Holiday Inn Wilkes Barre - East Mountain, an IHG Hotel — Hotel in Plains Township

TL;DR: The Holiday Inn Wilkes Barre was outdated, dirty, and poorly managed. Our room lacked basic amenities, had cleanliness issues, and was even double-booked. Common areas were unkempt, and the overall experience was far below Holiday Inn standards. Spend the extra money and stay elsewhere. We’re usually loyal Hilton guests, but at $80/night, we figured we’d give the Holiday Inn Wilkes Barre a try during our visit to see family in Nanticoke. Spoiler alert: sometimes you do get what you pay for.

Arrival: Chaos in the Parking Lot - After an 8-hour drive from southern Ohio, we were relieved to see an EV charger in the parking lot for our Ford Mach-E. Relief turned to panic when we discovered the charger was so outdated it probably remembered when the Model T was state-of-the-art. With 6% battery left, we had to hunt down a compatible charger. My partner went off to park elsewhere, while I stayed behind in the room to squeeze in a little work.

A Surprise “Welcome Party” - As I sat on the bed, typing away, I suddenly heard loud voices outside our door. Moments later, someone was jiggling the handle, clearly trying to open it. They loudly complained about their key card not working and continued to try opening the door. Before I could process what was happening, my partner walked back in and confronted them. They claimed the front desk had assigned them this room.

My partner—understandably upset, given that our belongings, including expensive electronics, were inside—told them to go back to the front desk to sort it out. He stepped over their pile of belongings left outside the door and firmly closed it. This situation was deeply unsettling. Within 10 minutes of checking in, the staff had double-booked our room, creating unnecessary tension and leaving us feeling vulnerable. My partner’s assessment of the situation? “They looked like crack addicts.” Not exactly the vibe we were hoping for.

The Room: Outdated and Questionable Cleanliness - Once the drama subsided, we took a good look at our room. The outdated decor was matched only by the sketchy level of cleanliness. The bathroom featured a smear near the toilet (we played the “is it blood or something worse?” game), a scum ring in the tub, and mold-speckled drop ceilings that screamed “renovation overdue.” A mini-fridge and microwave were notably absent, which is a glaring omission in 2024.

The Bistro: Good Staff, Bad Crowd - After enduring a political debate over mediocre cheese pizza with my in-laws, we headed to the bistro for a much-needed drink. While the staff was lovely and the food decent, the atmosphere was ruined by a massive family with 15 iPad-wielding children running amok. Their parents, completely oblivious, blocked the bar area and seemed more interested in Casamigos than their kids. Kudos to the staff for eventually relocating them to the breakfast area so the rest of us could enjoy our meals in relative peace.

Laundry: A New Low - The laundry facilities on the fourth floor were the final nail in the coffin. The washer, barely bigger than a popcorn bucket, was grimy with detergent residue and looked like it hadn’t been cleaned since installation. The dryer was filled with lint and forgotten laundry, and our clothes came out half-washed at best. We ended up hang-drying them because, at this point, why not?

Final Thoughts - Holiday Inn Wilkes Barre, you have some serious issues to address. Double-booking rooms, outdated facilities, questionable cleanliness, and inattentive staff are not a good look. While the waitstaff and bartenders were bright spots, they couldn’t save the overall experience.

If you’re desperate or on a tight budget, this place might do. Otherwise, spend the extra $120 and stay at the Hilton. 2 stars—one for the resilient staff and one for the...

