Room Service: Super 8 Carlisle - South (Carlisle, Pennsylvania)

Super 8 Carlisle - South
Carlisle, Pennsylvania

To be brutally honest, we did not expect much from this accommodation, located just half an hour's drive southwest of Harrisburg. The Super 8 Carlisle - South is off an exit from Interstate 81 and provides budget lodging in a format not unlike a motel room with an entrance directly to a parking lot, though this place has indoor corridors.

Heading to the front desk, it was obvious that it's an older property, where important information is posted on a small board usually seen in older cafeterias with the adjustable lettering. Check in was very cordial, and the clerk ensured that we knew all details of our stay even before the room keys were issued. It was an exceptional welcome that I think is rarely found, even in higher priced hotels these days.

Unfortunately, any form of good customer service and positive first contact can't excuse the age of this property and the lack of modern improvements that have been made by competitors by now. Stucco walls from another era grace the room and the path to it, while the furniture and decor looks like it was last upgraded nearly twenty years ago; especially the television, which is an old tube. The air conditioner looked quite damaged around some of the vent and the corridors, stairwell and elevator had a faint smoke or incense odour. There's even an ashtray for cigarettes beside the elevator on our floor which is disconcerting, coming from a place that has instituted a province-wide public smoking ban. I certainly hope no one is still lighting up in the hallways.

A musty, dusty place with a washroom which is also a little discouraging - I had to flush the toilet twice to really get rid of the waste, and it uses an amount of water that makes any climate change activist cringe. The stucco walls in the room had different marks of different kinds, and the bed sheets had two little red stains that are more than likely old nail polish.

There's a microwave and fridge, both looking new with a couple pieces of shipping tape still stuck inside the fridge door. The TV did have expanded digital cable with more channels that we cared to watch. Wifi is included, and is much more generous when it comes to speed than some places I've stayed in.

Continental breakfast is included with the usual options, like juices and make your own waffles. As part of his useful commencement speech, the desk clerk also provided some advice with eating options around the immediate area. There are a couple of fast food options as well as a casual sit down restaurant at the nearest intersection just before the highway.

Let's be honest: The accommodations are like my basement in the house I grew up in years ago, with dark hallways and wooden furniture with the fake marks and everything. Especially with more modern competitors, this property is in desperate need for a makeover in order to compete. It requires better ventilation and a cleaning like it has never seen before. But the staff members were extraordinarily nice, filling in some of the missing gaps of what was otherwise a dingy stay. I just wish the staff were able to service a property that keeps up with their great efforts.