Hotel Carlisle & Embers Convention Center

I’m only giving it one star because you can’t give it no stars. If the board of health dropped in for a visit they’d close the doors immediately. Not a bad place if you don’t mind bringing home bed bugs and a mild case of emphysema. No joke, the wall paper above the A/​C unit was peeling back and there was a heavy coating of black mold behind it. If I ever am forced to go back to Carlisle I’d bring a sleeping bag and open up shop on Route 11 before I’d go there again.

I don’t even know where to begin. Hallways, bar, and lobby had NO heat, but the rooms did luckily. The bathroom in the room was gross, tissue dispensers were empty, everything was rusty and stained and just dirty, no water pressure, toilet ran 24/​7, no ventilation system, hairdryer was hanging off the wall and didn’t work, tub was clogged so shower water took FOREVER to drain, towels were thin, small and CHEAP. Door lock on our personal room was broken, and the doors to get in the building have a sign saying you need to slide your key to unlock the door but they opened without a key (poor security). There were VERY few outlets in the room, and the ones that were in there you could barely use. Your chargers would just fall out, you would pretty much have to sit there and hold the charger into the plug while your phone or computer charged. Holes in the wall, lamp shades dirty and broken, lights flickered. Lost our reservations, should have taken that as a sign in the first place and hauled butt out of there. Internet was down for a night. Indoor pool and hot tub was drained, fitness center had 3 machines from the 50’s in it, dirty. Leaks with buckets under them in the hallways, carpet held down with duct tape. Rollaway bed was pretty awful. Restaurant was closed, people drinking at the bar all were bundled up with coats and scarves on still because it was so cold. Made the best of it with friends but would not ever stay here again!

NO star would be what I would give. Went to the car show, and checked into this dump. It smelled like mold, both in the lobby and in the room. No internet. The lobby is a half mile from our room and they told me to come to the lobby with my laptop and get on the internet there and walk back to the room. Still no internet, and I got lost on top of it. No ice. The machines had mold and crushed cigarette packs in them. Run, don’t walk away! AND, they wanted $ 130 plus taxes and fees a night. We left.

Just attended a convention here, and wow. I would say the owners gave up on this place sometime in the early to mid 90’s. From the outside the place looks dilapidated, with a crowded entrance area. Looks like a former main entrance is no longer connected from the highway, so enter from the intersection.
So what I found out later, was the convention used about half the convention facility, but the event was small enough that it was not an issue. From my impressions, the general facilities are dated. Lots of wood grain, small meeting/​panel rooms not AV ready, that could at best accommodate 30 people. Narrow hallways, so good luck if you have someone with a handicap. The Clarion Ballroom was not properly lit, was rather dark.
I’m not sure there are enough bathrooms on site, as I only ever found one men’s bathroom in the part of the convention center we were using, and it was extremely small. Didn’t even get near the dining facilities on site, not worth my time, there’s a Denny’s right across the street in the Flying J and Bob Evans is close.
Call in the Bulldozers, the property has to be worth some money with the amount of hotels and businesses within a mile radius, because I very much doubt that the owners have the millions necessary to turn this into a true convention center. I would avoid this place.

This hotel is horrible on every level and I wish I could give this zero stars. The room given smelled like chemicals and there was trash behind the bed, fridge, and headboard. The bathroom had aluminum foil as Kleenex box decoration and dirty stained towels. The fridge had dead roaches and mold inside. The hallway smelled like people were cooking some sort of drugs or chemicals and the lights flickered on and off. My throat instantly swelled up and eyes watered from horrible allergies to something in that hotel. When I went back to the front desk and asked for a different room, the freckle-​faced girl, no more than 20 years old, informed me that there’s no room changes or refunds. Then rolled her eyes at me and told me to «go somewhere else more fancy and pay more.» I did and was happy. When I asked to talk to a manager, she said she was the manager. Since I booked through an online hotel service, I was told the next day when I phoned that no refunds would be given. Horrible and unsafe place to stay. I do not recommend staying by any means.

I’d give it a zero. Terrible service, old sheets, no wifi, old TVs, and terrible staff. I’d rather stay in a dumpster.

