Overview
Located about a 1-minute drive from the nearest Interstate 83 on-ramp in East Harrisburg, the Holiday Inn Express San Harrisburg East is geared towards road travellers who require a well-priced stopover hotel with a free breakfast and easy highway access.
This hotel has 113 air-conditioned guest rooms and suites, each offering free Wi-Fi, cable TV, a coffeemaker, a mini-fridge, a desk, an iron and ironing board and a hair dryer. Rooms with two queen beds or one king and a sofabed are available. Smoking and non-smoking rooms are available at this hotel.
Hotel amenities include an outdoor pool, a fitness room, a business centre, meeting/conference space, guest laundry, vending machines, a free continental breakfast and free parking. Dogs up to 50 lbs are permitted for an additional $15 per pet per night, and wheelchair-accessible rooms are available upon request.
Texas Roadhouse Restaurant and T.G.I. Friday's are both within a 3-minute walk of the hotel, while downtown Harrisburg can be found roughly 11 minutes away by car. Hersheypark is a 20-minute drive away. Dauphin Plaza Shopping Center is a 4-minute drive northward, and Harrisburg International Airport (MDT) is a 12-minute drive southeast. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
Verified with a front desk agent: Free Wi-Fi, free parking, dogs up to 50 lbs $15/pet/night, wheelchair accessible. (Call Date: May 30, 2013)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with much praise going to the hotel's staff, value, rooms and location.
Numerous guests praised the hotel's staff, finding them to be friendly, efficient and helpful.
The hotel was found to provide good value by many reviewers, who described the rates as reasonable, inexpensive and moderate. One guest stated that the value was fantastic considering the price.
Several lodgers were pleased with the hotel's accommodations. They described their rooms as clean, spacious, up-to-date and nicely decorated, with comfortable beds and linens and good Wi-Fi signals. It should be noted, however, that a few guests had complaints about their rooms (see below).
The hotel's location was also praised by several reviewers, who found it to be easily accessible, as well as close to the highway, gas stations, restaurants, bars, Starbucks and Hersheypark.
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were some common complaints about the free breakfast and the rooms.
Some reviewers had complaints about the hotel's free breakfast. They described it as mediocre, and reported a small and crowded breakfast room, limited staff, items not being refilled in a timely manner and low or unsatisfactory food quality.
While the majority of guests were pleased with their accommodations, some lodgers were disappointed with aspects of their rooms. They reported musty odours, worn furniture, some cleaning issues, no bathroom fans and cigarette smells in non-smoking rooms.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #18 out of 50 Harrisburg hotels with an average rating of 4 out of 5 from 141 reviews.
Hotels.com guest reviews rated the hotel 4.1 out of 5 from 95 reviews.
Booking.com guest reviews rated the hotel 8.9 out of 10 from 6 reviews.
The author called the hotel on May 30, 2013 to verify some information.