This was by far the worse stay ! I booked this room to celebrate my son birthday. On February 1st my significant other lost his key and was knocking on the pool door & there he was approached by the manager Xavier Bennett. He asked him was he a guest at the hotel and for the room number in which he provided. Xavier then asked him for his I.d which he was told he didn’t have it on him. He explained to Bennett that he was not the person on the room . Xavier entered the pool hall shortly after this interaction and I spoke to him . There was no arguement between us and I offered to add my significant other to the room but that wasn’t enough for him . He was looking for altercation in which I wouldn’t give him & told me unregistered guest referring to my significant other are not allowed in the pool (in which he never entered the pool ) but because he was looking for altercation I offered to leave the pool room . I advised him I was having a party for my child and that we were not trying to go back and forth so I will have everyone leave the pool , he said ok & walked out coming back no less than 2 mins stating he wanting my significant other gone as well as me , when asked why he stated cause I do (which our whole interaction is on camera for the simple fact I felt he was looking for confrontation) I followed him to the front desk and my first question was “did I disrespect you in any way , he stated no , I said was I rude , he stated no , and I said I don’t see the reason I’m being put out , I said I even offered to put him on the room and this man lied straight to my face and said , “ No you didn’t” when I offered to show him the video he changed his story . I then stated how I was trying to just enjoy my son bday ect in which he then stated that parties are not allowed ! But the thing is I was not put out because of a party , or for being rude , I was put out due to prejudice, there was a whole separate party drinking in the pool hall that he saw and when asked , he stated that they were indeed allowed to drink in there because they got the drinks from the bar in which the general manager later contradicted that . I was comped for my stay but that is not enough , they stated the reason for putting me out (in a report)was due to a party in which he had no idea I was having in the beginning of our interaction. And when I told him I was having one not one time did he ask for me to have them leave just my significant other & then me , with no reason to why at first just solely because he want us to ! His behavior caused emotional distress in which I will be proceeding with a civil suite ! I received guests phone numbers that was not apart of my party who agreed with me while heartily and could understand why I was upset ! Hold people like this accountable & be sure to...

tldr/ Pros: mountain views, free fast electric car chargers, attractive interior design. Cons: awful beds, very sad not free breakfast, no streaming for TV, poorly executed interior design, construction.

Beds are very firm. I did not sleep well here. Couldn't get comfortable for watching tv nor sleeping. Speaking of, the TV situation is awful. There's no option to connect to streaming services. Don't let the prompt to download the app fool you, its just a remote for changing channels. The towels were rough. Just unpleasant to use. Typically the redeeming element for a holiday inn is the breakfast. There is no free breakfast. There is a buffet with the same things - actually, no. It was worse. There were fewer options for everything. The French toast was like trying to chew rubber. The eggs were wet. The bread was too wide for the toaster. The pastries were dry like they were taken from a store clamshell package too long before I'd gotten to them. The cups for drinks are tiny. You are not allowed to take anything out of the dining area. There's no news TV to watch. It's depressingly quiet. The hostess takes you to your seat then clears the table. You're expected to tip for that. The other "restaurant" is the bar and its just okay. Kinda expensive with mediocre atmosphere. That's fine, it wasn't why we chose this location. The pool was okay. The water looked a little green and iffy. Normal in my experience with most Holiday Inns. There was construction. The grounds around the in were a mess because of it. Using the elevator was concerning. Lots of clanks in both going up and down. There were no vending machines. Just a small plastic case at the front desk with a handful of overpriced items. The room itself was nicely designed. The window treatments gave a lot of light control. The headboard had nice ambient light built in. The curvy sofa was pretty and comfortable. The kitchenette/dresser/bench/desk/media stand combo was attractive and thoughtfully arranged. Now, the flooring has odd dips and slopes that were a little concerning. Not sure what could be causing that. And all the doors have been painted several coats too thick. The bathroom door has paint scraped off the side of the door and door frame from forcing it closed. The main door was the same. We had to tug on the door every time we left to get it to click. A firm push was needed from the inside to get it lined up to lock the deadbolt. The have genuine FREE fast chargers for electric vehicles. The view from both sides of the hotel were beautiful. Oh, the sink drain was stuck shut. I had to get under the sink to mess with the doo-hickey that pushed it open and closed. The shower water wouldn't get hotter than moderately warm. The pros were very nice pros. The cons were too severe for me to...