This place is terrible! It’s soooooo outdated and as soon as you walk in you’re greeted with a musty stench! Also came here for their thanksgiving buffet and the food was horrible. It was so bland! They charged $ 22.99 per adult, I was better off going to the gas station and getting a hot dog! I saw all the previous negative reviews and thought to myself, oh, it can’t be that bad. Boy was I wrong. You couldn’t pay me to come back to this place.

Off to another show and this time Carlisle, PA (just my luck again).
I was partnered by random to share a room with two queen size beds for a week to cut cost down. When I walked in, my roommate made our room looked liked a Victoria Secret makeover with incense of lily flowers, candle lit fragrances, and a whole shebang of flowery themes everywhere and somehow even managed to change the comforters to a more suitable taste; yes — more flower theme park. I never left that room not smelling like rose pedals, I kid you not for a whole week!
I understand from the reviews here that this hotel was blah and not good! It lacked luster and well, a lot of things. But there were other good points about this hotel for example:
1. Free WiFi (wireless & wired)
2. Indoor pool with jacuzzi
3. ²⁴⁄₇ workout room
4. Large outdoor space good for jogging and walking (I enjoy long walks especially after dinner, a plus for me)
5. Easy access to highway and near a Turnpike
6. Their conference room was huge
7. Friendly staff
8. Plushy towels
9. Embers Steakhouse in the hotel
I was told this used to be an old military barracks. They had the East wing, the West, Building this and Building that — who knows, but it was huge especially with their outdoor space with over 20 plus acres if I remember correctly.
I didn’t get a chance to spend a lot of time in our room as you already know with my «roomie» situation so after the shows, I just headed out to Harrisburg for dinner outings and pubs and managed to squeezed in to dropped by at the Hershey Factory too.

ABSOLUTELY THE WORST PLACE!!!
As we were checking in, we were told our room has had a leak in it for two weeks and it was up to us if we wanted, of course we didn’t. We were told we had to drive to a room on the other side of the property. We were a little annoyed but agreed.
As going into our building, there were signs of hay at the front door that was wide open, ripped carpeting, and no ventilation to the point of going into an asthma attack, I had to go outside and take my meds.
Going to the room also was a family who shouted «this is the worst hotel, you have to provide your own linen and towels»
Here is where things got worse, we got to our room and tried the key, it flashed yellow and red. We presumed this was not the room, and tried a different room and it just flashed red. We called the front desk, and they said they would be there in a few minutes. we were waiting outside for 45 minutes and after calling 3 times.
We got in, dropped off our stuff and went to dinner, came back, same issue with the room. We had 1.5hr before our concert was going to start which was 30 minutes away and still no access to the room. This time, it took 1 hr for the maintenance. We were late for the concert and almost missed the main act.
got back about 1 am and still no access to room. called, no answer, called again answered by a rude man name Jeff or something J, he hung up on me after explaining my issue. Went to the desk personally, and he told us if we could not get access to the room, he did not know what to tell us.
Fortunately we got in and there was a lack of towels, soap, toliet paper, linen, etc. it was a mess…

Wish I could give zero stars. We hosted an event at this hotel last fall. I did not attend (I pay for the organization) so I can’t speak to the condition of the hotel. However, they used our debit card for the rooms and spaces we needed. They added over $ 600 to our charges that we didn’t expect, but we paid since we’d used the space. Bad enough, but then 3 months after our event they charged another almost $ 500 to our card. I tried for several months to contact them. Each time I was told the person was out and would get back to me. I finally had one woman tell me, after she refused to transfer me to the manager, that «she had a job to do and she had to get back to it.» Like a group that spent thousands there wasn’t worth her time. Needless to say, I ended up reporting it to the bank as a fraudulent charge. If you go — guard your credit card and watch for charges. And don’t expect ANY «customer service.» AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!

