Gorgeous View Motel — Hotel in Town of Reading

The view is indeed gorgeous and there is our picnic areas to enjoy the view and the location is convenient to Watkins Glen.||||We tend to frequent older motels, and this looked like they type of place where we happily stay and the reviews looked fine. ||||I was surprised when I received a call on the morning of our checkin asking if we were still coming, if we actually wanted the two double beds that we had booked for 3 people and when we would arrive. I agreed to call 20 minutes before arrival as I was still unsure of our plans for the rest of the day. I called 40 minutes in advance only to be told that that there was a physical key under my mat. While the doors had keypads they were not being used. I did find a key under the mat and let ourselves in. The next morning I went down and did the formal checkin process. I asked for ice and was told that there was none. There are also no ice trays in the mini fridge, so no alternative for ice. My husband asked if we were committed to another night and we were told yes. I was told nothing about checkout.||||The next morning I drove down to the office to checkout. I rang the bell. Nothing. I called the number on the door 3 times and finally someone answered and said that they were not there. This is at 9 am in the morning for a room that has an 11 am checkout...certainly not early. I walked back up the hill and left the key under the mat.||||Contactless checkin and electronic key pads are great. A key drop box is fine. Calling to try to figure out what to do with the key with no one answering and no voice mail to say what you did with the key and having to go back up the hill to put the key under the mat? I don't consider this acceptable.||||In addition to having no ice, we could not sleep because the beds were so uncomfortable which is the reason we asked about checking out early. ||||There are no dressers or desks in the room...just three tables and two hard chairs that look like they belong in a cafeteria. Your only option for putting away clothes is 4 hangers in an open closet. ||||The beds are pushed hard against the wall...which makes it extremely difficult for the second person to get into and out of the bed. ||||What was the most odd...everywhere we have stayed post covid has had no housekeeping during the stay. We are perfectly fine with that and happy to have our room undisturbed. When we came back from hiking we found that the beds had been made...and that the bed that my husband had moved so he could get into/out of bed without waking me up had once again been pushed hard against the wall. It...

let’s start out with the good and then end with the bad. First the hotel is exactly what it says it is, a gorgeous view. The room was clean for the most part. Very spacious, and included a work desk and chair. Speaking of chairs, it was really nice that they had the option to sit outside, each room getting their own set of chairs outside. There’s a gas grill outside for you to use as well as a fire pit with seating area. Now with the cons, the shower is so very small. After a long day of hiking or a day on the lake all you want to do is is relax in the tub. Here you can’t even turn around without getting you hair wet, without your face touching the wall. The towels in the bathroom were clean, but they had stains all over them. The blanket had holes and cigarette burns in them. The bed was also very hard and uncomfortable. The pillows under the cover were stained and really gross. The TV had about 10 local channels, and no option to log into Netflix or any other streaming service. I did see a spider in the room, and a couple other small bugs. One of the most inconvenient things was the loud banging that happened all throughout the night, seems like the place might be haunted or someone is trapped inside something somewhere. The rooms are keyless, but room 4 has a passcode of 4044, I hope they change it for each guest, since the locks are old models I doubt they do. As for the AC, it kept turning off even when set on high, we like it very cold at night, and this was annoying. It is a loud AC but it’s nice to down out the noise because the walls are paper thin here (you can literally hear footsteps outside). The last thing is the mini fridge freezer. It didn’t work at all. Put one small thing of ice cream in it, and when I opened it hours later I spilled all over me because it was completely melted.

Anyway for $130, last minute, and with everywhere else booked completely, we didn’t have another option. I’m not sure if I would return. There are other places you can book in advance that look a lot nicer for the same or...

Putting in the reservation, I wasn't expecting much. We've spent the night at 1 star (not clean nor safe) to 5 star (everything was amazing and all the bells and whistles). It was weird having to call someone and have them drive in to come check us in, but it has the atmosphere of a one person business. I give her huge credit as she seems to be juggling multiple plates and is doing her best. The room is a no frills kinda place; yet it has potential (see the pros). Based on some small details I feel like she's either doing this on her own or has some family helping her (nothing against her; I think she's doing great with what she has). My biggest cons are the drive way (it gets dangerous when there's snow/ice as it's steep and damaged), the furniture, the cabling that is wrapped in duct tape (I've seen worse).

Oh and the view.. yes, it's gorgeous!

The pros and cons. Pros: the view; The price; Clean room (recently renovated); Safe environment; Outdoor fire pit (I was actually surprised considering the price); She's doing what she can with what she has (which is more than I can say for many)

Cons: Check in; Parking lot; All the Furniture doesn't match

If you're looking for a cheap place that's clean and safe.. with a nice view of the lake to enjoy your morning coffee too.. this...