Motel 6 Lancaster, PA — Hotel in East Lampeter Township

I'll start with the positive. The room- at least mine, had no carpet, which was actually a pleasant surprise. Carpet is the usually the grossest thing in a motel/hotel, especially in a budget situation. I've never been in a hotel room without carpet and it just had the appearance of being cleaner. I walked around without socks on too and my feet were not dirty so they must do a good job cleaning the floors.

There is a good size refrigerator with a freezer area and a microwave. The freezer top refrigerator is important for someone like me because I'm only in hotels for my son's far away swim meets. I need the freezer for his freezable lunch bags.

They use Dish TV which didn't give us a lot of channels. We were stuck inside for the better part of one day because it was terrible weather. If we had been able to be outside it wouldn't have been a big deal but the limited amount of channels kind of sucks if you're trapped in there for hours. There is the option to sign into google and watch youtube or other streaming services you pay for at home.

As for the negatives- the hallway carpets are filthy. It's a non-smoking hotel and people are smoking weed in there like it's a dispensary. The hallways REEK of old tobacco and fresh weed. When we were stuck inside due to the weather, I could swear I saw clouds wafting under the door into our room. It was disgusting. When you don't smoke, it's really noticeable and gross.

The lobby desperately needs sprucing up. The first, most obvious thing you see is a sign about human trafficking - which I understand is a major problem in the world. However, it does not make you feel safe or comfortable there. Because of that sign I asked if it was a safe area/hotel. The lady at the desk said- oh, yeah, that's just a thing in every Motel 6. Then she said- "The doors to the outside lock from 10p-6a and you can't get in even with your key card. You have to go to the main entrance".

This was actually the most egregious issue and why my low rating. NONE of those doors actually closed automatically. So they were NOT locked. You had to really push or pull them closed to click shut- which I did any time I went in or out. But most people didn't make the effort as evidenced by any time we went in or out over the 48 hours there, the door was slightly ajar. They just stayed open. So ANYONE off the street - and it's a highway- could just come in any door at any time and not be noticed. That is decidedly NOT safe.

There are also no screens on the windows. I have a 15 yr old so I'm not worried about him, but if you had small children, that would be a concern. Also, I like to open the windows if they open, especially when there is smoke smell or marijuana smoke, but I certainly don't want bugs- mosquitos, bees, whatever, and with no screens - that's a probability.

Lastly, no carpet is good for cleanliness, but not good for soundproofing. It sounded like elephants were running above us. So I guess that's why most hotels have carpet- to cushion the noise.

I would say the price was too high for a weekend in March with the lack of amenities and condition of the hotel overall. I know it's a Motel 6 and this one was probably a palace compared to what one would be like near where I live, but I wouldn't choose to stay here again unless it...

I'm writing this review in an effort to help you the consumer make a better decision. First of all, this is a budget hotel. As a long time customer of Choice Hotels, this surprised me, knowing their quality. (I just read it was a super 8 - that explains a lot).||||Some of the issues were:||a) No working phone - had my cell so it was okay||b) the mattress cover was well used - frayed and "hairs" pointing in all direction||c) refrigerator not cleaned from prior occupants||d) only one towel (3 guests)||e) no remote for television - provided by maintenance within an hour||f) other tenants on our floor were very loud up until 4am. Didn't get much sleep||g) beds much smaller than a queen, which we expect. Just not that small||g) found out on arrival they had no breakfast - i wish choice hotels would update their website. I know there's a clause about COVID, etc, but it's not that much work to say "no breakfast". Otherwise you waste time calling each hotel to see if they offer it||10) cobwebs on the wall, plus dirty literature/signage on desks||11) desk was VERY wobbly and legs almost came off when i moved it a little to make room for sitting chair.||12) room overall was a tight fit. I've had more spacious double queen rooms than this||||IMO, some of these seem to stem from the labor market there as well as COVID struggles. Several of the housekeepers were upset and sharing their thoughts very loudly. Seems not to be the best of areas and I felt bad for the few decent employees that were there. I know COVID is having an impact, but i thought businesses were on the uptick, and just overall disappointed.|||| However won't be...

The guy at the front desk was very helpful and the location was convenient for us, but unfortunately that's where the positives end. The place was disgusting and in dire need of repairs. I appreciate this is a very cheap hotel by US standards, but you can get much cheaper places in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world that are much better quality and a lot more hygienic, so there is no excuse for the state of this place. The bathroom had what looked like blood on the walls (my kids thought someone had recently been murdered in there!), including right by the clean (?) towels, the main room had stains on the lampshades and the chest of drawers looked like it had been rescued from a skip (no draw fronts and a broken carcass). My kids wanted to go and buy one of those UV lights to check the bedding, but decided ignorance would help us sleep. My kids also felt very unsafe, as the rear door to the motel which is out of view of the front office and main road, was easily accessible by anyone without a key, and the rear lobby smelt like someone had been sleeping there. My kids constantly had that sort of laugh that's laced with fear, but we stuck it out in the end because it was very late and it would give us that Dark Tourism "traditional US motel" experience that would give us something interesting to talk about when (if!) we get home.

Update: I have since received an apology from the General Manager, explaining they have not long taken over the management of this hotel but will try and ensure standards are improved, and she offered a 50% refund...