This place was only one tiny step up from your average roach motel! If you don’t read the entire review, read this: GO ELSEWHERE IF YOU CAN!
I had no choice but to stay at «The Embers» as we’ve always called it due to late reservations for the Carlisle Spring Auto Show. We ended up lodged in what we call the «outbuildings,» which are additions to the main motel. Getting to the main lobby required either driving or walking a half bloody mile.
When we walked into the hallway our rooms were in from outside, the first thing I noticed was the smell. Ever spent much time in your grandparents’ basement? That’s the smell. The rooms were stuffy, like they hadn’t been used in a long while, nor even opened up and aired out. ALL lights were unplugged when we walked in. Thankfully there was still daylight and the light switches for the entryway and bathroom lights did work so we could see. However then I had to find the outlets and plug in the lights. The AC was on and working, I’ll give them that.
Now the bad. I got to the point where I was nit-​picking so read this with a grain of salt.
Free wifi was advertised. They had the equipment, but it was either faulty and in need of service or just didn’t reach our rooms. I believe the former as I showed good signal strength on laptop, iphone and ipad. However not one device would connect. Called front desk and their response was, «well, some guests have had good luck coming down to the lobby (remember, half mile trek) and connecting, and then taking their (device) back to their room.» I wasn’t thrilled at the prospect and wasn’t going to even try. However (tangent) since the towels were so crappy (like the ones your Mom sent you to summer camp with that she’d stolen from a Holiday Inn three decades ago) that I felt I’d need more than the measly TWO in the bathroom to get dried off. Why mention this? Because they would NOT leave the front desk and bring extra towels to the room. Apparently the front desk couldn’t run without the three people there.
So get down there, get extra towels (same sterling quality!) and am able to connect to wireless. Trek back to the room (236) and within 5 minutes it’s gone again. Call the desk again and they can’t do anything, the IT guy is gone for the evening. I offer to look as I AM an «IT guy» and they decline. Fair enough.
Took my shower and found myself wading in the tub since the drain barely works. Got up to about 5 inches of standing water that eventually drained sometime in the middle of the night. The soap and shampoo is crap, bring your own. They don’t even spring for shampoo in a bottle, it’s in a plastic packet, like ketchup! Bring your own toilet paper, too. What they have is worse than most truck stops I’ve had the pleasure of utilizing. Took three towels to get dried off (I’m not a big guy but I do usually use just two at home). The shower head falls about at neck level for me and I’m just 6’1″. The bathroom counter was also super short. It’s like they designed the place in 1835 when average height was 5’1″! Inconvenient but not detrimental.
Pulled back the covers and found tiny pillows, again like your Mom sent you to summer camp with 20 years ago. Bed appeared clean, but after reading about bed bugs I definitely checked close. Carpet wasn’t clean, I found someone else’s food wrappers on the floor. The trash can wasn’t clean either, some red juice in the bottom had congealed there over time, like someone dropped kool-​aid in there and it was never cleaned out.
Next evening I get back from the show and wifi still doesn’t work. Called front desk again and I hear a woosh of «hhhhhhh, would you like to try coming to the lobby?» Hell no! This time they send the «maintenance guy» to my room and he sees that HE can’t connect either (looked more like a construction worker, but hell I do on my days off, too). I had to leave to take some clients to dinner and came back to the same situation.
No help at all. Poor attitude. Nasty facility. Don’t stay here if you have ANY alternative. I actually considered getting an air mattress and sleeping in the truck but it was too cold at night. If this is the level of service this place provides, they should be charging either $ 50/​night or just bite the bullet and start charging by the hour instead.

Stayed here again for the PAMMA dart tournament. It didn’t get better. This hotel is a perfect candidate for Hotel Nightmares with Gordon Ramsay.
The rooms are old and the linens are worn and haven’t been updated in years. The hotel has a musty smell up and down the hallways and in the rooms. There was no room phone. There is also no hot water, a huge miss for any hotel, no matter how cheap it is to stay there. The tubs are made of cheap plastic, so you will feel it sink as you apply your body weight. They give you no shampoo, but you likely won’t need it unless you love cold showers. Amenities in the room include an old tube TV, mini fridge (set to frozen), alarm clock, and microwave.
The landscaping is poorly maintained and overrun. The courtyard isn’t lighted if you are walking between the buildings, so a monster or predator can jump out and eat you at any time if walking around at night. The lights in the hallways flicker and there are empty jacks where house phones used to be.
Since the last stay, it looks like they improved on the pool, which was awful last time. You may not risk a deadly bacterial infection if you swim in it.
If you’re planning on filming a horror movie that takes place in an old central Pennsylvania hotel, this is your place. Since most people aren’t, you’d be better at a different location.

