OverviewLocated about a 3-minute drive from the nearest Interstate 81 on-ramp and a 17-minute drive from Harrisburg's city centre, the Holiday Inn Express Harrisburg NE is geared towards car travellers who prefer a hotel with a free breakfast, an indoor pool and easy highway access.
Each of the hotel's guest rooms offers air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, cable TV, a coffeemaker, a desk, an iron and ironing board and a hair dryer. Rooms with a microwave, a mini-fridge and a jetted tub are also available. Wheelchair-accessible rooms are available upon request and all rooms are non-smoking.
The hotel also offers an indoor pool, a hot tub, a fitness room, a games room, a business centre, guest laundry, vending machines, free parking and a free breakfast. Pets are not permitted.
Hershey's Chocolate World is roughly a 15-minute drive from the hotel, while Paxton Square offers shopping 10 minutes away by car. Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course is about a 10-minute drive away and Harrisburg International Airport (MDT) is a 21-minute drive away. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
Verified with a front desk agent: Free Wi-Fi, free parking, no pets, wheelchair accessible. (Call Date: November 21, 2013)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with much praise going to the hotel's rooms, location, breakfast and staff.
The hotel's accommodations were praised by numerous reviewers. They described their rooms as clean, quiet, spacious, modern and nicely decorated, with comfortable beds and pillows and good Wi-Fi.
Many lodgers were pleased with the hotel's location. They found it to be easily accessible and close to highway access, restaurants, a gas station, Hershey Park and grocery stores.
Several guests enjoyed the hotel's free breakfast. They described it as excellent, well stocked and filling, with a good selection of hot and cold items and a clean dining area. Some patrons complained about the breakfast area getting very crowded on the hotel's busier days, however.
The hotel's staff were the source of several compliments by travellers, who characterized them as friendly, helpful with directions and providing an efficient check-in service. One patron noted, "The staff were both polite and helpful (directions, recommendations, as well as hotel needs such as extra blankets and things)". A few guests were disappointed with the level of customer service they received, however (see below).
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were a few complaints about the hotel's staff.
Although several guests were pleased with the level of customer service they received during their stay, a few lodgers were disappointed with the staff. They found them to be under trained, unprofessional and inattentive.
Expedia.ca guest reviews rated the hotel 4.2 out of 5 with a 95% recommendation rate from 88 reviews.
Booking.com guest reviews rated the hotel 9 out of 10 from 72 reviews.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #12 of 50 Harrisburg hotels with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 from 61 reviews.
The author called the hotel on November 21, 2013 to verify some information.
