Hotel / Motel Reviews

I stayed at the Holiday Inn (nee Holidome).  It was very nice and clean.  Didn't eat there or make use of the pool.  Very close to Ruby Tuesdays (a major plus) and the fairgrounds.  Bathroom had obviously been recently redone and while nice it wasn't the highest quality renovation.  Shower was a flimsy fiberglass insert.  Tub floor flopped around underfoot.  I actually almost lost my balance once.  Drains ran slow. 

 

I will stay there again (just watch my balance in the shower.  

I stayed at the much derided Rodeway Inn. At one point I was walking around the room trying to find something wrong with it. Was perfectly fine for one night sleep.

So, the rumors about you being unbalanced are true?

 

190 for two adults, two children in one suite-ish room with wifi and buffet breakfast.

Stayed at the Days Inn in York about 4 miles from the fairgrounds.  Decent room clean no frills but not really looking for that.  Includes breakfast in the morning.  Paid $56 for the room booking through Priceline.com about 5 months before the show.  Already booked for October at the Super 8 in York and got that for $46 a night through Priceline.

Our OGR crew (aside from Rich, who had his RV at the fairgrounds) stayed at the Wingate.  Very near the I83/U.S. 30 interchange.  About $125, as I recall.  Very nice accommodations and friendly staff.  Good complimentary breakfast, as well.

Stayed at the Rodeway for the 4th time. The exterior is not "pretty", and the "view" is the parking lot., but the room was fine with Wi-Fi, refrigerator, microwave, free HBO, coffee maker, iron and board, and hair dryer. It fit the bill for the two things I'm looking for: inexpensive, at my senior rate of $72., and close to the fairgrounds, at 1.9 miles/5 minutes. I will stay there again. For what its worth...it is now totally non-smoking with a $150. charge to your card if smoking is detected.

My wife and I stayed at the Four Points Sheraton.

Paid $150.00 a night for the both of us.

 

The room was clean but had very few useable electrical outlets.

Had a heck of a time trying to find an outlet that i could get power from for my computer.

The outlet I did find was behind the desk which weighed about 200 lbs!!

Their internet had a lot to be desired also. Super slow and at times none existent.

 

Rooms had thin walls, could listen to the train conversation in the next room till 1:00am.

I think thats about when the front desk called and told them to go to bed.

Got quite after that.

 

No continental breakfast but the Round a Clock Diner was right there so they got our business for breakfast.

The Round a Clock Diner is a great place friendly service and very reasonable meal prices.

 

The Sheraton got my money this time but I think it will be the last time.

Even with this small incoveince, my wife and I still had a great time.

 

Mark Strittmatter

TCA # 14-69917

Maybe.  Except that pricing changes every day for hotels.  Giving past prices is worse than useless, it can be misleading. 

I stayed at the Four Points Sheraton, since Byron traded timeshares for the rooms, we stayed free.  I agree that the WiFi was a bit problematic, so I just tethered my phone to answer some emails, job done.  The heater was noisy, so I turned the fan on all the time to drown it out.

 

Last fall I stayed at the Wingate, it's a pretty decent place to stay, but make reservations early.  The cheaper rooms were all gone about six weeks before York and I had to spend $25 more for my room than some.

 

Mark,

 

Had you mention that you were TCA at the time of the booking, the per night price would have been $135. The same deal will apply for October.

Actually, if you stay at the same hotel in previous years, and tell the desk when booking, you may get last year's price.  My wife discovered this at the Wingate chain a few years ago.  Wife's also into the reward programs.  I wish she'd put that much effort in our stock portfolio.

At any rate, it never hurts to ask.  It goes along with getting those discounts after all the internet rooms are gone.  You have to talk directly to the desk person.  They'll explain what deals are in effect.

For a regular returning visit like York, it might be a good idea to book early then cancel if you see a better option.

 

Hello Gunrunner John, I wish I would have known you where staying at the Sheraton I would have like to have met you.

 

Mark Strittmatter

TCA # 14-69917

My wife & I stayed at the Hampton Inn on South Queen.  It is brand new and rate was $118.  Some odd reason we had $2 balance on checkout and they could not explain it out neither could I, and after ten minutes my wife said "let's just forget it and figure it out later."  She did like the modern "deco" theme and total non-smoking.  Seems a lot of hotels are going that way. 

 

 

Stayed at the Holidome as we do every meet. Nothing finer. They are putting in an elevator this summer which won't effect us because we stay on the first floor with a back door that opens to inside pool area. This winter they are going to remodel all the rooms.

I have stayed thru 20 years at 4 hotels, this York at Wingate and was excellent, before at Sheraton four points several times also excellent, Rodeway Inn was clean and adequate, Yorktowne many times with its European style downtown charm of an era gone by was good. I change around now because I bid for a room thru priceline.com. 

Even though I stay at a "budget" motel when at York, I totally agree that traveling with your wife/other..and especially kids...warrents the extra cost of a upscale place...like one offering a pool, game room, in-house dining, etc.

Hampton Inn, Shrewsbury......great as always....