STAY AWAY! This place needs to be shut down, no towels, no toilet paper, no maid service, no working toilets, no tissue, no light bulbs, no Internet, no jacuzzi, no pool, no customer service, no running toilets, no drapes… Oh YES!!! Tons of FILTH!

Worst experience of our lives. We were a group booking 12 rooms. To start… the rooms were filthy, huge spiders, hair in sink and tub, unvacummed carpets, moldy stench and extremely rude staff. Our children literally turned blue from the pool. To end our terrible experience, at check out we were all charged different fees. Some were charged 4 times and some were charged for nights they weren’t even there. This place is awful. DO NOT STAY HERE,!!!

They should get negative stars, it was terrible! I stayed from 5÷1÷2012 — 5÷6÷12 for a big dog show, we normally have tons of fun in the bar and restaurants not here. Everything people said above is true about filth and mold. I could not believe for $ 120.00 a night you don’t get new sheets or floors vacuumed and mopped, no all they did was make the bed and wipe the counters for 6 days. The staff was rude an unproffessional, we were greeted by a man wearing a baseball cap on backwards old t-​shirt, then again the staff probably didn’t want to be recognized by a uniform as there were so many complaints. Don’t book your event here you will be very disappointed, I wouldn’t stay here again if it was free!!!

This Hotel is wretched! Filthy, rude staff, poor Internet connectivity are among my main complaints! Hotel maids did not even have toilet brushes to clean toilets! The restaurant is dreadful! The grounds (once lovely) are overgrown and full of weeds!
Apparently there have been two changes in ownership in the last 6 months. Most of the staff is new… the old staff supposedly walked out a few weeks ago. Check in was a nightmare. The first room I received was a smoking room and I had requested a non-​smoking room. The 2^nd room was already occupied! Finally the third room was acceptable. Our room was clean. I was staying at this venue because I was attending a conference. Others attending were not as lucky. Many rooms had no lightbulbs, no towels, etc. People had to go out and buy their own towels and toilet paper. Interior hallways were very dimly lit at night… and one hall way had no lights at all in the night. This clearly makes for an unsafe environment.
The food is in the restaurant was over price and dreadful. We ate their once during the entire week and that was enough to convince us to eat elsewhere for the remainder of the week.
There are plenty of other hotels around. I heard wonderful things about the Marriott Residenz down the street. I’d definitely check that out and avoid the Hotel Carlisle no matter what.

Update 01÷09÷11: It looks like they changed their sales staff again. I went to email them to tell them that my fiancé and I would not be choosing them and someone completely new emailed me back, making it three different people that I dealt with for one possible event.

My grandparents loved this hotel in the Fifties. I’m pretty sure one of my uncles was conceived here, based on the way they speak of this turnpike landmark. After 15 years of staying here, it’s changed ownership in the last few months.
Rude staff
Smelly rooms
Smaller and less towels
Tiny soaps
Lousy goundskeeping.
This former landmark is now an American fleabag.
Won’t be back.

Pee-​yu! The second we opened our room, we were hit with a strong BO smell. We asked for a replacement and the second room had it too though on a smaller scale… Sprayed JP Gaultier throughout the room, put on my self-​containing breathing apparatus, checked the air-​line, dove under the blanket and switched off the lights…
I am gonna leave a deodorant stick for the cleaning person tomorrow before I check out…
P. S. I’m a morning shower person, so didn’t see the bathtub until the next day… yuck! MOLD!!!
P. P. S. Filed a complaint with a health department.

The website makes the place look great — it isn’t.
The room was beat up. The ceiling had obvious water damage and a few tiles were coming down. The room had a refrigerator — it still had food from a previous guest in it.
It isn’t expensive, but you can do better. The econolodge is about a mile away, was cheaper and is better.