. I know hotels want to prevent loss (who wants to take small, rough hotel towels anyway?), but I think, for one day, they could have made it easier for both their guests and staff.

Unfortunately, nothing about the service at the Comfort Suites Carlisle was commendable. The friendliest employee I encountered was the gentleman running the continental breakfast. As a Choice Privileges Rewards member, I half expected an acknowledgement of my status or a welcome bag upon arrival. On the front desk, they even had an example of what members receive upon check-in (which I saw on my last day there), but we never received a rewards greeting or gift. It wasn’t a huge deal, but it was a little disappointing.

Just of note, the Comfort Suites Carlisle is a pet-friendly hotel, but there is a fee of $20 per day.

If you’re in the area and looking for a hotel with a little more nightlife (thanks to The Whiskey Rebellion Restaurant and Bar), be sure to check out the Comfort Suites Carlisle in downtown Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Happy Travels!

Julie

sources: choicehotels.com, wikipedia.org