 

Peter

I stayed at the Motel 6 at 125 Arsenal Rd. in York.  In October it was a Red Roof Inn. The lady at the desk said it changed hands in December.  Very basic, no carpet in the rooms, no closet to hang clothes in.   The bed was comfortable and the heating and a/c worked just fine.  No funny odors or smells.  It had taken a step down from when it was a Red Roof Inn but it was still a good place to stay for one night.  The rate was $89 plus tax.  I will stay there again.  

 

Neal Jeter 

I stayed at the Yorktowne Hotel in York City for my stay this year. The room was comfortable and the Coffee Shop downstairs had a good selection of breakfast choices, either a buffet or off the menu. I paid around $126, and I will be going there again for all future York Meets. Also, it was only about 6 to 8 minutes from Hotel to Fairgrounds, depending on the traffic.

I stayed at a budget motel and paid $70/night, even though Easter caused me to show

up a day late and I didn't get the "weekly rate".  My motto is travel cheap and travel

often, so this is a step up from the early years when I used to camp on the grounds

and then at campgrounds in the area.  I could not care less about amenities, as long

as the place is clean and secure.  What I would like to hear about is some new and

different restaurants in the area.  Some of the ones now seem to have a heavy, spicy

Hispanic influence in their offerings.

Ditto....for some reason this year the pillows struck me as especially nice!  Maybe I was just so tired from all the walking around Thursday!  

 

- Mike

and the name was.....?

Holiday Inn on Loucks Rd. 115.00 Per night. For the proximity it was good. Hotel was a little outdated and the breakfast buffet...well...sucked.

 

There are some very nice hotels north of York - up near Harrisburg.  It is generally easier to get to the Fairgrounds from the north than from the Lancaster area during the morning rush hours.

 

We have stayed in what I would rate as a "B" (A-B-C-D-F scale) motel near Harrisburg for less than $70/night including taxes & breakfast for the past ten Yorks (i.e., five years).  This motel, part of a noted chain, was nicely renovated in the past five months.

Me and my two friends stayed there as well. Somehow the credit cards we used to guarantee our reservations made during the previous York (i.e. six months ago) were not carried over in the transition and despite confirming them a week before York, our reservations were booted from the system at 6pm or some time that day. 

 

Good news: they had a couple of rooms left.

 

Bad news: they were on the smoking floor.

 

Being that this is the second time they've goofed the reservations (last year I wound up on the smoker's floor), we're looking elsewhere next time.

 

Other than our tribulations there, the description of the rooms is accurate (naturally, everything on the smoking floor reeked of cigarette smoke). No clock radio or desk lamp (rooms had both under Red Roof ownership), but a microwave and fridge were present. Quadruple outlets at the desk, and two more below it. TV's had been upgraded to LCD HDTV's. Wifi was better on the side facing the highway (my friends across the hall couldn't connect) , my tablet connected without issue, although my laptop preferred Super 8's Wifi (which if I'm not mistaken, was across the street). 

 

---PCJ

stayed at Hampton in York. Brand new .great hotel. Paid 125. usually stay at Hampton in Ephrata but they didn't have the room we wanted. Has a great viev of the city at night. John

Wow, having stayed once at the Caboose Motel in Strasburg, I can say some of these

motels, like Lancaster,  are too far.  Now I have stayed at those up north on the Interstate, just sound of Harrisburg, and that is a drive, but doable.  I'd say make

your reservations before you leave, and then cancel them if you can't make it..they

will still sell the room.

I stay at the Super8 in Hanover. It was remodeled in 2011 and I like it. Short drive to York and fairly quiet except for the occasional passing train (I think that is a plus)

My wife and I stayed at the Econo Lodge on RT 30.  We were there for six days, the rate was $60 per night for the first three days and $90 for the York days.  It has new owners and has been upgraded a bit.  It is not an "upscale" facility by any means, but it was all very clean and had the basics we need in the room - a microwave and refrigerator.  The wi-fi had to be reset a couple of times, but other than then, it worked fine.  Breakfast was very basic, but it is just up the hill from Round the Clock diner, so if the urge for eggs and scrapple hit, it was just far enough to get your appetite going.

 

Being right off Rt 30 make the trip to the fairgrounds relatively painless.

 

Staff was really friendly and helpful.  We'll probably try it again on our next York trip. 

I'm at the bar until I'm ready for bed.  Then I just push back the seat in my car and recline and sleep in the parking lot.  Showers and bathrooms are under the grandstand.  Cost is next to nothing....lol

 

Just kidding.  In my 20s I'd have done that in an instant but not anymore.   I stay at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort.  Always able to get a room via priceline for around $125 a night.

 

--Greg

FWIW, I just went on Priceline to search for October.  Prices for Days Inn ($127) and Super 8 ($93) are higher than I can get by going to their website or using an affinity program (with AAA or AARP discount).  

 

Would be very reluctant to use the option where they don't disclose the hotel name, as some of the places have terrible reputations.

 

Is there a secret handshake that I don't know about?

A few, like Super8 and maybe Rodeway, reduce the rates a bit when the meet date gets close. I've found going through the place direct online is often cheaper, especially for a "senior" rate. I think the "surprise" motel would probably land you 20 miles from York.

I've switched from the Hampton Inn Shrewsbury to the new Hampton Inn off I-83 in York itself.......coming from the south it's one exit past the George street exit...on Queen Street, Rte 74.

 

Peter